Charles Bassey‘s five-game audition with the Warriors paid off.
The veteran center and Golden State have agreed to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 NBA season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday, citing sources.
The Golden State Warriors and center Charles Bassey have agreed on a one-year deal, bringing the big man back to the Bay Area for his sixth NBA season, sources tell ESPN. Bassey returns to Golden State in wake of Quinten Post joining the Grizzlies on an offer sheet. pic.twitter.com/JtH32Cy21R
The 25-year-old Bassey now is in line to be the Warriors’ third center behind veterans Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis.
Per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Bassey assumes the Warriors’ 11th roster spot.
Charles Bassey fills the 11th roster spot. Young backup energy big who can absorb regular season minutes.
It’s anticipated Draymond Green will eventually fill 12th spot. Warriors also plan to maintain roster room for LeBron James until his decision is made. https://t.co/cfYLOPCccB
Bassey spent time last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics before signing a 10-day contract with the Warriors on April 5.
In five games, Bassey averaged 10.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 20.0 minutes off the bench.
Overall, in five seasons with the Warriors, Celtics, 76ers, Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, the 2021 second-round draft pick is averaging 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 126 games.
While the Warriors wait for LeBron James to make his decision and Draymond Green to likely sign a new contract, they secured a valuable depth piece.
Spurs forward Carter Bryant makes his second-year Summer League debut Thursday at 3:30 pm CST against San Antonio native Kingston Flemings and the Atlanta Hawks.
The Summer Spurs will play at least four games in Las Vegas after going 0-3 in the California Classic.
Around the Horn
Vegas Prep: Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor posted a list of the top 50 players to watch in Vegas. Not much love for the Spurs … Bryant is nowhere to be found (that’s a big oopsie) and Tarris Reed, Jr., is way down the list.
From Mark Zuckerberg to El Jefe? Jesse Eisenberg, an Oscar-nominated actor most known for the lead role of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, recently said his dream role is playing Gregg Popovich. Eisenberg on Pop: “I just find him to be the most fascinating person on the planet. Here’s this tough coach who cries sometimes and talks about the plight of America, and yet he’s also this terrifying figure who can be so mean to journalists. People like that are fascinating because, on the one hand, they’re known to be very nasty, and on the other hand they’re these bleeding hearts.”
Top of the Heap: Speaking of Pop, he came to mind Wednesday night when Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve became the WNBA’s all-time regular season wins leader with 380. Like Popovich in the NBA, she now holds both the WNBA’s regular season record and overall mark (including playoff victories). Interestingly, Reeve’s career winning percentage ranks behind just one person: former Spurs assistant and Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon, the head coach for the Las Vegas Aces.
Highest Bidder:Darren Rovell reports that various items from the recent NBA Finals brought in big money through a Sotheby’s auction. Various New York Knicks’ game-used jerseys collectively approached $2 million while Finals-branded court panels from Madison Square Garden and a net from Game 5 combined to eclipse $500,000.
By George: Last week’s Philadelphia-Boston blockbuster trade has some calling Paul George “the most valuable player in NBA history.” Given that he’s been traded for All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown plus other good players and a slew of valuable draft picks (we see you, OKC), it’s a compelling argument.
Word Play: On a recent NBA Radio show on Sirius XM, Zach Harper and Chris Haynes debated the words that need to disappear from the league’s vocabulary. Their picks were “optionality” and “curated.” What words do you think need to be banned from the NBA? Let us know in the comments below!
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 06: Egor Demin #8 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of the California Classic at Golden 1 Center on July 06, 2026 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The most startling statistic for Brooklyn Nets last week in Sacramento may also be the most important going forward … not just for the 2026-27 season.
On Thursday, Brian Lewis encapsulated what others have also noticed:
After being just 1-for-4 from 2-point range in three summer league tilts last year, Dëmin’s auspicious 11-for-12 bodes well moving forward.
Demin, still only 20, has already made fools of those who said he couldn’t shoot by setting one rookie shooting record — 34 consecutive games with a three — and hitting nearly 40% (38.5%) of his attempts and with volume. Eight times he hit five or more in a game with his top game seven vs. the Golden State Warriors back on December 29. Twenty times, he made three or more.
Now it looks like he may make fools of another set of critics from last season: those who said he would only be 3-point threat not a well-rounded offensive player.
“There was definitely one of the biggest points of emphasis,” Dëmin told The Post about his off-season. “The first time I met with the Nets last year in the predraft, I said I’m not going to sit here and tell you what I’m good at. I’m going to make sure you know that I’m aware of my weaknesses. So sometimes it’s a big advantage for the players to know what their weaknesses are over what is their strength.
“So, it’s been an advantage for me for the past summer and this summer as well, just knowing what to work on, what I really want to improve. … But obviously the goal is to get higher and higher on that, and master the game.”
It’s no surprise that the plantar fasciitis that caused him to miss a lot of development time last summer than 32 games in the season factored into what he could and couldn’t do, as did his physique. Now, he says he’s good having put on 13 to 15 pounds. It’s not just his fans who have noticed, even his rookie backcourt mate who watched from afar last season has seen the change.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Mikel Brown Jr. told The Post of Dëmin’s growth. “You see the growth from him being more aggressive, playing more physical. He got adapted to that style of the ball.
“The NBA is very physical; you’re playing against grown men. So you’ve got to be able to adapt. And you can see it. He’s way more physical. He’s more adamant about getting into his spots. No matter how tough and how physical the defender is, he’s going to get to his spots regardless. So you can see the growth from that.”
So, too, have his coaches.
“He’s done an outstanding job of putting weight on,” Nets summer league coach Dutch Gaitley told The Post. “But it’s easy to just show it off while you’re walking around the gym. The hard part is now can you have carryover?
“And Egor has been able to show his ability to get into the paint, hit midrange, get into the paint and make plays for other guys. That’s probably been his most [encouraging growth]. His comfort level with his strength is just going to open up so much of his game for himself or his teammates.”
Then there’s the shift in aura, crystalized by that windmill dunk vs. the Warriors at the close of the first half Monday. As C.J. Holmes of that Daily News writes, “The hair’s different. The fits are sharper. The frame looks stronger.”
Yes, as Lewis notes, it’s always somewhat of a fool’s errand to extrapolate Summer League performance into something sustainable. The annals of NBA Summer League is littered with MVPs who are no longer in the league or barely hanging on … and that includes Jalen Wilson and Cam Thomas.
But Demin is also someone with certain advantages. He was the tallest guard ever measured at the NBA Combine and has court vision as well as a shooting stroke and now has shown not just a skill but a willingness to drive the lane. The Nets took a lot of hits from pundits and draftniks after the Draft for taking him so high at No. 8 last uear. ESPN had him at No. 13 in their final mock, Bleacher Report at No. 19. Then again, there was griping about how he didn’t make either the first or second All-Rookie team which may or may not have been a function of him missing all those games.
But never mind all that. It’s a new season and Demin wants to re-invent his narrative once again. So far, so good.
The Knicks already brought in Andre Drummond to help make up for the loss of two of their big men this offseason, and it appears they could be targeting another veteran.
Valanciunas, of course, was waived by the Nuggets on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old big man will become available in free agency once he clears waivers.
As per Begley, New York previously showed interest in Valanciunas when he hit the open market in 2024.
He ended up joining the Wizards as part of a sign-and-trade, then was dealt to Sacramento, where he spent one season before being moved again to Denver last summer.
Valanciunas produced 8.7 points and 5.1 boards as their backup center during the regular season, but ended up falling out of the rotation during the playoffs.
Bringing him in along with Drummond to backup All-Star starter Karl-Anthony Towns could give the Knicks strong depth at the center position.
Valanciunas was previously a client of team president Leon Rose.
Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has filed a dispute in Dallas County, Texas, court, alleging that Dallas Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont engaged in “adversarial business practices” and is seeking a judge to compel the team's executives to disclose details of the franchise's new arena plans.
The Mavericks had planned to develop a site in North Dallas that housed a shopping mall. The 104-acre site, called Valley View, would include a new arena with a practice facility, along with entertainment plans around it.
Cuban said in the filing that he wants information on "the financing of a new Dallas Mavericks arena at Valley View and the exploration and identification of locations for the new arena, among other things." He also said that he was “contractually entitled to participate” in the Valley View deal.
Cuban, despite selling a majority stake in the Mavericks, still owns 27% of the team, and he claims that he would still be in charge of the basketball operations. The billionaire sold his stake in the team in 2023 to Miriam Adelson and Dumont, who is Adelson's son-in-law. Adelson's husband, Sheldon, who was the founder, former chairman, and CEO of the casino company Las Vegas Sands, died in 2021.
That agreement, according to the petition, was made via a handshake deal. Instead, Cuban claims that Dumont gave Nico Harrison that job. Harrison was fired as general manager in November partly because of bungling of the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The team has played in the American Airlines Center, located in the Victory Park neighborhood of downtown Dallas, since 2001. The lease of the arena, which also hosts the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars, expires in 2031
The second-round pick Jack Kayil has officially been added to the team’s roster ahead of their exhibition opener Friday night against the Nets.
Kayil was originally left off the roster due to an issue with his current club.
The youngster’s agent indicated to reporters last week, though, that they expected it to be quickly resolved.
Now the Knicks will officially be able to get a good look at the 39th overall pick before deciding if he’ll return to Germany or receive a two-way contract this year.
Though it may not be up to him with the Knicks trying to stay under the second apron this year, Kayil said following the selection that he did not plan on returning overseas.
"My plan is to stay here," he said. "And to get into the organization and keep growing with them."
Kayil averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds across 21 minutes in the Alba Berlin league last season.
He also earned FIBA Champions League Best Young Player honors and was named All-FIBA Champions Second-Team after helping Germany take home the silver medal at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup.
Two of the biggest uncertainties surrounding the Kings heading into the 2026 NBA offseason were stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine’s futures with the team.
Kings general manager Scott Perry addressed the media on Wednesday and revealed that he anticipates LaVine to play for the team during the upcoming season.
“Zach and I have been in communication since the season was over,” Perry said. “We have a very good relationship and good understanding. Zach is still an excellent basketball player. He knows what’s expected of him. He’s coming back here this year. I’m very clear with him on that. He’ll be the first to tell you that.
“And I think he’s ready to come back and embrace that and perform to the best of his abilities this year. We can use a lot of the things that Zach LaVine is able to do on the basketball field, so I’m looking forward to him taking a step forward with us this year and how we want to play the game.”
Meanwhile, Perry also is expecting Sabonis to play a big role in Sacramento’s rebuild following a disappointing 22-60 record during the 2025-26 season, despite previous reports that the Kings were in trade talks with the Charlotte Hornets involving the three-time NBA All-Star center.
“Come in and compete just like everybody else,” Perry told reporters. “Obviously, he’s an excellent player. He’s done it for a while in this league. I’ve been in constant contact with him as well in the offseason. Just expect him to come in here healthy, first and foremost, and he’s trending in that direction.
“Obviously, he missed a lot of last year because he was not. He’s always played hard, and so I expect him to do that. Provide some veteran presence for this team and really have a tremendous rebound year and help us build some winning habits here and start heading in the right direction.”
Last season, Sabonis and LaVine missed a combined total of 106 games due to season-ending injuries. Sabonis only averaged 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in 19 appearances, and LaVine posted 19.2 points per game and shot 47.9 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range in 39 contests.
With both players expected to return to the team and currently trending toward full health, the Kings have a solid chance of turning things around from last season, especially with rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. expected to play a big role and a few other role players being added in the mix.
MILWAUKEE, WI -MAY 06: Jon Horst, Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, introduces new head coach Taylor Jenkins on May 06, 2026 at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On Wednesday, for the first time since trading Giannis, Bucks General Manager Jon Horst took questions on that decision, addressing why he chose to end things with the man he calls the greatest player in franchise history. Credit to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, who transcribed the press conference; these quotes came from Nehm’s article, which you can read in full here.
Jon Horst’s most important answer of the session came right at the end, when he stressed that the decision to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo was not one he made lightly, but that Miami’s package ultimately won him over.
“This is hard,” Horst said. “Call it what it is. Giannis is one of the greatest players in NBA history. Top 75 of all time. Greatest player in franchise history. He’s an NBA champion in Milwaukee. All the things that we’ve talked about and that you all know, he is not with us anymore.
“So, we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we championed balance and getting back foundational players that we believed in, draft capital that we thought we could utilise and capitalise on, either by drafting at some point or by using in future transactions and flexibility to make decisions. The Miami opportunity presented us with the best path in totality, and that’s why we did the deal.”
Something Horst said during Taylor Jenkins’ introductory press conference in early May was that the team would seriously consider the possibility of continuing to build around Giannis, even while all the outside noise indicated that he was as good as gone. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too sure Horst was telling the truth at the time, but he reiterated that same message.
“In most cases, for most of the last decade, there wasn’t a parallel path of ‘hey, if we trade Giannis, it’s this,’ and ‘if we keep Giannis, it’s this.’ It was just, ‘we’re going to maximise this with Giannis.’ And so, you’d end up trying to find the best opportunity and make the most of it, and hopefully it works.
“This time around, we had something sincerely to compare those options to, and clearly, we made the decision what we thought was best for us. But again, there’s a human side of this and a respect factor of Giannis. And what’s best for Giannis was to execute the Miami trade. It was different than years past, in that there were truly paralleling paths to really consider against just the all-in (with Antetokounmpo), and what does it look like.”
As we all know, Horst has been uber-aggressive during the Giannis era, repeatedly willing to “trade the future for the now” to give GA the best chance to win. From the acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, to executing the largest waive-and-stretch in NBA history of Lillard’s contract to free up enough space to sign Myles Turner, he couldn’t have tried harder. The Bucks GM stood by all of those decisions but also explained that the time had come to stop the aggressive moves and part ways with the two-time MVP, though there was no “defining moment” that led him to that conclusion.
“If we’re looking for a defining moment, I don’t know that that exists in any of these things. I think you’re talking about a decade-long, or decade-plus, pursuit of first building competitiveness and then trying to sustain competitiveness, have as much success as you can, weather as many failures as you can. There’s a lot that goes into that, and I think over the course of time, you do everything that you can.
“I think ultimately there comes a point in time where you have to make the assessment, and you have to assess the opportunities, and if the result of that in our estimation or (Antetokounmpo’s) estimation is you can do more and better differently—and we can do more and better differently—you take advantage of that. We went through an offseason last year and we believed that we had an opportunity to maximise something together. We went through a trade deadline where we assessed whether or not that was still the case. And we went into an offseason this year where we took the same approach. This time around, our assessment was (that) the ultimate opportunity we had with Miami was what was best for the Bucks organisation now and going forward—and best for Giannis.”
Now with a young team to build with, Horst was under no illusions about where the team is and where it needs to get to.
“No one’s sitting here today and saying that we’re a better team today after trading Giannis,” Horst said. “He’s one of the greatest players to ever play, (the) greatest player in the franchise history. We’ve had an incredible amount of success. And as I’ve said to Miami a couple of times, he’s going to have an unbelievable season for them. [They’ve] got an incredibly motivated, healthy, focused Giannis Antetokounmpo that I think is going to have an unbelievable season and seasons, for that matter.
“So, for us, it was just about the opportunity to build and to again set a foundation. Can we set something in place with a new coach and take advantage of an opportunity to truly build from a place of strength on a roster and a style of player that hopefully makes our city proud and our franchise proud and gets us to the place where we are competitive and we can sustain that competition and that competitive level, year in and year out? And if we’re lucky enough, at some point, to be in a position to knock on the door and have a chance to win a championship.”
Hearing this from Horst actually made me feel pretty good. It sounds like he’s going to dial back the aggressiveness and allow this young core to develop organically, which seems like the right way to go about it.
Per Nehm, Horst “shied away from discussing his emotions” during the press conference, but he did call on a sentiment shared with him by former Bucks GM John Hammond, whom Horst worked under when he first came to the Bucks organisation.
“In the NBA, it’s never goodbye; it’s see you later. And Giannis will be back in Fiserv soon, and he’ll be back in Fiserv multiple times. And I really hope—not hope—I know that each and every time the standing ovation, the love, the respect, the admiration that he gets from this city and this fan base and this franchise will be felt and will be appropriate for everything he’s meant to all of us.”
Brew Hoop community, what did you take from Jon Horst’s press conference?
Less than a month after winning the NBA championship, the Knicks will be back on a basketball court -- well, at least a few players on the actual team.
New York’s Summer League roster, which features roster players Mohamed Diawara, Dillon Jones and Pacome Dadiet will give the club a chance to evaluate their younger talent and potential training camp and G-League invites.
The Knicks begin Summer League on Friday night with a matchup against the Nets -- let’s look at four players to track during the July exhibition games.
Mohamed Diawara
One of the pleasant surprises of last season was the emergence of Diawara. A late second-round pick, the 6-foot-9 forward was in New York’s rotation for parts of the season and showed flashes on both ends of the floor.
With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Diawara can defend multiple positions and cover a lot of ground in help coverages.
Offensively, he has potential as a ball-handler and good vision as a passer. Diawara’s also been a better shooter than expected, converting 36.9 percent of his 130 three-point attempts last season. He was open on the lion's share of the attempts, so there’s still work to do to garner respect from opposing defenses.
Still, the signs of a legitimate contributor were there for the 21-year-old, and that impressive play led to the Knicks locking him up on a multi-year deal this offseason. Summer League should be an opportunity for Diawara to show that he can handle a larger role and do more as a scorer and secondary playmaker.
Pacome Dadiet
In what will be his third Summer League, Dadiet’s continued development will be something to keep an eye on.
A 2024 first-round pick, the soon-to-be 21-year-old wing has barely played in two seasons. Dadiet saw just 136 minutes of action in his second season. He did show promise in the G-League, averaging 23.2 points on 46.6 percent shooting in 15 Westchester games, but he still has work to do to improve as a perimeter shooter, ball-handler and passer.
The Knicks already have three wings in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart who play a considerable amount of minutes. Diawara also passed Dadiet on the depth chart.
New York will have to decide whether to exercise the fourth year team option of Dadiet’s rookie scale deal around training camp, so this might be the last real shot for him to impress ahead of that future fork in the road.
Tyler Nickel
Picked 47th overall in this year’s draft, Nickel already has one sure fire skill -- he was one of the best shooters in college basketball, and has a lightning-quick release. In his last two seasons at Vanderbilt, Nickel shot 191-for-475 (40.2 percent) from the three-point line. Standing 6-foot-6, he’s also showcased an ability to move well off the ball.
There are a few weaknesses in Nickel’s game to evaluate during Summer League, though.
He competes on defense, but lacks premium foot speed -- it will be important to see if Nickel can contain defenders on the perimeter and not allow easy drives into the paint. On offense, the focus will be on if he can attack closeouts, put the ball on the floor, and either create his own shot, or make plays for his teammates.
There’s a chance Nickel could earn one of three available two-way contracts or possibly compete for a standard NBA contract with the Knicks, it just depends on how the front office decides to fill out the roster.
After signing Andre Drummond, the Knicks have 12 roster spots filled. There’s a chance the team adds two more veterans to get to the minimum of 14 standard contracts, rather than going young.
Dillon Jones
There’s a couple of compelling invites to the Knicks’ Summer squad, including St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers, but let’s focus on Dillon Jones. The former first-round pick could be a two-way candidate for the Knicks next year, and has a fringe chance to earn a full-time spot.
Signed to a two-way deal last season, Jones only played in seven games with the Knicks. The wing showed the ability to fill the stat sheet with Westchester, though, averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 18 games.
At 6-foot-5, Jones isn’t tall, but he is strong and uses his sturdy 235-pound frame to finish on drives despite middling athleticism. He’s arguably the best shot creator on this Summer League team.
A two-time NBA champion in his first two NBA seasons, Jones is still trying to find where he fits as a role player.
Can he knock down enough three-pointers at a high clip off the catch? Who does he guard on defense? Can he become more efficient as a shot-maker? Those are some of the questions in the way of the 24-year-old finding a cemented spot on an NBA roster.
The Raptors announced Thursday that the trade will not be finalized until the NBA’s probe into Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers is finished.
The NBA has been investigating Leonard and the Clippers for the past 10 months after reports that he received a multi-million endorsement deal with sustainability services company Aspiration in an alleged effort to circumvent league salary cap rules.
Toronto and Los Angeles agreed to a deal involving Leonard last month, with the Raptors receiving Leonard and the Clippers getting Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and several draft picks.
“On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors,” the Clippers said in a statement. “We have since been informed that the trade can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.
“At the heart of this investigation are Joe Sanberg and Aspiration. We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. Like many sophisticated investors, financial institutions, and business partners, we were victims of a fraud initiated by Sanberg, who has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
“We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues. We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing.”
Despite the holdup, Toronto said it is still committed to completing the trade after the investigation is over.
“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization and our fans,” the team said in a statement.
Leonard, 35, spent the last seven seasons with the Clippers after signing as a free agent in 2019. He played the 2018-19 season with the Raptors before joining the Clippers, leading the team to 58 wins and a championship.
You are what you eat, or in this case, you are who you trade with and after a steady diet of trade activity with the Charlotte Hornets the Phoenix Suns, as currently constructed, are projected to run out a teal tinted lineup to start the upcoming season.
If you pull up Charlotte’s season averages from last year and sort by field goal attempts, it’d be easy to go down the list, crossing out Hornets and filling in Suns, and see exactly where everybody fits. Lamelo Booker 17.3. Miller Green 16.1. Bridges Bridges 13.5. Kon Brooks 13.4. White Gillespie 11.0. Sexton Kenard 9.9.
These seem like reasonable shot totals if the Suns want to get all of their shot makers involved but as you scroll past KJ Simpson Goodie 6.4, Tre Mann Dunn 5.7, Grant Williams Fleming 5.1 and you finally get to a center, you have to stop and think, Diabate Mark Williams 5.0? Does that work? How much impact will Mark Williams have on the offensive end, shooting five shots a game? If he’s not engaged on offense, how engaged will he be on defense? Or on the glass?
The Suns’ offense could certainly feature Mark Williams at center more than the Hornets featured Diabate in their offense, but every shot the center takes is one less shot for the four scorers sharing the floor with him. Maybe they’ll try to make Mark into a Clint Capella, a role-change that sent Deandre Ayton spiraling down to the Wizards. Mark might be okay with a role consisting of rim running and crashing the glass, and he remains a 7-foot presence around the hoop; there’s always value in that. But you have to wonder, could there be a better way? Does Diabate Mark Williams Oso 5.0 make more sense in the Suns’ projected starting lineup?
On any other team, this thought wouldn’t have come to my mind. On last year’s Suns team, this thought wouldn’t have come to my mind. The biggest knock I had on Mark Williams’ game was that he didn’t start enough of them, but the world keeps turning, and this is a different Suns team.
This season, the Suns will have three capable but volatile scorers floating in Book’s orbit. They have the potential to be a really good offense. The Charlotte Hornets put out a really good one last year, but how can Jordan Ott take them from four talented scorers connected because they are shooting at the same basket to four talented players playing above the level that talent alone can take them, because they are connected to their teammates and empowered by the system? It’s a lineup that needs a connector; a player to keep the ball moving, to free up space and shots for his teammates, a player who can impact the offense without ever having to touch the ball. For the Charlotte Hornets of Phoenix, Oso is uniquely suited to start at center.
What Oso brings to the table that sets him apart from Mark Williams or other traditional big men is his ability to screen for assists, put the ball on the floor, and create opportunities for his teammates. As a secondary playmaker acting as the hub of the wheel, Oso can help an offense that, on paper, projects to trend ISO heavy, generate more open looks. Three-point shooting is going to be a big deal for this starting five, and the less contested step-back threes, or walk-up threes, the Suns have to take the better. Last season Oso was featured in 9/10 of the top five-man combinations for 3Ps.
There won’t be many people that need to be convinced that Oso is a better playmaker than Mark Williams, but when you look at 5-man combinations from last year’s team, 9 out of 10 of the combinations with the highest plus/minus for assists had Oso starting at center.
There’s also the playoffs, where Oso was thrust into a starting role against the best defense in the league, and he responded with 4.0 assists per game, which was second on the team behind Booker at 4.8.
Last season, Oso led the entire league in screen assists per game, finishing in front of prominent names such as Gobert, Embiid, Jokic, and Ayton. These are buckets that he’s helping to generate without taking shots.
He’s developed a strong chemistry with our leading scoring guards: Booker, Green, and Gillespie. In two-man combinations with Oso, Booker was a +5.7 with +10.4 3PAs, Green was a +3.1 with +12 3PAs, and Collin was a +6.4 with a plus +13.7 3PAs. Playing next to Oso makes scorers better. He opens up opportunities on the perimeter, and we have a fat chunk of money and minutes invested in perimeter scorers.
In a vacuum, Mark Williams is a better starting center than Oso. I’m not advocating that Mark Williams significantly reduce his 23 minutes a game unless it’s medically advantageous.
All I’m saying is that when Booker, Green, Brooks, and Bridges share the floor, Oso needs to be on the court, too. Since they are projected to be the starting four, Oso should join them. When one or two of those four players sit, bring in Mark to be that third option on offense and anchor the defense. Coming off the bench could preserve Mark’s health and give him some minutes against backup bigs, which could give his game a boost. In matchups where the size and strength of the opposing center are just too much for Oso, and the Suns need a legit seven-footer, Mark could spot-start, but if Ott and his staff want to get the game-in-game-out chemistry of this starting five bubbling, Oso is the catalyst they’ll need to spark the reaction.
The biggest resistance to the idea of starting Oso over Mark will be Oso’s lack of size.
Oso Ighodaro
“We’ll get killed on the boards!” is what I’ll hear as they run me out of town on a rail. To an extent, they’ll be correct.
Unsurprisingly, Mark Williams was the best rebounder on the team last year. In the regular season, Mark Williams pulled in 8.0 total rebounds per game, with 3.1 of them being offensive rebounds. Oso was the second leading rebounder on the team with 5.1 total rebounds per game, with 1.7 of them being offensive rebounds. Yet in the playoffs, as the starting center, Oso’s numbers jumped up to 7.0 total rebounds a game with 3.0 offensive rebounds, significantly closing the gap between him and Williams.
If the Suns want to get out and run in transition, locking up defensive rebounds will need to be a focus. Mark does this significantly better than Oso. Even though no one would mistake Miles Bridges for Charles Barkley (except maybe Mat Ishbia), the Suns did get bigger at forward, which could help support Oso on the boards. Still, defensive rebounding is a question mark on Oso’s ceiling in the NBA and is a deficiency that, if it doesn’t improve, could sink the entire Start Oso movement.
Another common concern about Oso starting is rim protection. While it’s true Oso averages a forgettable 0.7 blocks a game during the regular season, Mark Williams was only marginally better, collecting 0.9 blocks a game over his 60 regular-season games. Unless Khaman Malauch takes a long stride this offseason and steps in to provide a true rim protection advantage for the Suns’ defense, it may be an area in which the Suns continue to produce mediocre results, regardless of whether Mark or Oso starts at center. Despite their lackluster block numbers, both Oso and Mark were at the top of the Suns’ defensive ratings last season.
The Suns will need to take a step forward on offense if they want to get out of the first round in the West. Some fans might still be fine with making the top six, but when the Suns decided to spend their trade assets, my expectations for this team increased. Booker’s contract window is closing, and every player they commit to for the next three years is a player they are saying will be a part of the championship contender they are building around Booker.
Ott will surely be looking for ways to balance shot attempts and make adjustments to ensure the Suns are getting shots from the players they choose to take them, not from the players the defense forces to take them. Oso Ighodaro can be the glue guy, bringing the offense together to get the most out of the pieces the front office has assembled.
The Suns would be better with Oso starting at center.
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 12: Moussa Cisse #30 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Chicago Bulls on April 12, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks have two ways to sign Moussa Cisse to a standard NBA contract.
The first is the Minimum Salary Exception. Teams always have access to the minimum exception unless a hard cap restricts them. Using it, the Mavericks could sign Cisse for up to two years.
The second is to use a portion of the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (NT-MLE). Even if they’re only using the minimum salary amount of the exception, they can sign him for up to four years.
Here’s where things get interesting.
If the Mavericks want Cisse to become a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of his contract, he’ll need to reach free agency with fewer than four years of NBA experience. His season on a two-way contract already counts as one year of NBA experience for minimum salary purposes and RFA eligibility.
That means there are really two clean paths if Dallas wants to preserve the possibility of restricted free agency:
1. Sign him to a two-year contract using the Minimum Salary Exception.
2. Sign him to a three-year contract using a small portion of the NT-MLE with a team option on the third year. If Dallas later wanted to make him an RFA, they would simply decline the team option and issue a qualifying offer.
A couple of related notes:
Dallas can’t structure a contract with multiple option years. So they couldn’t do a 4-year contract with options in year 3 & 4. Only 1st Round Rookie Scale Contracts have that feature.
The Mavericks also can’t replace the option year with a non-guaranteed year and expect the same result. To remove a non-guaranteed season, the team would have to waive the player, and waiving him relinquishes Bird rights and makes him an unrestricted free agent rather than a restricted one. This was the issue with Jalen Brunson’s contract that made him an unrestricted free agent.
I’m not arguing that the Mavericks should choose one path over another. I’m simply laying out what the CBA allows and how each option affects Cisse’s future free agency.
The Jaylen Brown saga has dominated the conversation around the Boston Celtics for the better part of the past month (it feels so much longer, right?), so can we interest you in some honest-to-goodness Celtics basketball?
Boston’s summer league squad descended into the desert this week for what will be at least five games on the campus of UNLV. The Celtics launch into summer action on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors (9 p.m. tipoff, 11:30 p.m replay on NBC Sports Boston).
Here are four things we’ll be watching out west, beyond the continued reaction to Boston’s jarring Brown trade:
Hu-go West, young man
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Hugo Gonzalez should play a larger role for the Celtics in Year 2.
We’re not sure how much Gonzalez you’ll see in Vegas. He’s fresh off a trip to Spain, where he put his passing and rebounding skills on full display at FIBA qualifying and, even at age 20 and just entering his sophomore NBA season, Gonzalez might soon be graduating from summer league reps.
But given that he played only 19 playoff minutes, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for Gonzalez to get some floor time in Vegas. The Celtics might decide quickly to put him on ice, especially given how important he might be for the team during the 2026-27 season.
With the departure of Brown, there’s a void on Boston’s wing that Gonzalez should get every opportunity to help fill. If the Celtics tread cautiously with Paul George’s workload, Gonzalez could see a healthy boost in playing time after logging 14.6 minutes per game over 74 appearances last season.
If Gonzalez goes full tilt in Vegas, his defense could tie younger players in a pretzel. We’re eager to see if his passing skills can set up easy scoring chances for his fresh-faced teammates. Maybe most importantly, summer league could present an opportunity for Gonzalez to be a focal point of the offense and gain confidence as a scorer.
We’d love to see Gonzalez go check an incoming lottery-pick rookie like Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. or Atlanta’s Kingston Flemings, but we’ll see how much Boston deploys him out west.
Progress from Amari?
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Celtics center Amari Williams is one of the most notable players on Boston’s Summer League roster.
The Celtics weren’t bashful about throwing rookie Amari Williams into some high-pressure situations last season. The 2025 second-round pick (46th overall) got to joust with Detroit’s ultra-physical frontcourt in his first extended NBA minutes in November, then got tossed into a double-overtime pressure cooker against the Nets in January. His efforts in that Brooklyn game helped him earn the first of two spot starts. By February, the Celtics had promoted Williams from a 2-way contract as part of their Salary Cap Tetris that helped the team finish below the luxury tax.
The big question after Williams re-signed with Boston on a 2-way contract this summer: How much progress has he made behind the scenes?
Williams finished with just 148 minutes of playing time over 23 total appearances. His G-League stats popped with Williams averaging 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks over 29.6 minutes per game in 18 appearances in Maine. That bodes well for being able to compete at summer league.
But has Williams’ offensive game evolved? He showed great defensive instincts but he needs to improve as a finisher to thrive at the NBA level. His strong passing skills and his defensive instincts are obvious but Williams needs to continue to evolve on the offensive end.
The Celtics have been a big-man development factory in recent years with Neemias Queta recently rewarded with a four-year, $56 million extension after starting his own NBA adventure as a 2-way player. Williams needs to maximize these opportunities of extended run with a lot of NBA eyes watching.
First glimpse of rookies
Summer league will be our first pro glimpse at Boston’s rookie tandem of Chris Cenac Jr. (pick 27) and Dillon Mitchell (pick 40).
Cenac Jr. brings an intriguing blend of size (6-foot-11) and length (7-foot-5 wingspan) but the 19-year-old is still very raw. Summer league can be frenetic, even for veteran players, so the Celtics ought to just wind up Cenac Jr. and let him fly around out there. He’ll make mistakes; that’s OK. We’re eager to see his elite rebounding potential and if he’s able to finish lobs around the rim. Cenac Jr. has got all the tools to make an impact at the pro level but it might take time to mold him.
We’re maybe more intrigued by the 6-foot-8 Mitchell, who at 22 and with four years of college basketball under his belt, might have an ability to hit the ground running at the pro level. The Celtics love forwards with plus-wingspans and Mitchell brings freak athleticism including a monster vertical.
We’re not trying to put expectations on the rookie, especially given Boston’s deep wing depth, but the Celtics need an injection of explosiveness. Mitchell’s defensive versatility could help distinguish him from other younger players at summer league.
We can’t help but think ahead to practice battles where Mitchell, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. are out there causing utter chaos with their length, as all of them try to carve out their own NBA roles.
Can anyone else state a case?
John Tonje, the 53rd pick in the 2025 draft and acquired from Utah in the Chris Boucher trade in February, was another key piece in Boston’s Salary Cap Jenga. He briefly got promoted to the parent roster in February before returning to a 2-way deal in March.
The 6-foot-4 Tonje is a certified scorer and will get plenty of opportunity to be an offensive focal point in Vegas. He wasn’t bashful in Boston’s regular-season finale against Orlando, getting up 12 shots, including eight beyond the 3-point arc.
Stop us if you’ve heard this about a Celtics prospect before: He’s got a plus-wingspan and a sturdy linebacker-like frame (listed as 6-foot-5, 225 pounds). Tonje needs to show he can contribute beyond scoring for the Celtics to continue to invest in his future.
Invariably, someone else on the summer league roster will become a Summer Sweetheart.
Mohammad Amini is yet another big wing with a plus wingspan that lands on Boston’s roster with an offensive-minded scouting report. Tucker DeVries is a shot maker who averaged 21.6 points per game as a junior at Drake before wrapping up his college career with stops at West Virginia and Indiana.
Someone in summer league is going to steal your heart and, maybe just maybe, they’ll land in Maine so the Celtics can nurture their development in the G-League.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 6: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies boxes out Jonas Aidoo #50 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of a 2026 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game at the Jon M Huntsman Center on July 6, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. ( Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images) | Getty Images
Brian Scalabrine has an interesting history with Duke Basketball. When he was at USC, the Trojans lost to Duke in the 2001 Elite Eight, 79-69. That Duke team went on to win the national championship.
He was never a great NBA player, but Scalabrine played 11 years and was respected. He spent five seasons with the Boston Celtics, then rejoined the Celtics organization as a broadcaster after his retirement.
He was the first notable person to recognize Cooper Flagg’s talent, telling him that the only question about his potential was how hard he was willing to work to be great.
“He’s going to help the team win. He’s not just a glue guy; he’s actually going to be a player you can go to in certain situations. He’s an excellent passer; he’s not Jokić, but he has the ball in his hands, and you cut, it’s a good chance you’re going to get the ball.”
That’s certainly true. He’s not going to be Tim Duncan revisited, but he has a lot in common, most notably superb fundamentals. He’s the kid in camp who listened to every detail, then went home and perfected it all.
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 18: Sean Sweeney talks to the media during a press conference to introduce Sweeney as the new head coach of the Orlando Magic on June 18, 2026 at AdventHealth Training Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Before the 2025-2026 NBA season came to a close, the San Antonio Spurs knew they were losing Sean Sweeney. The associate head coach spent one season with the Silver & Black after leaving the Dallas Mavericks to support Mitch Johnson in his first official season at the helm.
Throughout the tectonic shifts that transpire in the interim of NBA seasons which include the draft, free agency, and Summer League some staff changes get lost in the mix. Sweeney is gone and he took some pieces of the Spurs coaching staff.
Assistant video coordinator Jon Harris is on the move to Orlando, he recently shared his excitement online.
Couldn’t have asked for a better experience these past 4 years in San Antonio with an amazing organization with unbelievable people. I am appreciative of everyone on the staff who helped me along the way. Excited for this next chapter with the Orlando Magic! pic.twitter.com/ILi4Y9K5DJ
Nicholas Russo has also exited San Antonio for Orlando. He will serve as Manager of Basketball Strategy for the Orlando Magic.
Sean Sweeney also quietly added a quasi-front office type guy in Nick Russo as "Manager of Basketball Strategy", who went through Spurs boot camp and has salary cap experience/training: https://t.co/96fe1K5msHpic.twitter.com/7O0D2L74NB
In the wake of the Sweeney hired, the Spurs brought in Billy Donovan, fresh off this sixth season with the Chicago Bulls. Donovan’s son previously coached alongside Johnson in 2017 with the Austin Spurs.
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