Part of the speculation about LeBron James' next team — before he ended up choosing the Philadelphia 76ers — was about which landing spot best told a story that he could put into the documentary he was having made about his next (and potentially final) season.
That documentary is happening, with LeBron and ESPN close to a deal on a serialized documentary about the season — kind of in the "Last Dance" style — reports Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
LeBron James and ESPN are closing in on an agreement for a behind-the-scenes documentary series that will be similar to Michael Jordan's "The Last Dance," according to industry sources granted anonymity as they were not authorized to talk about the deal that is not finalized.
One of the sources described the talks as being at the "1-yard line," with the expectation that James, 41, will have a camera crew documenting his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, who James signed with this month.
There is no released timeline for when this would air, although it likely would have some lag time rather than be a "Hard Knocks"- style situation where episodes are finished less than a week after being filmed. The financial terms of the deal also remain unknown.
LeBron's jump to Philadelphia — a team that also added Jalen Brown this offseason and has to be considered one of the top contenders in the East — has drawn tremendous interest from fans. As evidence, Fanatics announced that LeBron's No. 23 76ers jersey has become the best-selling jersey for any player in any sport during the first 48 hours after their announcement, beating out the record set by Shohei Ohtani when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
LeBron's plans to make a documentary about his next season — his record 24th in the NBA — are well known, with his production company heading it up. The documentary makers would have special access to him and the 76ers during the season, and also would use historic footage from LeBron's well-documented career.
ESPN had great success with The Last Dance, the documentary done with and about Michael Jordan during his final season and championship with the Bulls, which dropped during the pandemic, when people were home and starved for fresh content. ESPN can only hope LeBron would draw similar ratings and interest.
According to ESPN.com, the probe could last well into 2027 if there is no agreement on what the investigation ultimately finds and whether any punishment could be forthcoming as a result.
That could be an issue for the Clippers and Leonard, as a proposed trade to the Toronto Raptors is on hold. The deal would have sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and draft pick swaps to Los Angeles for Leonard, who won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.
“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said in a statement. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”
The investigation originally centered on reporting by journalist Pablo Torre, who looked into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC broke NBA rules.
Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg pleaded guilty in October 2025 to two counts of wire fraud for what the Department of Justice said was a "multi-year scheme involving fake clients, sham payments, and deceptive loan collateral that caused at least $248 million in losses to numerous victims."
Leonard is possibly involved in a new scandal after a new investigation conducted by Torre, WPRI-TV Target 12, a television station based in Providence, Rhode Island, and investigative news outlet Hunterbrook.
According to the report, Leonard, his uncle Dennis Robertson, and his former agent Mitch Frankel were minority investors in Rhode Island FC and its stadium project.
The project, located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, became Centreville Bank Stadium, a 10,500-seat facility on the Seekonk River, which received $110 million in public funds to help with construction costs. That plan included the development of new affordable housing, shops and restaurants around the stadium.
Not a single housing unit has been built so far since ground was broken in 2022 for the stadium and the other projects, although city officials said last month that they secured $30 million in investments through loans. Construction on the project is slated to start later this year and is expected to last three to four years.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 5: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers handshake after the game on February 5, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Two years ago, Joel Embiid found himself envious of Jayson Tatum.
At the time, Tatum and the Boston Celtics were fresh off winning the 2023-24 NBA championship. The Celtics took advantage of a few CBA loopholes to build an unsustainably deep team (as the past two offseasons have coldly demonstrated), and Embiid took notice.
That summer, Embiid’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, said the big fella gave him “trouble” about Tatum.
“Well, yeah, he’s got a superteam,” Hanlen said while impersonating Embiid. “If I had a superteam too, I would win too, you know?”
Embiid, who was sitting right next to him, chimed in: “I mean, I tell him the same thing. Like, if I go 5-for-20, we get blown out.”
Joel Embiid speaks on Jayson Tatum’s super team. 👀
Tatum’s former teammate, 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, is now in Philadelphia. He wasn’t the Sixers’ only blockbuster acquisition this offseason, either. The Brown trade helped convince LeBron James to finish his career in the City of Brotherly Love on a two-year, veteran-minimum contract. (It’s been nearly a week and that last sentence is still hard to comprehend.)
Between LeBron, Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers arguably have the most star-studded starting five in the NBA. However, championships aren’t won on paper. The Sixers have plenty of work to do over the next year (or two) to figure out their new hierarchy.
Embiid will be key in that.
Embiid’s role on the new-look Sixers
Due to Embiid’s lengthy injury history, the Sixers already spent the past season pivoting away from revolving around him. The arrivals of Brown and LeBron should only accelerate that.
The Sixers no longer need Embiid to average 30-plus points per game for them to have a chance most nights. If anything, they need Embiid to take a hard turn in the opposite direction. They need him to focus on more of the traditional big-man responsibilities.
Last season, Embiid averaged a career-low 7.7 rebounds per game, and the Sixers were 17th in rebounds per game and 14th in rebounding percentage. This offseason, they effectively swapped Andre Drummond, one of the generation’s best rebounders, for Ariel Hukporti, who served as the New York Knicks’ third-string center last season. They also lost Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr., who were fourth and fifth on the team in rebounds per game last year, respectively.
Adding Brown and LeBron should help make up for the departures of George and Oubre in the rebounding department, but Hukporti and Adem Bona aren’t likely to gobble up rebounds like Drummond did. The Sixers need Embiid to hone his box-out techniques and limit opposing teams’ chances of grabbing offensive rebounds.
Embiid also needs to focus more on screen-setting offensively instead of standing at the elbow and demanding the ball. During the regular season last year, Embiid was tied with Lakers center Deandre Ayton for sixth leaguewide in screen assists per game (3.7), and he was tied with Celtics center Neemias Queta for fourth in screen assists points per game (8.8). In last year’s playoffs, he was third in both screen assists (4.6) and screen assist points (10.7) per game, trailing only Oso Ighodaro and Rudy Gobert.
Given the amount of offensive talent on this Sixers roster, Embiid should make it a goal to lead the league in both categories this year. The co-stars in his supporting cast could help make that a reality, too.
Since Embiid no longer has to average 30-plus points per game every night, he can reserve more of his energy for defense, rebounding and screen-setting. He doesn’t need to command the ball on most offensive possessions anymore. LeBron and Maxey figure to be the primary conductors, while Edgecombe and Brown will chip in as well.
That isn’t to say that the Sixers should pivot away from Embiid entirely and turn him into a glorified DeAndre Jordan. It would be a waste of his talent not to take advantage of his 1-on-1 post scoring and his improved passing vision. But neither Embiid nor the rest of the team should ever feel compelled to play hero ball. They have enough talent in their starting five to routinely generate great shot attempts.
The “there’s only one ball!” concern-trolling isn’t going away, at least not until we see these new-look Sixers in action. If Embiid were younger, healthier and in the midst of his MVP prime, perhaps it would be more of a legitimate worry. But Embiid should be at a stage of his career where his individual production no longer matters to him. He’s earned generational wealth and a host of individual accolades. The one thing he still hasn’t done in the NBA is go on a deep playoff run, much less win a title.
The additions of LeBron and Brown this offseason will give Embiid his best-ever chance of doing that. There’s no guarantee of how long that lasts, though. LeBron signed a two-year deal, but he’s turning 42 in December. The Sixers are suddenly smack-dab in a win-now window that appeared all but closed a month ago.
Taking advantage of that will require major sacrifice from everyone, not just Embiid. But for Embiid—the crown jewel and last remnant of the Process—buying into a reduced role and a sharper focus on the little things could make all the difference for the new-look Sixers.
Draymond Green is no stranger to being vocal. He has no qualms with talking trash and no reservations about speaking up when he disagrees with something.
So when Green disagreed with being ranked ninth on Bleacher Report’s list of the top 50 trash-talkers in NBA history, he did exactly what he does to earn his spot on that list: “Talk that s–t.”
“This is trash talking. And this is talking that s–t. And that’s what I do. I talk that s–t,” Green said on a recent episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.” “So No. 9, I think, is a bit wild. I’ll go toe-to-toe with any of these guys when it comes to doing that.”
Draymond reacts to @BleacherReport Top 50 Trash-Talkers Ever list
"This one I will argue, I think I'm above all these guys, ah man it's defense, it's offense, it's 3-point… this is trash talking and this is talking that s**t and that's what I do, I talk that shit, so number 9… pic.twitter.com/PRHEaOouvD
— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) July 27, 2026
The eight players ranked above Green, in order, are Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley and Rasheed Wallace.
“This one I will argue. I think I’m above all these guys,” Green said.
Green ultimately expressed gratitude for his inclusion in the top 10 and appreciation for the elite company he is among on the list.
“Needless to say, these are all Hall of Fame basketball players. And another top-10 list that I’m happy to be on,” Green said.
Green is the highest-ranked active player on the list, and he almost certainly will be joining seven of the eight players ranked above him in the Hall of Fame after his retirement.
DENVER, CO - JANUARY 9: Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 9, 2025 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 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 Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With all the moves the Atlanta Hawks have made this season, some would think that they would done trying to add players. I mean, they have over the standard amount of players on the team, which means somebody is either going to be traded or waived at some point before the start of the season. Nonetheless, the Hawks are still being mentioned in rumors as they try to acquire another player on the team.
The latest rumor came from Shams Charania, as he named the Hawks as one of three teams looking to pursue restricted free agent Peyton Watson. The Denver Nuggets have been trying to find a way to retain him, but his price tag might be too high for them, and they’re currently the only team in the second apron.
The Nuggets can still find a way to keep him and not be too deep in a financial hole, but it would either require them trading other players or him playing on his qualified offer. If neither one of those options works out, there’s a good chance that he’s on a new team next season.
That’s where the Hawks could potentially come into play.
How Peyton Watson fits with the Hawks
It makes sense why the Hawks might be interested in Watson, and he fits everything they want to do on both sides of the ball.
On offense, Watson’s 6’8 frame makes him hard to guard, especially when he’s driving to the paint, which is something he did a lot with the Nuggets. He’s pretty athletic as well, and can get shifty when he’s going up for a layup. The Nuggets didn’t need Watson to create his own shot all the time, but when he did have the ball in his hands, he knew what to do with it.
As far as off-the-ball goes, when you have a player like Nikola Jokic on the team, cutting is essential, and Watson was good at creating shots by doing so. Whether he’s on or off the ball, Watson’s strengths would fit in perfectly with what the Hawks want to do on offense, strictly because he’d thrive with the constant ball movement. Not to forget to mention, Watson shot 41.1% from the 3-point line this past season, and the Hawks are consistently getting those shots up.
On defense, Watson’s length comes into play once again, and he’s good for meeting people at the rim if he has the right angle. He’s good for using his wingspan to get steals, and once he’s in transition, it’s hard to stop him.
The Hawks already have several wings on their team, but he’d be one of the tallest next to Jalen Johnson, who is also 6’8. That would be a plus for the team, and his skill set would go well with the Hawks.
How could the Hawks acquire Peyton Watson?
The Hawks would have to acquire Watson through a sign-and-trade, and the Nuggets are rumored to want a really good high-level player and a first-round pick. The Hawks have some assets that they could offer the Nuggets, but it may get complicated when looking at both of their current situations.
The Nuggets are in the second apron, and their goal shouldn’t be to get themselves deeper in a hole. That means they may have to trade more players, or they might just have to ask for more picks.
With the Hawks having 17 players currently on the roster, they could trade players such as Buddy Hield and Corey Kispert, but those aren’t the level of players they’re looking for in return. Other than that, it’s hard to see the Hawks giving up any of their core players, especially since acquiring Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort in a trade.
In that case, the Hawks and Nuggets may have to find a third team to get into the deal, but it may be even harder to pull that off unless that team is getting something valuable in return.
Out of the current teams who have interest in Watson, the Hawks might have the hardest path, but with them actually being interested shows that they know a path in getting him without making things complicated.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 05: Myles Turner #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Fiserv Forum on April 05, 2026 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. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Part I explored the rationale to start Myles Turner. Part II argued for his demotion to the bench. In each of those scenarios, Turner plays a pivotal role in Milwaukee. Of course, it may just be best to cut (ties and trade) him before the season even begins.
Cut (okay, trade): Committing to the reset
Look, this one goes against the cardinal rule I outlined in Part I. But sometimes even the most steadfast of rules needs to be broken. And in the Bucks’ case, breaking this rule would signal a whole-hearted commitment to the reset, clearing away the last real remnants of desperation that came with going “all in” with Giannis (well, besides Gary Trent Jr.).
Turner’s arrival in Milwaukee was met with skepticism from the moment news broke of his signing. Yes, there was buzz—no one foresaw Jon Horst even thinking about waiving and stretching Damian Lillard, let alone following through with it to sign the best free agent available, from the team’s biggest rival no less—but after the shockwave passed, few thought it could really help the Bucks contend. As we know, they were right. And now that Giannis has gone, moving on from Turner would give the new young Bucks a chance to start with a truly clean slate.
But would trading Turner now really be selling him for ten cents on the dollar? If you haven’t seen our numerous articles about it, recent scuttlebutt has linked the Bucks to Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. And while this is without a doubt intriguing, the Nuggets’ alleged asking price of a Walker Kessler-like deal has all but ruled that out (especially with Ryan Rollins off the table).
As a reminder, the Los Angeles Lakers gave up two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to acquire Kessler in a sign-and-trade from the Utah Jazz. Yet Kessler, a rim protecting centre who doesn’t have Turner’s floor-spacing, commanded that trade despite playing just five games this past season. And he’s never averaged more than 11.1 PPG, a number Turner has only failed to surpass once in his 11-year career—and that came as a rookie.
Slate-cleaning and underrated trade value aside, moving on from Turner might also be a wise thing to do as part of Milwaukee’s bid to build its culture. Yes, Turner may be one of the team’s elder statesmen and, yes, it’s true that the 2025-26 Bucks were a complete mess of a team. But Turner airing the team’s dirty laundry on his podcast after the season isn’t what you want from a leader either. For a reminder, here’s what Yahoo Sports’ Andy Backstrom reported about it:
Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner revealed on his podcast with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart that former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers “didn’t fine anybody ever” this past season, and that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was the teammate who was most likely to be late for team events.
“Guys were late all the time,” Turner told Stewart on a new episode of “Game Recognize Game” that was released Thursday. “Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I personally ever experienced.”
As Backstrom reported, Turner didn’t stop there:
“If the plane took off at 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving till 4:30,” said Turner, who left the Pacers last offseason to sign a four-year deal worth more than $100 million with Milwaukee after it waived Damian Lillard.
Turner continued: “I’m being so serious, bro. It was crazy, dawg. Guys were an hour late to the plane. It got to the point where I knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off. It was crazy.”
When Stewart asked Turner which teammate was most likely to be late, he didn’t have to do much thinking.
“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “Giannis. Giannis is going to show up whenever he wants, really. I think that this kind of just came with the territory that — and once I saw it was going down, I was like, ‘Hey man, s***, more power to you. They ain’t going to fine you. S***, do what you do.’”
In reality, these are not the worst collections of comments a player could say about his team, but they’re certainly not a good look either. Especially if Turner didn’t actively try to do anything about it when it was happening. So, with the Bucks loaded with impressionable young talent, a move that ships off Turner for draft capital—and potentially a wiser presence—may be preferable.
The most obvious partner is the Toronto Raptors, who are in a position to be competitive, have a need at centre—especially one who can space the floor—and would likely give up draft picks to move Jakob Poeltl and the $104m he’s owed through the 2029-30 season. Another team that might be interested is the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently project to start 38-year-old Brook Lopez (no offense, Splash, we’ll always love ya). Heck, there are even scenarios where the Phoenix Suns, who are rightly or wrongly trying to win, and Brooklyn Nets, whose only legitimate centre is Day’Ron Sharpe, are suitors. For this thought exercise, though, it’s the notion that’s important; the team doesn’t really matter.
All options considered—start, bench, or trade—I’d like to see Turner stick around in Milwaukee, with the caveat that Kel’el Ware starts from day one. Myles, it’s time to embrace the bench and become the voice that unites and guides the Bucks back to relevancy.
There you have it, Brew Hoop community, the complete range of Myles Turner scenarios—unless this writer has missed something. If so, let me know in the comments and share your thoughts on what you think Taylor Jenkins—and/or Jon Horst—should do with last year’s prized free agency addition.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: Four players (Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Amir Coffey, Isaiah Livers) who finished the 2025-26 season with the Suns will not be back in 2026-27. Which one do you think the Suns might most regret losing?
zenzino: As far as continuity goes, only losing 4 players is pretty good. I’m rarely brief, so I’ll go through them all in reverse order.
While Coffey had a couple of good games against the Suns, we only saw a few flashes of that here. He seems like a player who needs consistent minutes to be effective, and he wasn’t going to get that on this team.
I liked Livers. There were a number of times when he provided a much-needed spark off the bench. I hope he lands with another team and gets an opportunity to develop. That being said, I don’t think we’re going to look at this like a Toumani Camara, one that got away, situation.
I’m not sure regret is the right word, but we are definitely going to miss some of the things Royce brought to the Suns. He was a cultural and chemistry fit. Lots of people like to describe him as a ‘turnstile’ on defense. While he wasn’t the best on-ball defender, he was great at funneling his player to the help (which can look like a blow-by) and was a really good help defender, coming up with a significant number of timely steals. Royce’s average from three was 40%, and he was particularly good in the 4th quarter. He is also an underrated passer. That’s why he was the inbound passer in critical times. I think we’re going to miss having him to inbound the ball in clutch time.
GA edges out Royce with a caveat: health. If he can play 65-75 games this season, we are absolutely going to regret losing him. Let’s not forget that GA and Royce were the main reason the Suns got off to the shockingly good start last season. Almost a third of the way through the season, they were 1 and 2 in percentage and three-pointers made. Furthermore, for most of last season, GA was the only player not named Booker who could create shots for others. The Suns have more of that now, but you can never have too many playmakers setting up their teammates. And let’s not forget the game-winning hustle plays.
My wife is usually around when I’m watching games, occasionally watching, but mostly listening while building Lego or something. Last season she would note every time GA’s name was exclaimed during the game. She hates Duke and says white boys from Duke have a ‘type’ (she’s not wrong). I digress. The point being she would say, “OMG! Grayson Allen again?” And I’d say, “Yeah, they call out when he does something good.” She won’t have that to complain about anymore. And I’ll miss everything about that.
Ashton: This is easily answered as Grayson Allen. I would have listed the first round pick that the Suns gave up, but it was not an option.
As soon as GA was traded, the questions began as to where the Suns’ perimeter shooting would come from, and that is a legitimate question. Okay, Luke Kennard was brought in to fill that hole, but it is still to be determined. And yes, GA suffered injuries that may have been related to his bulking up routine and maybe sleepless nights with the new kid. But he liked it in Phoenix, and I think the Suns may have done him dirty.
OldAz: While I was an advocate for moving a Royce and Grayson, the obvious answer here is Grayson Allen. They have added youth, length, and athleticism overall (albeit only small improvements with some of the moves), but unless Kennard completely replaces GA’s shooting or Green and Booker have better shooting years, that appears to be the one area of concern on the roster. While I like the roster better overall, I do think there will be a lot of times we miss GA. I don’t foresee that at any point with the other three.
Rod: I have to say it would be Grayson Allen, as he actually did much more on the court than shoot threes. He always played hard, was a solid ball handler and passer, and actually wasn’t too bad at getting to the basket when he took a mind to.
Royce comes in a closer second than I think many might like to admit, though, and I believe he might get more credit if he hadn’t been pushed into playing the role of the Suns’ starting PF. I hope some of the younger guys learned some of his tricks to fake out defenders at the three-point line and get an almost uncontested shot off. He was also a pretty damn good inbounds passer that I hope the Suns don’t miss too much.
Q2: Of the four players added to the Suns’ roster, Miles Bridges is obviously expected to be the most impactful addition. Between the other three — Luke Kennard, Koa Peat and Pat Spencer — which will have the 2nd biggest impact on the court for the Suns in 2026-27?
zenzino: It damn-well better be Luke Kennard.
If Koa Peat makes a bigger impact, that would probably mean that Bridges and Sheer aren’t making as much of an impact as they should. The same goes for Pat Spencer regarding CG and Goodie. They’re both 3rd or lower on the depth chart, so that would probably mean someone in front of them took a step back.
As discussed in the first question, the Suns traded 2 of their 3 best three-point shooters by percentage and number of threes made. That second part is the most important. Yes, Kennard makes almost half of his three-point shots. Impressive. But he has only averaged 4 attempts per game in his career. That’s not going to cut it. Last season, he averaged only 3.2 despite J.J. Redick giving him the green light to shoot ‘whenever he wants’. Meanwhile, Grayson averaged 9.3, and Royce averaged 6.8.
That’s a big gap the Suns are trying to fill. Do we want our 33-35% three-point shooters (Book, Green, Brooks, Bridges) trying to fill that gap? I don’t.
While I don’t think he’s strictly a one-dimensional player, his 3-point shooting is the only reason the Suns signed him. Obviously, giving Kennard the ‘green light’ isn’t enough. He’s going to have to be pushed out of his comfort zone. That will most likely bring his average down from ‘the best ever’ to merely ‘superhuman,’ and he has to be okay with that.
If he can’t/won’t get his attempts up to around 6-8 per game, we are going to really, really miss GA and Royce.
Ashton: If this question had been phrased with “in the future”, my easy answer would be Koa Peat. But it is not, and we are looking at just next season.
Luke Kennard must be the most impactful shooting guard for next season. The Suns’ playoff hopes depend on it. Yes, there are Spencer advocates out there, but Kennard will make the biggest splash.
Also, some fun facts from Wiki: Kennard beat MSU in the ACC-Big 10 challenge in 2016 with a very strong stat line. I am not sure how that sneaked by the FO or if they still feel the sting of it. And as a good segue from Q1, Kennard was frequently matched up against GA at Duke. So, one former Dukie out and another former Dukie in.
OldAz: Suns fans have a bad (but consistent) habit of expecting the players signed to fill out the roster to be the perfect fit and become the exact missing piece to elevate the team. Remember Yuta Watanabe? Or Nigel Hayes-Davis? Too often these players come in and contribute almost nothing and simply take up a roster spot. I expect Peat to get buried on the bench like last season’s rookies until he proves he can contribute more, but Kennard and Spencer both contributed last season on teams that were in the mix in the Western Conference.
On paper, they gave their teams about the same production that Jordan Goodwin gave the Suns. Each averaged a little over 20 minutes a game and contributed just under 10 ppg. I love the scrappiness Spencer brings and think he will become a fan favorite, but I expect Kennard to have the greatest actual impact because he fills that need for shooting better than the others. As a result, I expect he will get more opportunities and playing time…unless he ends up shooting like those previous offseason acquisitions that fell off a proverbial cliff once they arrived in Phoenix.
Rod: As a two-way player, I have to count Spencer out as an impactful player. Kennard’s three-pt shooting makes him the most likely candidate, but at this point in time, I’m not at all certain whether he’ll play a lot of minutes on such a deep roster (see my answer to Q3 for an explanation of this). The same can be said for rookie Koa Peat. Injuries will likely be the deciding factor on which will get the most playing time and the best opportunity to make an impact. Plus, how well each does during training camp and the preseason games could change everything.
At the moment, I’m going with Kennard on this one, though I’m pretty certain that his three-point shooting will get him minutes at times when the Suns really need those points, even if he’s not in the main player rotation.
Q3: With Booker, Green, Brooks, Bridges, and Williams as the likely starters for the Suns this season, which players would you choose for the Suns’ second unit?
zenzino: This is easy. CG, Goodie, Kennard, Sheer, Peat, Oso, and Man Man.
Wait… this is not easy. ‘second unit’ seems a little bit of a misnomer because it’s not like the whole starting lineup sits and then the second unit comes in. I’m going to reject the premise of a second unit.
CG, Sheer, Oso, and probably Goodie are going to be the first off the bench and in regular rotation no matter the matchups and situation. They will have consistent minutes (yes, I put Rasheer Fleming on this list).
How quickly the others are put in the game and how many minutes they get will be based on situations.
Obviously, in games MW sits out, Man Man will be the primary backup to start and maybe take over the 2nd starting position at some point in the season. He’ll also be out there when matchups require his 7’2” length. If SL is any indication, he could earn more and more minutes as the season (and his playing) progresses.
Kennard should be in regular rotation, especially when they need to spread the floor and score some quick threes.
Everyone else is going to be fighting for scrap minutes. Don’t sleep on Highsmith, though. He is a consummate 3 and D guy, forged in Heat Culture, and he should be fully healthy when the season starts.
If I can’t reject the premise: CG, Goodie, Kennard, Sheer, and Oso. For games Oso starts, Man Man slots in his backup role.
Ashton: There are some comments that suggest Green would be better utilized as a sixth man in place of Collin Gillespie as the starter. Sorry, that is not going to happen, but it is an interesting thought. I agree that this will be the starting lineup, but the forward position is a mess for the second unit. The guards were easily the ones to call out. I vacillated between Dunn and Sheer, but thanks to an excellent article from Tom Mildenberger on Ryan Dunn, I decided on my second rotation. I also want to give a shout-out to the commentators with the posts that resonated with me. Why not play Dunn and Sheer both forward spots?
CG (PG)
Kennard (SG)
Ryan Dunn (SF)
Rasheer Fleming (PF)
Oso Ighodaro (C)
We don’t know what type of offense or defense Coach Ott is going to roll out on a game-by-game basis, but my guess is that the center position soaks up the most minutes off the bench. For the sixth man or hustle award? I will take Collin Gillespie. I have no idea where to slot Goodie.
OldAz: It’s the offseason so let’s get crazy!
Since we have not seen any of these players together yet, I would love to see a lot of youth served in the second unit, with KM and Fleming in the frontcourt and Colin Gillespie running the show. The wings on this second unit are the most flexible, as Kennard and Goodwin could provide energy and offense, while Dunn and Oso would make for a really long defensive group. Let’s settle on a bit of balance here by giving Kennard the first shot with this second unit and either of Dunn or Oso finishing up the frontcourt. I am intrigued by playing Oso with KM and Fleming since both can shoot, and Oso seems to connect all the parts well, especially with CG on the court.
I guess this leaves me with CG, Kennard, Oso, KM, and Fleming. I love giving the young guys a chance here, but in reality this lineup might prove that I am the worst possible GM/Coach in the world.
Rod: This team is so deep now that I’d say that Gillespie is the only lock to be on the 2nd unit. I’d also say that Goodie is close to being a lock, but the addition of Kennard adds a little uncertainty to that…but I could also see them on the court together with Luke at the 2 and Goodie at the 3. Ott really likes Oso (I do too BTW), but I really want Khaman to be Williams’ backup this season because as the 1st and 2nd unit players get mixed on the court, Williams’ and Khaman’s games are more similar and would require less adjustment from the other players than it would with Oso being the first sub at center.
I think that Fleming will get a solid amount of rotation minutes this season and that they will be shared between the 3 and 4 positions. I’d love to see some minutes with him at the 3 with Khaman and Oso playing the 4 and 5 slots. Add Collin and Goodie to those three… must-see TV IMO. I don’t think Ott will play that lineup as his standard 2nd unit, though.
Until I see some preseason action from this team, I’m going with Gillespie, Goodwin, Highsmith, Fleming, and Maluach though. That’s a good mix of vets, youth, and talent.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On July 29, 2020, the Phoenix Suns officially announced the sale of their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, to the Detroit Pistons. The team was supposed to relocate from Prescott Valley to Phoenix to play one more season as the NAZ Suns, but the team withdrew entirely from the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the G League held an abbreviated season in a ‘bubble’ in Orlando, Florida.
On July 31, 2020, the Suns won the first of eight games in the Orlando Bubble, 125-122, against the Washington Wizards, after the 2019-20 regular season had been suspended for 4.5 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With only a 26-39 record before the season resumed (in what were called the “seeding” games) in the bubble, the Suns had an extreme uphill battle to get to the playoffs but won all 8 of their bubble games and missed out on the new Play-In game due only to a tiebreaker between them and Memphis. Despite this, they had the best record of all 22 of the teams that qualified for the bubble; Monty Williams was named Coach of the Seeding Games and Devin Booker was named to the All-Seeding Games First Team.
On August 1, 1994. the Suns traded center Mark West to the Detroit Pistons for a 1996 second-round draft pick and a 1999 2nd round draft pick. West was acquired from Cleveland in 1988 as part of the same trade in which the Suns acquired Kevin Johnson and Tyrone Corbin for Larry Nance and Mike Sanders. He played 8 seasons for the Suns, starting in 349 games, with career averages of 6.9 pts, 6.0 rebs, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is 2nd on the Suns’ All-Time Blocks Leaders list with 897.
On August 1, 1999, the Suns signed Oliver Miller, who was formerly their first-round draft pick (22nd) in 1992, as a free agent to a 1-year deal. Miller, who was notorious for his weight problems, left the Suns after signing a 4-year, 10 million offer sheet from Detroit in 1994. By the time he returned to Phoenix, Miller’s weight was rumored to be near 400 pounds.
On August 1, 2000, the Suns signed Tony Delk as a free agent. Although drafted in the first round with the 16th pick in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets, Delk would spend his 10-year NBA career as a journeyman, never spending more than a season and a half with a single NBA team. For one night though, he was virtually unstoppable as he scored 53 points (at the time the 3rd best scoring performance by a Suns player in team history) in a losing effort against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 2, 2001.
Today his 53-point night still ranks as the 7th best in team history.
On August 3, 2005, following the Quentin Richardson trade to the NYK and while in the extended process of shipping Joe Johnson to Atlanta, the Phoenix Suns signed shooting guard Raja Bell to a five-year, $23.75 million contract. A hard-nosed defender, one of Bell’s most memorable moments as a Sun was during Game 5 of the Suns’ 2006 first-round series vs the Lakers.
The Suns were down 3-1 going into that game but wound up winning the remaining 3 games to take the series and progress to the 2nd round. After defeating the LA Clippers 4-3 in the 2nd round, they went on to the Western Conference Finals where they lost out to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2.
Important Future Dates
Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open Oct. 5 – Suns @ Pistons (preseason) 4:00 PM Oct. 7 – Suns @ Bulls (preseason) 5:00 PM Oct. 10 – Suns vs. Spurs (preseason) 7:00 PM Oct. 14 – Suns @ Spurs (preseason) 5:00 PM Oct. 16 – Suns vs. Jazz (preseason) 7:00 PM Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 18: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the game against the Houston Rockets during the Semifinals on July 18, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With the fire sale trade of Ja Morant to Portland, Memphis is fully committed to rebuilding around Cameron Boozer. They got a pretty good idea of his talents in Las Vegas during Summer League play, but like all players outside of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, Boozer has limitations.
The Grizzlies already had massive Zach Edey, and they picked up Isaiah Stewart, who will also be helpful around the rim. Former BC big man Quinten Post may also be a factor.
The thing about rim protection is that you can guard the rim on the floor too, as Maliq Brown demonstrated over the last two years for Duke.
Boozer may not have massive hops, but he plays good positional defense, and maybe he picked up a thing or two from Brown, who stopped quite a few shots before the shooter left the ground.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 26: Kevin Durant #7 and Fred Vanvleet #5 of the Houston Rockets sit on the bench during the second quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Four of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 26, 2026 in Houston, 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. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Rockets are expected to sport a starting lineup featuring Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun for the upcoming season.
Inserting VanVleet as the starting point guard could elevate Houston’s first five and make it one of the best in the league. Bleacher Report contributor Greg Swartz ranked all 30 starting lineups and placed the Rockets at No. 9.
“The Houston Rockets’ starting five should be far more balanced in 2026-27 if VanVleet can play like his pre-ACL tear self,” Swartz wrote.
“Houston tried to go ultra-big at times with no true point guard, leading to a bogged-down offense that needed more playmaking and outside shooting. VanVleet, 32, will need to prove he’s healthy and beat out Marcus Smart for the position. Houston will also be a team to monitor in the trade market if a star point guard becomes available.”
The only teams that ranked higher on Swartz’s list include the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers, who just signed LeBron James to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Van Vliet will have to adjust and shake his rust off after spending over a year on the sidelines, but the Rockets will be a better team with him on the floor. The Rockets will have a floor general that makes the players around him better, setting themselves up for more high-percentage looks. That could make a massive difference in the Rockets’ offense next season.
TDS Community, how do you feel about the team’s starting five going into the season? Let us know in the comments section below.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 2: The Coyote, the mascot of the San Antonio Spurs, high fives a student volunteer during the NBA Cares/BBVA Compass "Team. Works. In Schools." refurbishment project on May 2, 2012 at the E.T. Wrenn Middle School in San Antonio, 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 2012 NBAE (Photo by Chris Covatta/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Here in San Antonio, summer is in full effect. But don’t let the weather fool you, the first day of school is just around the corner. Teachers in my district return Monday with student first day the following Wednesday. If you are local and have school age children, the Spurs are hosting their fifth annual back to school event with supplies and services on August 8th.
Per a Spurs press release:
“Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) is hosting its fifth annual Back to School Bash at Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Aug. 8 from 12-3 p.m. Parents, students and teachers in grades K-12 are invited to attend this event for free school supplies and resources while supplies last. Registration is now open and required for attendance.“
Services include:
School supplies for K-12 grade levels
Dental screenings
Heart screenings
Glucose screenings
Haircuts
Information booths for school enrollment, extracurricular activities, mental health support and family support services.
Patricia Mejia, Chief Impact & Inclusion Officer at SS&E stated,
“Every student deserves to begin the school year with the tools and confidence they need to succeed. Back to School Bash is about removing barriers for families while bringing our community together to support students and educators. We’re grateful to our partners who make this event possible and help set thousands of young people up for a strong start to the school year.”
Parents and/or guardians are required to be present with their children. Participating educators must have their teacher ID upon entering the event. Items and services will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and only while supplies last.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 18: Bruce Thornton #2 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2026 NBA Summer League Semifinals game on July 18, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. In every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in college hoops.
On episode 211 of the Bucketheads Podcast, Justin and Connor are joined by Will Guillory of The Athletic. Guillory covers the Houston Rockets, which is now the home of two former Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton and Jae’Sean Tate.
Guillory was on site in Las Vegas for all the Summer League action, so we discussed Thornton and his performance. Where does Thornton fall in the rotation? Can he expect minutes early? Was Guillory surprised by the decision to draft Thornton? And what does Guillory like about Thornton’s game?
We also talked about Jae’Sean Tate and his role with the Rockets, Kevin Durant and working with the players, and some of the stories he has written in his career.
Remember to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen, leave a comment, and review! We have episodes every Thursday morning.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 06: Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens (left) and lead owner Bill Chisholm speak during a media availability at The Auerbach Center on July 06, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you’ve been side-eyeing the Boston Celtics for the past few weeks, you haven’t been wrong to.
If you’ve been on the fence ever since last offseason, you weren’t wrong then, either. You were just early.
Ever since Bill Chisholm curated an ownership group backed by deep-pocketed investors, including private equity firm Sixth Street, there hasn’t been much for fans to rally around. The franchise spent the better part of the past year shedding payroll to avoid the league’s luxury tax penalties, and last season they hit the jackpot — before blowing it all off in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers in the organization’s most catastrophic postseason exit.
Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon, which jeopardized his entire 2025-26 season, became a convenient cover for Boston’s new ownership after the team’s second-round exit against the New York Knicks. Championship expectations were immediately removed, hence allowing for the dismissals of Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet in a justified manner that didn’t pressurize Stevens or Chisholm’s high rollers above.
Just when fans thought the pre-15-game-win-streak Boston Red Sox were the biggest concern in town, Chisholm emerged as the suspicious selling point representing the incoming ownership group. His Massachusetts upbringing helped ease the fear that the Grousbeck family would hand the team over to an emotionless corporate shark looking to turn the Celtics into their next ATM. Why? Because it’s easy to assume that Chisholm’s New England roots signal an inherent emotional attachment to the team and its success to that of the thousands who enter TD Garden each night throughout the season.
That assumption wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
After all, the Grousbecks ultimately turned down longtime business partner Stephen Pagliuca’s offer, which reportedly did not include private equity backing. Pagliuca stood by Wyc Grousbeck in 2002 when they purchased the Celtics for $360 million and began restoring a storied franchise that had fallen off a bit. Over the next 22 years, Pagliuca and Grousbeck guided Boston to four NBA Finals appearances and two championships.
Boston, MA – September 24: Boston Celtics governor Bill Chisholm and Wyc Grousbeck attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly named William Felton "Bill" Russell bridge, which was previously the North Washington bridge, on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Every step of the way, through the team’s highs and lows, Grousbeck and Pagliuca made their intentions clear. The Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade with the Brooklyn Nets, the Isaiah Thomas-for-Kyrie Irving flip — those were all moves made with the next banner in mind. As difficult as those decisions might’ve been, along with plenty of others, there was always a clear, rational explanation behind pulling the trigger to support the trust Grousbeck and Pagliuca built with the city.
Chisholm and his associates haven’t earned that. Yet.
So far, they’ve mastered shedding payroll while still working on selling the idea that every decision is made in pursuit of a championship.
“This was all about basically trying to win,” Chisholm told reporters after the Brown trade on July 6, per NBC Sports Boston, “and I think really trusting in our process. We have the best front office in the NBA. They put in their work, and they came to the conclusion this was the best way for us to win. That’s the mandate, is to win. I just have to keep saying that. We’ll spend whatever it takes to do that. The mandate is to win. Brad and his team came with his recommendation that this is the way we’re going to win. And I looked at it and had the same reaction. I was like, ‘Wow.’ This is the fan in me. It was really tough.”
Trading Brown, in his prime, for George, who will turn 37 next May, was a decision made to win? To win now? To maximize Tatum’s prime at this moment?
Stevens’ mismanagement of Brown’s departure, for a return most Celtics loyalists would’ve considered laughable if proposed by any basketball blogger beforehand, warrants scrutiny. Is the CBA a factor? No doubt. Did the Celtics long know that before this offseason? No doubt. So perhaps it would’ve been in their best interests to go full throttle for Giannis Antetokounmpo and leave no regrets at the negotiating table with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I think that we did the deal because Paul George is a good player and we got draft assets,” Stevens told reporters.
The transparency that once existed under Grousbeck and Pagliuca is seemingly fading under Chisholm. The Celtics had their chance to use Antetokounmpo as a legitimate basketball-first pursuit, and they fumbled at the goal line. Instead, they pivoted and traded for an injury-prone, aging George while doubling down that trading Brown was a basketball decision the front office came up with?
That doesn’t add up. How does removing Brown, after carrying a depleted Celtics to 56 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, suddenly solve any basketball-related issue?
Boston, MA – May 2: Boston Celtics owner Bill Chisholm talks to guard Jaylen Brown after the game. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers played in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on May 2, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
That’s where the disconnect begins.
Brown spent most of the offseason scrutinized by the national media, and the Celtics had a hand in it. The same JB who shrugged off trade rumors linking him to swaps for Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant, then showed up to work with no issue. The same JB who went the extra mile as a deeply invested leader of the Boston community — more accessible than any other star currently sporting the uniform.
He didn’t lean on hashtags or choreographed pictures for social media. Brown consistently carried himself with sincerity, even when the Celtics weren’t willing to.
Granted, philanthropy means absolutely nothing to ownership. It never has and it never will. But there’s a certain weight that Brown carried. His value to the Boston community wasn’t just sentimental; it represented years of showing up, investing in the city and embracing it to the point where fans weren’t only attached to Brown the player, but even more so Brown the person.
For nearly a decade, the Celtics had been shopping Brown on the trade market. To then reach the point of desperation where the front office forced itself to accept George, two first-round picks, and two second-rounders as the return is like buying skincare at a mall kiosk.
Boston owes George over $54 million this upcoming season, then another $56.5 million with his 2027-28 player option. That’s over $110 million committed to an ex-star whose availability over the past two seasons didn’t even add up to one full season (78 games).
That’s a tough, tough sell for a basketball decision made “all about basically trying to win.”
It becomes an even tougher sell for the fanbase when, after handing Brown to the rival Sixers on a silver platter, LeBron James, too, joins Philadelphia — forming a superteam with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey by signing a team-friendly two-year, $8 million deal with the Sixers.
That doesn’t help Boston’s optics. It certainly doesn’t help their chances in the East either.
Ultimately, Chisholm and company have time to build some trust within the city. It’s really optimistic to believe that will come to fruition anytime soon, but it is possible.
It’s also possible that Tatum’s prime 2026-27 season goes to waste while the Celtics watch Brown, James, and Embiid turn the East into their own personal playground next postseason.
By then, it’ll be up to Chisholm to either sing the same tune or recalibrate. Either way, it won’t be easy — and it’s hard to imagine he and the Celtics don’t know that now.
NEW DELHI, INDIA - JULY 29: Visitors observe a tiger at the Delhi Zoo on the occasion of International Tiger Day on July 29, 2026 in New Delhi, India. International Tiger Day is observed annually to raise awareness about tiger conservation and the protection of their natural habitats. (Photo by Ishant Chauhan/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) | Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Summer so hot and slow I swear it feels like days are going backwards and we’re getting closer to last June than we’re to flipping the calendar page to August. Here’s your dose of links and notes.
Patrick Ewing thanked the Knicks and their fans after returning to the organization and right before joining the Wizards’ coaching staff. Full letter in the link.
Josh Hart fired back at Draymond Green after the geezer said Brunson’s hometown discount didn’t make sense. Green argued that Brunson, as the Knicks’ top player, should have demanded his full value while role players are the ones to make the financial sacrifices.
Hours after saying that, 36-year-old Green signed a $27.7 million deal with Golden State. I’m no nerd, but Green ranked 155th in PER, 253rd in WS, 130th in BPM and 227th in VORP. Isn’t that the production of a bad-to-mediocre role player? Not sure, but Green will get paid the 66th-highest salary in the NBA next season.
Josh Hart is also keeping alive one of Mitchell Robinson’s best traditions. “It’s only right.”
If you were fed up with the NBA and the Knicks playing in a thousand different channels and platforms, you can now add another one. All Knicks non-national broadcasts will air on DAZN for the 2026-27 season.
Back to the usual offseason business, SI’s Isaiah De Los Santos believes the Knicks should keep an eye on the Clippers after they kept crowding their center rotation following the Johni Broome trade. Anything can happen there, with LA boasting a crew comprised of Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson, Baba Miller, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and now Broome too.
Staying Clippers, they were so desperate for attention — the good type, I mean — that they put more than $20 million on LeBron’s table. Sheesh…
New Wolves toy LaMelo Ball has been sued over allegations that he owes a North Carolina landlord more than $100,000 in unpaid rent.
People’s GOAT, Allen Iverson, considers Michael Jordan the greatest player ever, but he has the perfect take for saying so. Apply AI’s mindset, and you’ll be happy!
“The way I look at it, is Michael is always going to be the GOAT to me, you know what I mean? And LeBron to me, I feel like if you go in the dictionary and you look up basketball player, you’ll see LeBron James, you know what I mean? And you know the whole GOAT thing to me I think a lot of times it gets out of hand because I think a lot of times people will take away from one player what they did you know what I mean? To boost up the other player. You know what I mean? That’s not what you do. I feel like a lot of times you know people get caught up in the whole GOAT thing but your GOAT is your GOAT. You have your opinion to name anyone your GOAT if you want to. You know what I mean? You’re not wrong by saying anyone’s your GOAT. I had my fans say I’m the GOAT all the time. I don’t agree with them because I think it’s Mike.”
Shaquille O’Neal predicted Joel Embiid will enjoy a true comeback and remain healthy all season long, topping whatever Nikola Jokić does and reclaiming the Best Big Man label. The odds!
Golden State passed on trading for Jaylen Brown before last season’s deadline because the organization could not agree that Brown was the right player to lead the franchise after Stephen Curry. Meanwhile, LeBron chose the Sixers because they traded for Brown.
Barring unexpected moves, the Warriors will run it back with a mostly similar roster to last season’s 37-45 10th-seed team.
And that development isn’t sitting well with Dub Nation and members of the national media.
Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is the latest to criticize Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy for not improving the roster around two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry.
“At some point, we can’t just keep talking about them trying to go fishing and they throwing the bait out in the water,” Perkins said on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday. “We’re talking about Steph Curry here. Like, you got to get it done. You just traded away Jonathan Kuminga last season, a guy that you drafted in the lottery that they gave up on, and now all of a sudden you’re sitting here while the West is getting better, while the San Antonio Spurs, who just went to the NBA Finals, added Tobias Harris to their roster without giving up anything. Oklahoma City Thunder is gonna be there. LaMelo Ball just went to Minnesota. Everyone is making powerful moves while Mike Dunleavy is just sitting there on his hands. And at some point, he has to be on the clock. The pressure is on him to do right by Steph.
“[Brian Windhorst], you just highlighted that Steph Curry is gonna be 39 years old next year. Or this season? Like, like Steph is not just sitting around saying I wanna play for fun. This man played at an All-NBA level last season and somehow with Draymond [Green] opting out, with all these things happening, you couldn’t win the battle of LeBron James and land him to Golden State and you get beat, you let Bob Myers beat you out again, like winning again in Philadelphia. It’s not a good look.
“And right now when you look at this Warriors team … they’re a play-in team that’s going to make it to the postseason. So when I look at the Golden State Warriors, Mike Dunleavy gotta do something. Joe Lacob has to put him on the clock and apply pressure on him to upgrade this roster.”
“We’re talking about Steph Curry here, like you gotta get it done.“@KendrickPerkins comments on Golden State needing to step up after not signing LeBron James 👀 pic.twitter.com/jO6nDpTRUp
And as the Warriors tried to convince James to join Curry, there were reports that acquiring center Anthony Davis from the Washington Wizards would help sway LeBron.
But as ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Thursday, the Warriors “never seriously engaged” the Wizards for Davis due to their reluctance to part with Jimmy Butler and numerous first-round draft picks.
Instead, the Warriors stood pat, bringing back Green, guard De’Anthony Melton and centers Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Charles Bassey.
The only additions to the roster are No. 11 overall draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg and second-round pick Lajae Jones.
As much as the Warriors like Lendeborg, who won NBA Summer League MVP while helping the team win the Vegas championship, it’s unlikely that he will be enough to push Golden State from a play-in team to a Western Conference contender.
So, the Warriors, with a few depth roster moves left to make, will head into the 2026-27 NBA season hoping for a healthy Curry and waiting for Butler and Moses Moody to return from respective knee injuries.
That game plan isn’t inspiring confidence from Perkins and members of Dub Nation.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors after the Lakers defeated the Warriors 118-108 at Chase Center on January 25, 2025 in San Francisco, 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Would LeBron James have joined the Golden State Warriors if they’d traded for Anthony Davis? We’ll never know, but a portion of the team’s front office wanted to try.
According to Logan Murdock of The Ringer, “a small contingent of Golden State’s front office” wanted to trade Jimmy Butler and presumably some number of draft picks for the Washington Wizards’ center, but ultimately decided not to for two reasons:
Anthony Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, have made it clear he wants an extension.
He’s injured a lot, playing just 29 games since the Dallas Mavericks inexplicably traded Luka Doncic to get from the Lakers in early 2025.
Look, if you’re too injury-prone for the Warriors, that’s really saying something. Kristaps Porzingis missed 90 games the last two seasons and the Warriors gave him $40M. Of course, they could have simply traded for Davis and hoped he would play for the $121M still left on his existing contract, but perhaps they just didn’t want Paul to call them over and over asking about it.
And who knows if James would have come anyway? It’s not like Paul hasn’t used one of his clients to get another one of his clients paid before. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who just got a buyout from the Memphis Grizzlies to join James on the Philadelphia 76ers, signed a $17.75M deal with the Lakers in 2017. He got that deal in part so Paul had an excuse to talk to the front office without tampering, a year ahead of James’ free agency.
Two years later, when the Lakers traded for Davis, Rob Pelinka made the trade official before the NBA draft, which cost him a chance to offer Kawhi Leonard a full max contract. Paul agreed to have Davis waive his $4M trade kicker, but only if the Lakers agreed to re-sign KCP if The Claw went elsewhere. Leonard went to the Clippers, since the Lakers didn’t offer him a no-show endorsement deal with a shady tree-planting company, and Caldwell-Pope got a two-year deal.
We’d say that Davis was likely to play more games than Butler next season, but Danny Emmerman claimed Butler was trying to come back to the Warriors “as early as Christmas.” That seems unlikely, but so does the idea of Anthony Davis going a whole season without pulling his hamstring, or spraining his ankle, or crashing a scooter while recovering from plantar fasciitis.
The real question is, How big was this small contingent of front office people and were any of them named Lacob? If the answer is, zero Lacobs, it makes sense why the deal never got done.
