Category: Basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers have made their first free agency addition of the summer, 26 days into free agency. They’ve signed 6’8” Croatian forward, Mario Hezonja, to a one-year minimum contract worth $2.8 million, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Hezonja was the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft for the Orlando Magic. He played in the league for five seasons. Three with the Magic, and then two one-year stints with the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers. After the 2019-20 season, Hezonja returned to playing professionally overseas. During his five-year NBA career, he averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on .417/.319/.812 shooting splits.

Hezonja has spent the last six years playing in Europe. The last four of those years, he’s played for Real Madrid in Spain.

European leagues are often split into two parts of the season: national league play and EuroLeague. Hezonja was phenomenal in Liga Endesa — the top league in Spain — competition this past year. In that setting, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on .465/.366/.902 shooting splits in 23.9 minutes per game. That was good enough to earn him MVP honors in that league.

The numbers in EuroLeague — the top basketball league in Europe — weren’t as impressive. In 38 games, Hezonja averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on .427/.302/.818 shooting splits.

As the numbers suggest, the 31-year-old wing’s best skill is his outside shooting. He’s a movement shooter with size who can be a real asset when those looks are falling.

That pairs nicely with a pretty solid overall scoring package. Hezonja has the size and strength to get inside and finish in the paint — especially if you cheat over to prevent the outside shot. This all led to Hezonja being in the 89th percentile for offensive impact in EuroLeague last season.

Defense isn’t Hezonja’s calling card. He’s not known for being great on that end despite having good size.

Overall, this is a worthwhile gamble for the Cavs. Taking a minimum-contract gamble on a player with good size, solid offensive feel, who has a lethal outside shot is understandable. Hezonja has the skills to be an impactful offensive piece off the bench and is the exact type of player you’d like to pair with a large front court and dynamic backcourt.

That said, there’s a real chance that this move doesn’t pan out. After all, most minimum contract signings don’t move the needle on contending teams.

This was the first of what could be several roster moves in the upcoming week now that the LeBron James sweepstakes is over. The Cavs still need to re-sign James Harden, there’s the possibility that they execute a sign-and-trade for Jonathan Kuminga, and there’s rumors of other trades they could be looking to make. We’ll see how the Cavs handle the second part of the off-season.

Sixers waive Dalen Terry following James and Caldwell-Pope deals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ roster business continued Sunday.

The team announced that it has waived 24-year-old wing Dalen Terry. 

Terry played 14 times for the Sixers last season and averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. The Sixers first picked Terry up on a two-way contract and then converted him to a standard NBA deal late in the season. The 18th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft was not part of the Sixers’ playoff rotation. 

The Sixers last month exercised Terry’s club option of approximately $2.6 million for the 2026-27 season. According to Spotrac, his salary was non-guaranteed until Jan. 10, at which point it would have been fully guaranteed. 

With their deals for LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Sixers will need to clear one more contract from their books to stay under the first luxury-tax apron, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The team became hard capped at the first apron when it signed Dean Wade using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. 

Summer League is over. We’re past the frenzy stage of NBA free agency. However, there’s one small forward everyone has had their eyes on this offseason. He’s arguably the GOAT. He just came over to the East. You all know who I’m talking about. It’s our boy Michael Porter Jr. YES! MPJ is extension eligible and there’s been a ton of chatter around what that could look like. So, we’re declaring this THE MPJ POD and brought on on a NetsDaily legend, an NBA champ, and someone who knows MPJ well dating back to their time in Denver. Matt Brooks of the Denver Nuggets is here!

In this episode of The Brooklyn with Pooch & Collin, we touch on:

• What an MPJ extension could look like
• Why MPJ is a great mentor
• What’s new with Cam Johnson
• All-time Nets x Nuggets player draft

You can also check out the episode for free on Spotify and Apple Music. Make sure to follow us on X, Instagram, and TikTok as well.

'25-'26 MPJ vs '18-'19 DLo

Who are you taking? 🔥 👀

(w/ @TylerCarmona) pic.twitter.com/4UzD1PnOmr

— The Brooklyn (@thebrooklynpod) January 9, 2026

We also recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers on YouTube. Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far!

The fact-finding portion of the NBA’s investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers may finally be complete, but that does not mean his proposed return to the Raptors is ready to move forward.

Appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show,” The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov said the outside law firm hired by the NBA appears to have finished its work. The league must now review the findings and determine whether Leonard, the Clippers or owner Steve Ballmer should face discipline.

“The investigation, I think, is over now,” Vorkunov said. “The NBA is kind of like sifting through what the law firm they hired has found, deciding whether there’s a punishment or not that they then want to levy.”

The probe centers on allegations that Leonard’s endorsement agreement with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt company connected financially to Ballmer, may have been used to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap. Leonard reportedly agreed to a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal that also included company equity, though he did not participate in traditional promotional campaigns for the company.

The Clippers have denied wrongdoing and maintained that they were victims of fraud involving Aspiration rather than participants in an effort to provide Leonard with additional compensation.

Even with the investigative stage reportedly complete, the process could remain unresolved for some time.

Vorkunov explained that any proposed punishment may need to be presented to an assistant arbitrator under the collective bargaining agreement. The National Basketball Players Association would also become involved if the league seeks to discipline Leonard, and either side could appeal the ruling.

That uncertainty continues to hold up the proposed trade sending Leonard to Toronto in a package involving Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and future draft compensation.

Vorkunov still expects the deal to be completed unless the NBA imposes the most extreme possible penalty and voids Leonard’s contract.

“I think the trade with the Raptors will still happen,” he said. “If there’s like a suspension, let’s say that’s what the investigation finds, you can kind of tweak the terms of the trade a little bit to make up for that.”

A finding of no wrongdoing would clear the most direct path toward completing the transaction. A suspension, fine or loss of draft picks could force the Clippers and Raptors to renegotiate portions of the agreement.

Voiding Leonard’s contract would create a much different outcome by removing the contract Toronto agreed to acquire.

For now, Leonard, Ingram and Dick remain attached to their previous teams despite the trade agreement. With no firm timetable for a decision, the uncertainty could extend toward training camp.

Leonard is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 27.9 points while remaining one of the NBA’s most effective two-way players when available.

His basketball value is not what is delaying the reunion with Toronto. The next move belongs to the league office.

Last night was a typical Saturday night for me — playing Hades 2 for the 1300th time, catching up on X-Men ‘97, perusing basketball-reference.com — when I came across a couple of facts I feel compelled to share. Why? Because Vox pays based on a monthly quota and I woke up two articles short for July.

PATRICK EWING & THE 2026-27 KNICKS: BOTH UNDERRATED

In 1989 Patrick Ewing finished fourth in MVP voting, first among the six centers to receive votes (Hakeem Olajuwon, Brad Daugherty, Robert Parish, Mark Eaton and Moses Malone). A year later the Big Fella again led all pivots in MVP voting. Over a nine-year stretch (1989-1997) that included six different starting point guards, six different head coaches and a dizzying number of playing styles, Ewing received the most- or second-most MVP votes for a center six times. That’s not projection. That’s what happened.

There’s an awful lot of projection happening in this summer’s NBA talk. The national media and fans of loser teams, no doubt buttressed by Adam Silver’s specious praise of parity, seem oddly certain the New York Knicks will extend the pratfall of the prior seven champions by failing to repeat in 2027. Given that the Knicks just put forth the greatest display of ass-whupping the Association has ever seen and are returning 90-something percent of those responsible for said rump-reddening, I assume the cynics are indebted less to “what happened” than to precedent.

Balderdash.

Forgive my language, but I’m just that upset. The great sportswriter Law Murray may be the only person currently with a power rankings that lists New York at the top. Power rankings don’t matter, natch; they are at best one person’s opinion. But why are so many people’s opinions wrong? Look how all the recent failures to repeat failed and tell me where it sounds like the Knicks.

Jalen Brunson didn’t depart for the Clippers, desiring a max deal plus a do-nothing $28 million off-the-books cheat code. The Knicks didn’t win some asterisk-stained Bubble ‘chip. Josh Hart is their only starter over 30; after the Bucks’ title, their non-Greek starters turned 30, 31, 33 and 36. When the Warriors won their fourth, Steph Curry was 33, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green 31.

The Nuggets have spent literally zero dollars since winning it all three years ago (I can only hope the same happens with Arsenal, also owned by the Crankies). The Celtics have dropped consecutive series to their two most-hated Eastern rivals (losing five of seven home playoff games); seen one cornerstone tear his Achilles before racing back in record time the next year, only to finish it injured; then traded the other to one of those hated rivals for less than what Dallas got back for Luka. The Thunder, who succeeded Boston as the media’s “Not only did they win a title, they’re destined to for years” darling, got bit by the injury bug at the worst possible time last year, then traded three rotation players for second-round picks.

I’m a big fan of precedent myself. But I’m always learning that it’s not destiny, more just a useful guide for getting around. The fact that Daugherty, Parish, Malone and Eaton soon faded from MVP votes didn’t mean Ewing would. So long as the Mitchell Robinson cheap-out isn’t the first sign of James Dolan suffering a Nuggets/Celtics ownership mind-meld, the Knicks seem a pretty good bet to be the first repeat champs since 2018.

REGGIE MILLER SUCKS

He’s an insufferable broadcaster, not even the best baller in his family and a homewrecker. None of that is what’s worst about Reggie Miller, though.

No, not even the tattoo.

Miller was never afraid to take the big shot. It’s why he has, at minimum, a half-dozen career highlights where any one would be most players’ best-remembered. I’ll spare you the two you’re likely aware of, but did you know both Chicago and New Jersey also served as the canvas to his artistry? If you’re troubled by me sharing these here at P&T, I understand. My only defense is these shots caused the MJ Bulls and Jason Kidd Nets to suffer, and in my teens and 20s I hated those teams as much as any.

Whatever truth is contained in those two videos, it is a vile truth, loud and clanging; the empty can rattles the most. Yes, Miller wasn’t afraid of the moment. But is it admirable for one to always be willing step up in the biggest of moments if one misses the vast, vast share of them? Imagine the ‘90s Knicks having every postseason come down to John Starks emptying the clip and letting the chips fall where they may. “John Starks?” you may say. “Are we really comparing John Starks to Reggie Miller?”

Reader, yes.

I want to show you Miller’s numbers in the biggest games he played in. For the purposes of fairness, I’m excluding earlier years in his career, when the Pacers were still a work-in-progress. Miller wasn’t the focal point of the Pacers’ offense in the early ‘90s against the Celtics — that’d be Chuck Person — so I didn’t include his 7-of-17 shooting in their 1991 series finale. Instead, let’s go right to the alleged heart of the matter. How did Miller shoot when he was supposedly making his bones in the six biggest games of his career: the 1994 ECF against New York, 1995 ECF against Orlando, 1998 ECF against Chicago, 1999 ECF vs. New York, 2000 Finals against Los Angeles and the 2004 ECF against Detroit?

• 7-of-17
• 5-of-13
• 7-of-13
• 3-of-18 (See? Starks-like!)
• 8-of-19
• 2-of-8

That’s 32-of-88 from the field (36%), which is . . . not good. And 14-of-43 from distance (33%). Greg Anthony shot 40% overall and 35% from deep for his career. So, in the moments Mr. Big Moment was supposedly his most Big Moment-able, Miller wasn’t even a valid role model for Cole growing up.

Last season, the Brooklyn Nets let 22 different people take the wheel of their lottery tank, several of whom probably weren’t actual professional basketball players (“Grant Nelson”? Please). Not a one of the 22 combined to shoot as badly from the field and from three as Miller did in his six biggest games.

The larger lesson here? I guess don’t be a dick who trades on a rep you know you don’t deserve. Being willing to take big shots is cool, especially if you make some. But being willing to try isn’t heroic when you so often fail. Miller will go down as history’s Antoine Walker, a shameless chucker who never saw reason to stop. Unlike ‘Toine, who faded from the spotlight, Miller insists upon himself, insists on foisting that self on us. Not much we can do about it, besides educate ourselves and stay ready. You never know when the day will come that you get the chance to speak truth to power.

On Friday, the Sixers pulled off one of the biggest free-agent heists in NBA history when they landed LeBron James on a two-year, $7.9 million veteran-minimum contract. You’d never know it based on some of the reactions to that deal.

Jack Simone of the Boston Sports Journal declared that LeBron’s arrival in Philadelphia “will be a disaster” because they have too many alphas and not enough depth.

“The Sixers are banking on their current squad following the old-school Big 3 era, but with a Big 5 instead,” Simone wrote. “They added talent for the sake of adding talent, hoping the math will add up to a championship. But that would require playing basketball on paper instead of in person.”

Michael Pina of The Ringer acknowledged that the Sixers’ new starting five has “an egregious amount of skill, power and athleticism.” However, he added that James’ decision “doesn’t dramatically alter the NBA landscape, let alone guarantee a top-six seed for Philadelphia.”

“For the past month, I’ve been of the mind that James’s decision wouldn’t move the league’s needle in a meaningful way; he’s debatably a top-20 player in a highly competitive playoff picture,” Pina wrote. “While his decision is extremely surprising, undeniably a good thing for Philadelphia, and a bad thing for the Cavs, Heat, Warriors, and any other team that thought they were in the mix, I still feel that way.” 

Oddsmakers don’t agree. The Sixers vaulted from +2200 to win the title prior to LeBron’s arrival to +1000 afterward. They’re now trailing only the San Antonio Spurs (+260), Oklahoma City Thunder (+260) and the defending-champion New York Knicks (+950) in championship odds.

Bostonians aren’t the only ones expressing doubt about LeBron and the Sixers, though.

“Good luck,” a rival executive told Howard Beck of The Ringer. “They do not have any role players on their team now. All those guys want and need the ball. I’m not sure any will want to sacrifice.”

“Somebody will have to check their ego at the door,” another team executive told Beck, “and I don’t see Joel or Bron being the ones to do it.”

So, let’s dive into the three chief concerns about the new-look Sixers and how much it’s fair to worry about each.

‘There’s only one ball’

Of the three, this is the one to be least concerned about.

In mid-July, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown had “all been in communication with James” during his free agency, “with Maxey leading the charge.” Tony Jones of The Athletic added that Embiid was also “a heavy figure in LeBron’s recruitment, and that recruitment lasted throughout the process.” (We see what you did there, Tony.)

Given his age (32) and lengthy injury history, Embiid’s MVP days are all but assuredly over. He can no longer carry the Sixers like he did for most of his tenure. Maxey, Brown and VJ Edgecombe were already poised to help shoulder more of the load, but adding LeBron takes it to a whole new level.

Granted, LeBron is at a similar stage of his career. He proved in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round win over the Houston Rockets that he can still conjure one-of-a-kind magic occasionally, but he’s no longer the nightly 28-7-7 threat that he was in his prime. He needs help to have a real chance at winning his fifth title.

Maxey has a longstanding relationship with LeBron because they share the same agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Paul said on his Game Over podcast that Maxey’s familiarity with LeBron will help ease his transition to the Sixers and vice versa.

“… When you add a LeBron, everything changes,” Paul said. “That is why it is not easy for someone who is [deemed] to be a star player on a team, when he comes, he kind of shows you how big or little of a star you actually are. It takes a special kind of person to mentally embrace that.

“The familiarity with him and Tyrese, you don’t have to worry about that with Tyrese. They know each other, they embrace each other, they have been working out together for the last five years. So you won’t have any pushback. You can’t pay for that. You can’t put a value on that.”

Maxey’s role has changed on a year-to-year basis for most of his Sixers tenure. Edgecombe is just smiling through it all. And Brown presumably didn’t spend his recruitment of LeBron discussing how much he refuses to downshift as needed.

LeBron is hungry for a fifth title. Brown is hungry for his second—and to shove egg in the Celtics’ faces. Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe all have yet to win even one. The Disease of Me should not be what undoes the Sixers in 2026-27.

Not enough shooting

It feels safe to assume that Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, LeBron and Embiid will comprise the Sixers’ starting five. Among that group, Maxey shot the best from three-point range last season at only 36.7 percent. Edgecombe shot 35.4 percent, Brown shot 34.7 percent, Embiid shot 33.3 percent and LeBron shot 31.7 percent.

However, the two years prior, LeBron shot a combined 39.3 percent from deep. Maxey drilled a scorching 43.1 percent of his three-point attempts across his second and third seasons. And Edgecombe ended the season pledging that “coming into next year, a team won’t ever leave me open.”

Given the rest of the talent throughout the Sixers’ starting lineup, they might not have a choice.

Thankfully, Doc Rivers is not in charge of this roster. Nick Nurse isn’t likely to follow his lead with hockey-style full lineup changes. The starters will mix with the bench players for all but the beginning and end of each half.

Coming off the bench, the Sixers have Anfernee Simons, a career 38.1 percent long-range shooter on 6.6 attempts per game. He spent exactly none of those seasons alongside a playmaker of LeBron’s caliber, either.

They’re also going to get Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after he clears waivers. KCP was rough the past two seasons in Orlando and Memphis, but he was a dead-eye shooter over the half-decade preceding that. He spent all but one year of that span playing with either LeBron or Nikola Jokić.

If KCP has a bounce-back season from deep by feasting off wide-open shots, he and Simons alone might help mitigate concerns about the Sixers’ offensive spacing. Rookie Labaron Philon Jr., who shot 39.9 percent from distance at Alabama last year, could also chip in. But the impact of LeBron shouldn’t be understated here, either.

LeBron might not be the scorer or drive-and-kick threat that he was once, but he’s still a preternatural passer at the age of 41. He has the uncanny ability to deliver passes right into his teammates’ shooting pockets. Not only should each Sixers player get easier shots just by virtue of how much stress they’ll be putting on defenses, but they’ll be catching passes from one of the best playmakers of all time.

It’s also worth noting that the Sixers were 21st leaguewide in three-point attempts, 22nd in three-pointers made and 23rd in three-point percentage last season. How much further can they fall?

With a bounce-back season from Maxey and the new additions off the bench, the Sixers should be able to scrape by with enough shooting. They won’t be the Steph-and-Klay Golden State Warriors by any means, but they also won’t be the 2025-26 Brooklyn Nets.

Can they stay healthy?

This is the most legitimate concern. Between LeBron’s age—the man missed the beginning of last season with sciatica, which is the most DNP-Old ailment possible—and Embiid’s lengthy injury history, there’s no guarantee that the Sixers will make it to mid-April in one piece.

Backup center looms as a potential problem area with that in mind.

The Sixers chose not to re-sign Andre Drummond this offseason. Instead, they spent part of their bi-annual exception on Ariel Hukporti, who was the Knicks’ third-string center last year. He’ll battle with Adem Bona to be Embiid’s primary backup, but he’s more or less a total mystery box for now.

Bona is energetic and springy, but he’s also foul-prone and fumbles far too many passes. Getting him not to botch easy scoring opportunities will be LeBron’s final exam with the Sixers during the regular season.

In the games where Embiid plays, Bona and Hukporti should be able to hold down the fort for 15-20 minutes. But in the games that Embiid misses—especially if those come in the playoffs—the Bona-Hukporti duo would not strike much fear in the heart of opponents.

Embiid and LeBron both figure to miss at least 10-15 games during the regular season even if they otherwise stay healthy. The Sixers will likely look to limit their load throughout the 82-game meat-grinder with one eye on the playoffs. How the Sixers make do in their absences will be one of the biggest questions hanging over this team heading into the year.

Granted, the roster in mid-February almost certainly won’t be the same as the roster in late July. While the Sixers don’t have enough space under the first apron to fill their final roster spot right now, veteran-minimum contracts prorate once the regular season begin. They’ll be able to fill it at some point.

The opening months of the season will help the Sixers figure out where their biggest needs are. From there, it’ll be up to Magic Mike Gansey and Co. to once again turn lemons into lemonades, just as they did this offseason.

In the meantime… the Sixers just signed LeBron James on a veteran-minimum contract! Let’s not overthink this one, people.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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LeBron James' agent Rich Paul says that James went through immense emotional turmoil "every day" until the 41-year-old made his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers early Friday morning.

Paul confirmed what many people had expected, that James was deciding between four teams — the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

"You can see from the end of the season…the emotional attachments and how hard it is to go away from a Miami and go away from a Cleveland," said Paul on the "Game Over" podcast Friday afternoon. "Who wouldn't want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green? I'm seeing the emotional roller coaster every single day."

Rich Paul says LeBron was on a emotional roller coaster making his decision:

Rich: The emotional attachments to go away from a Miami, and go away from a Cleveland, who wouldn’t want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green?

Max: That would’ve been fun but it’s not the choice… https://t.co/V5k5L6pM1npic.twitter.com/yEg7XUyC7c

— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) July 24, 2026

Paul also added that he believed every team in the race was leading at some point for James' services, but James opted for Philadelphia because the team had become a much more attractive option since trading for Jaylen Brown. Furthermore, James' relationship with Tyrese Maxey, who is also represented by Klutch Sports, played a role in the decision as well.

Why did LeBron James choose the 76ers?

Paul says that James chose the 76ers because of their ability to contend for a championship immediately. Paul noted that the decision to trade away Paul George in exchange for Jaylen Brown while already boasting a roster with star players like Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and up-and-comer VJ Edgecombe gave James the clarity he needed to make his decision.

Paul also believes that the team's head coach Nick Nurse will find a way to implement James' into the team's tactics without diminishing anyone else's impact.

Paul said, "[James] helps Tyrese [Maxey] in terms of pick-and-roll action. ... I think Nick Nurse can take a little page out of Ty Lue's book and use Tyrese as the screener. When you talk about a guy like VJ Edgecombe, he definitely helps him."

Were other teams in the running?

The Minnesota Timberwolves were another team Paul mentions in the podcast, though he clarifies that they were not one of the final four teams James was considering.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James' emotional roller coaster led to signing with the 76ers

Jaylen Brown hasn’t even been on the Sixers for a month. We still haven’t seen him play in a Sixers uniform. Yet the Sixers already have a tough decision to make with him.

On July 26, Brown becomes eligible to sign a one-year extension worth no less than roughly $68.9 million. He’s only eligible to sign that deal between July 26 and the preseason, though. Once the regular season begins, he will not be able to sign an extension again until next summer.

Brown’s upcoming extension talks likely contributed to the urgency that the Celtics felt to move him this offseason after their failed pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens didn’t admit to that, but he did say “the path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players.”

As we’ve covered before, the Sixers were already pot-committed to that model, so the upgrade in terms of ability, age, health and availability from Paul George to Brown is arguably worth two first-round picks and then some. But is it worth committing to that model beyond 2029?

Let’s walk through each of Brown and the Sixers’ extension options between now and the expiration of his contract after the 2028-29 season.

This summer: 1-year extension

Had Brown stayed with the Celtics, he would have been eligible for a two-year extension this summer. But once he got traded, he was limited to having a four-year deal for the next six months, including the years remaining on his current contract. That means he can only tack on one more year come July 26, not two.

It’s far too early to make an accurate prediction for the 2029-30 salary cap. But under the current collective bargaining agreement, a player’s max salary for any given season can never be less than 105 percent of what they earned the previous year. Since Brown is set to earn $65.6 million in 2028-29—his age-32 season—his max in 2029-30 would start no lower than nearly $68.9 million.

However, that comes with one major caveat. The current CBA is set to run through 2029-30, but either side can opt out after the 2028-29 season—the year Brown’s current contract is set to expire. If there’s a new CBA in place by the time Brown’s contract expires, the Sixers might want to know what team-building restrictions they might be risking if they continue to assemble a pricy roster.

Brown isn’t the only major deal coming off the Sixers’ books that summer. Both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2029, although it’s tough to imagine the Sixers allowing that to happen with the latter. VJ Edgecombe will also be a restricted free agent if he doesn’t agree to an extension during the 2028-29 offseason.

Depending on what happens with the CBA, 2029 could be a reset year both for the Sixers and the league at large. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine the Sixers committing a huge portion of their cap space that far in advance to someone whom they’d never even see play with the rest of the core.

Next summer: 3-year extension

Brown technically would become eligible for a two-year extension with the Sixers in January, six months after the trade. However, since he has multiple years remaining on his deal, he can only sign an extension before the start of the regular season. So, if he doesn’t sign a one-year extension by October, he won’t become extension-eligible again until next summer.

At that point, Brown would be able to add three years and at least $223.2 million to his deal. At a minimum, it could be structured along these lines:

• 2029-30: $68,889,740
• 2030-31: $74,440,920
• 2031-32: $79,912,100
• Total: $223,202,760

Brown would be going into his age-33 season at the beginning of this deal. With Maxey and Edgecombe also heading into new contracts that season—and with Embiid possibly coming off the Sixers’ books—that is a lot of money for someone heading away from his prime.

Perhaps Brown proves to be the Sixers’ missing piece this season, guides them to a championship, quashes any concerns about what analytics might say about him and fully justifies that price tag next summer. If so, the Sixers would likely be happy to pay it.

But if the concerns from the Celtics and the analytics community pan out in Philadelphia as well, it might be less clear whether the Sixers should sign up for three more years of a 35 percent max for Brown.

Summer of 2028: 4-year extension

Perhaps the Sixers and Brown both decide to take this decision down to the wire. Brown is a vice president of the NBPA, so he’ll have an early read on how CBA negotiations are going and the major areas of conflict between the two sides. (It’s easy to guess one of them.)

At this point, the Sixers will be able to negotiate both with Maxey and Edgecombe on new extensions as well. Since all three will be interconnected decisions—as will Embiid if they have interest on bringing him back again—it’d be easiest from their standpoint to coordinate those decisions simultaneously.

This would be Brown’s best chance to cash in before he reaches free agency, too. The first three years would be the same as his three-year extension, but he’d add an extra $85.4 million in his age-36 season to bring the total value of his deal north of $300 million.

• 2029-30: $68,889,740
• 2030-31: $74,440,920
• 2031-32: $79,912,100
• 2032-33: $85,423,270
• Total: $308,626,030

Given how the George experience went for the Sixers, they’ll likely be gunshy about shelling out that kind of cash for someone heading into his mid-30s unless Brown forces their hand in the next two years. Perhaps they can find a middle ground that’s below his 35 percent max but still compensates him handsomely over the coming years. That would be the optimal outcome from the Sixers’ perspective, if nothing else.

With a new CBA guaranteed to be in place no later than the 2030-31 season, most teams around the league figure to keep their books as clean as possible at the turn of the decade, no-brainer keepers notwithstanding. They should feel zero urgency to sign Brown to an extension with that in mind. Brown should likewise be curious about potential changes to the CBA before deciding on his long-term future.

The Sixers and Brown have plenty of time between now and when his contract expires after the 2028-29 season to hammer out an extension. Even though he becomes eligible to tack on an extra year to his deal on July 26, neither side should feel any pressure to get something done before the start of this season.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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As we find ourselves roughly two months away from any tangible news surrounding the start of the 2026–27 Phoenix Suns season, it’s time to revisit a topic that some people love, some couldn’t care less about, and some won’t even click on. Uniforms. And before the obligatory commenter reminds everyone that “it’s about the players, not the uniforms,” I know. Save yourself the effort. This one simply isn’t for you.

I’ve always enjoyed following the topic because uniforms become part of a team’s identity. They define eras. They become intertwined with our memories of specific seasons, players, and moments. When you think of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, you picture those sunburst orange jerseys. When you think of the Valley era, the black gradient uniforms immediately come to mind.

Every season, we typically see a few new designs across the NBA. The Statement Edition and City Edition uniforms are intentionally fluid, allowing Nike to refresh each franchise’s look and tell a different story. The Suns have certainly had their share. We’ve seen the orange Statement jerseys with the Suns logo centered on the chest. We’ve lived through the “Los Suns” era. We’ve had El Valle, the immensely popular Valley gradient uniforms, and the turquoise City Edition that paid tribute to Arizona’s Native American communities.

So what should we expect this season? It appears the answer is…not much.

Looking like the Suns will be rocking the same uniform set as last season https://t.co/64uyMgsNCWpic.twitter.com/VnJkvdXLlf

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) July 23, 2026

Everything points toward Phoenix running it back with last year’s uniform lineup. That includes the black Statement Edition jersey with “Phoenix” across the chest, along with the return of the Valley uniforms that have become synonymous with this era of Suns basketball.

Sources indicate this could be the final season of the NBA’s City Edition uniforms, with Nike reportedly believing the concept has run its course after 10 years. Personally, I’d hate to see them go. Sure, not every City Edition jersey has been a hit, but I’ve always appreciated the creativity behind them. They allowed teams to tell a different story, celebrate their cities, and pay homage to the communities they represent. Some designs were forgettable. Others became iconic.

If the program is truly coming to an end, that’s unfortunate. As it stands right now, though, it appears the Phoenix Suns will be wearing the same four uniform combinations they wore a season ago. Not exactly the most exciting news. But if you’re wondering what the Suns will be wearing this season, now you know.

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I distinctly remember the feeling after the Timberwolves lost to Denver in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Minnesota had been eliminated in five games, which on paper looked like another early exit for a franchise that had collected early exits like refrigerator magnets. There was no banner to raise, no deep postseason run to celebrate, and no reason for the rest of the league to spend much time thinking about a team that had just finished eighth in the Western Conference.

But the series did not feel like a typical five-game loss. The Wolves were without Naz Reid, who had broken his wrist late in the regular season. They were also without Jaden McDaniels, who broke his hand after punching a wall during the final game of the year (an incident that remains one of the purest expressions of Timberwolves basketball ever recorded). Minnesota had finally assembled a potentially dangerous playoff team, only to lose one of its most important reserves to injury and one of its best defenders to a hallway confrontation with cinderblock.

That Wolves team was incomplete, emotionally erratic, and nowhere close to fully mature. Anthony Edwards was still learning what it meant to carry a playoff offense. Karl-Anthony Towns was trying to find his footing after missing half of the season. Rudy Gobert was completing his first turbulent year in Minnesota. Chris Finch was still figuring out how the pieces fit together.

And yet the Wolves pushed the eventual champions harder than almost anyone expected. Denver reportedly viewed Minnesota as the toughest opponent it faced during that entire title run. That may have sounded like a consolation prize at the time, but it mattered. The Nuggets knew what they had survived. They had faced Edwards attacking a championship defense without fear, Minnesota’s size bothering Nikola Jokic, and a Wolves team that remained competitive despite playing without two essential rotation pieces.

That was the first time I looked at this group and thought: This team can compete for a championship. Not a respectable playoff team. Not another fun collection of talent destined to win 44 games before getting bounced by a real contender. A genuine championship foundation.

The following season proved that instinct correct. Minnesota entered the 2024 postseason healthy and immediately swept Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns. It was the franchise’s first playoff series victory in two decades, and the Wolves did not merely survive the series. They overwhelmed Phoenix. They looked like the team that understood the future had arrived while the Suns were still trying to explain why three expensive scorers had produced such a lifeless offense.

Then came Denver. The defending champions. The team that had ended Minnesota’s previous season. The team built around the best player in the world. The Wolves had them on the ropes, briefly lost control of the series, and then walked into Denver for Game 7 and erased a 20-point deficit on the road. It remains arguably the greatest victory in franchise history, overcoming that deficit against that opponent in that building with a trip to the Western Conference Finals at stake.

For a franchise that had spent decades training its fans to expect the floor to collapse, the Wolves were suddenly the team doing the collapsing. They eventually fell short against Dallas in the conference finals, but the larger breakthrough had already happened. Minnesota had established itself as a contender. The franchise had finally stopped asking whether it belonged in important games and started asking why it had not won them.

The next season brought a different version of the same ambition. Karl-Anthony Towns was traded in a cap-driven move that brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota. The logic behind the trade made sense financially, even if it was emotionally jarring. The second apron was looming. Towns’ contract was enormous. The Wolves needed greater flexibility and depth.

The basketball fit was less immediate. That team spent much of the season searching for cohesion and identity. Randle’s deliberate, isolation-heavy style did not always blend naturally with Edwards. DiVincenzo took time to settle into his role. Minnesota eventually landed the sixth seed, which felt disappointing after the previous year’s run. Then the playoffs began, and the Wolves once again reminded everyone that regular-season discomfort does not always define a team’s ceiling.

They eliminated LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers. They followed that by knocking out the Golden State Warriors. The had overwhelmed two of the league’s signature franchises, two of its most recognizable stars, and earned another trip to the Western Conference Finals. Minnesota fell to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, but reaching the conference finals for a second consecutive season represented a monumental leap for this organization. Before Edwards arrived, the Wolves had won two playoff series in their entire history. They had now reached the final four twice in two years.

The Western Conference Finals were not the ultimate goal, but dismissing those appearances as failures would have ignored the scale of the accomplishment. This was not Boston or Los Angeles measuring another season against a wall filled with championship banners. This was Minnesota, a franchise that had historically treated competitive basketball after April 15 as an exotic concept.

Last season was supposed to be the year that continuity carried the Wolves forward. The roster had been together. The coaching staff understood the pieces better. Edwards was entering another stage of his ascent. The hope was that the inconsistency of the previous season would disappear and the Wolves would finally combine regular-season stability with postseason force.Instead, Minnesota experienced another roller-coaster campaign filled with impressive highs and baffling lows.

That inconsistency once again left them in the sixth seed. Then the injury luck that had largely favored Minnesota over the previous two seasons finally reversed. Minutes into Game 4 against Denver, Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles tendon. Shortly afterward, Anthony Edwards, already dealing with lingering knee issues, hyperextended his opposite knee, an injury that cost him the remainder of the series.

Losing two starters in the middle of a playoff matchup would normally end a team’s season. Instead, Minnesota battered Denver and eliminated its rival in six games. That result said something important about the Wolves’ depth, resilience, and institutional confidence. They still defended. They still competed. They still understood how to win ugly playoff games.

Eventually, however, the damage became too much to overcome. Minnesota entered the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio with Edwards limping, DiVincenzo gone, Naz Reid fighting through a shoulder injury, and Ayo Dosunmu limited by calf tightness. The Wolves were missing their best player, one of their best shooters, and portions of the supporting cast against a Spurs team that eventually won the West.

They still took two games.

That does not mean Minnesota would have won the series at full strength. San Antonio was excellent, and Wolves fans do not need to rewrite the matchup into something more comforting than it was. But a healthy series would have been close. Minnesota’s injury problems prevented a clean evaluation of that team’s true ceiling. At its best, it could compete with the league’s elite. Even diminished, it made the Western Conference champion work through six games. There was enough evidence to believe the Wolves belonged near the top, but not enough to claim they could win a title without favorable health, improved execution, and perhaps one or two lucky bounces.

That is the reality for almost every contender. Championships are not won through talent alone. Health matters. Matchups matter. Timing matters. Sometimes a team gets a fortunate bracket. Sometimes an opponent loses a star. Sometimes a role player turns into Ray Allen for four games. Sometimes a loose ball takes exactly the right bounce.

The Wolves, as previously constructed, could have won a title. But they would have needed the same kind of lightning in a bottle the New York Knicks captured during their championship run this past postseason. Tim Connelly apparently decided waiting around for lightning was not enough.

The NBA continues to evolve, and the salary cap now behaves less like a guidelineand more like a predatory animal lurking outside every contender’s front office. The second apron punishes expensive teams, limits flexibility, and turns every long-term contract into a referendum on whether a player can still help deep into May.

Connelly has rarely been afraid to act before circumstances force him. He sent Julius Randle to Brooklyn in a salary-clearing move, ending an uneven tenure that had produced strong stretches, frustrating habits, and another postseason disappearing act. Randle was talented enough to dominate individual games, but the moodiness, defensive inconsistency, and tendency to vanish during critical series made him a questionable long-term fit. Minnesota did not need another player capable of looking disengaged when the season reached its most important moments.

Then came the emotional gut punch. Naz Reid, the fan favorite and heart-and-soul figure whose name had become a citywide slogan, was traded to Charlotte for LaMelo Ball. There is no painless way to describe that move. Reid was more than a productive reserve. He was one of the most beloved players in franchise history, an undrafted success story who developed into a legitimate weapon and connected with fans in a way few role players ever do.

But Ball gives Minnesota something it has lacked for years: a dynamic offensive organizer who can create for others, manipulate defenses, and remove some of the burden from Edwards. The Wolves now possess the most exciting backcourts in the NBA, and perhaps the most unpredictable.

Edwards is a devastating downhill scorer with the strength to overwhelm defenders and the confidence to attack any matchup. Ball is a gifted passer who sees plays before they happen and treats conventional decision-making as a mild suggestion. Put them together and there may be nights when Minnesota’s offense resembles a basketball fever dream of full-court passes, transition threes, violent Edwards dunks, and possessions that begin chaotically but somehow end with Gobert standing alone beneath the basket.

Minnesota also re-signed Dosunmu, whose arrival at the trade deadline had initially been overlooked around the league. He eventually demonstrated why Connelly valued him, including a 43-point playoff performance against Denver that revealed just how much offense he could provide when opportunity and confidence aligned. Had injuries not overwhelmed the roster, the Dosunmu move might have been viewed as one of the defining transactions of the season. Instead, it became a glimpse of what he could be. Bringing him back establishes him as a core member of the rotation rather than a temporary addition.

Mike Conley departed in free agency, as did Kyle Anderson. Their production could be replaced in pieces, but their maturity and leadership will be harder to duplicate. Their exits leave a younger, more athletic, more explosive team, but also a team that must learn to steady itself.

The core is impressive: Edwards, Ball, McDaniels, Dosunmu, and Rudy Gobert.

Around them sits a collection of intriguing but unproven players. Terrence Shannon Jr. has shown flashes of brilliance. His athleticism, strength, and direct attacking style can change the energy of a game. He has also experienced moments when the speed of the situation appears to overwhelm him.

Jaylen Clark can enter like a rabid wolverine, pressuring ballhandlers, creating chaos, and supplying defensive energy. His offense remains limited, and opponents will test whether Minnesota can keep him on the floor during meaningful playoff possessions.

Joan Beringer is an extraordinary athlete with size, mobility, and enormous potential. He may be the most fascinating young player on the roster. He is also raw and unrefined. Expecting him to become a polished contributor immediately would be unfair.

Bones Hyland remains the definition of streakiness. When the microwave is hot, he can score in bunches and swing a game. When it is cold, things can get ugly quickly.

That supporting cast will require patience and coaching. They will also be essential. The modern NBA does not permit contenders to fill every position with expensive veterans. The second apron has made developmental success mandatory. Teams must find young players, teach them winning habits, and trust them before they are fully comfortable. A contender’s survival increasingly depends on whether the ninth player becomes useful, whether a second-round pick can defend, and whether a raw big can provide 12 competent minutes without detonating the scheme. Minnesota’s ceiling may be determined as much by Beringer, Shannon, and Clark as by the stars.

Then there is the DiVincenzo question. A torn Achilles is one of the most serious injuries in basketball, and no one should assume a smooth or rapid recovery. But there remains hope that DiVincenzo could return late in the season, perhaps on a timeline similar to Jayson Tatum’s. The Wolves desperately need what he provides. His hustle, shooting, and willingness to move without the ball would fit beautifully alongside Ball. Few things would be more natural than Ball advancing the offense, drawing attention, and finding DiVincenzo relocating for a catch-and-shoot three. A late-season return would give Minnesota another playoff-tested guard and expand Finch’s options. It would also introduce the challenge of integrating a player after months away.

The roster’s largest weakness remains impossible to miss. Minnesota has a glaring hole at power forward, one seemingly custom-built for LeBron James before he chose Philadelphia. The Wolves will now have to find another answer. Perhaps a role player such as Josh Green or Trey Lyles can handle the position. Perhaps Minnesota leans into smaller, positionless lineups and uses McDaniels as an unconventional four. Perhaps Beringer develops more quickly than expected. Perhaps Connelly makes another trade before the deadline.

None of the current options is ideal. Going small could improve speed and spacing while placing more rebounding responsibility on Gobert. Playing McDaniels at power forward might allow Minnesota to switch more aggressively, but it could also diminish the value of using him against elite perimeter scorers.

The situation resembles last season’s unresolved point guard problem. Minnesota cycled through patchwork solutions without ever finding the version that fully unlocked the roster. Finch and the coaching staff adjusted, but the offense often failed to lean into the team’s greatest strengths.

This season, the positional weakness has simply moved. That leads to the central question surrounding the Wolves: Are they still contenders?

Sixty-five percent of respondents to the latest SB Nation Reacts poll said yes. That is a solid majority, but it also suggests less confidence than the fan base probably carried during the previous three summers. We did not ask the same poll question last year, but it is easy to imagine the number being higher after consecutive conference finals appearances.

Perhaps optimism and homerism are doing some work to keep the number above 50 percent, but homerism is not the same as delusion. There are legitimate reasons to believe. The offseason is not over. Free agency may look fairly barren, but trades remain possible. Connelly has demonstrated an ability to make useful in-season moves, and another transaction similar to the Dosunmu deal could reshape the roster by spring.

The Wolves still possess enough talent to finish among the top teams in the West. Edwards is approaching his prime. Ball gives the offense a dimension it has lacked. McDaniels remains an elite defender. Gobert still supplies the structure for a championship-level defense. Dosunmu offers two-way scoring and flexibility.

The league is also unpredictable. Injuries happen. Young players develop faster than expected. Favorites lose cohesion. Salary pressure forces rivals to break apart.

Perhaps the Edwards-Ball partnership unlocks something magical. The Wolves have spent years building around size, defense, and physicality. This version may be smaller, quicker, and far more explosive offensively. The change could create matchup problems because few opponents are built to handle Ball’s passing imagination and Edwards’ violence in the same backcourt. Minnesota could become a team that keeps defenses spinning, attacks before opponents get set, and turns every turnover into a potential highlight.

There will be difficult stretches. The power-forward hole could prove costly. Ball’s health remains a concern. The young bench could struggle. Gobert’s limitations may become more pronounced in certain matchups without the release valve that Randle and Reid provided. Edwards must continue developing as a leader and decision-maker.

But at the very least, this team should be fun. After watching a roster that often looked disjointed offensively, that alone will feel refreshing. There is a real chance the Wolves rediscover some joy and unpredictability, that Edwards plays freer, that Ball elevates teammates, and that the offense finally stops feeling like it is dragging a suitcase through wet cement.

Sixty-five percent of Wolves fans believe this is still a contender. Maybe two-thirds of us are delusional. Maybe we are looking at the uncertain supporting cast, unresolved frontcourt, and incomplete rotation and choosing to see possibility because that is what fans do every summer.

Or maybe Minnesota genuinely has the pieces to produce something special. A title run is not guaranteed. Another conference finals appearance is not guaranteed. Even a top-four seed in the West is not guaranteed. What is guaranteed is that the future remains young, talented, and flexible.

Anthony Edwards is standing on the edge of his prime. LaMelo Ball is arriving to share the backcourt. The Wolves have already proven they can reach the Western Conference Finals, survive injuries, eliminate champions, and compete with the best teams in basketball.

The roster has changed. The challenge has not.

Minnesota is still chasing the breakthrough that once seemed impossible.

The difference now is that nobody laughs when Wolves fans say it might actually happen.

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The Timberwolves 2027 Championship odds are now at +2500, at FanDuel Sportsbook. It looks like the LeBron decision cost us 300 points. But that just means the value is even better if you believe in the Wolves!

After a relatively messy 4.5 season saga, Hawks acquired former number seven overall pick Jonathan Kuminga in a swap with the Golden State Warriors for Kristaps Porzingis straight up at last trade deadline.

Could the Hawks get the most out of a talented, but out of favor, forward?

Well, in 16 regular season games with the Hawks, he averaged 12.3 points (58% true shooting) on 22.1 minutes per game. In the six-game Knicks series, those figures were 13.7 points per game (57% true shooting) in 26.0 minutes per game. His overall play was impactful if erratic, and at 24 years of age still, there are many fans of him around the league.

But is Onsi Saleh, the president of basketball operations, one of those fans? Well Saleh did make the decision to turn down his $24.3 million team option for 2026-27.

Now a month later, Jonathan Kuminga remains an unrestricted free agent who has yet to find a home. The Hawks have the ability to execute a sign-and-trade transaction in order to bring back assets this deep into free agency with few teams having necessary cap space or exceptions to take in the forward onto their roster.

While he operated as Atlanta’s sixth man late in the season, there are murmurs Kuminga wants a bigger role somewhere. Additionally, rumors indicate teams aren’t willing to match he and his camp’s asking price.

With that background, what are the prominent insiders saying about the situation surrounding Jonathan Kuminga?

Well, this from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of the Stein Line substack was posted on July 23, before the Philadelphia 76ers signed LeBron James:

The Cavaliers naturally still badly want to re-sign LeBron — for all of this week’s mounting talk about a second stint for King James on South Beach — and remain hopeful that the 41-year-old Akron native will choose a third marriage with Cleveland over the Heat, Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.

The expectation thus naturally persists that the Cavaliers, like the Joe Lacob-owned Warriors, will hold off on doing anything else until it is confirmed that James’ second homecoming is out of reach.

That said …

League sources maintain that the Cavaliers are among the teams that have registered interest in former No. 5 overall pick Mario Hezonja. The Real Madrid forward has made it clear that he wants to return to the NBA after playing in Europe for the past six seasons and the last four in the Spanish capital. So add Hezonja’s name to the list of potential fallback options for Cleveland along with Hawks free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

“I think,” said one trusted source, “that we’re going to see eight or nine players sign right after LeBron makes his choice. Maybe more.”

Speaking of Kuminga …

He’ll need help from Atlanta on a sign-and-trade to come anywhere close to last season’s $22.5 million salary, but the latest indications we’ve received suggest that the Hawks are likely to be pretty choosy when it comes to sign and-trade scenarios they’re willing to accept.

Kuminga, meanwhile, is said to be open to an Atlanta return on a short-term deal. The Hawks, though, appear pretty deep at the wing positions after their trade Sunday to acquire Lu Dort from Oklahoma City.

So post-James signing, will the Cleveland Cavaliers offer the Hawks players and/or picks in return for agreeing with Kuminga on a contract? Time will soon tell.

Then, on July 24, Joe Vardon of the Athletic posted in part this update on the Kuminga holding pattern:

Kuminga, though, is more interested in a sign-and-trade deal involving Atlanta because he could earn more money that way. Kuminga is seeking a salary much closer to what he would have earned had the Hawks picked up his option, in the neighborhood of $20 million to $23 million. The two teams most often linked to Kuminga — the Cavs and Los Angeles Lakers — would both need to execute a sign-and-trade to pay him anywhere near that figure. Kuminga could also return to the Hawks on a short contract, and other teams like the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks have been mentioned as potential destinations.

League sources, who spoke on the condition anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said what the Lakers are prepared to offer Atlanta in a trade is underwhelming, whereas Cleveland has potentially more appealing trade pieces. The Cavs have been linked to possible trades of veteran forward Max Strus ($16 million) and point guard Dennis Schröder ($14 million). To execute a sign-and-trade transaction, Cleveland must remain under the NBA’s first salary apron of roughly $209 million, which is why Harden remains unsigned.

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What do you think the Hawks should do? Re-sign Jonathan Kuminga or look to the Cavaliers or Lakers for a sign-and-trade? Please let me know in the comments below.

Conventional wisdom in NBA free agency is that one big signing could swing the pendulum of power, making teams consider backing up the Brinks truck to bring in a player who could fulfill championship dreams, whether those dreams are realistic or not.

The free-agent class of 2027 might actually live up to that thought process, as it has the potential to be the biggest ever, with future Hall of Famers all over the place, ready to cash in.

The jewels of the class are Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, two players who figure to have multiple years left in their careers, barring injury, of All-NBA type play. They have won a total of five NBA MVP awards and could break the bank by becoming the first players in one of the four major North American sports to earn more than $75 million per season.

Here is a list of the most prominent free agents for 2027 (with players' ages in 2027, free agent status and contract details):

Nikola Jokic (32) — Player option, $62.8 million (Denver Nuggets)

Giannis Antetokounmpo (33) — Player option, $62,786,682 (Miami Heat)

Anthony Davis (34) — Player option, $62.8 million (Washington Wizards)

Stephen Curry (39) — unrestricted

Kawhi Leonard (36) — Unrestricted

Kevin Durant (39) — Player option, $46 million (Houston Rockets)

Kyrie Irving (35) — Player option, $42.4 million (Dallas Mavericks)

Karl-Anthony Towns (32) — Player option, $61 million (New York Knicks)

Jimmy Butler (38) — Unrestricted

Brandon Ingram (30) — Player option, $41.9 million (:Los Angeles Clippers)

Cooper Flagg (20) — Team option*, $15.2 million (Mavericks)

Jalen Green (25) — Player option, $36 million (Phoenix Suns)

Julius Randle (33) — Player option, $35.8 million (Brooklyn Nets)

Rudy Gobert (35) — Player option, $38 million (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Dylan Harper (21) - Team option*, $14 million (San Antonio Spurs)

Paul George (37) — Player option, $56.6 million (Boston Celtics)

Zach LaVine (32) — Unrestricted

Michael Porter Jr. (29) - Restricted

Jrue Holiday (37) — Player option, $37.2 million (Portland Trail Blazers)

Tyler Herro (27) - Unrestricted

Jerami Grant (33) — Player option, $36.4 million (Memphis Grizzlies)

Josh Hart (32) — Team option, $22.4 million (Knicks)

Isaiah Stewart (26) — Team option, $15 million (Detroit Pistons)

Kristaps Porzingis (32) — $20 million (Golden State Warriors)

* Player currently on rookie scale contract

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo top NBA free agent class for 2027

In just a few months, new Mavericks President Masai Ujiri and his counterpart, general manager Mike Schmitz, have grabbed this franchise by the ends and, in a single offseason, with one mighty heave, shaken off all the baggage clinging to this team like dust on an old rug. What was once one of the most stable franchises in basketball has undergone such swift and drastic change that it’s nearly unrecognizable. New GM, new coach, new players. This season will not look like any other recent season of Dallas Mavericks basketball. And that’s great news.

With Dallas finally emerging from the shadow of the “AD Era”, perhaps the darkest in the team’s history, fans are being presented with a roster full of new, young faces that fit the timeline of newly minted franchise cornerstone, Cooper Flagg. It signals that this front office is heeding the advice of Ron Swanson. “Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”

While there are still some vets on this roster (for now… the LeBron decision may mean more roster changes are still ahead of us), the Mavericks have taken an unmistakably youth-oriented stance. They are clearly taking the first step in rebuilding a roster that has been hamstrung between contending and tanking for too long.

Dallas is taking a gap year

Dallas will not be contending for a championship this season. That much should be obvious, but they’re also not simply going to let this season go to waste. With very little in their war chest of draft picks to work with, Dallas’ new braintrust went to work quickly adding low-risk, high-reward developmental pieces. Outside of ninth overall pick Morez Johnson, who will shoulder much of the upside expectations by virtue of being Dallas’ last lottery pick for the foreseeable future, the calculus for the other newly acquired players nets out to something between “it’d be nice if he panned out” and “if this works they’re going to call us geniuses.”

In true gap year fashion, Dallas seems poised to spend this season “finding themselves.” They’re going to be developing opinions on what kind of team they can or are able to be, which players on the roster fit that vision, or can grow into a role on that team, and clarify where they still need to address team deficiencies.

The freedom to enjoy things

By unshackling your enjoyment of basketball from the binary of the win/loss column, you are free to find happiness in the margins.

“I hope AD can play today.”
“This is a huge loss for the tank standings.”
“Man, screw Utah, we’re tanking too, but not like THAT.”

These are all thoughts that no longer need to enter your mind. Not only is Dallas in a position to focus entirely on player development, but they also don’t even need to worry about winning too much or not losing enough, because we do not own our pick. Every decision made can be in service of making our players better. And in the meantime, things like…

“Awesome, Cooper scored 50.”
“Wow, Morez just threw down the nastiest dunk I’ve ever seen.”
“Dang, Sergio had double-digit assists.”

…are all nuggets of joy that can be enjoyed at face value, with no ulterior motive.

Your new favorite player is already on the team

To that end, one of the beautiful parts about being a sports fan is watching a player develop. Hopefully into the kind of player that one day means your team is a real post-season contender. And, odds are, with how many new names are about to get embroidered onto the backs of these Dallas jerseys, there’s likely a new fan-favorite just waiting to emerge. In the same way Dirk was able to pass the baton to Luka, now Dwight Powell can perhaps pass the baton to Sergio de Larrea. Or Tarik Biberovic. Or Zaccharie Risacher. Or Santi Aldama. Or, hell, why not, Vsevolod Ishchenko!

Dallas is fully committed to throwing every dart they can at the board and rolling with whoever sticks. It’s a great teambuilding tactic for a team that’s going to have to get creative in how they go about adding talent around Flagg this season and beyond.

And there’s something about an unknown — someone with no expectations, rising to not only meet what little you expected of them, but exceed it. JJ Barea, Dorian Finney-Smith, Salah Mejri; the next iteration of that guy is here, and this season is all about finding out who that is. It’s the basketball version of a whodunnit, but instead of a murder, it’s about who’s going to be a Dallas Maverick for the next five to seven years. Whoever it is will no doubt be embraced by this fanbase, hungry to see their team return to relevance after 18 months of the most torturous basketball ever experienced.

There is an art to trash talk. Not everyone can do it. And when some players try, they are sent packing by those more adept at gab jab. My favorite all time trash talk story was when Kevin Garnett admitted Tim Duncan was unflappable, poked in a quiet way, and simply ruined opponents by simply dominating the game.

That said, trash talk is a big part of the game. Curiosity begs the question of from whence it derived. For sure, it existed on playgrounds and neighborhoods courts. Japery development is as much of the game as learning how to free throw. But there was a time when basketball was a “gentleman’s” game. In order to play in the NBA each man had to have a college degree and could not have any tattoos. The men who played in the early days couldn’t fathom the verbal assaults that players endure today. Those days are long gone (can you imagine all the talent unavailable if tattoos were outlawed?) and now smack talk is 100% a art of the game. It is a tool used toward an upper hand…until it crosses a line.

So who are the habitual line steppers whose trash talk was as integral to their game as a fast break layup?

As the summer lingers on, Bleacher Report continues to offer interesting content to fill the days between Summer League and Preseason. They’ve added an installment of the “Top 50 Trash-Talkers Ever” and while some names seem like a shoo-in, there are others who should have possibly ranked higher.

Let’s start with the former Spurs on the list:

#16 Dennis Rodman, who spent two seasons with the Spurs, definitely belongs on this list. He spent so much of his career getting into opponent’s heads. Rodman didn;t just trash-talk, he’d push and jockey for position. During plays, between plays, after the whistle blew, Rodman’s entire technique was to push guys to their limit. The fact that he took pleasure in the confrontation infuriated players from both sides even more.

#18 Chris Paul was hated by Spurs fans hated him for so many years…until he signed on for a year. And that’s what you want in a trash-talker – someone who you hate to play against and love to have on your side. Paul, one of the most celebrated point guards of all time spent years poking at opponents.

#23 Chuck Person, aka “The Rifleman,” was with the Spurs from 1994-1998. The sharpshooter had a propensity to aggravate his opponents, with his shot as well as verbally.

#24 Stephen Jackson had two stints with the San Antonio Spurs. The first from 2001-2003 resulting in a championship. The second from 2012-2013 allowing the Spurs to trade away Richard Jefferson. For those unaware of Jackson’s verbal style and tone, check out his digital video podcast All the Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. His partner, Matt Barnes, is #31 on the list, so you can imagine what their show is like.

#43 Like Captain Jack, Vernon Maxwell also had two tenures with the Spurs. The first from 1988-1990, his first two years in the league, and then again from 1996-1997. He was known for his altercations not only with opposing players, but with fans.

As I was sifting through old video footage one thing was consistent. No matter whose name a put next to the words “trash talk” in search engines, inevitably video results consisted of that player in an altercation with Larry Bird. There should be little surprise that Larry Bird is the #1 trash-talker of all time.

You can see the entire list HERE.

Do you agree? Should anyone be added or amended? Were there any names that surprised you? Personally, I don’t see Kevin Durant as more acerbic than Dennis Rodman. I’ve also heard Luka Doncic trash talk and I am curious if cuts as deep when it requires subtitles. Finally, shouldn’t Dillon Brooks be higher on the list considering his trash talk overshadows most other facets of his skill set?

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