Category: Basketball

You got to hand it to baseball on this one, the dog days of August sounds a lot better than the dog days of March. This is the conclusion to our 2026-27 schedule preview; previous installments can be found here, here, and here. The Sixers’ final 20 games of the upcoming season will feature their final West Coast trip of the season along with three back-to-backs.

This final stretch of the season will start just like the previous, with a nationally televised bout in Boston against Jaylen Brown’s old team on March 7. They’ll have to come right back down to Philly to play the Utah Jazz on the 8th. With the Celtics game being on ABC that game will surely be the priority when it comes to player participation, but the Jazz could be a trickier opponent than in years past. The only saving grace for this back-to-back is that the game in Boston is a 1:00 p.m. ET game, so the Sixers can get a couple extra hours of rest on the front end.

After that they’ll head up and down the middle of the country for more games on national television against the Spurs in San Antonio and the Timberwolves in Minnesota. After coming home to take on the Raptors, they’ll get a bit of a reprieve with a home game against the Bulls and a train ride to D.C. to take on the Wizards, but those games are also a back-to-back.

Once they get back from the nation’s capital, they’ll see the Spurs for the second time in 10 days. For whatever reason the schedule seems to bunch opponents together like that, but it gives us two chances to see the Joel Embiid vs. Victor Wembanyama matchup.

After facing the reigning Western Conference champions at home, they’ll set out for their final trip out West of the season. It’ll start with a back-to-back against the Jazz and Warriors before circling back to hit Portland and Denver. There’s one off day before the Nuggets game and two after, so they’ll be eagerly waiting to see if Embiid plays his first game in Denver since 2019.

They’ll come back home to see the Warriors and Atlanta Hawks again with another trip to Washington in between. Their final road trip of the regular season will go to Toronto and Miami before finishing up the regular season against the Charlotte Hornets.

Between the Spurs, Wolves, and Celtics there are some tough teams to close out the season, as well as some teams like the Raptors and Heat that could be frisky. This is typically the time of the year you want to play those teams as they’re in cruise control trying to get to the playoffs healthy.

The games against non-playoff teams will be pretty telling in how the new lottery rules have changed the league. Usually by this time of year, lottery-bound teams have thrown in the towel, but the league really wants that to be different this season.

In this stretch of games, the Sixers will already be playing two teams that have lived in the lottery this decade, but look to be giving things a proper try this year in the Jazz and Wizards. They’ll see the Hornets again who will have a tough time cracking the postseason in this Eastern Conference, but surely they’ll be vying for Play-In tournament positioning for the second year in a row.

Of course with the amount of miles on the Sixers’ stars, they will probably be one of those teams just trying to get through this part of the season to make it to the playoffs healthy. Making a top-six spot looks to be a tricky task in this Eastern Conference, but as long as the Sixers are able to do that, their biggest concern will be getting to the playoffs in one piece. With the Eastern Conference being perhaps the deepest it’s ever been and the league really shaking up lottery rules, the end of this regular season could look a lot different than what we’ve become accustomed to.

3/7: @Celtics

3/8: V Jazz (B2B) 

3/11: @Spurs

3/13: @Timberwolves

3/15: V Raptors

3/17: V Bulls

3/18: @Wizards (B2B)

3/21: V Spurs

3/23: @Jazz

3/24: @Warriors (B2B)

3/26: @Trail Blazers

3/28: @Nuggets

3/31: V Warriors

4/2: @Wizards

4/4: V Hawks

4/6: @Raptors

4/8: @Heat

4/11: V Hornets

“I can’t believe this just happened!”

You either said it or you heard it, on a day you never thought would come—when the Bucks traded away a player we got to watch grow up, a player who became a multi-time All-Star and fixture in the community, and who helped Milwaukee raise its first championship banner as an organization in 50 years.

That day was February 5th, 2025, when the Bucks traded away Khris Middleton. Some fans could claim that the writing was on the wall, but I, for one, buried my head in the sands of the second apron and never thought, injuries and all, they could trade away the franchise’s all-time greatest Robin to our all-time greatest Batman. I mourned the loss of our champion with what is probably a familiar pattern for most Wisconsinites who are grieving: shouting the lyrics of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” while nursing a High Life.

Afterward, I began bargaining with myself and the entire basketball world that Kyle Kuzma could help the Bucks chase one more ring so long as health was on our side. Through the blown Achilles, a waive-and-stretch, and countless Shams bombs that gave me heartburn, it was not until around the trade deadline this year that for me the reality sank in: the championship era was over. Looking back on it now, however, the real end of the era was February 5th, 2025. June 22nd, 2026, then, was a bittersweet day, marking a new beginning. Many outlets have extensively covered the bitter, so instead let’s focus on the sweet, and how that day came to mark the new beginning for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Growing up a Bucks fan and watching us move through the different eras of coaches and potential franchise faces, I can think of many times that felt exciting as a fan, especially the early years of Giannis and Khris that were first overshadowed by the sale and potential relocation. Once that passed, however, watching what Giannis and Khris were able to do was nothing short of exhilarating. Now that we are in the new halcyon days, I am looking at a roster and coaching staff that is full of positive questions and upside potential.

As a coach, Taylor Jenkins has a pedigree for building teams that push the pace, are defensive minded, and show a ton of grit. At their peak under Jenkins, the 2021–22 Grizzlies became the first team in the NBA’s recorded steals-and-blocks era to lead the league in rebounds, steals, and blocks in the same season. This hardworking, relentless, possession-hunting style feels like what he was referencing when in his opening press conference he talked about the team making Milwaukee proud. Of course, in his first year as a head coach with Memphis he had Ja Morant coming in as the second overall pick to headline the roster. The Bucks’ roster does not have Darryn Peterson incoming, but Jenkins still chose to come back to the NBA with the opportunities he saw on this roster, even without having Giannis (or Khris) around.

That could be because, in a player like Ryan Rollins, Jenkins knows he will have an incredibly intriguing young guard to work with. Nathan Marzion recently noted that since 1994 there have been just 10 players who, at age 23 or younger, notched a season with at least 17 PPG and 5 APG, while shooting a 55% eFG (with a minimum of 50 games played):

• Penny Hardaway
• Tony Parker
• Steph Curry
• Nikola Jokic
• Domantas Sabonis
• Bam Adebayo
• Luka Doncic
• Tyrese Haliburton
• Alperen Sengun
• Zion Williamson

Rollins became the 11th last season, and given his 27.1% assist percentage last year, he won’t need to take a drastic step forward to become one of the better two-way lead guards in the NBA. On the defensive front, Rollins ranked 10th overall in steals last season with 110 and 13th in steals per game for players with at least 2,000 minutes played last season. For good measure, Rollins also had one more block last season than Dyson Daniels, which speaks to his ability to effectively guard above his size. At 23, it is pretty safe to say he has likely not yet found his ceiling.

Alongside him, Rollins will get to work with Kel’el Ware as his five of the future, who brings something different to the role. Brook Lopez is a Bucks legend, but in his 469 games played for Milwaukee he averaged just 5.2 RPG. Last season, Myles Turner became the butt of many jokes while on his way to averaging 5.3 RPG. The Kryptonian is not merely unique for Bucks fans because he is another stretch big, but because he is an elite rebounder. Last season, his total rebound percentage was 21.1%, good for fourth overall just behind Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Donovan Clingan, and was sixth in offensive rebounding rate at a clip of 13.1%. Prior to Jenkins’ time in Memphis, offensive rebounds were not as highly valued as other aspects of the game, and they were certainly a weak point for the Bucks last season, so getting a specialist on the offensive glass is definitely exciting. Rollins and Ware, therefore, are able to bring familiar ingredients to Jenkins’ recipe for success: extra possessions, rim pressure and protection, floor spacing, and a capable playmaker. It might not be same exact cake as in Memphis, but I am sure it will make for a sweet combination.

Now, this is not to say there is a clear path ahead, because there isn’t: we don’t know who will start around these two for the short or long term, and we likely still have some deals to be made this summer. But even so, there are plenty of other players worth getting very excited about. Going back to 2022 we have added a player selected in the first-round every year: Ousmane Dieng in 2022 (Ryan Rollins in the second round), then Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and, of course Brayden Burries and Nate Ament in 2026. Together, these represent an impressive young cohort with the potential to be at least high-level role players. Overall that feels like a great way to speed-run a rebuild—oh, and we have that guy named after a Jack Harlow song returning home on his Herro’s journey. At what point would keeping him become a long term asset? Could he net a big return at the trade deadline? These are exciting questions to begin to wonder about and find answers for.

Finally, it is probably safe to assume that Jenkins did not take this job just to guide the team through a long, cumbersome rebuild. We all should maintain realistic expectations about the wins this year could yield, of course, but I also don’t see Jenkins spending half or more of his contracted years in Milwaukee wasting away outside of the play-in, either.

So, the question analysts seem to be asking now that the dust has settled is “Who are the Bucks after trading away Giannis?” Thankfully, that is an answer we already have: we are Milwaukee, a big small town where folks work hard and genuinely care about how their sports teams represent them. We want to play a hardworking, gritty style of basketball that does not lack effort. The product last year certainly did not pass the sniff test, but despite the future being unclear, through the beer goggles that were needed to get through last season, the future is certainly bright.

Blurry, but bright.

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Of course, an essential component to that bright future is Brayden Burries. Let us know what you believe his ceiling is below:

In the summer of 2019, the Los Angeles Clippers grabbed every single chip they could find and pushed them into the middle of the table. 

The result was Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and a revamped roster ready to compete for an NBA championship. A complete transformation of the team and superstars to put on the marquee.

But in the NBA, when you go all-in to win a championship in the present, there’s always a price to pay down the road. 

And now somebody has come to collect and count those chips. 

The total cost to sign Leonard and trade for George is almost impossible to comprehend: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks sent to Oklahoma City, two first-round pick swaps, another five first-round picks forfeited to the NBA and a $30 million dollar fine. 

Oh, and toss in Danilo Gallinari, multiple front-office executives suspended — including the team owner in Steve Ballmer — and the fact that one of those picks to OKC became Jalen Williams, and what once looked like the greatest night in Clippers history has now aged like milk under the boiling Southern California sun. 

All that for one Western Conference Finals appearance and still zero NBA championships in franchise history. 

The Clippers technically signed Leonard as a free agent in July 2019, but by acquiring George from the Thunder, they lost out on four unprotected first-round picks, a future MVP in SGA and several players. Leonard was the one who reportedly wanted George, and made it a condition of his signing with Los Angeles. 

That signing, and ultimately his re-signing in 2021, has now made us all look back on this controversy under a microscope. 

The NBA concluded Wednesday that the Clippers and Leonard violated the league’s salary-cap circumvention rules, hammering LA with the forfeiture of five more first-round picks — 2029 through 2033 — and a $30 million fine. Ballmer was suspended for one year, president of business operations Gillian Zucker for one year without pay and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months. Meanwhile, Leonard was fined $700,000.

Put everything together and the Leonard pursuit can reasonably be framed this way: 10 first-round picks lost, two additional first-round pick swaps, 2024 & 2025 MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, Gallinari, $30 million dollars and multiple suspensions.

Of course, the human cost of that 2019 roll of the dice by Ballmer and the Clippers looks even worse. 

Gilgeous-Alexander became a superstar. Williams became an All-Star-caliber cornerstone. George eventually left Los Angeles without delivering a championship. Leonard’s Clippers tenure became defined as much by injuries and postseason absences as the brilliance that convinced Ballmer to mortgage the future for him in the first place.

There once was a time when the Clippers could defend the price they paid. Leonard was fresh off an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors, taking down the Golden State Warriors dynasty in the process. George was once an MVP finalist and from LA. For perhaps the first time in franchise history, the Clippers appeared to have assembled the perfect superstar pairing since Shaq and Kobe. 

But they never reached their full potential; their high-water mark was the 2021 Western Conference Finals, reached after Leonard tore his ACL and never even played in the series. 

Now the final accounting of that 2019 summer looks like something pulled from an NBA horror story. 

And not a single NBA Finals game to show for it. 

Seven years ago, the Clippers swung for the fences. 

And now they’re paying the price for it.

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I spent Wednesday evening racking my brain for a way to combine “karma” and “Kawhi” but the best I came up with was “Kawharma” which sounds more like Middle Eastern meat cooked on a spit. It’s still apropos as Kawhi Leonard is cooked.

Shams Charania posted the news as soon as it broke:

BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence… pic.twitter.com/JCV5bI88BE

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2026

“BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, sources tell ESPN.”

Leonard was personally fined $700,000. While that may be years of accumulated salary for us mere mortals, it comes out to 2.5% of $28M he took under the table through his Aspiration deal. Consider the estimated $20M he made through additional off-the-books deals, and the $700,000 slap on the wrist becomes roughly 1.4% of what he made. He made a $50M salary and $50M in “consulting” doubling his income in a fashion

The internet went viral with comments. One of the best was figuring out what signing Kawhi Leonard has cost the Los Angeles Clippers now. Originally, pundits pointed out that his demand to bring in Paul George cost the Clips Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-rounders, and two pick swaps. Now the Clippers are in even deeper due to their relationship with Leonard.

Kawhi Leonard’s legacy with the Los Angeles Clippers:

– Demanded the front office trade for Paul George, forcing them to part with every asset they had including a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
– Missed 243 games in 7 seasons (equivalent of nearly 3 seasons)
– 2019-2020: Blew a…

— Damien Peters (@DamienPetersNBA) September 2, 2026

Leonard did not act alone. He was represented by his uncle Dennis Robertson whose name is well known among Spurs fans. Part of the outcome of this investigation has left Uncle Dennis banned from business dealings involving the NBA.

Last summer, Leonard requested a trade from Los Angeles to Toronto. The trade was held up due to the investigation as the Raptors were informed they could end up liable for any retribution involving Leonard. he is now expected to head to Toronto to play out the remainder of his career.

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Clippers fans, please join the rest of L.A. in booing Kawhi Leonard.

With your whole chests, let him hear it, the entitled scoundrel.

Greedy villain.

Selfish charlatan.

The Clippers’ star and his team found the one NBA franchise that was desperate enough to allegedly acquiesce to all of his out-of-bounds demands, to break the rules if only he would please, please pick them.

Yearning to be loved in the Lakers’ Los Angeles, the Clippers were easy marks during that 2019 free agency.

Leonard, fresh off winning his second NBA title and Finals MVP, took the Clippers and Steve Ballmer — the NBA’s richest owner, worth $152 billion, per Forbes — for a ride.

Read more:Plaschke: NBA drops the hammer on The Cheatin’ Clippers, and they can't shed the stink

Investigators have found that Leonard’s camp got the Clippers to agree, according to the findings of a nearly yearlong investigation by Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, to audacious levels of salary cap circumvention.

Billed as a hometown hero, the All-Star from Moreno Valley apparently arrived with his hand outstretched, demanding all sorts of improper perks, including an extra $10 million annually — in addition to the above-board contracts that paid him between $32 million and $50 million each season.

And then he did his Kawhi laugh all the way to the bank.

Now tack on the NBA’s $30-million fine and five first-round draft picks to the bill as punishment, announced Wednesday.

Those fans in Toronto who’d promised never to let him pay for a meal in their city again — “KaWine and Dine,” they called it — never stood a chance. They should toast their luck.

The Clippers doth protest, denying all of it. Probably because the investigation’s findings make them out to be not only cheaters, but fools.

The team’s statement: “We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.”

And Leonard? He isn’t taking personal accountability, but he’s accepting the NBA’s $700,000 fine and, in a statement, said he blames “lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle.”

His excuse: Everyone has a crazy uncle, right?

Leonard’s statement concluded by referencing the pending trade sending him back to the Raptors, which was put on hold in July: “As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”

A clean slate? He plans to pay the fine — roughly one game’s worth of pay — pass go and roll the dice again like nothing happened. A top 50 player of all time and a Hall of Fame scam artist, this fun guy.

Who knows what deliverables he promised, but all he wrought was more frustration and misery for the team’s long-suffering, loyal fans.

For his seven seasons with the Clippers, he was a part-time worker getting paid excessive overtime.

Oft-injured, he played in only about 60% of the team’s regular-season games. Injuries stink, and so did the opacity with which the Clippers shared news of their star’s health status.

Load-of-nonsense management.

Read more:NBA hammers Clippers, Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard following investigation

With a wish list so long even Santa would’ve pushed back, he also demanded the Clippers trade future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George. Because Leonard wanted a proven running mate. That didn’t only set back the Clippers, it set up the young Thunder for at least one NBA title run.

The Clippers, meanwhile, still have not won an NBA title. Still haven’t played in an NBA Finals.

But together, Leonard and the team made history with Wednesday’s punishment.

The Clippers’ one Western Conference finals appearance in 2021? That came with Leonard in street clothes, nursing a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury the Clippers kept secret until it was announced later that summer that their star player had surgery to repair it.

A reticent, low-wattage star, Leonard did nothing to improve the Clippers’ brand or relevancy.

He did the opposite.

The Clippers were sold a lemon. And now all they’re left with is the sour, bitter taste of having been played.

Read more:Read the NBA's investigation of the Clippers, Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard

The NBA handed Ballmer a suspension from all league and team activities for one year. Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker was hit with the same penalty. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank will be suspended without pay for six months.

And the Clippers didn’t have to do any of it.

Was Leonard really going to go to another team?

He didn’t want to freeze in Toronto and he would have melted under the Lakers’ purple-and gold spotlight. He also wouldn’t have been able to play king on a team with LeBron James on it.

Leonard was meant to be a Clipper. He really was. The latest chapter in a story that always ends unhappily ever after.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Will Kawhi penalties help Celtics maximize the Clippers' 2028 pick? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The NBA dropped a hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday for salary cap circumvention related to the signing of Kawhi Leonard, which included taking away five future first-round draft picks from the team starting in 2029.

The Boston Celtics have a vested interest in the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick as part of the draft compensation received during the Jaylen Brown trade to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.

The Boston/Los Angeles/Philadelphia 2028 pick delivery is convoluted but the volatility introduced from the Leonard penalties could potentially aid Boston in creating a 2028 lottery pick.

More importantly, the uncertainty surrounding Los Angeles’ future could enhance the value of that 2028 pick as a trade asset for a Celtics team that doesn’t need to wait around to see exactly where the pick lands before utilizing it to shape the team’s future roster.

If the Clippers’ 2028 pick lands in the lottery (picks 1-16), the Celtics will be able to swap their own draft position with the Clippers. The Spurs already hold the right to swap their pick with Boston, pursuant to the Derrick White trade, but Boston would swap whatever pick it has after that San Antonio swap and deliver that pick to the Clippers. There’s the possibility that, if Philadelphia landed in the early lottery (picks 1-8), the Celtics could instead swap for that pick, but a healthy 76ers team projects as one of the league’s elite.

It’s far more likely that Boston’s 2028 draft is tied to the Clippers.

If the Clippers’ pick lands outside the lottery (picks 17-30), Boston would instead receive Los Angeles’ pick outright and could potentially hold two non-lottery first-round picks, still potentially swapping Boston’s own draft spot with a San Antonio team that represented the West in the Finals last season and also projects to remain one of the league’s elite for the foreseeable future.

Why do the Clippers’ penalties matter?

The forfeiture of first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 make it incredibly difficult for Los Angeles to immediately improve its team via draft or trade avenues. What’s more, the suspensions of owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank create volatility in the brain trust as the Clippers attempt to plot a path forward in the aftermath of these penalties.

The flip side? The Clippers will be unfazed by the success of the team, even as the league introduces new lottery odds aimed to punish the teams that land at the bottom of the standings. Without its own picks for the foreseeable future, the Clippers will be nonplussed if they are a play-in team (gotta still fill up that new building) or if they are a bottom feeder (lower draft odds for the three worst teams won’t impact Los Angeles’ compete level).

The Clippers will either lean heavy into the younger assets acquired in the now-processable Leonard trade to Toronto and either hope that Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and Toronto’s future picks can keep them competitive, or pursue a roster firesafe that could help restock the draft picks the team is losing in the Leonard situation.

Boston probably won’t wait around to find out how it plays out. Next summer, the Celtics should be operating with a robust collection of future first-round picks, with the 2028 Clippers pick and an unprotected 2031 Philadelphia pick, potentially key assets in the hunt for adding another big-name talent.

What Boston does with those picks could ultimately sway how the Brown trade is judged. The Clipper penalties have added some chaos to one of the key assets. The Celtics simply have to hope that the Clipper volatility entices a future trade partner whenever Boston engages them in hopes of upgrading its own roster.

“If Player X gets a jumper”…

Ben Simmons Disease. If pigs could fly, we’d avoid walking under them, for what should be obvious reasons.

If Amen Thompson gets a jumper, he’ll be anywhere from a top-20 to top-1 player in the NBA, depending on whether “get a jumper” means “hit 35% of his two three-point attempts per game” or “hit 40% of his five attempts per game.

Look – If I inherit one million dollars, I’ve got a great idea for a video game. No, I’m not typing it out – nice try. If I don’t inherit one million dollars – by far the likeliest outcome – I’m starting a new career as a substitute teacher in a week. It’s easy to fantasize about what Thompson can be if he develops a jumper:

What if he can’t?

Thompson has alternative paths to stardom

It should be said that if Thompson stopped developing right now, and never got one iota better than he currently is, he’d level out at “pretty good”.

But, we don’t evaluate NBA players in a vacuum. We evaluate them relative to their contract. Estimates for the Average Annual Value (AAV) of Thompson’s next deal seem to range from $33 million to $50 million. He’s already a $33 million player:

Can he earn $50 million without a reliable three-pointer?

It’s not a question that will be answered with a rigorous scientific method here. That said, if Thompson can’t hit threes, there are, to my mind, at least two paths he can take that still lead to top 20ish player status. The first is simple: If Thompson can’t hit threes, he needs to hit more twos.

In 2025-26, Thompson hit 76.0% of his field goal attempts between zero and three feet. That’s good, but Giannis Antetokounmpo hit 80.0% of his. The Greek Freak peaked at 83.7% in 2022-23.

Thompson doesn’t need to match Antetokounmpo’s offensive production, but if he’s going to be a primary offensive option without a three-ball, he needs to approximate it. If he can cross that 80% threshold at his current volume, he’ll be such a dominant force at the rim that he might be able to survive as a star player without a three-pointer.

Otherwise, there may be one more way.

Thompson can dominate on defense

It’s been written about in great detail, but last year, Thompson sacrificed some of his defensive impact in favor of an increased offensive workload. He averaged 18.3 points and 5.3 assists per game to 2024-25’s 14.1 and 3.8, but his blocks per game slipped from 1.3 to 0.6.

It’s not (strictly) about the blocks per game, though, is it? We all saw Thompson’s defensive efforts wane last year. It’s hard to even blame him:

But if he wants to earn $50 million, and he can’t hit threes, it can’t happen again.

It’s simple: 14.1 points and 3.8 assists per game along with real Defensive Player of the Year (DPOTY) candidacy is not a $50 million player. Neither is 18.3 points and 5.3 assists without Defensive Player of the Year-ish credentials:

But 18 and 5 along with DPOTY consideration?

That’s approaching max contract territory. It’s also a reasonable, albeit difficult, ask.

Did someone say Ben Simmons? He was as productive offensively as Thompson last season in his prime, and he was always near the top of the DPOTY. At the peak of his powers, LeBron James was the best player in the league on both ends of the floor. Oh, and he could shoot, too.

LeBron James. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Prime Ben Simmons. This is rarified air. Some will suggest that these comparisons air on the ambitious side.

Well, that’s what the article is about – how Thompson can become approximately worth $50 million every season if he doesn’t develop a three-pointer. Either his rim efficiency leaps from “great” to “excellent”, or he manages to be one of the best wing defenders in the NBA as well as a strong secondary playmaker. If he can’t forge either of those paths, I personally cannot imagine how he’ll be a superstar player short of developing a three:

And that’s true for far too many NBA players.

The NBA’s nearly year-long investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers has ended with one of the harshest punishments in league history, sending the franchise back to territory last seen during Minnesota’s Joe Smith salary-cap scandal 25 seasons ago.

In the words of Mark Cuban, “Congrats Pablo.“

The League has concluded that the Clippers violated salary-cap circumvention rules by facilitating endorsement deals for Kawhi Leonard with Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The investigation began after reporting by Torre, and the process was conducted by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence… pic.twitter.com/JCV5bI88BE

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2026

The sanctions immediately reshape the Clippers’ already-long-gone future:

• The Clippers have been fined $30 million, the largest team fine in NBA history.
• Los Angeles is losing its first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033.
• The Clippers have been placed under a five-year compliance and monitoring program.
• Owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for one year.
• President of business operations Gillian Zucker has been suspended without pay for one year.
• President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been suspended without pay for six months.
• Leonard was fined $700,000 for improper benefits.
• Dennis “Uncle Dennis” Robertson has been banned from conducting business with NBA teams for five years, although Kawhi is his lone client.

The scale of the punishment closely mirrors, although it clearly tops it, the NBA’s response to Minnesota in 2000. More than 25 years ago, former NBA commissioner David Stern stripped the Timberwolves of five first-round picks and fined the franchise $3.5 million after determining it had entered into an illegal secret agreement with Smith. Two of Minnesota’s five picks were later returned.

The Clippers’ draft situation is particularly tough. After years of outgoing picks tied to the Paul George trade, the latest penalties leave Los Angeles without one of its own first-round selections until 2034 under the current setup. Sheesh…

All in all — to acquire and later via NBA sanctions — Kawhi Leonard cost the Clippers:

2021 first round pick
2022 first round pick
2023 first round pick
2023 first round pick swap
2024 first round pick
2025 first round pick swap
2026 first round pick
2029 first round pick
2030…

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) September 2, 2026

The NBA suspended Ballmer for knowingly seeking to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities and approving a business arrangement connected to the Aspiration endorsement. Zucker was cited for being directly culpable in the endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators, while Frank was disciplined for his involvement and for approving impermissible expenses involving Leonard and his family.

Funnily enough, Leonard’s punishment differed significantly from Smith’s 25 seasons earlier, as Kawhi came out pretty much unscathed. Smith’s contract was voided in 2000, while the NBA decided to leave Leonard’s contract intact and instead ordered him to pay $700,000 over improper benefits. Lots of money to us, pocket money for the Klaw.

Los Angeles “vehemently” rejected the NBA’s findings and said it intends to challenge the ruling through every available avenue. Meanwhile, Kawhi is still on his way to Canada to play basketball north of the border next season.

With it being almost a week since the Cody Williams trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the dust has settled. But we haven’t really gotten a pulse on exactly how Jazz fans felt about it. That’s the center of the question for this week’s Utah Jazz Reacts survey. Did you feel like it was enough? Was it not enough? Was it more than enough? Some Jazz fans might have felt like they wanted to wait longer to see how things would pan out. Some may have thought we should have traded him sooner.

In this poll, it’s going to be a simple question: were you happy with the return in the trade for Cody Williams?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jazz fans and fans across the country.

Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys:

Pablo Torre, the journalist whose reporting led the NBA to crack down on the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing the league salary cap rules, said he is not done with the story.

“There is more to come than is in the NBA report,’’ Torre said Wednesday, Sept. 2 during his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out. "This is not everything.''

Torre, 40, and his two co-hosts did not provide specifics. But Torre did offer a couple of possible hints while pointing to the findings of an investigation conducted by referring to a law firm hired by the NBA, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

The investigation has centered one player, Kawhi Leonard, and how the Clippers funneled him money in violation of the league's salary cap rules after signing him in 2019, according to a summary of the law firm's investigation. Torre cited mention in the summary of an unidentified second player.

Torre also pointed out the investigation findings did not include Dennis Wong, the Clippers' co-owner. Steve Ballmer, the team’s controlling owner, has been suspended from all league and team activities for a year.

The NBA issued a statement that in part reads, "more information will likely surface over time."

Said Torre, “I encourage people to dig in as we continue to cover it and investigate still, especially now that it seems like the story isn't over yet ... I always want more documents. Somehow still I'm unsatisfied with the documents.’’

In May, Torre’s investigative work on the Clippers’ scandal earned him a Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting. But he also has faced criticism, largely from the Clippers.

Clippers took aim at Pablo Torre

David Kelley, an attorney representing Ballmer, last year wrote that Torre’s reporting was a “vitriolic public campaign against Mr. Ballmer” and “principally based on anonymized gossip,’’ according to ESPN. Later in the year, in a statement sent to Torre’s show on behalf of Ballmer and the Clippers read, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”

Aspiration was the primary company named in the investigation that held Ballmer responsible for circumventing the salary cap – largely it appears to have secured Leonard's services after he led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title in 2019.

“How desperate was Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in American sports, one of the richest people on the planet to get a superstar that would allow him to compete as owner of the Clippers?’’ Torre asked on Wednesday. “And the answer is, look at what he was doing.’’

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pablo Torre says 'more to come' after NBA crackdown on Clippers

The Warriors’ search for another star alongside Stephen Curry has produced a growing collection of almosts.

The latest name to add to the list is Jaren Jackson Jr.

ESPN’s Anthony Slater revealed Golden State explored acquiring the former Defensive Player of the Year before Memphis traded him to Utah at February’s deadline.

“I’ll give you one that is probably talked about least in the last few years of swings and misses: it’s Jaren Jackson at the deadline,” Slater said. “They were kind of sniffing around that.”

Those talks were ultimately tabled as Golden State turned its attention toward a much bigger prize: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Utah swooped in and acquired Jackson for a package featuring three first-round picks.

That sequence looks more painful in hindsight.

After Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL in January, Golden State began looking beyond simply patching its roster. General manager Mike Dunleavy acknowledged that the injury had moved the “goalposts,” and the Warriors began pursuing players who could help extend Curry’s dwindling championship window.

Jackson was one option. Antetokounmpo quickly became the obsession.

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The Warriors reportedly offered a package built around Draymond Green, Kuminga, four first-round picks and a swap, but Milwaukee never engaged enough to get a deal across the finish line. Golden State eventually pivoted to Kristaps Porzingis, sending Kuminga and Hield to Atlanta. The failed Giannis pursuit even put Green’s Warriors future in jeopardy.

Golden State also checked on Kawhi Leonard around the deadline when it appeared the Clippers might consider major changes. Nothing materialized.

Then came the summer.

The Warriors had been plotting possible pursuits of both Antetokounmpo and LeBron James almost immediately after Butler went down. Antetokounmpo eventually landed in Miami, while Golden State made a serious push for James before he chose Philadelphia.

The Warriors also explored pairing James with Anthony Davis, although those discussions never gained traction with Washington. The Wizards reportedly weren’t interested in moving Davis. Golden State additionally discussed Jaylen Brown but never reached organizational consensus on paying Boston’s asking price.

Taken individually, each miss is understandable.

Together, they tell a different story.

Since Butler’s injury, Golden State has explored Jackson, Antetokounmpo, Leonard, Brown, Davis and James while searching for another centerpiece around Curry.

The San Antonio Spurs have officially announced DAZN as their exclusive media rights partner for the 2026-2027 season. Last month, DAZN announced deals with several other NBA teams, filling the gap that regional sports networks left behind after closing up shop. A deal with San Antonio was strongly suggested but was not official until now.

In a deal similar to that of the Indiana Pacers, DAZN will be the exclusive provider of all Spurs games not exclusive to national television. The games will be streamed on the DAZN app, which is available on a multitude of devices and will offer simultaneous multi-device streaming.

In addition to the games, the app will offer pre- and post-game shows, highlights, behind-the-scenes insights, and original programming.

The Spurs will oversee and manage the production of the games, Spurs Sports & Entertainment tells Pounding the Rock.

As far as availability, the app will serve those in South, Central, and West Texas. Once signed up, they will be able to use the app and stream games while traveling. For those fans residing out-of-market, NBA League Pass will still be the provider.

As expected, 22 games will be broadcast over-the-air from a local provider, yet to be announced.

In addition to Spurs games, DAZN will also offer select Spurs Sports & Entertainment content including San Antonio FC matches and Austin Spurs G League games.

The cost

This is all great, but how much will it cost? A Season Pass is available at $119.99/year. Month-to-month starts at $19.99. DAZN will also be offering an “Ultimate Tier” priced at $139.99/year or $24.99/month, which will include incremental benefits, several of which will include a one-time discount code good for 25 percent off at the Spurs Fan Shop, access to alternate feeds and camera angles, and multi-view capabilities.

As far as discounts go, a free seven-day trial will be available; season ticket holders will be given 20 percent off the Season Pass price, and fans who become “Official Spurs Fan Club members” by September 9 are eligible for an exclusive subscription discount, yet to be disclosed. Additional discounts and promotions will be offered throughout the season.

The service will be available within the coming weeks. Fans can sign up here to receive updates directly from DAZN.

What was the final cost for the Los Angeles Clippers acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in 2019?

Just as the organization had finally paid off their significant draft pick haul of five first rounders, two pick swaps and future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Oklahoma City to secure Leonard's running mate from seven years ago, the NBA dropped the hammer on the Clippers.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz's independent investigation concluded that the Clippers violated the league's salary cap circumvention rules by facilitating side deals between Leonard and four companies: Aspiration, Daktronics, Boingo Wireless and Lockton Insurance and offering them business from the team in exchange for entering into agreements with Leonard.

Among the several sanctions announced by the league against the team, owner Steve Ballmer and other high-ranking front office members, the Clippers are being stripped of five-first round draft picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033.

Fines of $30 million for the team and $700,000 for Leonard were also levied while Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker received one-year suspensions; president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was also suspended for six months without pay. Additionally, the Clippers must enter into a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office over the next five years.

"The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans. I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct," commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations."

Where do the Clippers go from here?

Clippers future after NBA punishes team, Kawhi Leonard

First, the Toronto Raptors need to decide whether they want to go through with the previously agreed upon trade for Leonard. That deal was paused until the conclusion of the investigation. Now, with the superstar at the center of the scandal emerging relatively unscathed, that essentially clears the way for the trade to move forward. Assuming the deal gets done, LA gets back Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and two unprotected first-round picks, two second rounders and a first-round pick swap in 2027.

Because of this trade and the deal they made to acquire James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023, the Clippers still have some draft capital. They will own one first rounder in 2031 and 2033 after that deal and forfeit the lone picks they had in 2030 and 2032. They will also lose either the unprotected pick they got from the Indiana Pacers in the Ivica Zubac trade or the top-three protected pick swap with the Sixers in 2029.

But even with that, the future in Inglewood looks about as muggy as the unusual humidity that's bogged down the city for much of the summer.

Before his suspension, Lawrence Frank was adamant that although the Clippers are no longer contenders, he does expect them to stay competitive. The roster reflects that gray area. Darius Garland arrived in February as part of the Cleveland Cavaliers' return package for James Harden. Bradley Beal joined the team after getting bought out by the Phoenix Suns and expected to be part of a three-headed monster alongside Leonard and Harden before fracturing his hip just six games into the 2025-26 season. He returns after agreeing to a new two-year $13.27 million contract not to be a third star, but now as a veteran presence in a locker room that got a lot younger.

Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 overall pick in June, stands as the Clippers' biggest roster addition this offseason. Instead of a major splash like we've seen Ballmer's teams make in recent years, the team pursued moves along the margins such as bringing in Rui Hachimura, Brook Lopez and Max Strus in free agency. Vets Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins all walked.

But it's not like the Clippers have the flexibility to make any big moves happen right now. Once the Leonard trade goes through, roughly half of their cap space this season will be tied up in two players, Garland and Ingram, who are set to make over $82 million combined this season according to Spotrac. They might be able to swing a trade, but that seems unlikely this year without their top basketball ops executive or any tradeable draft assets. Ingram is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

They don't even have flexibility for moves in the long-term, either. Frank said it himself months ago.

"There’s not much left in the piggy bank prior to this trade in terms of premium picks," He told The Athletic at the trade deadline. "We’ve kind of gone all in, all in, all in. We’ve made a bunch of trades to kind of please today’s team. … OK, how are we gonna bridge this era to the next era? And with it is, guys who are part of the team now can also be part of the next era.

"But if everyone is part of the team, there’s a cliff. And … it could take years, years to get out of it."

Now, it could take even longer than that.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does severe NBA Kawhi punishment mean for Clippers future?