Category: Basketball

The countdown can officially start for the first look at the newly assembled Lakers.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Lakers announced their preseason schedule. The team will play five games with only two of those at home.

For those without Twitter/X, here’s a look at the schedule:

• Lakers at Kings, Oct. 5, Golden 1 Center
• Lakers at Warriors, Oct. 6, Chase Center
• Lakers vs. Kings, Oct. 8, Crypto.com Arena
• Lakers vs. Warriors, Oct. 13, T-Mobile Arena
• Lakers vs. Nuggets, Oct. 16, Crypto.com Arena

The particularly astute amongst us will notice that not only do the Lakers play a back-to-back, but also a stretch of three games in four nights. I guess that’s one way to get the team ready for the regular season.

The Lakers will also have their regular trip to Las Vegas during Summer League when they take on the Warriors. Sacramento is also a common foe in their exhibition slate. The new team in the mix this year is Denver. The team will also remain in the immediate vicinity of LA throughout the preseason, as is the case for most teams.

Given how his free agency has played out, it doesn’t seem like this will be when LeBron James makes his return to Los Angeles. At one point, it seemed like the Warriors were one of the favorites, but now it seems like Golden State got leveraged.

Join the club.

Anyway, we can begin the countdown of a little over two months until the Lakers take the court again. It can’t come soon enough.

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

Is LeBron James taking his talents back to South Beach?

What appears to be a mistake by one team might have spoiled the fun — or maybe not.

The Heat’s YouTube page published and then quickly deleted a video titled “LeBron James Introductory press conference” along with the date of July 27, 2026.

However, the Miami Herald reported that the team’s social media department accidentally published the video, which was being prepared in case he did sign with the Heat, not that the team had notice of James’ actual decision.

James, as of the early hours on Wednesday morning, has not yet officially made his highly anticipated choice in free agency.

The 41-year-old’s next move has been speculated on for weeks since it became clear he was not returning to the Lakers, and this inadvertent posting of a video to the web has only added fuel to the fire.

In the summer of 2010, James famously took part in “The Decision” that aired on ESPN, where he announced he would be leaving his hometown Cavaliers for the Heat.

James played four seasons with the Heat, winning two NBA Finals crowns and taking home his third and fourth league MVP awards.

A return to Miami would make a lot of sense, particularly if he wants to win his fifth championship ring. The Heat made the blockbuster move of the offseason when they struck a deal with the Bucks to landed Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, said on his “Game Over” podcast that the 22-time All-Star won’t be rushing into any choice, however.

“He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make,” Paul said. “We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision, or choice. It’s a business choice he’s making.”

The Heat, Cavaliers, Warriors and 76ers are among the teams rumored to be in the running for James’ services.

Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation thinks maybe it’s time for an Egor Demin apology form. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic doesn’t go that far … just says Demin was the best second year player in Las Vegas. So does Ben Golliver of ESPN. Demin’s got Zach Lowe “excited” about the Brooklyn Nets!

Time to forget, to excuse all that bad analysis from just after the 2025 NBA Draft when the Brooklyn Nets reached for the 6’9.5” Russian, taking him at No. 8 when most draftniks thought he was late lottery at best. One mock even had him as a second rounder. Those who put that mock together will remain anonymous to protect them.

The analysis wasn’t limited to the media. Jeremy Woo of ESPN polled NBA executives back then and found Demin received the most votes for the biggest reach of the Draft. Demin got seven votes while the Trail Blazers received four votes for taking a Chinese 7-footer who spoke no English, Hansen Yang, at No. 16. Who can forget the laughter among the ESPN crowd on Draft Night?

So, it’s a good day to compile the apologies and analyses considering that Demin was named second team All-Summer League after putting up at least 20 points in each game he played in Las Vegas, just as he did in the California Classic in Sacramento earlier in the month.

First, O’Donnell in his list of Way too good for Las Vegas Summer League 2026.

It’s time I fill out an apology form on Egor Demin. Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, I named Demin one of the most overrated prospects in the class, and gave the Nets a D for his selection at No. 8 overall in my instant grades. My main arguments against Demin were that I didn’t think he could score efficiently inside or outside the arc, and I didn’t think he had the frame to play through contact on either end. 

He looks improved attacking the basket off the bounce, and he’s showing he can hit the defensive glass, too. The Nets have done a really good job developing Demin’s frame, and it’s paying off on both ends. Demin deserves a lot of credit himself for putting in the work to improve his jumper. I’m happy to be wrong about this one because Demin is a cool player with a fun skill set who should be a nice piece in Brooklyn’s rebuild for a long time.

Golliver in his list of best and worst of the Summer League called Demin the best sophomore. He struck the same tone as O’Donnell, a modified, “who knew?”

Boy, has the switch flipped for Demin, who was a timid and largely ineffective rookie for the rebuilding Nets. The Russian guard failed to make the most of his 6-foot-8 size last season, hanging out behind the 3-point line and rarely scoring at the rim.

Demin, 20, looked like a completely different and much more complete player this summer: He attacked off the dribble with greater regularity, finished in traffic and made good, assertive decisions as a playmaker. The Nets desperately need some of their recent draft picks to emerge as difference-makers, and Demin took a nice step in that direction by averaging 21.0 points and 4.3 assists in three Las Vegas exhibitions.

Also, in the didn’t-see-it-coming category were Vecenie and Bryce Simons, also of the Athletic, on Vecenie’s Game Theory podcast recapping how second year players did in Las Vegas.

“Egor was probably the guy who impressed me the most in Summer League among the returners,” Vecenie starts off. “Going from where he was at the end of last year before his injury to where he seemingly his now. Immediately from the first game, he looked way too good for the Summer League.

“The patience, the poise, the confidence displayed on the court was exactly what the Brooklyn Nets probably hoped to envision when they drafted him.”

Simons agreed, noting Demin did what he did without shooting well from three which last season was his calling card.

“To me, he was the most impressive non-rookie or the player that stood out to me the most,” Simons said. “To me, he just looked like an NBA player, the way he moved around the court smoothly and confidently. I had the exact same thought in a couple of games I watched. I thought he was trying to play with more physicality. I thought he did a lot of the things he needs to do to be successful.”

Lowe said simply, “I’m excited for the Nets,” when asked about Demin on The Zach Lowe Show Tuesday. He spoke glowingly about the fit between Demin and rookie Mikel Brown Jr. in the two Summer Leagues.

“The Nets best case scenario is the young guys looking good enough that someone (a free agent) looking around at them. I think they have a chance for the back court of the future – Egor and MBJ. That’s enough excitement for me.” he explained.

Rob Mahoney, also of the Ringer, joined Lowe. He said there’s anticipation about Demin and Brown Jr.

“Egor felt like one of the guys about to do something,” Lowe said. “Him and MBJ was one of my favorite combinations there. Egor may never get to the basket as much as others may like, I don’t know but as long as you put him with a dynamic slasher, I think it can really work – those two guys working together.”

Demin was of course one of the highest rookies from 2025 in Las Vegas. Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and V.J. Edgecombe, among others, were not on hand, but that said, what we saw from the No. 8 pick more than justified the Nets confidence in him early … and now pundits as well.

LeBron James is going back to the Miami Heat ― at least that's what many are speculating after the organization's latest slip up.

The Miami Heat's official YouTube page briefly leaked a live video stream titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference" that was set for July 27, 2026.

It has since been unlisted and made private. It seems that the video has been momentarily taken down, but not fast enough for internet scourers to collect their screenshots, screen-records and begin running with the narrative that James is headed back to the 305.

If it's true, then at least we know that there will be an announcement within the next six days.

However, it seems that it was a mistake on the Heat's social media department, according to Miami Herald reporter Anthony Chiang, who covers the Heat.

"It was a mistake by the Heat's social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat. But there is no validity to it right now," Chiang wrote on social media.

James made his first announcement that he would not be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers and exploring free agency on June 30.

He has since took NBA media, fans and the overall basketball world on a circus trip trying to be the first to guess where he'll go play his record-setting 24th NBA season.

James, 41, had narrowed down his team search to a handful of teams. Leading the way are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and of course, the Heat. The Golden State Warriors were among teams in consideration for James, as well as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

However, the latter have not been spoke of lately. To add to that, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is already out on making a pitch because he knows that Minnesota wasn't in James' top three picks.

Hope still remains for Cleveland, Philadelphia and Bay Area fan bases, but if there's any truth to this leak, get ready for fans to bring out those No. 6 jerseys in South Beach again.

James would be returning to a city and franchise that he first joined 16 years ago at age 25. He helped lead the Heat to back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, being named Finals MVP each year. He won two league MVPs in Miami, the same years he won titles.

In four seasons with the Heat, James averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists on 54.3% field goal shooting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: LeBron James to Miami Heat? YouTube page leaks future press conference

It's a no-brainer that whenever Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry decides to hang it up for good, he'll be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

In case his career statistics and accolades didn't signal that, the Basketball Hall of Fame practically ensured it when they announced that the four-time NBA champion will have his own exhibit, marking the first time an active player was honored with a dedicated experience.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will introduce its newest exhibit on Friday, July 24, which will be dedicated to the 12-time NBA All-Star, two-time MVP, Olympic gold medalist, four-time NBA champion and the undisputed greatest shooter of all time.

This development is a part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame acclaimed gallery called "The Vault."

The exhibit is called "Stephen Curry: Beyond the Arc" and it showcases Curry's prowess on and off the court. In a creative partnership with Curry's Thirty Ink business team, the exhibit will showcase Curry's legacy as a basketball icon, entrepreneur, philanthropist and family man.

"Being part of the Basketball Hall of Fame in this way is hard to put into words," Curry in a statement. "When I think about my journey, I think about the people who believed in me, the work that happened when nobody was watching and the moments that shaped me on and off the court.

"To have that story told while I’m still playing is something I don’t take lightly. My hope is that fans walk through this experience and feel the joy, the purpose and the gratitude that basketball has given me, and maybe see a little bit of their own journey in it too."

Nope, the Brooklyn Nets don’t have interest in restricted free agent Peyton Watson. Ask any self-respecting pundit. They’ll tell you the 6’9” 23-year-old two-way player is headed either back to the Denver Nuggets or maybe the Los Angeles Clippers or the Atlanta Hawks … although the Hawks acquisition of Lu Dort seems to have quelled that rumor a bit.

Also, Sean Marks has said he’s happy with his team, although if opportunity knocks, he’ll be ready, he told the media in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

“When you’re rebuilding a team like we have been the last couple of years, that’s important,” he said of optionality. You just never know what’s going to come your way. So for us to have that optionality will be really important. But at the same time, I like the roster we have.“:

So, all that said, what to make of Watson and his old friend and teammate, Michael Porter Jr. spending the last several weeks together, with MPJ noting, perhaps with a laugh that he’s recruiting the kid, their fun reaching a crescendo Tuesday with the publication of this image … by Watson.

Consider that Watson is shirtless, this seems more than just a tour. Fair to say the Denver forward worked out on the Nets equipment at the HSS Training Center in Sunset Park. That, of course, is interesting on a number of levels. While the two have been seen in various places doing various things over the past month, the training facility is an organization’s inner sanctum. Nets players have 24/7 access to the facility and can invite friends inside. (The third man is not a Nets employee.)

Then, there’s this: when MPJ was traded to Brooklyn a year ago, he was wowed by HSS and compared it favorably to the Nuggets facility, which despite its championship history and aspirations is notably not top-notch. And yes, the Kroenke family which owns the Nuggets is notoriously tight-fisted. Not so, the Tsais.

Is it just the latest (telltale?) sign of the friendship between the two: They were at the World Cup Final on Sunday too … with legendary boxer Terrence Crawford… in the Tequila Don Suite…

Porter apparently introduced PWat to his teammates too…

As we reported two weeks ago, the two were also at the Fanactic FanFest Friday where a fan caught the two sitting together and MPJ talking free agency…

His key line from an impromtu conversation involving him, Watson and a fan went something like this:

“He boutta sign for $130 million. I’m tryna get him in Brooklyn, though.” (Watson adds, “230.”)

Back in June, the two were seen on a leased yacht off the French Riviera, celebrating MPJ’s 28th in style…

So what’s going on here?

Beats us but there are some intriguing possibilities starting with the most obvious: that Porter Jr. IS trying to recruit Watson who along with the Pistons Jalen Duren are the best restricted free agents still out there. He averaged 14.6 points on 49/41/73 shooting splits and is a first-rate defender.

Although the Nets have some wiggle room under the salary cap, not enough to tender an offer sheet.

Also, any sign-and-trade with Denver would be highly complicated starting with the lack of a big contract on the Nets side of things. MPJ with his $40.8 million deal would be an ideal piece but Porter Jr. presumably wants to play with PWat not be traded for him. Not to mention Denver dumped Porter Jr. a year ago for Cam Johnson and a future Nugget first. Julius Randle’s $33.3 million deal might fit too but he can’t be traded till December. And no, it would be unimaginable for the Nets to trade either Egor Demin or Mikel Brown Jr. (Brown Jr. can’t be traded.) So, how would that work?

However, the one thing that we always keep in mind when tempted to try our hand at someone’s trade machine: Fans always underestimate the dark magic GMs and their capologists can conjure up from the pages of the CBA: Multi-team deals, multiple sign-and-trades, workarounds, previously unearthed language in the CBA’s nooks and crannies, etc., etc. And the Nets have more draft assets than any NBA team, the Nuggets unprotected 2032 first, acquired ironically enough in the MPJ deal, being among their most valuable.

Then, there’s the ultimate issue: Where would Watson fit? He and MPJ play the same position. Watson was Porter’s back-up when they played together in Denver. How do you make this work? What’s Demin’s role in a new order?

Of course, it may just be that Porter is trying to get his friend more bucks from the Kroenkes. They’ve successfully scared off other suitors to give them more leverage when the two sides ultimately sit down. At this point, the Clippers may be their only competition but who knows how appealing they will be once Adam Silver brings the hammer down on them. Just hinting at a possible Nets offer might be helpful to PWat. That’s what friends are for, right?

Meanwhile, Mark Bartelstein, MPJ’s own agent, spoke Tuesday about his own free agency. Porter Jr. has been eligible for a four-year, $234 million extension since June 19, but as both Marks and Bartelstein have noted in the past week, the two sides have not spoken yet. Porter seems more likely to be destined for a smaller but bigger upfront package, say four years and $170 million with an immediate raise, if the two sides can reach a deal. If not, he suggested, MPJ might have to “chart his course,” suggesting a trade.

Bartelstein, appearing on Sirius XM Sports, hinted at both both possibilities but spoke as well about how much Porter likes his role in Brooklyn, specifically how Jordi Fernandez used his client “creatively” and said that he believes MPJ could’ve been an All-Star if the Nets hadn’t been tanking.

There’s not much of a deadline for a deal, essentially it can get done anytime between now and the beginning of free agency in July of 2027.

Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has had himself quite the summer, going back to training camp with a Summer League championship and accolades to accompany it.

Lendeborg was named the best player throughout the NBA summer showcase, selected as the 2026 Summer League MVP.

He was also named the Summer League championship game MVP after posting a 21-point, 10-rebound performance in a 94-90 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on July 19.

Lendeborg is the second Warrior to win the Summer League championship game MVP, joining Ian Clark, who did it 2013. However, he is the first player in Golden State Warriors history to win the Summer League MVP. The award was first introduced in 2006.

"It means a lot. You know, it comes from all the sacrifices, all the struggle to get to this point," Lendeborg said after the Summer League championship on July 19. "Every game I play, I have something to prove to myself and to all of those that doubted me and those who don't believe in me. So I mean, I'm just very proud of this moment. I'm glad that we got to win this."

In addition to MVP, Lendeborg was also named to the Summer League First Team after he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and four assists in six games as Golden State won the championship.

This year has been good to the 24-year-old Lendeborg.

He was selected out of Michigan with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Warriors, finally seeing his NBA dreams come true. Months prior to draft night, Lendeborg helped the Michigan Wolverines capture their first NCAA championship since 1989, ending a 37-year title drought.

Lendeborg became just the second player to win an NCAA championship and Summer League title in the same calendar year, joining Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell, who did the same in 2021 coming out of Baylor then playing for the Sacramento Kings. 

His confidence is sky-high after an NCAA title, realizing his NBA dreams, taking over immediately and being crowned first-team and Summer League champion. Now, he's really looking forward to bringing this experience with him to training camp and the regular season for Golden State.

"Well, I'm going to bring a lot of energy. I'm (going to) be the most energetic-playing guy on the floor every night. I'm going to try to bring as many positive vibes as possible," Lendeborg said.

Bay Area basketball fans may have been disappointed that Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry sat out the three-point contest this year, but they didn’t have to wait long to get some representation. On Tuesday it was announced that a different Golden State sharpshooter, Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, is headed for the shooting exhibition, as she was selected to the six-player WNBA three-point contest that will take place on Friday in Chicago.

Salaün, a 24-year old from France who signed with the Valkyries as an undrafted free agent last year, has been one of the league’s most prolific shooters from deep this year, so her inclusion in the three-point contest is very much deserved. She’s averaging 2.5 made threes per game, which is seventh in the WNBA, and her 39.4% clip is better than all but one of the players with more made threes than her. She’s made five threes in four of Golden State’s 27 games this year.

If Salaün wants to win the contest, she’ll have to beat some very talented shooters: Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo, Natisha Hiedeman of the Seattle Storm, Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream, Bridget Carleton of the Portland Fire, and rookie Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings.

The State Farm Three-Point Contest and the Kia Shooting Stars challenge both take place on Friday night, while the All-Star game is on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT on ESPN and Disney+. The Valkyries will also be represented in the Saturday fun, as Gabby Williams was named an All-Star starter.

Yaxel Lendeborg was clearly the impactful player when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies to win a Summer League title, and deservedly won Championship Game MVP. Tuesday, he was awarded MVP for Summer League as a whole.

He’s the first player ever to take home both MVP trophies, making him the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Summer League, but without the flopping. Look, Steph Curry had to wait until his fourth title to get that honor, so Lendeborg should have a big weight off his shoulders. For the record, Draymond Green was the best player on the 2013 Summer League champs, but he wasn’t going to take home the trophy after Ian Clark made seven threes in the title game. Yaxel, please do not lord this over your new teammate!

Lendeborg beat out a talented field of Summer Leaguers that included No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer and No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson, both of whom made the All-Summer League first team. Boozer averaged 18.5 points, eight rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals, while finishing second in points and third in rebounds. He’d likely have been Summer League MVP had the Grizzlies managed to close out the Warriors, but the Dubs’ Yaxel-driven rally — he scored seven straight points to take the lead — relegated the Duke forward to the lesser honor. Boozer was quite good, but the elite defense from Lendeborg and his team’s success seemed to be the tiebreaker.

Wilson was awesome, scoring 35 points in his debut and averaging 24 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals in his four games. Even though his Chicago Bulls went 1-3, it was an impressive performance from the athletic forward who didn’t turn 20 until two days ago. Wilson made 13 three-pointers in Summer League, which is six more than he made during his entire freshman season at North Carolina.

The other first-teamers were Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Burries (23.5 PPG, 50% shooting), taken one pick ahead of Lendeborg at No. 10, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Meleek Thomas, who was the No. 34 pick this year out of Arkansas. Thomas was the Summer League scoring leader, putting up 27.3 points per game along with 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and two steals.

In an interesting twist, the first team was all rookies and the second team was all second- and third-year players, who are normally the better Summer Leaguers — though also more likely to get shut down early.

Khaman Maluach of the Phoenix Suns averaged 19.5 points and league-leading 12.8 rebounds. Coward was first-team All Rookie last season, which makes the Summer League second team a slight disappointment, but he did average 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while making 41.7% of his threes. Third-year Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zyon Pullin had 39 assists, most in Summer League, while Liam McNeeley of the Charlotte Hornets averaged 21.7 points and shot 52.6% from three-point range, which should fit in nicely with his three-happy team. Egor Demin took the last spot almost by default after averaging 21 points in three games, a beneficiary of Bruce Thornton’s brutal final game for the Houston Rockets in the playoffs.

Other Summer standouts were Arthur Kaluma, whose reward was a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chaz Lanier and his league-leading 23 threes (51.1% shooting), Golden State’s own LJ Cryer, and Will Riley of the Washington Wizards, who was shut down after scoring 50 points and shooting 7-for-10 from distance in his first two games.

But the king of Summer League was Yaxel Lendeberg, right from his very first game. Now he has plenty of hardware to prove it.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mavs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Considering the lack of future draft picks, the Dallas Mavericks have had an ACTIVE off-season. The made a trade for Marcus Sasser, a local guy, to absord some of the point guard minutes. Then they made what felt like a big trade to get Santi Aldama and the rights to Tarik Biberovic (who they would later sign to an incredible deal). Then earlier this week they made a trade for former number one over all pick in the 2024 draft, Zaccharie Risacher.

So now we have questions. Which is your favorite? I forogt to include the Sasser one in the poll but if that’s the one you rock with, I get it. Note that you have to be signed in to actually take the poll. Signing up for an account is something that actually really helps all of us here at MMB but also helps you. You should get less ads and a better experience. We want you here!

We’ll have results up for this one later in the week!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Lakers’ front office set up the roster to maximize optionality this summer, and they certainly took advantage of it.

The majority of last year’s rotation is gone, replaced by new pieces in Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The biggest addition, however, is Walker Kessler. He provides the Lakers with a top-tier frontcourt player for the first time during the Luka Dončić era. Also, re-signing Austin Reaves was critical, and LA got a deal done.

So, for our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we ask fans if the moves President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka made this summer changed their opinion of him.

The Lakers roster has had such dramatic changes that no one truly knows how this collection of players will perform.

This time of year is all about educated guesses and a general feeling on how things look before games are played. If you liked the summer the Lakers have had and are surprised they were able to transition from LeBron James so well, then selecting that your viewpoint has improved on Pelinka is the best option for you.

Many Lakers fans were skeptical about this summer, but the Lakers got younger, kept their No.2 option and now have an elite center. They addressed their most important need and are reportedly looking to add another big.

If they can make some more moves, they could improve even more, and they’ve already done a lot this summer.

The neutral selection is an interesting option. Perhaps you are already high on Pelinka and expected this type of offseason. Or, you are low on him and are unmoved by these changes. It’ll be fascinating to see how many people select unchanged in this poll.

If you are down on the offseason moves and see losing LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and still lacking a starting power forward as bad, then your opinion on Pelinka has likely worsened.

With so many players locked up, getting significantly better will be harder for the Lakers. It will require trades, and with little draft capital left, that’s going to be a challenge.

Pelinka is always a topic of conversation, and it seems that Lakers fans pivot their opinions of him rather drastically.

Now that most of the activity for the summer is over, let us know what you think about Pelinka by voting on the poll above and commenting below.

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

An awkward moment was captured on video between Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and a young Knicks fan at Fanatics Fest.

Wembanyama, 22, walked past a group of fans during the weekend event, and one young person called out, “Wemby! Wemby! Sign my jersey! Sign my jersey please!…Wemby…will you sign my jersey?”

It sounds like a normal request, but there was a catch.

The fan was holding out a Jalen Brunson Knicks jersey.

Wembanyama, smiling and laughing, replied, “That’s not…That’s Jalen Brunson,” declining to sign the jersey. The young fan said sorry after the exchange.

Wembanyama was one of many NBA stars present at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in New York. In his second outing to the annual festivities, he became the first participant to go 5-for-5 in the 3-point challenge, and he also made a guest appearance on a soccer podcast where he discussed his Paris Saint-Germain fandom and admiration of international stars Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

His Spurs ultimately fell in five games to the Knicks in their pursuit of the 2026 NBA championship, and local fans at Fanatics Fest clearly didn’t forget.

The New York crowd, which declared Wembanyama one of the newest New York villains during the NBA Finals, playfully booed him.

Wembanyama was a frequent source of stress for Knicks fans during the series, being at the center of calls — and controversial non-calls.

Brunson was also present at Fanatics Fest, alongside several Knicks teammates including Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride.

Alongside many of the championship Knicks, other NBA stars such as Kevin Durant, James Harden and Anthony Edwards made the trip to New York for the popular event.

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded out of the first round of this most recent draft, but still ended up with a player on the NBA Summer League First Team.

Cleveland’s second-round pick, Meleek Thomas, joined Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies), Brayden Burries (Milwaukee Bucks), Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State Warriors) and Caleb Wilson (Chicago Bulls) on the NBA Summer League First Team. Thomas was the only player from that group who was selected outside of the lottery.

Thomas’s spot is well-deserved. He led Summer League in scoring with 27.3 points per game on an incredibly efficient .500/.438/1.000 shooting splits over four games. This included an impressive 35-point outing to defeat the Miami Heat on July 23.

Judging a rookie exclusively by how they perform in Summer League is foolish. The competition level and the role they will play in the NBA aren’t close to the same. Excelling in Las Vegas doesn’t necessarily mean they will do so in the league. At the same time, how poised Thomas was in this environment is encouraging.

Thomas showed that he has the skills to be an effective natural scorer. His fluidity, ability to create off the dribble, and lethal shot were on display in every game he played. Defenders weren’t able to stay in front of him. And when Thomas got to where he wanted on the court, he scored efficiently.

Thomas likely won’t be an on-ball scorer early in his NBA career, at least not if he’s sharing the floor with the likes of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Yet, the skills that made him such an elite scorer in Summer League (shooting, ability to attack closeouts, midrange shooting) can translate over to more off-ball roles, if he chooses to apply them in that way. We’ll get our first idea if they can during preseason.

It’s too early to declare that the Cavs got the steal of the draft. We’ll wait until after the season to see if a discussion like that is necessary. But as of now, the Cavs have to be happy with what they’ve seen from their most recent draft pick.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The second-apron environment the NBA has operated in the last several years was designed to produce parity. Keeping contending cores together for multiple years is incredibly expensive and comes with numerous team-building downsides. The simplest way to combat this is by replenishing your rotation through the draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken swings over the last three years at finding players later in the first round or early in the second round that they could develop into rotation pieces.

Jaylon Tyson was selected in the second half of the first round in 2023. After not having a large role his rookie season, Tyson exploded onto the scene last year. He provided energy in the regular season for a team that desperately needed it with all of their injuries. This was coupled with a revamped three-point shot that allowed him to become a valuable offensive threat on and off the ball.

Last year, the Cavs took Tyrese Proctor in the second round and immediately signed him to a standard deal. While Proctor didn’t get much playing time his rookie season, the minutes he did get showed enough promise to make you believe he could be an impactful role player down the line.

Cleveland’s most recent selection, Meleek Thomas, showed tremendous promise during Summer League. He led all scorers in Las Vegas with 27.3 points per game. That, unsurprisingly, earned him a spot on the All-Summer League First Team.

All three of these selections have shown promise in different ways, but which one has the brightest future? Let us know what you think in the survey below, and tell us why in the comments.