Category: Basketball

Eight years ago, Brett Brown memorably said that the Sixers were poised to go “star hunting.” Now they have a bunch of them – including the one he coveted back then.

Brown is 65 now, and six years removed from a seven-year run as the Sixers’ coach – a tenure that took the franchise through the depths of the Process (i.e., that lovely 10-72 finish in 2015-16) to the brink of a playoff breakthrough. (You know the rest. Kawhi. Four bounces. Heartbreak.)

Fired by the Sixers after the ‘19-20 season, Brown returned to his “Spurs life,” as he often called it, once again becoming an assistant coach for the team that had provided him with his first NBA opportunity years earlier.

He has since transitioned into a senior consultant role for the team, meaning he travels often from his Delaware Valley home to San Antonio during the season. At the same time he has the flexibility to go see his son Sam play at Davidson, the younger Brown’s landing spot after transferring from Penn when coach Steve Donahue was fired following the ‘24-25 season.

Oh, and that thing about “star hunting”? Brett Brown said that in June 2018, after a 52-30 season. He was the interim general manager at the time, as well as the coach, and in his mind the Sixers needed another marquee player to complement Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

A month earlier, he hinted at who he wanted (as did Bryan Colangelo, who because of the Burner-gate scandal was fast approaching the end of his time as the team’s personnel chief).

That was none other than LeBron James.

Brown and Co. whiffed on that score, as James, having declined his player option at the end of his second go-round with his hometown Cavaliers, opted to sign a free-agent contract with the Lakers. 

But now, all these years later, LeBron is here.

“I think it’s fantastic for the city,” Brown said over the phone Tuesday night, as he drove with his family to Ventnor, NJ, for some shore time. “I think it’s an endorsement to the players and Nick (Nurse) that LeBron chose them. There’s a lot of great things to be admitted with LeBron’s decision to come to Philadelphia, and Jaylen (Brown)’s trade. It’s real. They’ve got a team that is as good as anybody in the league. We’re always relying on health and luck and all that, but shoot, to start with, they put that group on the floor …”

His voice trailed off.

“And you know what?” Brett Brown said. “Down deep, I’m really happy for Joel. It’s an opportunity, maybe the last, that he can do what I know down deep he wants to do – and that’s to be remembered as a champion. There’s a side of me that thinks like that as it relates to my old days with Philadelphia, and Joel especially.”

Embiid is the only remaining Sixer coached by Brown here. The third overall pick in 2014, Embiid sat out two seasons with foot injuries before establishing himself as a star, and the franchise centerpiece.

Now he is 32, and deep into a career that has been marred by injury and postseason disappointment. He had an excellent team around him in ‘18-19, as Brown’s star hunting eventually led to the in-season acquisitions of Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.

But Embiid now has more talent around him than he has ever had.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Brown said, “one that doesn’t come around very often, if ever.”

It was also a long time in coming. Eight years, in fact.

The champs have been busy this offseason, continuing their media tours with new sponsorships, talk shows, and overall just enjoying the best few months anyone could ask for as kings of their respective worlds.

The extra media attention has given us some pretty cool opportunities at P&T. Kento talked to Karl-Anthony Towns last month, Russ got a chance to talk to the ever-mysterious OG Anunoby, and I got the opportunity to talk to everyone’s favorite glue guy, Josh Hart, as part of his recent ambassadorship announcement with Scouting America, formerly known as “Boy Scouts of America”.

Former Eagle Scout Josh Hart is helping with fall recruiting. pic.twitter.com/BdiVtHXOLl

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) August 20, 2026

Hart was in the Scouts program for much of his childhood, joining it to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Moses, and one of his close friends. He gradually rose through the ranks before putting it off at age 13 as life and basketball started to pick up for him. At 16, he returned to the program at the wish of his father, who wanted him to keep his years-old promise to see things through. Josh eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor, a week before his 18th birthday.

When asked why he decided now to be an ambassador for the program that shaped much of his upbringing, Hart cited what the program meant for him growing up.

“It’s always been an uphill climb in my career, but I’ve always had life lessons that I’ve gotten from scouting, and I think now is a good time to partner with them and try to influence other kids, parents, adults, and tell them, you know, you can do both.”

“You can do sports, you can do arts, you can do engineering, or whatever walk of life you want to do as a kid, but you can also do scouting,” he added. “You don’t have to pick between one or the other.”

I followed up asking him about that sort of balance that he mentioned of being able to do both scouting and pursue things like basketball, as he did growing up. For him, it was about time management and sacrifice.

“The big thing is sacrifice,” Hart said. “There’s going to be times you might not be able to hang out with friends, or there might be times when you can’t go to a camping trip or a basketball camp or a football camp. There’s going to be sacrifices, but as long as you’re good with managing the time and saying, ‘I got to do X for this merit badge; I got to put the work in on the court this week. Let me lock in for this.’ You’ll put yourself in the best position to be successful.”

Scouting wasn’t for me, personally, growing up. I tried it once because one of my close friends was super into it, but it just didn’t stick for me. A lot of people I know learned valuable lessons there, so it was nice to pick the brain of someone who went through the system and has applied what he’s learned to everyday life and, particularly, his role as a “glue guy” in the NBA.

“You have to have that teamwork mentality,” Hart said about applying his lessons in scouting to his basketball career. “It’s not always about you, and sometimes that’s hard to realize, but scouting helps you understand that more and more.”

“You can’t be out on a trail, 15-20 miles from civilization, when someone gets hurt and think about yourself, he added. ” You’ve got to make sure you’re not focused on yourself, but on how you can help this person, how you can help the group, and navigate where you are and the dangers. I think that [scouting] definitely helped with the foundation of being a servant.“

The purpose of this interview was to, of course, bring light to Josh’s Scouting America ambassadorship, but we’d be remiss not to talk ball. I first asked him a question about both scouting and basketball, giving him a chance to make a basketball merit badge, which he said would require being able to “dribble, shoot, have lateral quickness, leadership”, while adding that the latter aspect would be earned through certain game situations. I can think of a guy who’d get this badge quite easily.

We got some physical media attached to the interview opportunity, which came with the following image of Hart doing the Boy Scout sign, which entails raising three fingers on your right hand. See if you can find what piqued my interest here:

The ring finger on his shooting hand was a topic of discussion in Knicks circles all season long, particularly when he had his low points from the perimeter. He underwent a procedure on the finger after the 2024-25 season, but aggravated it during training camp, electing to play through it with a splint all of the following season. With the finger still appearing to be busted, I asked if he had any plans to repair it, whether now or in the future:

“No, I’ll let it go,” Hart said. “At the end of my career, when I’m done hooping, I’ll probably have to get a joint replacement in it, but for now it’s fine.”

He agreed with my subsequent comment about not messing with what’s working, and I can see why. Hart notably shot a career-high 41.3 percent from downtown on reasonable volume, attempting 3.7 per game. Game 2 against Cleveland was a perfect example of how he didn’t let the injury impact his efficiency:

I stayed away from asking about Hart’s contract situation, in which he’s currently eligible for an extension with a team option currently on the books for 2027-28, but I asked about what it’s been like to have stability in New York, particularly after winning a title and seemingly entrenching the core of this team even further.

“When you’re young in the league, you’re trying to prove yourself and have a long career in the league, and that gets harder and harder the more you’re moving around,” he remarked before adding that he was always traded for a star prior to coming to NY. “It’s tough to try to solidify yourself when you’re going from team to team. Before I came to New York, I had six different coaches in my six years in the league, so it was tough.”

“But now, I’m in New York. I feel like I have a home here, and I’m extremely happy.”

Before getting to the good stuff about the championship, I also touched on the slog of an NBA season and how a guy like him, renowned for his tremendous hustle, sticks with it over the course of the season.

“I think it’s family, obviously my wife is a huge part of that, I’m with her almost every day, so she always keeps me grounded,” he said, touching on a few things that keep him in it. “Having close friends on the team—Mikal, JB— me and JB sit on the plane, so we talk about a lot of game or family stuff, so there’s that, but also my faith.”

“Friends, family, faith, those are the three ‘F’s’ that ground me and help me through tough times, whether that’s tough times on the court or off the court.”

His Twitter feed is always entertaining, but what stood out this week was the rehashing of that moment in Game 4, where the Knicks were on the verge of taking their first lead after the 29-point comeback on a steal and a Hart breakaway, but he missed the layup before committing a foul on the other end. After the whistle blew, he sat frustrated on the ground, only for his teammates to help him up and keep him focused on the end goal.

“They just told me to get up and move on,” Hart said about that moment. “Jose, KAT, JB, pick me up. You can see Landry yelling and motioning for me to get up, and I think that just shows the togetherness we had, where it’s like, ‘Okay, there was a mistake, but now let’s regroup, let’s figure out how we’re going to overcome that mistake and persevere in the moment.’”

“I think that just shows the tight-knit culture and team that we had, and I think that’s a big reason why we won.”

Lastly, I wanted to ask him about what it’s been like to essentially achieve basketball nirvana. It was said for decades that when big stars were linked to the Knicks, “Just imagine what winning a title there will do for their legacy.” How they’ll never have to pay for a meal again in the greatest city in the world. To be elevated beyond the pantheon of champions to being forever beloved in the city that never sleeps.

He used that opportunity to talk about what’s it felt to feel that kind of love by directing it back at the fans and seeing what it means to them.

“The thing that’s super cool for me is that about 90 percent of the people that have talked to me about it, they always mentioned either their dad or their son, and I think that’s the coolest thing.”

“You never want to have a 53-year-long championship drought, but that’s generations. There are people who’s dad’s watched 1973 who were waiting for another one and raised their kids to be Knicks fans, and now they watch those games together. It’s so cool, because it really seemed like it just united families; it gave families that thing throughout all of New York, so it was super cool to hear that.”

That part really hit home with me, even as someone who’s too young to have witnessed the Patrick Ewing era, let alone the ancient (in basketball terms) championships in the 1970s. The second the buzzer sounded in Game 5, I immediately hugged my 39-year-old brother, who’s the reason I became a Knicks fan. He was alive for the 90s; he was alive to see all the pain and failure from the 2000s and early 2010s while I was way too young to understand the game like I do today.

It’s really a powerful moment to have decades of heartbreak spill out, and it’s nice to know that the people who provided us with this happiness that some never thought would come appreciate the love the same way we appreciate them for ending a decades-long nightmare.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle posted a video of his summer workout.

Shooting… the focus for @StephonCastle this summer with trainer Olin Simplis! pic.twitter.com/T2aVLnd8cB

— NBA (@NBA) August 25, 2026

The post starts with Castle responding to this question- “What’s been your focus this summer?” His response is that shooting has been a top priority. While working on his shot, he is refining his rhythm.

From there, trainer Olin Simplis takes over explaining what Castle is doing. “Working his pickups off his dribble off the deep ball his gather his shot line.”

Simplis is described here on the “About” page of his Guard Whisperer site:

“Olin Simplis is not just a trainer. He is a development architect. His work sits at the intersection of skill, psychology, biomechanics, character, and pro-level preparation — built across three decades of work with NBA professionals, WNBA champions, NCAA standouts, and elite prep talent.”

Simplis referred to Castle as “the best perimeter player” in a recent interview, praising his constant improvement and conditioning.

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For the Phoenix Suns, roster building has become as much about flexibility as talent. The Bradley Beal trade, followed by his buyout two years later, reinforced how quickly a massive contract can limit both options and leverage. That makes identifying movable deals increasingly important. Phoenix may not have a roster overflowing with trade assets, but it does have a few contracts that could return legitimate value if the front office ever decided to cash them in.

(For the sake of the exercise, any player on a rookie deal will not be included.)

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1. Collin Gillespie

Contract: Gillespie signed a four-year, $48 million contract in June 2026 and will be a free agent after the 2029–30 season.

Despite some struggles at the end of the regular season, Gillespie earned himself the biggest and longest payday of his NBA career this offseason. He averaged 13 points and five assists while shooting 40% from three on seven attempts per game, and his offensive skill set is the type that NBA teams look for when evaluating the guard position. His deal is worth less than the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (MLE) and comes in below those of some of the other top backup guards in the league, such as Dennis Schröder and Jrue Holiday (who is set to come off the bench for the Blazers). Gillespie is also significantly younger than many of them.

While he likely wouldn’t net Phoenix a massive haul in exchange for his services, his year-by-year progress, the need for his skill set and his age make his contract the team’s most tradable.

2. Devin Booker

Contract: Booker signed a two-year, $145 million max contract extension in July 2025. He has a player option for the 2029–30 season.

For any piece of media that contains Devin Booker and the word “trade,” it’s important to reiterate the objective of the piece. This is not meant as speculation about Booker’s potential exit from the team; it’s an exercise examining what the Suns would get in return for a potential deal. While much has been made about the value of his deal, which makes him one of the highest-paid players in league history, he remains an All-Star and one of only two players to average at least 25 points per game in each of the last eight seasons. Still scoring at an efficient level, he’s one of the league’s best shot creators, and the Suns went 8–10 without him in the lineup compared to 37–27 when he played.

The only reason Booker isn’t ahead of Gillespie is because of the history of teams dealing stars. Typically, when teams trade multi-time All-Stars, they’re dealt to teams that are already contenders, meaning their potential asset collections might be a tad smaller than those of other teams. They may also need to provide filler and expiring salaries to make deals work when such large contracts are being traded, like the Pacers did when they included Bruce Brown in a deal to acquire Pascal Siakam in 2024 and the Suns did when they included Jae Crowder in their deal to acquire Kevin Durant. It’s rare that a team gets as much as it gives up to acquire a star, and Booker would likely fall into that category because of his large salary.

3. Jordan Goodwin

Contract: Goodwin signed a three-year, $19 million deal with the Suns in June 2026. He has a player option for the 2028–29 season.

Just like Gillespie, Goodwin signed his deal after a career year and received the largest and longest deal of his career. He made improvements in nearly every major statistical category. A tenacious defender who started the one game he played during the team’s playoff run, he can guard multiple positions despite being undersized. With experience playing alongside major stars such as Booker, Durant, Luka Dončić and LeBron James, Goodwin knows how to contribute when the ball is not in his hands, and his improved three-point shooting over the past two seasons has helped him in that regard.

While he wouldn’t net the Suns a player who would be a surefire franchise changer, his deal positions him as someone for whom the team could get solid value if they decided to move him.

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What did I get wrong?

Draymond believes Klay Thompson would have left Warriors if not for 2019 injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Klay Thompson’s illustrious Warriors tenure ended two years ago, which might have been five seasons after its initial expiration date.

The sharpshooting guard left Golden State to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in NBA free agency two years ago, but according to longtime teammate Draymond Green, Thompson’s departure would have happened much sooner if not for one fateful night.

Green, on the latest episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” reacted to Thompson signing a two-year contract with the Miami Heat on Friday after a buyout with the Mavericks and the narratives surrounding Thompson’s career, specifically that he never was capable of being a true No. 1 option throughout his 15-year (13-season) NBA career, and revealed an interesting Warriors scenario that never came to fruition.

“Everyone tries to make Klay the guy Klay was after the injuries,” Green said. “I won’t go for that. What I will also say is, [it was] highly likely that after the 2019 playoffs, Klay Thompson was going to leave the Golden State Warriors and go be a No. 1 option somewhere. Highly f–king likely.

“Then he got hurt, and so he stayed. But one thing I can assure you, there was a 90 percent chance my brother was going to leave Golden State and go elsewhere and test that No. 1 option thing out. Unfortunately it wasn’t in the cards for him and he got hurt and he never got the opportunity to.”

Thompson famously suffered a torn left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, weeks before he was set to become an unrestricted free agent.

However, even before the injury, there did not seem to be much doubt that Thompson would re-sign with Golden State, so Green’s revelation that Thompson very likely would have left that summer if not for the injury certainly might come as a surprise to many Warriors fans.

Thompson, after missing the entire 2019-2020 NBA season while recovering from the ACL tear, then suffered another devastating injury, a torn right Achilles in Nov. 2020, that sidelined him until Jan. 9, 2022, when he made his long-awaited return to the court with the Warriors after two-plus seasons.

Green believes that because of Thompson’s initial knee injury in 2019, and Achilles injury one year later, his former teammate never had the opportunity to truly prove his capabilities as a team’s No. 1 option.

“So now, in turn, everyone wants to talk like ‘Oh, you couldn’t do it’ like he wasn’t going to,” Green added. “But I study the history, I do the research, and I’m going to appreciate and watch and know the Klay Thompson of 2017, ’18, ’19, he was capable.

“He just never got the opportunity to do the contractual obligations, and once he fulfilled his contractual obligations he faced an ACL and Achilles in back to back years and missed two-and-a-half years of basketball.”

While the consecutive season-ending injuries certainly were a devastating blow to Thompson’s career, the four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star still should be a first-ballot Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer whenever his career does end.

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The Golden State Warriors finalized their 15-man roster by signing veteran forward Georges Niang to a one-year, $3.9 million contract. Niang, who enters his 11th NBA season, brings much-needed frontcourt floor-spacing to Golden State.

Free agent forward Georges Niang has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Golden State Warriors, Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Niang — a career 40% 3-point shooter — enters his 11th NBA season after missing 2025-26 due to injury. pic.twitter.com/XFD2t1XKNm

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 25, 2026

Known affectionately as “The Minivan,” the 33-year-old boasts a career 39.9% mark from three-point range. The Warriors plan to deploy him primarily as a stretch-four off the bench, complementing their core with reliable perimeter shooting and high-IQ veteran depth.

After missing the entire 2025–26 season recovering from a left foot injury, Niang arrives in the Bay Area fully healthy and eager to contribute. He previously posted solid reserve minutes across stints with Utah, Philadelphia, and Cleveland, averaging 9.9 points in his last full campaign.

For Golden State, acquiring a proven 40% long-range sniper on a cost-effective deal serves as a high-value perimeter addition.

Counting down the 10 greatest Warriors transactions under Lacob, Guber: Part I originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A relatively futile summer by the Warriors’ front office has left a vocal segment of Dub Nation rolling its collective eyes in despair, if not disgust. Their highest hopes were kneecapped by the failure to make a move that would stir the fan base back toward faith.

Golden State’s shot-callers, however, maintain belief in the roster they will have when training camp opens in less than five weeks. While no one upstairs is pleading for explicit trust, they would like to think they deserve a chance.

The Warriors on Tuesday made a move toward rebuilding that with the addition of Brandon Williams, a cat-quick guard with an elite first step. It’s not enough to put them near the top tier of the Western Conference, but it makes them a better offense.

How much trust, though, should the front office be afforded? Given the hits and the misses under the ownership of CEO Joe Lacob and co-chair Peter Guber, we examine what we consider their 10 shrewdest transactions since they took ownership of the franchise 16 years ago.

We count down from No. 10 to No. 6 today in Part I, with Part II coming on Thursday:

10) Sign-and-trade deal to acquire David Lee (July 2010)

This was Lacob’s way of announcing himself to the NBA, making a splash before the ink was dry on the league’s approval of new ownership. Golden State was in search of an impact power forward, and Lee was coming off an All-Star season – averaging 20.2 points (on 54.5-percent shooting), 11.7 rebounds – with the New York Knicks.

The cost of obtaining Lee was Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph – the three played a combined 81 games for New York – and two future second-round picks. Then-GM Larry Riley did the grunt work. 

Lee was one of the building blocks behind the Warriors escaping NBA purgatory, as he averaged 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over 327 games. He became in 20213 Golden State’s first All-Star in 16 seasons (Latrell Sprewell, 1997) and was a significant rotation member on the franchise’s first championship in 40 years. 

9) Trading for Jimmy Butler III (February 2025)

After winning 12 of 15 games to open the 2024-25 NBA season and then losing 12 of 15, the Warriors needed a roster upgrade. They spent January straddling the mediocrity line (.500) when second-year general manager Mike Dunleavy went shopping.

After Kevin Durant, toiling in Phoenix, expressed no interest in rejoining Golden State, Dunleavy turned to a former teammate: Butler, a veteran forward who had become a malcontent in Miami.

The cost of obtaining Butler was Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a top-10-protected first round pick in the 2025 draft. Also departing in what was a four-team trade were Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III.

Butler made an immediate impact, joining with Stephen Curry to lead the Warriors to 23-8 record over the final 31 games, second only to eventual champion Oklahoma City in the West.

The hope is that Butler, rehabbing a surgically repaired torn right ACL, can return by midseason.

8) Trading for Andrew Wiggins (February 2020)

KD left after three seasons. Klay Thompson was rehabbing after ACL surgery. Curry sustained a broken hand in Week 1. The 2019-20 season was a disaster before November.

Durant did the Warriors enough of a favor for them to bring in DeAngelo Russell, a defective guard who was allergic to defense. He was, however, a talented scorer. That was enough of a lure for then-GM Bob Myers to engineer a trade that became thievery.

The Warriors obtained Wiggins along with a 2021 first-round pick (used to select Jonathan Kuminga) and second-round pick later moved, with Russell, Jacob Evens III and Omari Spellman going to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wiggins came to Golden State and soon shed the label of being an underachiever. He was a solid two-way wing who in 2022 made his first All-Star team. Moreover, he was the star member of Curry’s cast as the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals.

7) Trading for Andre Iguodala (July 2013)

After four consecutive losing seasons, Golden State reached the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2007. The No. 6-seed Warriors upset Iguodala and the third-seed Denver Nuggets in the first round and put a scare into eventual champion San Antonio in the conference semifinals.

Iguodala was impressed enough to become a free agent bound to leave the Nuggets, who responded with a sign-and-trade deal that gave him a future by the Bay. Myers oversaw a deal that acquired Iguodala for Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush and four future draft picks.

This was a huge win for two reasons. One, the Warriors obtained an athletic wing who was a stellar defender and possessed leadership qualities. Two, the move signaled that Golden State’s status within the league had risen enough to become a destination.

Iguodala was a four-time champion whose jersey now hangs in the rafters at Chase Center.

6) Trading for Andrew Bogut (March 2012)

The Warriors quickly realized they needed to improve their defense even if it meant sacrificing some offense. Lacob and Riley decided at the trade deadline to break up their dynamic but small backcourt featuring Monta Ellis and Curry.

Golden State considered moving Curry – true story – but ended up trading Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks for Bogut, a 7-foot center who was a terrific defender and passer but struggled with injuries.

For the first time since they were coached by Al Attles, the Warriors had a defensive presence. Bogut missed the rest of the season but played 67 games in 2013-14 and again in 2014-15. He was the anchor of a defense that was an unappreciated aspect of the 2015 championship.

Lacob one week after the trade was showered with boos at Oracle Arena for trading a fan favorite for a man in street clothes. Three years later, those boos were replaced by a championship parade. He got the last laugh.

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With the departure of Jaylen Brown, it seems like a no-brainer: Payton Pritchard will be a starter next season.

But let’s not forget that prior to Jayson Tatum’s return last season, Pritchard ceded his starting role to Baylor Scheierman after starting 47 out of the first 48 games. At the time, it was a move made in an effort to replace Anfernee Simons’ scoring in the second unit after he was traded for Nikola Vučević.

Now, Brown is in Philadelphia, but his spot will presumably be filled by the player he was traded for, Paul George. So unless PG13 is that veteran punch off the bench, it would seem reasonable to assume that the six-year pro might be part of the opening lineup.

Or maybe, he returns to the same role that earned him Sixth Man of the Year in 2025.

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Recently, CLNS Media and CelticsBlog’s Bobby Manning sat down with PP to discuss early workouts with teammates new and old and what he’s looking forward to next year.

Individually, Pritchard wants to reach the free throw line more often in 2026-27. As a team, they want to make better reads while maintaining their hard-playing identity.

“That’s the biggest thing, and we need everybody to take a step,” he said. “Regular season wins, you win by playing hard and then in the playoffs, you win by playing harder and smarter. That’s really the recipe.”

If more free throws is one of Pritchard’s goals, it might make sense for him to enter the first quarter with opposing teams in foul trouble. He hasn’t been much of a foul grifter to date, but with just two more years left on his team-friendly contract, a boost in his numbers could land a bigger payday, regardless if he starts or not.

Assessing Warriors' Georges Niang signing to complete team's 15-man roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

At long last, the Warriors’ 15-man roster for the 2026-27 NBA season was completed on Tuesday. 

The Warriors went nearly two months without making an outside move, aside from their two draft picks. On Tuesday, they changed course and added not one but two veteran players to round out the roster. 

Point guard Brandon Williams agreed to a one-year contract in the morning to start off the day. Hours later, veteran forward Georges Niang came to terms on a one-year contract in the afternoon. The Warriors, for the first time since their 2021-22 championship season, are going into the season with a full 15-man roster. 

Yet the real number is 13 as Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody will miss at least the opening months of the season rehabbing from injury. 

Niang being the final touch to the Warriors is a reunion of sorts nearly a decade in the making. He spent training camp with the Warriors in 2017 after playing 23 games for the Indiana Pacers as a second-round pick the season before. Niang then played 26 games for the Warriors’ G League affiliate in 2017-18 and averaged 18.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game with a 42.1 3-point percentage. 

Last season, Niang, now 33, didn’t play at all. 

He missed the entire 2025-26 season after fracturing his foot in September. Prior to a missed year, Niang was a reliable forward who could stretch the floor at a high clip. Over 79 games between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks in the 2024-25 season, Niang shot 40.6 percent from 3-point range.

Niang in his past seven seasons has been a 40.1-percent 3-point shooter on 4.3 attempts per game. His offensive traits as a passer and knock-down shooter at an elite level from the corners make Niang an easy fit for Steve Kerr. 

Now that the Warriors’ 15-man roster is settled a month ahead of training camp, let’s first break it down by groups, starting with guards.

The group consists of Steph Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Williams, plus Gary Payton II defensively. The Warriors’ wings already are behind the curve without their top two in Butler and Moody. Will Richard is more of a wing than a shooting guard, but the Warriors’ biggest hole is clearly at the 3. 

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg likely will play a lot of small forward because of Butler and Moody’s absences, though he’s naturally a power forward. As is Draymond Green, Gui Santos and Niang, as well as Payton offensively out of the dunker spot. 

A center trio of Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Charles Bassey completes the puzzle. There still will be scenarios where Green plays center, but he shouldn’t have to as much, and he should be surrounded by more size. Horford can play with Porzingis, and Bassey believes he can complement them both.

Unlike years past, the Warriors can throw size on the court while spacing the floor. They have six players at 6-foot-4 or under, including LJ Cryer on a two-way contract, but going down the line of Lendeborg, Green, Porziņģis, Horford, Santos, Bassey and Niang is new kinds of length Dub Nation is not used to. 

And almost all are at least threats from long distance, minus Bassey and Green for the most part. 

Defensively, the Warriors will need Melton to be at his best guarding on the ball. They will need Lendeborg to be better than what he showed in summer league. They will need Payton to be even better and Green to be at his best just enough. They will need Frank Vogel to be as important of an addition as anybody this offseason. 

Curry offensively will continue needing to be heroic as ever. Who his main sidekick will be as Robin waits is everyone’s best guess. A rotation of sorts is the first answer. If that’s enough is the wait-and-see of this all. 

Bringing in a player like Niang who missed all of last season easily looks like another red flag when it comes to health. Last season also sure looks like an outlier for Niang, who rarely missed games in years past. The Warriors are hoping for a glass-half-full approach for a handful of players. 

It starts with Steph, who got a long offseason to get his body right. So did Draymond, his longest tenured teammate. Melton finally had a summer without rehab, and same with Podziemski after undergoing two surgeries a year ago. Horford gets a normal offseason where he can be around the Warriors from the jump instead of the start of training camp. 

Seen internally almost as an offseason addition, Porziņģis, starting with his team debut, played in 15 of a possible 27 regular-season games (55.6 percent), compared to just 17 of the Hawks’ 53 games (32.1 percent) earlier in the season. 

Nobody is going to see the Warriors as favorites. Inking Williams and Niang wasn’t going to change anybody’s mind about that. The two are positives off the bench and add more balance throughout the roster. 

Staying afloat and riding the waves as opposed to letting them crash and sink the ship is the game the Warriors will be playing in a little less than two months when the season opens in Los Angeles.

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Great Britain's men's basketball team have turned to the NBA in their bid to progress into the full qualifying rounds for the 2029 EuroBasket campaign.

The side, led by Newcastle Eagles head coach Marc Steutel, has been able to name three players in his squad who are either current or recent players in the world's top domestic league for this week's double-header against Switzerland and Slovakia.

Boston Celtics centre Amari Williams is part of the squad, as is power forward Tobi Lawal who was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks earlier this summer.

Another addition to what is, on paper, the strongest GB squad in some time is forward Tosan Evbuomwan. The 25-year-old has this summer joined Barcelona following three seasons in the NBA and its reserve G-League.

"With every squad selection, you want to try to make sure that you are getting the balance of the most talented players available," Steutel told BBC Sport.

"Because of where our players play and the restrictions that has at times, it's not always as straightforward on the outside as people may think.

"We feel really excited about this group for sure."

The trio make up three quarters of the four most recent British players to feature in the league, alongside OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks.

Great Britain enter the second of three preliminary qualifying rounds for the 2029 EuroBasket tournament. They face both Switzerland and Slovakia home and away across three international windows in August, November and February.

Should GB finish top of the group, they will enter full qualifying for EuroBasket. Failure to do so will see them enter the final round of preliminary qualifying next year.

How have GB been able to land NBA players?

For Evbuomwan and Williams, 24, this double-header on Thursday in Switzerland and then at home to Slovakia in Newcastle on Sunday is set to mark their GB debuts at senior level.

But how the duo have been able to sign up for the latest fixtures is all about timing.

Four of GB's six first-round qualifying matches for the 2027 Fiba World Cup were in November 2025 and March 2026, which clashed with the NBA season.

But with this window opening in between NBA seasons, as well as those of its European counterparts, the stars aligned for Steutel and his team.

"In the season, guys in the NBA [and] the EuroLeague, we struggle to get. There's very little ability to be able to do that," added Steutel.

"We're right before the start of the season and our general manager has done an incredible job communicating with the Boston Celtics.Tosan is closer to home now with Barcelona.

"They've both been really supportive and want those guys to play, so [we're] really excited."

GB's coaching staff have long craved the opportunity to be able to cash in by adding recent NBA players to their squad.

Dan Clark, who featured at the 2012 Olympics alongside two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng, is now GB's general manager and has stayed in contact with Newcastle-born Evbuomwan and Williams, awaiting the opportunity to be able to call on the duo.

"It's not just a 'this window' thing, it has taken years," explains Steutel.

"Tosan is someone who I've known for a long time and I've followed his journey. He's someone who has communicated really well with us and Amari likewise. Dan Clark has been communicating with Amari for years.

"We're able to get the timing right now and get them in a GB jersey. It's great for the team, but I think it's great for British basketball on the whole."

'To have our debuts at the same time is special'

While the journeys of Williams and Evbuomwan from English upbringings to reaching the NBA have differed in some ways, the crux of their stories is the same.

A school year apart, Evbuomwan moved to Princeton University in New Jersey in 2019. A year later, Williams made a similar move to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Both were starting their basketball journeys that would ultimately tee up their senior international debuts.

"It was something I've been trying to do since I moved away to America seven years ago," said the Nottingham-born Williams, who was drafted by Orlando Magic in 2025 and traded to the Celtics.

"To have the opportunity to do it this summer is something I've been looking forward to."

Evbuomwan added: "It's exciting. All of us being able to commit to this window.

"Me and Amari talk a lot and it is something we have talked about for a while. For us to have both our debuts at the same time in the same window is special."

There is an added homecoming for Evbuomwan when GB face Slovakia on Sunday. It is being played at the Vertu Arena in Newcastle, the home venue of the Eagles, for whom he previously played at youth level.

Evbuomwan added: "Very meaningful. Being able to represent your country is one thing. Being able to represent your country in front of your family and friends is a bonus."

'We'd love to see Anunoby in a GB jersey' - Steutel

Across the three international windows in August, November and March, Great Britain, Slovakia and Switzerland will each get a window each of playing two matches.

GB have theirs this week and will want to take advantage of the star power available to them before the domestic season restarts.

But moving forward, there is another name Steutel and his supporting cast would love to add in OG Anunoby.

The 29-year-old was a key man for the New York Knicks as they won their first NBA title in more than half a century in June.

A two-time NBA winner, Anunoby is also eligible for the United States and Nigeria, having yet to play international basketball for any nation at senior level.

Great Britain remain hopeful of one day getting the London-born forward in their ranks.

"Our general manager is in communication with OG and his team," said Steutel.

"His season went way into the summer, winning the championship and playing a lot of basketball. Unfortunately, the timing is not right on this window - but we hope so.

"Our qualification now is for EuroBasket 2029 and we hope we can get there. It is a long way away. But he's someone else we'd definitely love to see in a GB jersey."

Another Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony has just come and gone. While that means we’re still several months away from when next year’s class will be announced, we are a few steps closer to it, when several Nets could have a shot being immortalized forever in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Newbies

Neither Mike D’Antoni nor Amar’e Stoudemire will be remembered for their brief stints as Nets assistant coaches, but they did contribute to some of the most exciting basketball we’ve seen from the organization in recent years.

D’Antoni operated as an assistant coach under Steve Nash during the 2020-21 season, where Brooklyn was a toenail away from the Eastern Conference finals, and likely more. Stoudemire also served under Nash that season and for the 2021-22 campaign. Congrats to the both of them.

Guys with Fair Cases

With the aforementioned inductions now completed, there are 247 players currently eligible to go into the hall next summer. Of that group, there are 11 former Nets ranking in the top 50 for total win shares. There’s no bonafide, correct metric to judge a player’s Hall of Fame candidacy on, but we’re going to roll with that to narrow things down.

Second in win shares is Buck Williams (1981-1998), who has as good of a case as anyone, and his jersey hanging in the rafters at the Barclays Center. He played for the Nets from 1981-1989, making three All-Star teams, four All-Defensive teams, and one All-NBA team. He also won rookie of the year in 1981.

Before LaMarcus Aldridge (2007-2022) played the last two years of his career in Brooklyn, he made seven All-Star and five All-NBA teams. He’s fourth in win shares among the aforementioned 247-man crowd of candidates. Jason Terry (2000-2018) is 15th, and another player who spent the latter years of his career in the borough. He’s got an NBA title and the 2008-09 Sixth Man of the Year award to his name.

Further down the list we have Paul Milsap (2006-2022), who appeared in just 24 games for the Nets during his final NBA season. He also made one All-Defensive and four All-NBA teams. P.J. Brown (1994-2008) ranks 26th in win shares. He played his first three years in the NBA with the Nets before moving on to make three All-Defensive teams and win a title with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics. The late Clifford Robinson (1990-2007) is only two slots behind him. He played the last two years of his career in New Jersey, but snatched a Sixth Man of the Year award, one All-Star, and two All-Defensive team nods before that.

Things round out with Anthony Mason (1988-2003), who played his rookie season with the Nets before later making an All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive team, along with the 1994-95 Sixth Man of the Year award. Sam Cassell (1993-2008) made an All-Star, an All-NBA team and won three rings, all after the Nets traded him in 1999 following one and half seasons with the franchise.

You all know Richard Jefferson (2001-2018), who has the 42nd most win shares on this list after spending the first seven years of his career with the Nets. He made an All-Rookie team and was a valued role player when the Cleveland Cavaliers won it all in 2016. Joe Johnson (2002-2022) is right behind him, having made seven All-Star teams and an All-NBA one. He was a Net from 2012-2016. Then, we have Blake Griffin (2011-2023), who’s a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA player, and the 2010-11 Rookie of the Year. He played two seasons in Brooklyn from 2021-2022.

Newer and Noteworthy, but Weaker Cases

There are also a few other notable players who’ve recently attained eligibility and at one point or another donned Brooklyn’s black and white. Neither of these two players broke the top-50 in win shares, but they do have cases to be argued if you position them right.

Goran Dragic (2008-2023) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Slovenian basketball players of all-time. He also made one All-Star and one All-NBA team. He earned the 2013-14 Most Improved Player of the Year award, nine years before he’d join Brooklyn for 16 games to close out their 2021-22 season. Jamal Crawford (2001-2020) has as interesting of a case as you’ll find. He never made an All-Star or All-NBA team, but did win three Sixth Man of the Year awards, tied for the most with Lou Williams.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame candidates are often announced in stages starting in December. Final inductees are typically unveiled in early April.

An interesting long shot

Kyle Hines works for the Nets organization as assistant player development coach in Brooklyn and assistant GM in Long Island. He never played in the NBA, but the Naismith Hall of Fame honors not just those with league credentials, but those who are among the best to ever play the game. Hines, who turns 40 next week, played 16 seasons in Europe, dominating the continent until he retired in 2024.

Here’s a compendium of his accomplishments while playing in Italy, Germany, Greece and Russia: four-time Euroleague champion, six-time Russian League (VTB) champion, three-time Italian League champion as well as rings in the Greece and German leagues. Individually, he was named to the Euroleague All-Decade team and the Euroleague 25th Anniversary team as well as the Russian League Hall of Fame. Three times, he was named the best defender in Europe, etc. etc.

A native of Sicklerville, N.J., outside Camden where he founded the Team Hines 42 Foundation, he played college ball at UNC-Greensboro. In other words, he checks all the boxes.

Everyone knows that the Brooklyn Nets tank was driven by a poor offense. There were nights when they couldn’t buy a bucket and other than Michael Porter Jr., there was no reliable scorer on the roster.

But as Brian Lewis writes Tuesday, the defense wasn’t any good either.

The Nets had the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league last season at 118.2. All of the bottom-eight squads ended up going 26-56 or worse besides they Bucks, and they had the advantage of riding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for much of the season. Almost without exception, lousy defense means losing kjyrbasketball.

Now, following a number of off-season moves, particularly with the trade for Julius Randle and the signings of Keon Ellis, Moe Wagner and Josh Minott, the team appears to have improved in physicality and the ability to disrupt their opponents’ offense, two areas where the Nets were particularly wanting. To be sure, we’re not talking about any All-Defensive team candidates, but with so much of the Nets rebuild, it’s incremental.

“Being a disruptor, that’s what our team is going to be known for, that’s what we want to be known for,” Sean Marks recently told The Post. “That’s the style with which Jordi and the coaches want to play, whether you’re playing out of position, whether you’re helping your partner out there, you’re scrambling to make up for it.

“But I think a physical brand [of defense is needed], and we brought in players who are physical. So that’s what we want to see. That’s contagious. And our rookies will learn from them having — the sophomores, too — having to go through that every day in practice. And then you go out there and do it for 82 games.”

Lewis also cited some positive numbers put up by Minott and Ellis. After coming to Brooklyn, Minott’s steal percentage ranked in the 98th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. As for Ellis, his steal percentage ranked in the 94th percentile in 2024-25 and in the 96th percentile for the Kings last season before being traded to Cleveland, where it fell to just 83rd percentile.

The Post writer argues that defense was also critical to the Nets choice of promising defender Mikel Brown Jr. over the “defensively-challenged” Darius Acuff at No. 6 in the June Draft.

The Nets also have installed Day’Ron Sharpe at the starting center position replacing Nic Claxton sent to Chicago in the three-team deal that brought Randle to Brooklyn along with Joshua Jefferson, the No. 28 pick. Marks spoke about how Sharpe, who had the Nets top individual defensive rating last season deserves the chance … and a new contract that will pay him $20 million over the next two years.

“From [Sharpe’s] standpoint, it’s an opportunity, right? And Day’Ron deserves that opportunity,” Marks said. “He’s put a lot of work in over the last couple of years. You can see the physical changes, you can see the confidence with which he’s played with.

“He’s been in our gym really religiously all summer long already. So he knows what’s ahead of him. And he knows the expectations that he’s put on himself. So again, excited to see — not only for Day’Ron, but for a lot of guys: Do they seize this opportunity?”

The Nets did lose some rim protection in the switch but as Lewis also points out, Claxton finished the season at the opposite end of defensive spectrum from Sharpe with the worst individual defensive rating (other than the departed Cam Thomas who left at the trade deadline.) Might the Nets give Noah Clowney back-up minutes at the 5 to take advantage of his 7’2” wingspan and shot-blocking potential? He seemed to show that ability back in April 2024 when he had games of seven and four blocks within a week. But like a lot of his game, he’s failed to show consistency, his career average only 0.6 blocks per game. Of course, he’ll have an added incentive. He becomes a restricted free agent in July.

Physicality should also be an area of improvement with the addition of Randle and Wagner in particular. Both are known as tough guys.

As Lewis reports, there’s a lot of enthusiasm for Ellis, the rangy 6’4” 26-year-old who played for Jordi Fernandez in Sacramento … and who the Nets signed to a two-year, $18 million contract, a nearly 400% jump in salary over what he made last season.

“There’s definitely familiarity with Keon,” Marks said of the relationship between Ellis and Fernandez. “And I think what we saw from Keon a couple of years ago was a young man that came into the league and obviously surprised some people with just the pace at which he played with, the poise, but also being a disruptor out there on the defensive end of the court as well.

“So for us, adding somebody that there’s a familiarity with, a young guy that fits our timeline and he’s played in big games, big moments and so forth.”

Ellis appreciates the kind words, but notes defense is a team concept.

“I think it’s just about the effort,” Ellis said. “I go out there and I just try to make it tough on guys. At the end of the day, you’re playing against the best players in the world. They’re going to score, they’re gonna get to their spots. You’re gonna have bad defensive games, you’re going to have good defensive games. But I just think the mindset of every night just trying to do the right things, be in the right spots, and just attack the gameplan, I think that’ll help everyone accomplish the goal.

“I’m not the greatest defender ever, but with team defense, everyone’s on the same page, that kind of helps everyone a little bit better. I think just me coming in, I’m more of a lead-by-example kind of guy, so I think just me going in and playing hard, that’s what motivates the next guy to go just as hard.”

• How the Nets can play to their strengths and improve their dreadful defense ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post

As the countdown for the NBA season approaches, the predictions and projections will start to follow. And ESPN started things off with a bang.

They kicked off their week-long preview of the season with their prediction of each team’s record. In what should hardly be a shock, not only did they predict the Lakers to drop in the standings, but they also predicted a pretty significant drop in wins as well.

Here’s their projected standings for the West this season.

1. San Antonio Spurs (62-20)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22)
3. Denver Nuggets (51-31)
4. Houston Rockets (51-31)
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (50-32)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)
7. Portland Trail Blazers (43-39)
8. Phoenix Suns (42-40)
9. Golden State Warriors (35-47)
10. Utah Jazz (34-48)

For those keeping track at home, that’s an eight-win drop. There’s a scenario where this would be understandable given the roster turnover. But the same logic doesn’t seem to have been applied across the board.

The Nuggets lost Peyton Watson, made no notable additions to a team that flamed out in the playoffs, but will win more than they did last season? The Wolves have massive questions about their roster after trading away their starting frontcourt and bringing in LaMelo Ball. They’re projected to win more this season.

The Blazers have more point guards on their roster than the Lakers have people vying for ownership of the franchise, but are projected to win seven more games this season. And none of this accounts for the fact that the Lakers saw both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves miss significant time.

You can pick and choose your discrepancies up and down these standings, but it feels like the Lakers were one of the only teams in the West punished in the standings. Again, a drop in wins could be argued given their own roster turnover, but it just feels like they took a chunk of wins out of the Lakers to account for so many other teams improving without applying the same logic.

ESPN’s preview will continue next with predictions of the major awards. I’m going to go on a limb, given the standings above, that Luka isn’t going to be viewed too favorably in that either.

At least they’re not projecting the Clippers above them anymore.

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