Category: Basketball

Well, folks. We’ve reached that part of the offseason.

Aside from looking for a third center and figuring out the two-ways, there’s basically nothing for the defending champions to do aside from polish their trophy until they head to training camp in September.

How do we fill this void? Personally, I like watching baseball over the summer, but I’d imagine a lot of you are Mets fans, and that might not be a positive experience. But on this site? Let’s get creative.

Welcome to Knicks Domino Effects, where we look at divergence points in the past that could’ve changed everything for the 2026 NBA champion New York Knicks.

Some of these will be extremely small moments you might not be familiar with. Others will be quite obvious, which you’ll see down the road.

Today, I’m starting this series niche. This video by well-known ex-SB Nation contributor Kofie Yeboah talks about a random 2024 game between the Kings and the Pistons that set off a pretty crazy domino effect in the NBA landscape. It’s a good watch, so I’ll link it below, but we’ll go into what it actually would’ve meant if it didn’t happen:

For those who want a TLDR, here’s what we’re going off of.

It’s December 26, 2024. The struggling Sacramento Kings lead the Pistons by three with 10 seconds left. Detroit has the ball and calls timeout.

Kings head coach Mike Brown, in the huddle, emphasizes one thing in particular: guard the perimeter. There shouldn’t be an opportunity for a hard closeout. The only thing that can beat you is a three. Get up on the three-point line and defend. If they’re gonna make a three, make them drain it in your face.

De’Aaron Fox apparently didn’t listen. He sagged off Jaden Ivey, realized too late, and fouled him. He made the shot. The Kings lost the game, falling to 13-18, on a play they entered up by three points on.

Mike Brown ribbed him after the game. It was deserved ribbing, and even though Fox has never had real issues with Brown, somehow this got blown out of proportion. The losing, coupled with some colorful press conferences, led to Brown’s dismissal the following day. The best coach that the Kings had in two decades was canned, a move that exemplifies why bad organizations stay bad.

Two years later, Brown is on top of the world as an NBA champion. The Kings are directionless.

Obviously, it’s a lot more complicated than saying one moment caused everything, but let’s have fun.

What if Fox listened to Brown in the huddle and this didn’t happen? Hell, let’s say that he just misses his assignment and allows the three, sending it to overtime, where the Kings would still have a chance to win.

How would things have changed?

We start at this exact play. Malik Beasley swings it to Ivey, who takes advantage of a sagging Fox and buries a game-tying three. Instead of hitting Ivey, Fox flies by. Game tied, overtime.

The Kings were the better team for three quarters in this game, only getting blitzed in the fourth. It was a perfect duel between Fox and Cade Cunningham, but let’s say, for the purpose of this exercise, that Fox wins this duel in overtime, hitting a go-ahead 15-footer with 4.5 seconds left to get a much-needed win for the Kings. He and Brown embrace after the game. Monte McNair and company hold off on a coaching change.

The Kings aren’t good, so the seat never fully cools down, but they did play better over the course of the season under Doug Christie in real life. Let’s assume the front office backs off the nuclear option and instead decides to change personnel. They were reportedly interested in guys like Zach LaVine and Kyle Kuzma, but they won’t get either of those here.

Fox getting traded was an organizational shift by the Kings. He demanded a trade after extension talks fell apart and hitched a ride to San Antonio at the 2025 trade deadline. The timing of Brown’s firing makes you think that Fox didn’t like him, so keeping Coach Brown wouldn’t have changed things… right?

Wrong.

Every media report says that Fox had nothing to do with Brown’s firing. In fact, if Fox had been consulted about his coach during this rough stretch, he probably would’ve saved his job, but the delusions in Sacramento made both of them expendable.

If Brown stays, Fox likely does too. The Kings finish the 2024-25 season with a 37-45 record (slightly worse than IRL, to account for a potential post-firing jolt). They lose to the Mavericks in the 9-10 play-in game, but exit meetings go well, and they give Brown a short leash going into next season.

A month after the Kings decide to keep Brown for the 2025-26 season, the Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau. They begin a five-week hunt for their next head coach, sifting through candidates. In real life, they decided on Mike Brown.

In our scenario, Brown isn’t available. The Knicks call the Kings to request an interview and are denied. They are now deciding on a reduced field of candidates.

Your next head coach is either Wolves assistant Micah Nori, former Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins, former Hornets’ head coach James Borrego, or… Dawn Staley?

Anyway, we have no idea who gets this job. No candidate reached a second interview except for Brown, who’s now unavailable, so let’s make an educated guess.

Welcome to the New York Knicks, Taylor Jenkins.

Jenkins has playoff head coaching experience, something that the Knicks valued in Brown, and a defensive attitude that would help a team that struggled on that end against the Indiana Pacers. It’s a different stylistic coach than Brown, sure, but there’s no Brown Lite we can go off of.

So let’s head to the 2025-26 season. Pretty much everything stays the same.

The Knicks are good, but underwhelming. The Kings are bad. Brown’s seat is red-hot.

In mid-January, with the Kings sitting at 17-24 after a home loss to the Knicks, they fired Brown and installed Christie as interim head coach. They finished the season 10-31 and missed the play-in with just 27 wins.

The Knicks finish 52-30 and are the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. It is truly impossible to tell what would’ve changed with Jenkins instead of Brown, but I believe there was too much talent for things to get bad. The 2-9 stretch probably still happens, but who cares. Jenkins was dismissed in Memphis because he and Ja Morant had major issues. I doubt that happens in this locker room.

Does Jenkins make the necessary adjustments to truly turn this team into a juggernaut midway through that Hawks series? Tough to say, but I’m still projecting this team in the NBA Finals. Why? After scraping by the Hawks in seven games, they’re facing two teams that just aren’t as good as them. Philly pushes it to five, and the Cavs push it to six, but both of these series are relatively stress-free.

Meanwhile, in the West, the Spurs emerge after a tricky path. The Blazers give them real trouble in the first round, and they struggle to shake off an injured T-Wolves team. They still barely eke out the Thunder, although this is maybe the least confident I’ve been in this entire experiment.

So it’s Knicks-Spurs again. Boring, right?

Here’s the change.

Jenkins isn’t an offensive guru like Brown is, so this is a reality where the Knicks never changed their offensive philosophy mid-playoff run. The Spurs are even more focused on denying Jalen Brunson and forcing a less confident version of both Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns to make plays.

The Spurs don’t let go of the rope and win Game 1. After the Knicks turned around and won Game 2, they lost Game 3 as regularly scheduled, to go into that big Game 4, even more crucial this time.

It’s hard to tell if the Knicks ever go down by 30 as they did in Game 4, but let’s say they do. They trail by one with 20 seconds left when Brunson badly misses a floater, and the ball ricochets out to center court. We know what happened here; play the footage:

But instead of Fox grabbing that ball and allowing Anunoby to be the hero with the greatest two-way sequence in NBA history, it’s Dylan Harper, who allows himself to be fouled. Brunson misses the three on the other end, and with a three-point deficit instead of a one-point deficit, the focus is on a rebound and kickout, which doesn’t happen in time.

Why is Harper there instead of Fox? Quite simple.

Despite being on the court at the exact same time as Fox, he would be running point guard in our alternate scenario and be in his spot, while Keldon Johnson or Julian Champagnie spawn elsewhere on the court.

That’s because Fox is still in Sacramento.

If you remember from earlier, Fox wanted a trade because Mike Brown was fired. In this scenario, Brown keeps his job a year later, and Fox stays put, only throwing a fit and demanding a trade in January 2026 in the final year of his contract, but wherever he ended up, it wouldn’t have been the resurgent Spurs, who are more than happy to give the keys to Harper and Stephon Castle. Maybe he ends up in Chicago in a more direct version of the Zach LaVine trade.

With no Fox, the Spurs close out Game 4. His veteran presence stabilized them enough during the regular season, but he was an active detriment towards the end of their playoff run. Taking him away from San Antonio allows Harper to explode into stardom.

The Knicks barely won in real life in Game 5 with a Herculean Brunson effort, smelling blood in the water, and a stinker from Fox. Remove the last two? Knicks in 5 becomes Spurs in 5.

No Fox, no Brown, an entire series is flipped on its head.

And it all dates back to this one niche moment back in December 2024. What happens from here?

The Spurs are NBA champions and a dynasty in the making. The coronation of Victor Wembanyama is underway, so that NBA2k cover actually makes sense now.

For the Knicks? Everything changes. They retain Jenkins after a Finals run, but Leon Rose feels the pressure knowing there are two Western Conference juggernauts that are heads and shoulders above the rest of the NBA.

Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns are shipped to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo in a desperation move. We’re so close, and these two haven’t fit in their two years here; let’s make a Big 3 for the ages. Remember, there were reports that the Bucks were hoping that the Knicks lost the Finals so that they’d get more aggressive in pursuing him.

REPORT: There’s “increasing belief” the Bucks could hold off on a Giannis trade until after the NBA Finals to see if the Knicks blow 2-0 lead.

“Might [New York] re-enter the sweepstakes in response to the disappointment?”

Full article from @TheSteinLine and @JakeLFischer:… pic.twitter.com/EdjyxG7Lcy

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 10, 2026

But it doesn’t end there. Remember the beginning of the LeBron saga when Rich Paul met with Max Kellerman to discuss the future of his client?

Rich Paul on LeBron James to the Knicks 😳

“If the Knicks hadn’t won, there would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks…. Jalen Brunson would literally have to pick up the phone and say ‘hey man, there’s no issue with me.’ They (Knicks) have checked in.”

(Via Game Over) https://t.co/iFyuJgEBt8pic.twitter.com/hpy1PnVU1Q

— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) July 3, 2026

That’s right. After a three-week process, LeBron James signs with the New York Knicks, not the Philadelphia 76ers, teaming up with Brunson and Antetokounmpo to try and end a 54-year drought. It’s as all-in as a team has ever been in NBA history.

So that’s the landscape. The Spurs are champions. Fox is a Chicago Bull. Mike Brown might be working at ESPN or maybe take the head coaching job in Orlando to give life to that utterly horrid offense. The Knicks have a starting lineup of Brunson-LeBron-Anunoby-Giannis-Mitch, as James Dolan goes over the second apron for one year to pursue a championship. Maybe Jaden Ivey is still in the NBA somehow.

Crazy how something so little can lead to something so big.

The Washington Wizards have held “some conversations” with DeMar DeRozan, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.

REPORT: The Wizards have held conversations with free agent DeMar DeRozan.

“You think about a team that’s clearly trying to compete around Anthony Davis, Trae Young and AJ Dybantsa.”

Washington has ~11M in luxury tax space and the full nontaxpayer MLE. pic.twitter.com/T3gBJZiQcy

— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) July 28, 2026

ESPN reported that DeRozan, who turns 37 in August, has drawn interest from the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency.

The six-time NBA All-Star forward averaged 18.4 points per game across 77 games with the Sacramento Kings last season. He spent his previous years with the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.

DeRozan is a savvy veteran known for his mid-range scoring prowess. His 26,711 career points rank 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

The Wizards have one remaining roster spot and roughly $11.5 million in luxury tax space. They also own the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is valued at roughly $15 million, to offer a free agent.

If Washington signs DeRozan, its already crowded rotation would welcome another proven veteran alongside Khris Middleton on the wing. Depth is a good problem to have, but it’s unclear whether DeRozan’s would immediately be part of the Wizards’ rotation.

The Cleveland Cavaliers formally agreed to a deal to sign forward Mario Hezonja earlier this week. If only it were that simple. Hezonja is currently having trouble being released from Real Madrid as the Spanish club argues that Hezonja missed his window to leave for the NBA.

Hezonja had an NBA out clause in his contract that was to be exercised by July 20. That has become a point of contention since he missed that window and did not secure an NBA deal until July 26.

“The Cavs and other teams have been pursuing Hezonja this offseason in hopes of capitalizing on a July 20 NBA out in his Real Madrid pact,” said Marc Stein. “The Spanish giants have reportedly pushed back on releasing the Croatian forward since he did not have his NBA team lined up until July 26.”

Cleveland has been linked to Hezonja since earlier in the summer, but, understandably, was holding out on making a move until LeBron James had announced his next decision. The Cavs were hoping to land a big fish. Instead, they chose the consolation prize of taking Hezonja on a minimum deal. That’s why this process didn’t advance until James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Does this mean the Cavs will miss out on Hezonja, too? Probably not.

Stein also reported this today:

“Cleveland has yet to formally sign Mario Hezonja but is “working through” the needed steps, one source close to the process tells @TheSteinLine, to make the deal official. Hezonja and the Cavaliers agreed to a one-year minimum deal Sunday after LeBron James chose Philadelphia.”

Real Madrid will argue that Hezonja did not notify them in time of his buyout window. How far they are willing to argue is undetermined. But one potentially simple solution would be paying a fine and sending money back to Real Madrid to settle everything.

The likely report this morning came from the idea if they won't let him leave for the NBA, Hezonja's side may argue then the clause lets him leave but the NBA may disallow it.

The other way to solve this is giving back more money to Real Madrid.

🔗 https://t.co/bPsPGSimOepic.twitter.com/g9hLN8nnfA

— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) July 28, 2026

If you’re thinking this feels like a lot to deal with for a minimum player, you’re probably right. We’d all like this process to be simplified. Still, there’s a chance it’s all handled swiftly and over before we know it.

Shaquille O'Neal doesn't agree with critics labeling LeBron James a ring chaser after his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers, and he pointed to his own career in response.

O'Neal, appearing on the July 27 edition of SiriusXM's "The Stephen A. Smith Show," offered his perspective on James picking the Sixers over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors by equating the choice to one he made at the end of his own NBA career. At the end of his career, O'Neal also signed a two-year veteran-minimum contract with the Celtics to join Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in Boston ahead of the 2010-11 season.

"It's funny to me that people that don't have rings and saying, 'He's a ring chaser,' No. He's continuing to chase," O'Neal told Smith. "He's chasing the chance to continue to be great, to continue to add legacy to his book. Listen, he knows, well he doesn't really know yet, but you know and I know when this thing is over, it's over. You can't come back. Once you retire, once your body says I can't go no more, it's over."

NBA: Ranking the best remaining free agents after LeBron James decision

"This guy feels he has two, three more years left," O'Neal continued. "Why not try to get another championship? I did it. I did it with Boston. After I won three in a row and then won one in Miami, hey, towards the end of my career, let me go play with Paul and KG and be like the fourth guy and rebound and set picks and see if I can win one. And that's what he's doing."

O'Neal's one season with the Celtics became his 19th and final year as an NBA player. He played in just 37 games during the regular season and made just two playoff appearances due to injury.

O'Neal's run with the Celtics was preceded by a one-year stint as a teammate of James with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-10 season. He won three NBA championships in a row with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) and a fourth title with the Miami Heat in 2006.

Why Shaq feels 'sorry' for Tyrese Maxey

Though O'Neal made it a point to defend James in front of Smith, one of James' noted antagonists, the Hall of Fame center and 'Inside the NBA' host also expressed skepticism about how the Sixers' new starting lineup will fit together. He called the roster "fabulous" on paper, but singled out Tyrese Maxey as "the person I feel sorry for" with Jaylen Brown and James added this offseason.

"He came in a regular guy. Joel Embiid was hurt most of the year. Tyrese rose up like, 'Hey, I'm the star. This is my team,' " O'Neal said. "Now you bring Jaylen Brown in. Is he going to take a step back? Not only that, you bring LeBron in, is he going to take another step back? Now Joel comes in shape and he wants to play, (Maxey's) going to have to revert back to being a regular guy. And will that affect him?

"He was becoming a star," O'Neal added, "and sometimes somebody, one or two people on that team is going to have to defer. Defer to who, I don't know. Whether it's defer to Jaylen, defer to LeBron, defer to Embiid, I don't know. But four big-name guys, everybody can't get off every night."

In Philadelphia, James will attempt to become the first player in NBA history to win championships with four different teams.

Even with his concerns, O'Neal was unequivocal when discussing expectations: "It's championship-or-bust for LeBron and Jaylen."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shaq defends LeBron James from 'ring chaser' label after 76ers decision

Now that they struck out on LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors are bringing back one of their mainstays.

The team and forward Draymond Green agreed Tuesday, July 28 to a one-year, $27.7 million contract, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose terms of the deal.

ESPN was first to report the news of Green returning to the Warriors.

The contract is exactly the same amount Green would’ve earned in his player option, which he declined in late June. The arrangement suggests that Green opted out to offer financial flexibility for the Warriors to pursue other players, like James, in free agency and trades.

Golden State, however, could not land James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, after James announced Friday, July 24 he would be signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Golden State also missed out on the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, after the Bucks ended up trading him to the Miami Heat.

What does Draymond Green's deal mean?

In fact, Golden State is the only team in the NBA to not add a player through a trade or free agency this offseason, which represents something of a failure for a team that did not qualify for the postseason.

The Warriors did select former Michigan standout Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 overall pick, but the Warriors will now try to straddle the line between building for the future — with Green at 36 years old, Stephen Curry at 38 and Jimmy Butler (who is coming off a torn ACL) at 36 — and competing right now.

Yet, as the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder remain poised to contend, and as teams like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves remain steady, Golden State’s aging roster may find it difficult to match the play of those squads.

Draymond Green stats

A four-time All-Star and four-time NBA champ, Green averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists across 68 games this season for Golden State. Known for his defensive prowess, Green is a nine-time All-Defensive selection.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Draymond Green contract with Warriors: Details, what re-signing means for Golden State

The New York Knicks are hoping to repeat as NBA champions in the upcoming season, but their job has become a little harder to repeat.

While the Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up to challenge them by trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James, the Knicks are focused on figuring out their own team after losing Mitchell Robinson in free agency to the Boston Celtics.

“The Knicks are still in a good position to defend their title: Nine of the top 10 members of their playoff rotation are returning, and none of their key players appears headed for age-related decline. Still, a team source took a cautious approach when forecasting for next season, warning about the possibility of a championship hangover and noting that the Knicks’ 3-point shooting could regress next spring after they ranked first in the 2026 postseason,” ESPN contributor Ben Golliver wrote.

Robinson sets the tone for the team’s defense, and not having him on the floor will change how every player operates for the Knicks on both ends of the floor. It remains to be seen how the team will adjust, as Robinson’s replacement Andre Drummond is not a plug-and-play type of situation. Drummond will take Robinson’s minutes, but he likely won’t have the same impact on both ends of the floor.

No team has repeated as champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. It’s a difficult feat to accomplish, especially with so many high-octane teams at the top of the heap in both conferences.

The Knicks won’t have it easy to repeat and the second apron is definitely not doing them any favors.

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

Well, we’ve been here before.

LeBron James has once again ducked Northeast Ohio by choosing to sign with a team other than the Cleveland Cavaliers. I think I speak for all of us when I say this left me feeling bummed out.

Not as bummed as 2010. But maybe slightly more disappointed than 2018, when it felt all but certain we’d be entering a dark age of Cavalier basketball following The King’s departure.

This time around is a little different than the other two.

In 2010, James left us all hanging. It felt like the hometown hero was turning his back on us. To this day, the first decision remains controversial in Cleveland. I don’t think that relationship would have ever been repaired if James hadn’t returned in 2014 and eventually fulfilled his promise.

2018 was totally different. By then, he’d already brought a title to Cleveland and done all he could to elevate a lackluster roster to another finals appearance. The 2018 playoff run felt like his last dance in Cleveland. They’d expended all of their resources and met the end of the road. I think most of us made peace with James ending his career somewhere else.

But then hope returned.

Last month, it felt like James might actually make another homecoming. Not only would he close his career with a storybook ending, but he’d be joining a team that actually has a chance of winning the title. This would have been more than a farewell tour. James was the exact type of player the Cavs had been missing throughout this era.

We all know what happened next.

James chose to join the Philadelphia 76ers, stating that this would be the last decision of his career. It all ends in Philly — not Cleveland.

So, now that we’ve laid it all out, we want to know how you feel about LeBron’s decision.

Does this change your view of him? Are you left feeling scorned and betrayed? Disappointed? Or do you have zero bad feelings in the wake of another decision? Let us know in our poll and leave a comment with your explanation!

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to a deal with longtime franchise icon Draymond Green, agreeing to a one-year, $27.7 million deal, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. While Green’s sizable salary may seem larger than market rate, the Dubs are seemingly matching the player option he opted out earlier this offseason. Normally players only opt out of a player option when they know a more lucrative opportunity is waiting, but Green’s close relationship with the organization made him comfortable opting out to give the front office more flexibility to pursue LeBron James in free agency. Green likely would have taken less money to accommodate adding James. However, LeBron opted to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers so the two sides agreed to a deal that is equivalent to if he had opted in. While Green was eligible for a no-trade clause, ESPN’s Anthony Slater clarified that there is not a no-trade clause in the deal.

The news is far from a surprise since everyone expected Green to quickly re-up with the Warriors once James chose the Sixers. The main question was whether the two sides would lean toward a multi-year deal that either included non-guaranteed years or was fully guaranteed but carries a lower average annual salaries. Since there aren’t many premium free agents (if any) left on the market, the Warriors had much less incentive to cut Green’s salary for non-financial reasons. He presumably would have only agreed to a pay cut with more sizable guarantees or a subsequent upgrade to the roster.

Draymond Green is staying home.

The star forward agreed to a one-year, $27.7 million deal with the Golden State Warriors that will keep him in the Bay Area for at least one more season alongside Steph Curry and Steve Kerr.

Draymond Green has agreed to return to the Golden State Warriors on a one-year, $27.7 million deal, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. The contract is the same Green opted out of to give the Warriors flexibility to pursue LeBron James, but the sides land his return Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/Hyf1xruzrx

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2026

While Green was eligible to include a no-trade clause in the deal, there isn’t one featured in the one-year contract. The Warriors reportedly would have given Green a longer-term deal had the team landed LeBron James.

Green declined his $27.7 player option with the Warriors this offseason to give the team financial flexibility, primarily in its pursuit of James this summer. The Golden State veteran was always expected to return, but the team spent the last month wrapped up in the free agent sweepstakes for James.

As a cornerstone of the organization, it appears Green was involved in the recruitment of James. But the 41-year-old ultimately chose to sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Green believes the fear of public scrutiny and backlash from joining the Warriors was a deciding factor in James saying no to the team. The 2015-18 rivalry between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers may have been too much of a hurdle for James to end his career with Curry and Green.

Green is coming off a season where he averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists while shooting 41.8% from the field and 32.6% from three. It marked the first time in Green’s career that he finished a campaign outside the top 10 in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

The forward was drafted by the Warriors as the No. 35 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Michigan State. Since then, Green has emerged as a four-time NBA champion, four-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive First Team, and Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.

Had the Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2016 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Green likely would have won Finals MVP that year. In Game 7, Green recorded 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists while going 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.

He also scored 28 points with five three-pointers in the Warriors’ blowout win over Cleveland in Game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

Green is entering his 15th season in the league and remains a key piece of the Warriors veteran core alongside Curry and Jimmy Butler. Aside from the James sweepstakes, Golden State’s front office hasn’t been very active in acquiring free agents this summer.

Every NBA team has added a new player through free agency or trade this offseason, except the Warriors.

Though, the team has re-signed veterans such as Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Golden State also drafted Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

There are several questions marks surrounding the Warriors as the team competes in a loaded Western Conference, but Green’s deal means the team retains a pillar of the organization.

The 36-year-old has spent his entire NBA career in the Bay Area, and while he hasn’t been as efficient in recent years, Green’s new deal with the Warriors is a sign of loyalty from the franchise.

LeBron James is the most prominent figure in basketball. With that level of fame comes plenty of criticism, but also adulation. Throughout his career, he has developed many close relationships with players around the league.

Warriors star Draymond Green being one of the closest.

Green believes the ongoing discourse surrounding James ultimately dissuaded the 41-year-old from signing with Golden State this summer.

“I ultimately don’t think Bron was ever able to get over the history and I understand it, I get it. What we all ultimately always knew is that’s the hurdle to get over.

“We live in a day and age where everybody who doesn’t have anything to say have something to say,” Green said on his podcast posted on Tuesday.

Draymond reacts to LeBron's decision to sign with the 76ers instead of Warriors

"I ultimately don't think Bron was ever able to get over the history and I understand it, I get it… he's gonna get crushed if he comes to the Warriors, 'ahhhh man you went to team up with Steph'… pic.twitter.com/K5PdHwUIUC

— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) July 28, 2026

“And so, he’s gonna get crushed if he comes to the Warriors, ‘Ah man you went to team up with Steph, ah man you had to go to them.’ And ultimately I think that weighed in on the decision a lot, that played a big role in the Warriors not landing LeBron.”

According to Rich Paul (James’ agent), the decision to reject the Warriors was extremely tough for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

It appears the final suitors in the free agent sweepstakes were the 76ers and Golden State, which is a surprise given the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to have an edge given James had won three of his four NBA championships with the two organizations.

But Green believes James ultimately signed a two-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia after weighing the public criticism he’d receive over joining arguably the biggest rival of his storied career, the Warriors.

From 2015-18, the Cavaliers and Warriors squared off in the NBA Finals four consecutive postseasons. James led Cleveland to its first title in franchise history during an improbable 2016 championship run where the Cavaliers faced a 3-1 deficit.

The Cavaliers won the series 4-3 after a thrilling Game 7 win. At that time, the best matchup in basketball was James versus Curry.

Based on Green’s remarks, it appears the heated rivalry played a role in James’ free agent decision.

NBA fans had witnessed the undeniable chemistry between James and Steph Curry at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Watching the duo stateside would have been magical, but Golden State likely wouldn’t have been a championship team even with James.

In the twilight of his career, James is looking to win a farewell title and Philadelphia presented the best option for him to do just that.

At the turn of the century in Queen City Book Store in Buffalo, amidst dozens of X-Men-tangential series and Tom Lyle’s high-key off-key emo Adam Warlock, there was a skinny self-published-looking collection of short stories and essays called The Nihilist’s Notebook. Maybe drawings, too. The last story ends as a man opens the trunk of his car to show another man the dead body he’s selling him to cannibalize, when an asteroid blazes overhead and crashes down, ending the world.

That juxtaposition was seared into my brain ever since, as was a mystery: does the transgressive leave a shadow in the light of annihilation?

In a big-picture sense, the 2027 Knicks definition of success is no mystery: repeat as champions. But as they now know better than anybody, that’s a long road. The built-in baby-teeth motivation of winning for the first time served its purpose, but winning for the second requires bigger teeth, and sharpening them means chewing on small-term goals along the way. And what triggers our hunger as seductively as the superlative? The taboo?

Until next spring, the question of ultimate success is pending. Once the games count again in October, the Knicks have plenty of reasons to keep pushing. Eight, let’s say.

GETTING AHEAD OF THE JONESES

So it’s hardly 1987, when for the 18th straight season a new champion was crowned. But the NBA’s currently in its most anti-incumbent era since, with the Knicks the eighth consecutive kings of yoink! When the 1988 Los Angeles Lakers became the first team since the Red Auerbach Celtics to repeat, it was kind of a big deal. Maybe not so much after Detroit knocked them off en route to their own repeat. After which Chicago won three straight, which . . . wow, right? Then Houston repeated. Bulls won three in a row again! Spurs blipped, then the Lakers went back-to-back-to-back.

Where was I? Ahh, yes. Believe it or not, if the Knicks were to win it all again in 2027 they’re in pole position to finish the 2020s as the team of the decade. That’d give them ownership of two decades, as they’re also the team of the 1970s, the league’s only other fragmented decade. Think about it. “The ‘70s Knicks” means something; it’s a proper noun, an ethos. Does it work with any other team from that time that won a ‘chip?

The ’70s Blazers, maybe, though for reasons more precious and parochial than cultural. The only team besides the Knicks to win more than once that decade were the Celtics, but unlike The ‘60s Celtics and The ’80s Celtics I’ve never gotten the sense the John Havlicek/Dave Cowens sides made the same kind of impact. Plus they’re the Celtics. So, no.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE FRIDAY NIGHT RUN-THROUGH AT THE LOMAXES

The Knicks have been around since the Truman presidency. There aren’t many heights nor hells this franchise hasn’t known. There are a few weird gaps. They’ve never won 46 games. Or 34. Or 25. Something else they’ve never done: win back-to-back titles.

Their best runs were reaching three straight Finals from 1951-1953, losing the first two to Minneapolis and then Rochester, and winning two titles while reaching three outta four Finals from 1970-1973. Simply repeating as Eastern champs would put these Knicks in a special place in team history. Repeating as NBA champs makes a case for them as the franchise GOATs.

LEAVE THEM OTHER CRABS BEHIND

If NBA teams were 30 crabs, 21 of them are either at the bottom of the bucket or within any number of crabs near enough to drag them down. Two crabs escaped long ago. Three are comfortably perched atop the bucket, looking down on the rabble. That leaves four crabs in-between the muck and the majesty. One is the Knicks.

The Knicks, Heat, Pistons and 76ers née Nationals have all won three championships. Only the Celtics, Lakers, Warriors, Bulls and Spurs have more. If the Knicks win this season, they’ll be all alone in sixth place. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’d give them bragging rights over 24 other teams. More importantly, it’d give us as fans bragging rights over 24 other fan bases. Is that petty? Petty’s what crabs is.

61

A magic number in New York sports. Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961. When 1986 NLCS MVP Jesse Orosco struck out Marty Barrett to win the World Series for the Mets he wore the number 47, but when Orosco broke in with the club in 1979 his first number was 61. The same number Rick Nash wore helping the 2014 Rangers to their first and only Stanley Cup Finals since 1994; Nash followed that up with a 42 goals in 2015. Props to those who remember Orestes Destrade, #61 for the Pinstripes in 1987. Admittedly this is Destrade hitting a home run for the Marlins, not the Yankees, when he wasn’t wearing 61. But it came against the Braves, and the ‘90s Braves went from easy to root for to easy to despise faster than you can say “Sammy Sosa.”

The Knicks record for wins in a season is 60, in 1970 and 1993. This year, they’re the hunted. What better way to stay sharp than to have something to play for over 82 games? Relatedly:

BE THE BIG FISH IN THEIR OWN POND

2013 was the last year Jason Kidd played. Same for Grant Hill. One ex-Knick, one never was, though Hill was rumored to be coming to the Knicks for so long it feels like played here. 2013 was also the last year the Knicks won their division. Droughts are the norm, apparently; the last one before then was 1994.

It’s not gonna get them a banner or anything, but I dunno. I grew up devouring box scores and standings. There’s just something cool about winning as much as you can, period. Divisions mean less ever, probably. I don’t care. It’s there. It exists. Win it. Relatedly:

BE THE BIG FISH IN AN EVEN BIGGER POND

1993 was the last year Michael Jordan played (the first time). Same for Bill Laimbeer. The man who tortured the ‘90s Knicks and the man who tortured the ‘80s Bulls. You probably knew MJ was born in NYC. Did you know Laimbeer was born in Boston? Two men born in two places many consider good enough. Both grew to surpass them — at the direct expense of their birthplace.

1993 was also the last time the Knicks finished the regular season tops in the East. Seems like it’s up for grabs, don’t it? The last two Eastern number ones, Cleveland and Detroit, are stuck somewhere between sad and meh. LeBron or no LeBron, superteams don’t jell overnight, and as long as Joel Embiid is a 76er their priority will always be game 83. Indiana’s never won more than 50 in the Tyrese Haliburton era. Boston? Har. Everybody else in the East? Har-dee-har-har.

There’s something cool about the road to the Finals going through MSG, something that’s only happened in 1953, 1954, 1970, 1971 and 1993. If the Knicks were to face a slate of, say, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia, they wouldn’t have to fly the entirety of the Eastern playoffs. Bet that came in handy last year, when New York went two months flying just once to Atlanta and once to Cleveland, versus San Antonio in the same period flying to the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Denver, Portland, Minnesota twice and Oklahoma City three times.

FIVE’S ALIVE

I was four when I started kindergarten. One morning a boy in my class went up to everybody as we were putting stuff away in our cubbies and asked how old we were. Everyone before me was five, to which he’d respond “Five’s alive.” When I told him my age he sneered. “Four’s a bore.” I was devastated.

1967 brought the Knicks the tail end of the Dick McGuire era and the arrival of a rookie named Cazzie Russell. It also brought a modest improvement from 30 to 36 wins. From such humble beginnings came four consecutive years of improved winning percentages, culminating with 60 wins in 1970 and the championship. If the Knicks win at least 54 games this season, it’d be five straight years, a franchise first. That won’t be on too many people’s minds this year, in the locker room or watching the games. But if they win a 54th game and your window is open keep an ear out for me, hollering with joy.

MIKE BROWN, KNICKERBOCKER TRAILBLAZER

There is somewhat of a chance Mike Brown coaches the Knicks for the entire 2026-27 season. If he does, he’ll move within twentysomething games of Don Chaney and Mike Woodson for the most in franchise history by a Black coach. While eight of the 22 non-Black Knick head coaches (36%) lasted at least three full seasons, 0% of their 10 Black coaches have.

Again: since the Truman administration. 50 years since Willis Reed became the Knicks’ first Black coach. Eddie Donovan, Hubie Brown and Mike D’Antoni all finished comfortably below .500. Brown would need to last two more seasons to approach their tenure. Would you bet that he does? It’s weird we can’t say yes with certainty. Not “weird” as in “unheard of,” a coach winning a title and being canned within two years. Weird as in “especially and peculiarly dumb,” which racists are and racism is.

Sixers trade Broome and 2nd-rounder to Clippers for cash considerations originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers are sending Johni Broome to Los Angeles as a necessary roster tweak following their free-agent deals with LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that the Sixers are trading Broome and a second-round draft pick to the Clippers in exchange for cash considerations. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark confirmed the news. Jake Fischer reported the pick is “the second most favorable of the Sixers’ three seconds in 2027.”

The Sixers needed to remove a player from their roster in order to add James and Caldwell-Pope while staying under the first luxury tax apron. They are hard capped at the first apron because they’ve used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

The trade will put the Sixers at 14 players. That’s one below the regular-season maximum but, again, the Sixers cannot currently fill that spot. The team does have one open two-way contract slot. Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert occupy the other two.

Former Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey picked Broome with the 35th overall selection in the 2025 NBA draft.

The Auburn big man’s game didn’t translate effectively to the NBA as a rookie. A physical player and standout rebounder in college, the 6-foot-9 Broome does not possess much traditional athleticism. Broome was outside of the Sixers’ rotation last season and only appeared 11 times in the NBA. He posted 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for the Delaware Blue Coats over 26 G League contests.

The 24-year-old suffered a right knee lateral meniscus tear in February. He rehabbed the injury and was available to play again by the NBA playoffs. At this year’s Las Vegas summer league, Broome played in three games and averaged 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. 

It’s been one week since LeBron James made The Decision, Episode IV, announcing he would be taking his talents to the City of Brotherly Love by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The old me — a simple man conditioned to look at the NBA one way and the bad-to-terrible Pistons another — would be jazzed for news like this. I love counterculture, moves that stray from the expected and represent something fresh and new.

LeBron with the Cavs for one last ride? Booooooring. LeBron back in Miami? Better, but still boring. It was the Warriors with Steph Curry or the Timberwolves with Anthony Edwards that struck me as the most interesting destinations. The 76ers felt like a longshot, a crazy/weird/fun outcome that would never happen.

Until it did.

The thing about the old days is that none of those blockbuster moves mattered in relation to the Pistons.

The last Earth-shaking move that impacted the Pistons was the Celtics building the Original Big 3 with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Everything since then has had zero impact on Detroit, since Detroit had zero impact on the NBA for so long.

Well, that’s not the case anymore.

The Pistons are coming off a 60-win season and were a game away from their first conference finals since they lost to those Celtics in 2008. With the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron, the 76ers are one of many teams in the Eastern Conference that pushed their chips to the middle of the table.

Depending on your POV, Detroit should have been one of those teams too. I was very open in wanting that big move. Instead, they reportedly swung and missed on several stars and shifted focus to making the roster fit better around Cade Cunningham.

They didn’t bring back the band, but they spun their own version of mid-80s Van Halen, replacing David Lee Roth with Sammy Hagar.

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Admittedly, I don’t think the 76ers are going to win the title this year.

Is that a hot take? I don’t think so.

Taking a ton of high-usage stars as they’re doing and trying to mash them together is going to take a season to iron out. LeBron will fit flawlessly, because that’s just how he is, but Joel Embiid is a black hole. For several reasons, his health at the top of the list, I’m not convinced he’s a player you can win with as a pillar.

I’m interested to see how he adjusts and stays on the floor.

Brown, too, wanted a bigger role in his departure from the Celtics. Now, he’s gone from presumed co-star to third- or maybe even fourth-wheel. I’m more interested in seeing how that dynamic unfolds — and how much shade he throws at teammates and coaches during late-night Twitch streams — as the season plays out.

I think Philly’s year is next year. Maybe LeBron agrees. After all, he did sign a two-year deal. It took two years in Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles to get to the mountaintop. He knows how this goes.

Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the East is now a Beast. The Knicks are the champs, No. 1 in my book until proven otherwise. The Cavs struck out on LeBron and the Celtics swapped Brown for the remnants of Paul George, but both remain formidable.

The Heat and Raptors are rising with additions of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard.

The Pacers are in a similar spot with the return of Tyrese Haliburton.

Even the Hawks, who I was bullish on going into the playoffs but cooled on this summer, are better.

Hell, the Magic didn’t really improve, but I also don’t think they can be worse. The ultimate wildcard in all of this is the Wizards. With No. 1 pick A.J. Dybantsa flanked by fading stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young, they could grab the sixth seed or miss the play-in tournament entirely.

The point is, the East is different. It might be the deepest it’s ever been.

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The Pistons are still good, but their offseason moves don’t seem like ones that will elevate their ceiling. Rather, it feels like they’ve raised their floor.

They didn’t build the addition; they renovated the house.

Let’s ignore the Jalen Duren Situation, because I’m just so god damn tired of it, and pretend he’s back. The Pistons are betting on another jump from Duren and Ausar Thompson. If those two improve — and I’m extremely confident both, specifically Ausar, will — that raises the ceiling.

If someone like Ron Holland finally emerges and graduates from Hustle Man to Bonafide Playoff Guy, then you’re really cooking with oil when you factor in the added shooting of John Collins and Isaiah Joe.

The problem is the Pistons have a lot of ifs. The entire premise of making a leap and winning the East is predicated on a convoluted series of “if this, then that” statements. They’re banking on internal development while the rest of the East bet on external additions.

It’s the same path Oklahoma City took when they lost to the Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals in 2024. The difference is the Thunder saw their deficiencies — needing more shooting + perimeter defense — and addressed them by trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso.

The deal worked out for both sides. OKC got the role player they coveted, and it lifted them to a title. The Bulls still sink, but they’ve gotten two extremely productive seasons out of Giddey — who is shooting it better and averaging damn near a triple-double.

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Building a title contender is not linear. There is no road map.

The Pistons appear done making moves for now, but the real test for Trajan Langdon and the front office comes in February, when they’ve seen 40+ games from this roster and can measure it against the rest of the East.

Every season, conferences shift in ways we don’t expect. Someone will have an Orlando-like collapse. Another will make a Pistons-like leap and emerge out of nowhere. Father Time will finally clip someone else. By the trade deadline, Langdon won’t just know how the core has developed — he’ll know exactly where it stands relative to his peers.

If this same roster — flaws and all — is the group heading into the playoffs in April, then it’s time to rethink how we view Langdon’s patient approach.

Until then, I’m willing to let it play out.