Category: Basketball

As I begrudgingly watched the NBA Playoffs after the Houston Rockets embarrassing effort against the Los Angeles Lakers, it became more and more clear to me that the words 0f the former football coaching legend Bill Parcels were spot on. He once famously said, “You are what you record says you are.”

While the Rockets won 52 games for the second consecutive season, that record was only good enough to put them in the fifth seed in the Western Conference. No one would argue honestly that they were contenders after watching their Round 1 exit. This became clearer after watching both the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks in the Finals.

It’s not as much a talent discrepancy as it is a skillset and structure discrepancy… The Spurs have a plethora of guards, the Knicks gave multiple guards, the Rockets have three guards. Reed Sheppard, Aaron Holiday, and Fred VanVleet. Of those three players, none of them are top tier at creating their own shot, and none of them is taller than 6-feet 2-inches. Of the three, I guess we can call Reed Sheppard the most consistent shooter, but it would be hard to label any of them as consistent.

When it comes to the offensive structure of the teams in the Finals, I watched two teams that were not perfect by any means, but teams that moved the basketball, had players moving without the ball, and with the exception of the Knicks occasionally allowing Capt. Clutch put on his cape in critical moments in the games, there wasn’t a lot of standing around and watching iso ball. If you watched the Rockets this season, then you know there were times that it looked like the Rockets don’t even practice offense. This was especially the case when Kevin Durant was out with injury in the playoffs.

Rockets fans have to ask themselves if at the age of 32 and coming off of a torn ACL is the 6-foot Fred VanVleet going to be enough to transform this team into a high-powered offense? While there is no doubt he will add more structure to the offense, the real issue is he can only contribute to the structure of the offense to the extent that a structure has been put in place by the head coach, and this leads me to what I believe is the biggest shortcoming the Rockets have in comparison to the teams we saw not just in the Finals, but even in the semi-finals.

I watched the New York Knicks fall down double digits in every game of the NBA finals, and I watched Mike Brown and his staff be able to find adjustments that worked. Yes, the Knicks, Spurs, Thunder, and Cavs all had game-plans and looked as if they actually practiced said game-plans ahead of time, but they also were able to deviate from the plan when it wasn’t working, Additionally, when Mike Brown realized that against conventional thought, Jose Alvarado and Jalen Brunson were actually working well on the floor together, he stuck with it and the Knicks made one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history because of it.

Are any of us convinced that Ime Udoka would have sacrificed the defense of one of his main rotation pieces, regardless of how atrocious they were playing offensively, in return for a guy who got hot off the bench? No, in the Rockets scenario their “Jose Alvarado” would be Reed Sheppard, and the role of Josh Hart would be Tari Eason. We were getting Tari Eason no matter how poorly he was playing and no matter how well Sheppard was playing, nearly the entire season.

In Udoka’s defense, that’s probably the right move in most situations when everything is going as planned, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes the Spurs decide they are going to put Wembanyama on Amen Thompson to try and bother him with his length, and instead of having him stand on the perimeter while watching Durant or Sengun go iso on someone, or having Amen go iso against a 7-ft 4-inch extra-terrestrial, you have him set some screens and roll to the basket, or free up Sengun, or Sheppard, or KD with those screens for better looks at the basket? I don’t really know because I’m not the coach of an NBA team, but I do know you don’t keep slamming your head into the wall and wonder why you’re concussed.

One of the most telling things about the Rockets organization, as currently constructed, I observed at a game I saw in person this past season. March 5th versus the Golden State Warriors. My wife and I were invited to watch the game from a suite, which is now my absolute favorite way to watch at Toyota Center now. If you know, you know, but I digress. We both felt really good about the Rockets chances going into the game relatively healthy against a Warriors team that featured no Steph, no Jimmy Buckets, no Porzingis, no GP3, and no Moses Moody. That confidence was massively displaced. The Rockets lost in overtime 115-113, but the score did not indicate how troubling the loss was.

What stood out to me immediately was that the Golden State Warriors play the exact same way regardless of who is on the court. The result is not always the same, but they play the exact same way when Brandon Podziemski or DeAnthony Melton are running the point-guard position as they do when Steph Curry is there. Ball movement, off-ball screens, player movement, running players off multiple screens, penetration into the paint and kick-out to shooters… It looks the exact same because it’s a system. The Rockets defense chased them around all game long and were behind most of the game. The difference in the game? Stop me if you have heard it… Lack of execution down the stretch in crucial moments. One might ask is it lack of execution, or was it lack of a system to execute?

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I want to be very clear. Not all hope is lost for the Rockets, but they have a lot of work to do. For staters, building the roster in a way that allows you to not have to reinvent the wheel whenever a player is out. Having a system that becomes second nature to those in it so that players are playing and not thinking. Coaching that isn’t too stubborn to admit something isn’t working and make a change to what is working on that particular night. Once the Rockets have that then they can focus on gaining the mental toughness required to go through the gauntlet of the Western Conference to even have the chance at an NBA title. Even then, that will only make you a contender, it doesn’t guarantee that they will win it all with the likes of OKC and San Antonio still here and steadily rising. It would however mean that the Rockets would be close, which they are far from at this time.

The Warriors possess the No. 11 pick in this month’s NBA draft.

Who they pick with their highest selection since 2021 could hold the cards to not only the final years of Steph Curry’s career, but the future direction of the franchise.

This week, we are profiling five possible prospects GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. could target.

Starting with Part 1:

Yaxel Lendeborg

Age: 24

Position: Forward

Height/weight: 6-9 / 240

School: Michigan

Why he’s a fit

The Warriors are looking for a player who can impact winning from the get-go, and who better than a consensus All-American from the national champs?

Lendeborg is the prototypical Steve Kerr draft prospect: A four-year college player, a hard-nosed defender and an offensive connector.

He averaged 14.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks after transferring to Michigan, where he became the first Wolverine since Juwan Howard to score 20 points in three straight NCAA tournament games while leading a national title run.

Before arriving at Michigan, Lendeborg was a two-time American Conference defensive player of the year and all-conference honoree at UAB. He tested the draft waters last year but opted for the transfer portal instead, telling the Associated Press that he turned down a $7-9 million offer from Kentucky for a reported $5 million NIL deal at Michigan.

The experience provided Lendeborg more than a big stage and a big payday.

“This year at Michigan was pretty much trial and error with everything I did — press conferences, post games,” he told Mavs.com at the draft combine last month. “I’ve learned what to say, what I can’t say, actions that I can’t do.”

Simply put: Lendeborg is as polished of a final product the Warriors will find at No. 11.

Why he’ll last until No. 11

Lendeborg took a circuitous path to becoming the oldest prospect likely to be taken in the lottery. He didn’t start playing organized basketball until he was 15 years old.

He was cut from his high school team because of poor academics and started his college career at Arizona Western — a JuCo — before beginning his climb up the ranks at UAB.

His age means NBA teams may project a lower ceiling, but Lendeborg could also be seen as a late bloomer whose relative inexperience gives him more room to grow.

NBA comp: OG Anunoby

Lendeborg is slightly undersized for an NBA big man but makes up for it with the largest wingspan-to-height ratio in the draft class — measuring nearly 7-foot-4.

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Rumored Warriors trade target Trey Murphy III reportedly could be more available originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

One longtime rumored Warriors target could be available this offseason.

No, not the superstar in Milwuakee. And no, not the veteran stars in Los Angeles.

Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, who Golden State reportedly has had interest in over the past two years, could be a more realistic option this offseason with New Orleans, who does not own its first-round pick, potentially looking to jump into the first round, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported in a story published Wednesday, citing league sources.

“New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III could be more obtainable in this transaction cycle, league sources said,” Slater wrote. “Murphy is a player the Warriors front office has circled for years as a prime wing who fits a need, the [Steve] Kerr system and, at 25, accomplishes the goal of getting younger.

“The Pelicans have clung to him tightly, but league sources said New Orleans has been signaling a desire to jump into the first round of next week’s draft. The Warriors have the 11th pick and control of their future firsts.”

New Orleans traded its first-round pick this year to the Atlanta Hawks in a draft-night deal last year to move up from pick No. 23 to 13 and select center Derik Queen.

In 66 games last season, Murphy averaged a career-high 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on 47-percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range.

The 25-year-old’s trade value could be at an all-time high, so if New Orleans is open to dealing him, it likely will cost the Warriors a significant package of current and future assets.

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

As the NBA Draft draws near, I thought it would be fun to go on a little journey. I had no idea it would take me to the corners of Basketball Reference and NBA dot com, spending countless hours mining data, comparing players and eras, and learning more about the vast 80-year history of the NBA. What started as a stroll through previous drafts to answer my own simple question became a maniacal quest that has eaten up weekends. But it’s 111° outside, so I ain’t going out there.

Every now and then, I like to disappear down a basketball rabbit hole. The last time I did that, it turned into an entire book as I explored the Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid.

This time, I figured I’d create something I can keep coming back to for years. Whenever the draft season rolls around, and the Phoenix Suns find themselves selecting at a particular spot, I always wonder the same thing: What’s the ceiling of that pick? Who is the best player ever selected there? And so begins my adventure to answer these questions.

The Suns aren’t often drafting first overall. In fact, they’ve only done it once in franchise history, which is 1.7% of the time if you include the 2026 NBA Draft. Considering they don’t control many of their own future first-round picks, there’s a good chance we’ll continue seeing them draft from some interesting positions over the coming years. Perhaps they’ll do something they’ve never done: make a draft selection at 41, 37, 26, 12, or 3. After all, if everything holds true, the Suns will be selecting at 47th overall for the first time ever.

Understanding who might be available at a given draft slot is important. Having historical context is fun too. So with that in mind, I decided to put together a list of the best players ever drafted at every draft position in NBA history. All of them. One through 60.

What follows is a six-part series in which I work through every draft slot and make the case for who I believe is the greatest player selected at that position. In the same breath, I’m dishing out some Suns history lessons as well, as we explore everyone the Suns drafted at that position.

There will be plenty of subjectivity involved. There will be bias. There will certainly be some personal attachment to a few players along the way. And in some cases, there simply won’t be many strong options. Once you get into the back half of the second round, NBA history becomes a strange place. Many of those selections were international prospects who never came over, players who spent their careers overseas, or players who never appeared in an NBA game.

That’s part of what makes this exercise interesting. Some picks are loaded with Hall of Famers. Others feel like a scavenger hunt. Either way, the goal is the same: To identify the best player ever selected at every draft position and create a reference point for future draft nights.

So with that, let’s begin the countdown. From 60 to 1. The best player from every draft slot in NBA history.

60. Michael Cooper (1978)

Honorable Mentions:

• Isaiah Thomas (2011)
• Drazen Petrovic (1986)

Suns Taken at 60:

• Ronnie Robinson (1973)*
• Dwayne Collins (2010)**

*opted to stay in the ABA
**pick acquired from Cleveland for Shaquille O’Neal

How did the Showtime Lakers become so successful? They made all the right moves, which included drafting Michael Cooper with the 60th overall pick in the third round of the 1978 draft. Sure, you can appreciate that Isaiah Thomas was a two-time All-Star and that Drazen Petrovic, a Hall of Famer (the only Hall of Famer drafted 60th), averaged 15.4 points in his tragically shortened NBA career. But Michael Cooper was a five-time NBA champion who played a major role on those teams.

Cooper didn’t do it on the offensive end, where the team was revolutionary. No, he was the steadying wing defender that allowed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be so effective on the interior. Cooper won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and was an 8-time All-Defensive Team recipient. Not bad for someone drafted 60th.

59. Pat Cummings (1978)

Honorable Mentions:

• Jimmy Black (1978)

Suns Taken at 59:

• Matt Gantt (1972)
• John Campbell (1980)*
• Murray Jarman (1984)
• DJ Strawberry (2007)
• George King (2018)**

*pick acquired from Washington for Steve Malovic
**pick acquired from Toronto for PJ Tucker

Wow. 1978, a great year for late-round talent, eh? Well, not really.

The 59th pick has generated a deeper collection of players who carved out meaningful professional careers, just not in the NBA. While it has not produced a Hall of Fame-caliber NBA player, it has produced an NBA All-Star, multiple long-term starters, championship contributors, and several international legends.

The Milwaukee Bucks selected Pat Cummings 59th overall in 1978 and set in motion a solid NBA career that would last 12 seasons. The 6’9” power forward from the University of Cincinnati would play 683 games in the NBA, starting 308. He did so for the Bucks, Mavericks, Knicks, Heat, and Jazz. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. These ain’t numbers that jump off the screen, but at pick 59, I’d taken them. I’d take Cimmings’ longevity and productivity, especially in an era in which he was drafted in the 3rd round.

58. Kurt Rambis (1980)

Honorable Mentions:

• Ned Twyman (1961)
• Henry Bibby (1972)
• Earl Cureton (1979)

Suns Taken at 58:

• Rich Jones (1969)*
• Randy Allan (1974)
• Sam McCants (1975)

*opted to stay in the ABA

“Rambo”, who played for the Phoenix Suns from 1989 to 1992, is yet another late-round steal that assisted in fortifying the Showtime Lakers run. With his iconic goggles and non-stop hustle, Rambis helped the Lakers win 4 championships in the 80s, with his best postseason run being in the 1985 playoffs. He started 19 games for Los Angeles, doing so alongside Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He essentially was the Lakers’ Dillon Brooks of the time.

He’d play 14 years in the NBA, doing so with the Lakers, Hornets, Suns, and Kings. While he had numerous memorable moments, none was more memorable than being clotheslined by Kevin McHale in the highly physical 1984 NBA Finals.

“I would probably be in jail right now if I had been able to do what I wanted to do after he upended me because I was going after him,” Rambis told Michael Cooper in a 2022 podcast interview. “If you look at the tape, I was headed right towards him. Worthy pushes me into the reporters, I ended up falling down, and Larry Bird ends up helping me up. By then, I was too tired to do anything else.”

57. Manu Ginboli (1999)

Honorable Mentions:

• Marcin Gortat (2005)
• Frank Brickowski (1981)

Suns Taken at 57:

• Marcin Gortat (2005)*
• Emir Preldzic (2009)**
• Alex Oriakhi (2013)***

*traded to Orlando for future considerations
**player rights sold to Cleveland
***traded to Sacramento for Isaiah Thomas

Noticing a trend early in this series? Great teams (and Suns’ rivals) have done a stellar job hitting on late-round draft picks. And while the Suns drafted Marcin Gortat in 2005, they traded him to Orlando on draft night. The Spurs? They certainly didn’t trade a man who would come to live in the Suns’ side for 16 years, Manu Ginobili.

Manu was drafted by the Spurs in 1999, but he continued to play abroad, in Lega Basket and the EuroLeague, for three seasons before joining the Spurs in 2002. He entered the NBA as a polished 25-year-old player and instantly made an impact. 4th in Rookie of the Year voting, 3rd in Sixth Man of the Year voting in year 2, and an All-Star in year 3.

Manu was a four-time champion as he played his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 13.3 points while coming off the bench for 67% of his career. He was a two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA Team recipient, and won Sixth Man of the Year in 2008. He is easily the best player drafted 57th overall, and it’s not even close.

56. Amir Johnson (2005)

Honorable Mentions:

• Ramon Sessions (2007)
• Mickey Johnson (1974)

Suns Taken at 56:

• Jerry Everett (1985)
• Chris Carr (1995)
• Kevin McCullar, Jr. (2024)*

*draft rights traded to New York for Oso Ighodaro

We’re still navigating the back end of the draft, so every now and then, we’re going to run into players we aren’t overly familiar with. As I worked through the research and compared careers, Amir Johnson emerged as the clear choice at No. 56.

Selected by the Detroit Pistons, Johnson carved out a long, productive NBA career. Across 14 seasons with the Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers, he averaged 7.0 points and 5.4 rebounds while appearing in 870 games. Not bad for the 56th pick.

The 6’9” big man entered the NBA directly out of high school and built a reputation as a dependable, available contributor. During the 2009-10 season with Toronto, he appeared in all 82 games. Years later, he started nine of Boston’s 14 playoff games during the Celtics’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017.

Johnson was never a star. He was never the face of a franchise. He wasn’t carrying the torch for anyone. What he was, however, was exactly what teams hope to find late in the second round: a reliable NBA player who sticks around for more than a decade and consistently provides value. When you’re evaluating the 56th pick, that’s the standard. And Amir Johnson set it.

55. Luis Scola (2002)

Honorable Mentions:

• Patty Mills (2009)
• Larry Brown (1963)

Suns Taken at 55:

• Kenny Gattison (1986)
• Rodney Johns (1988)

Luis Scola, who spent the 2012-13 season with the Phoenix Suns, was another example of an international prospect choosing to continue his career overseas before eventually making the jump to the NBA.

It was also clear that the San Antonio Spurs had their finger on the pulse of Argentine basketball, as they were the team that originally selected Scola in the 2002 NBA Draft. Rather than joining the NBA immediately, Scola remained overseas until 2007. By the time he was ready to make the jump, his draft rights had been traded to the Houston Rockets.

The move worked out well for Houston. Scola became a steady and productive contributor for five seasons with the Rockets. He played all 82 games in three consecutive years, finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2007-08, and earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Eventually, Houston waived him, and he landed in Phoenix. In his lone season with the Suns, Scola once again appeared in all 82 games before being traded to the Indiana Pacers for Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee, and a 2014 first-round pick.

Now, this one was close. Patty Mills has a very legitimate case to be considered the best player ever selected 55th overall. He won a championship with the Spurs and played 16 seasons in the NBA. But this is where a little subjectivity enters the equation. And maybe a little bias, too.

Perhaps the fact that Scola spent time in Phoenix and that I genuinely enjoyed watching him play influences the decision. That’s part of the fun of an exercise like this. Not every selection is determined solely by accolades and championships. Sometimes, a personal connection serves as the tiebreaker.

And in this case, that tiebreaker pushes Luis Scola to the top of the list at No. 55.

54. Sam Mitchell (1985)

Honorable Mentions:

• Mark Blount (1997)
• Shake Milton (2018)
• Shandon Anderson (1996)

Suns Taken at 54:

• Bayard Forrest (1975)
• Byron Wilson (1993)
• Alec Peters (2017)

Sam Mitchell has an interesting story. He was selected 54th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft, a third-round pick of the Houston Rockets. The Rockets ultimately cut him, which wasn’t uncommon for players drafted that late at the time. So Mitchell took a different path. He headed to the Continental Basketball Association, where he spent the next four seasons. During that stretch, he won a championship with the Rapid City Thrillers and continued working toward another shot at the NBA.

Eventually, that opportunity came. Mitchell made his NBA debut as a 26-year-old rookie with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves, proving that there is more than one path to making it in professional basketball.

From there, he carved out a long and productive career. Mitchell played 13 NBA seasons, retiring in 2002 at age 38. Over that span, he averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds while logging 22.4 minutes per game.

That’s impressive value from the 54th overall pick, especially considering how long it took him to reach the NBA. And his basketball story didn’t end when his playing career did. Many fans probably recognize Mitchell’s name because of what came next. After transitioning into coaching, he won the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2007 as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.

53. Anthony Mason (1988)

Honorable Mentions:

• Emmette Bryant (1964)
• Greg Buckner (1998)

Suns Taken at 53:

• Winston Crite (1987)

When it comes to the history of the 53rd overall pick, there’s Anthony Mason, and then there’s everybody else. Mason was a one-time All-Star, a one-time All-NBA selection, the 1995 Sixth Man of the Year, and a member of the 1997 All-Defensive Team. That’s a pretty impressive résumé for the 53rd pick.

He was originally selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1988 NBA Draft, but opted to spend a season playing in Europe instead. As a result, Portland released his rights. After a stint with Anadolu Efes in Turkey, Mason returned to the United States and signed with the New Jersey Nets. He was waived shortly thereafter, then signed by the Denver Nuggets before bouncing around once again.

Everything changed in 1991 when he landed with the New York Knicks. That’s where my memories of Anthony Mason begin. Those mid-1990s Knicks teams were built differently. They were physical, tough, and fully prepared to turn every game into a rock fight. Mason fit that identity perfectly. The 6’8” power forward was one of the toughest players in the league and a key part of those Knicks teams that routinely battled deep into the postseason.

While New York never reached the mountaintop, Mason’s career continued to flourish. He was eventually traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Larry Johnson and later earned an All-Star selection with the Miami Heat in 2001, averaging 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

When it was all said and done, Mason played 13 seasons in the NBA, appearing in 882 games while averaging 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds.

52. Rasual Butler (2002)

Honorable Mentions:

• Fred Hoiberg (1995)
• Toumani Camara (2023)

Suns Taken at 52:

• Greg Grant (1989)
• Anthony Goldwire (1994)
• Toumani Camara (2023)*
• Alex Toohey (2025)**

*traded to Portland in the Deandre Ayton trade
**draft rights traded to Golden State in the Kevin Durant trade

Oh, pick No. 52. This is one that Suns fans might kick themselves over, at least in a roundabout way, because it’s where Toumani Camara was selected. And while Camara could someday become the best player ever drafted at No. 52, his career is still too young for me to hand him that crown. Instead, the honor goes to Rasual Butler, who stands out in a draft slot that doesn’t offer a ton of compelling options.

Butler carved out a long NBA career, playing 13 seasons with eight different franchises. He was the definition of a journeyman, finding ways to contribute wherever he landed. His most productive seasons came in the middle of his career with the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers. Along the way, he was involved in the massive five-team trade that sent Antoine Walker to the Miami Heat.

There aren’t a lot of accolades attached to Butler’s name. No All-Star appearances. No major awards. No lengthy list of accomplishments. What he did have was longevity. He stayed in the league for more than a decade, carved out a role for himself, and consistently found ways to contribute.

In many ways, that’s representative of the 52nd pick throughout NBA history. You’re usually not finding stars. You’re hoping to find someone who sticks. Rasual Butler did exactly that, which is why he gets the nod at No. 52.

51. Kyle Korver (2003)

Honorable Mentions:

• Corey Brewer (1998)
• Monte Morris (2017)

Suns Taken at 51:

• Dereck Whittenburg (1983)
• Mike Morrison (1989)

As we close out the first installment of this series, we end with a good one. Kyle Korver. The sharpshooter out of Creighton University put together a 17-year NBA career and remains one of the greatest shooting specialists the league has ever seen.

Korver finished in the top 11 of Sixth Man of the Year voting four different times and earned a lone All-Star appearance during his career. He retired with a career 42.9% mark from beyond the arc and was one of the players who benefited most from the NBA’s evolution into a more spread-out, three-point-oriented game.

Four times, Korver led the league in three-point percentage. His most efficient season came in 2009-10 with the Utah Jazz, when he shot an absurd 53.6% from three. Granted, that came on only 2.1 attempts per game. As the league evolved, so did Korver’s role. By the end of his career, he averaged 4.6 three-point attempts per game and served as one of the NBA’s premier floor spacers.

Korver played for six different franchises throughout his career, although his most memorable years came with the Atlanta Hawks. He was part of that memorable Hawks starting lineup that produced four All-Stars in a single season, a rare accomplishment that reflected just how successful Atlanta was during that stretch.

For a player selected 51st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, Korver represents tremendous value. A 17-year career. An All-Star appearance. One of the greatest shooters in NBA history.

That’s it for our journey today.

The back end of the second round is a fascinating place when viewed through the lens of NBA history. Prior to the late 1980s, it was often where teams took chances on international prospects, hoping that one day those players might make their way to the United States and contribute at the NBA level. Then came Drazen Petrovic. Not that international players weren’t being drafted before him, but his success helped accelerate a shift in perception. More and more international prospects began making the jump to the NBA, and the league is unquestionably better for it.

Even so, the back half of the second round remains a difficult place to find meaningful NBA talent. What this exercise has shown us is that the potential is there. You can find long careers. You can find starters. You can even find All Stars. But those players are the exception, not the rule.

Finding value this late in the draft requires patience, development, and opportunity. Talent alone isn’t enough. Organizations have to invest in those players and give them a pathway to grow. That’s what makes draft night so intriguing. Every pick carries a little bit of hope. And every once in a while, a player selected deep in the second round turns into something much more than anyone expected.

Tune in tomorrow as we continue the countdown and explore picks 50 through 41.

The 2026 NBA Draft is on the horizon, bringing one of the most significant dates on the league’s calendar. 

Childhood dreams of making it to the NBA will be achieved. 

Teams will turn draft assets into tangible players who they hope will contribute to winning in the short- and long-term future. 

And in the background, teams will continue to explore the options that’ll help them achieve their goals for 2026-27. 

For the Lakers, who have a first-round pick in the draft (No. 25), the opportunity the draft presents as it pertains to roster building can’t be whiffed on. 

In their pursuit of assembling a roster that’ll be competitive against the 2026 Western Conference champion Spurs and 2025 NBA champion Thunder, the Lakers have two main options for their first-round pick: trade it for a player who’s ready to compete for a title now alongside Luka Doncic or select a prospect whom they plan to develop and hope will help now and in the future. 

If the Lakers choose the latter, there isn’t a shortage of options.

Toward the top of that list, should he be available for the Lakers to draft, is Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance.

Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky big

2025-26 stats (Kentucky): 5 points (57.1% shooting), 5 rebounds, 16.8 minutes in four games

2024-25 stats (Arizona State): 9.4 points (52.5% shooting — 60% on 2-pointers, 18.8% on 3-pointers), 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 29.5 minutes in 24 games

Measurements: 6-foot-9 (without shoes), 253 pounds, 7-foot-5 ¼ wingspan, 9-foot-1 standing reach  

Why draft Jayden Quaintance?

The defensive potential is what makes Quaintance such an intriguing prospect. 

His blend of size, length, athleticism, quick-twitch and strength made him a versatile and formidable defender in college. 

Quaintance can play drop coverage and prioritize protecting the rim with his long arms and leaping ability, as well as switch out on the perimeter and stick with opposing ball handlers because of his coordination, lateral-movement fluidity and quickness. 

And his strength makes it challenging for bigger players to bump him off his spots.

Quaintance’s simply physically imposing: As a rebounder. As a rim protector. As a screener. As an over interior presence on both ends of the floor. 

He’s a forceful player who should be ready for the NBA’s physicality from Day 1. 

It doesn’t take much imagination to envision Quaintance developing into the type of player who can be a rim-running lob threat on one end and defensive anchor on the other, controlling the boards and helping win the possession battle with his knack for steals and offensive rebounds. 

And as one of the younger players in his draft class — he played his entire freshman seasons at 17 years old and doesn’t turn 19 until July — there are reasons to be optimistic about his ability to further develop the passing and self-creation he showed glimpses of in college. 

It’d take development and patience, but Quaintance fits into the archetype of big man Doncic thrives alongside. 

Areas of improvement?

Before focusing on the medical side of things, Quaintance has pretty clear areas of improvement.

His poor free-throw shooting in college (45.2% — 38-of-84) makes it challenging to see him develop into a reliable shooting threat outside of the paint. He made 6-of-32 3-point attempts during his freshman season with the Sun Devils. 

And Quaintance already could use improvement with finishing around the basket and having a softer touch around the rim on non-dunks/contested finishes that require more finesse. 

Outside of taking slow-footed big men off the dribble, he wasn’t much of an offensive creator in college. 

And there’s an overall refinement of his game on both ends of the floor that’ll take time to hone in on — which isn’t surprising considering his age and the fact he played just 28 games/776 minutes in college. 

But the biggest concern about Quaintance, who’s a draft-lottery-level talent, will be on the medical side, which is something teams should get clarity on ahead of the draft. 

He only played 67 minutes across four games with Kentucky during his sophomore season due to swelling in his right knee — the same knee in which he suffered a torn ACL in February 2025 during his freshman year. 

Quaintance told the Lexington Herald-Leader at the combine last month that his knee felt good but wasn’t fully participating in the running, conditioning and “high-impact stuff” activities. 

He took part in his agency’s pro day in May. 

Quaintance will likely be drafted before the Lakers are on the clock with the No. 25 pick. But if Quaintance is available, the Lakers should take a shot on his upside despite the concerns.

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Warriors reportedly anticipate LeBron James will return to Lakers this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LeBron James’ decision on his future remains one of the biggest uncertainties heading into this NBA offseason.

With the 41-year-old superstar not ruling out retirement just yet, several teams likely will jump on the opportunity of landing a future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee on their rosters.

The Warriors have been one of the teams considered to be a likely suitor for James in free agency, but Golden State reportedly anticipates the four-time NBA MVP to return to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Openness does not equal anticipation,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Wednesday, citing team sources.

“All the intel that Warriors decision-makers have gathered continues to point toward James’ return to the Lakers, team sources said, and they are currently plotting their summer under that premise,” Slater wrote.

“The Warriors’ pitch, if the door cracks open, would be simple. They can clear room for the full $15.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel — a team-friendly, low-risk bargain with on-court and off-court financial upside.”

James is coming off a two-year, $101.4 million contract that he signed with the Lakers in 2024 and expired after the conclusion of the 2025-26 NBA season.

The 22-time NBA All-Star selection reportedly is in negotiations with the Lakers, making his return to Los Angeles the likeliest scenario ahead of James’ potentially 24th career season.

However, if the two sides do not come to an agreement, Golden State is expected to enter the sweepstakes to acquire James.

“James is an obvious top free agent target at that price point,” Slater also wrote. “The Warriors could theoretically tack on a second-season player option and get Stephen Curry in on the recruitment process, if required. But they haven’t knocked on that door because they’ve been given any indication it can be unlocked.”

With James’ history of playing with Curry during the 2024 Olympics and friendship with Warriors star Draymond Green, it would make sense for James to join Golden State for another potential championship run.

But with a return to Los Angeles being the likeliest scenario for James this offseason, it might be more difficult now to imagine the 21-time All-NBA selection donning a Warriors jersey at least once before his illustrious career comes to a close.

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Yaxel Lendeborg reportedly impressed Warriors in workout, is ‘obvious' fit originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have a big decision to make with their scheduled No. 11 pick in next week’s 2026 NBA Draft.

The options are endless and the team’s needs extend beyond one player or position, but one prospect in particular has stood out to someone close to the team, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater shared in a column published Wednesday.

“The fit is so obvious,” one team source said about Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who had a pre-draft workout with the Warriors last week.

The 23-year-old expressed the same mindset, detailing how he could see himself helping Golden State from Day 1.

“I would say, like five assists a game maybe to start off,” Lendeborg said after his Warriors workout. “A lot of defense, fastbreak opportunities for me. Depending on if I’m here or anywhere else, my role will be a lot different. But if I was here, I’ll be more like a secondary ball-handler. Whenever Steph [Curry] is taken out of the game, I’ll be there to assist, maybe provide a little more offense or instant offense.”

Lendeborg worked out for the Warriors last Thursday alongside Tennessee center Felix Okpara, Utah State guard Drake Allen, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell, South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson and Ole Miss forward/center Malik Dia.

Lendeborg is the only prospect among the group projected to go in the first round, so, to little surprise, he left a lasting impression on Warriors decision-makers in the building.

Slater added that Lendeborg solidified Golden State’s belief that the 6-foot-9 wing is a plug-and-play frontcourt option, per team sources.

A big reason for that is his age, as Lendeborg will turn 24 before the 2026-27 NBA season. He, nor the Warriors, views that as an issue.

“Lendeborg is 24, a week older than Jonathan Kuminga, the fifth-year wing the Warriors traded in February,” Slater wrote. “Lendeborg’s age, team sources said, doesn’t disqualify him. He’s a real option at the 11th spot. But it will be part of the calculus when the Warriors are on the clock, especially in a loaded lottery where a few intriguing prospects several years younger should fall.”

Last season, Lendeborg led the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1989, averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

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In a pool full of lottery guards in this draft, Mikel Brown Jr. may have the biggest upside of them all when looking at the talent that he possesses. Many look at what he did for Team USA in the U19s, and he was arguably the best player on the floor, even with AJ Dybantsa on the roster. He was able to show some of those skills with Louisville in his freshman year, but a lingering back issue held him back. Outside of the injury, Brown has the intangibles of a strong combo guard coming out of the draft.

What makes Brown stand out from the other projected lottery guards is his size, as he stands close to 6’5 with a 6’7 wingspan. Add his athleticism to that, and you have a guard who can score at all three levels, making it easy to shoot over some of his defenders and also finish at the rim. Brown has a nice twitch in his game that helps him get to the lane, and whether it’s a flashy move or a deceleration, he’s going to find a way to get to his spot.

His ball-handling might be the best in the class, which allows him to create his shot at a high level and score wherever he wants. The most intruging part of Brown’s game is his 3-point shooting, and his green light is undeniable. Whether it was a side step or a step back, he was going to launch the shot if he felt like he had the space. He took close to eight attempts per game and made 34% of them, and though his percentages could be better, the hope is that his decision-making gets better in the big leagues.

Brown’s 3-point shooting came most out of the pick-and-roll, and his quick release allows him to be more dangerous in those situations. In a league where perimeter shooting has become key, Brown can definitely make a difference on any team he goes to, but his upside in that area is why he could be one of the better guards in the draft.

The shooting is nice, but Brown’s playmaking also makes him special as a prospect. He has shown the ability to make simple reads, but he’s also not shy about making advanced passes to his players. He averaged 4.7 assists per game at Louisville, and there’s no doubt they trusted him with the ball in his hands. There are some things to worry about in that front, as sometimes he can try too hard to make the perfect pass, which in part led to his 3.1 turnovers per game.

In the NBA, defenses are only going to get tougher, which might make it hard to decide early on if Brown can be a lead guard in an offense or more of a combo guard.

Brown’s defense will also be something to watch out for, as he has the length to make an impact on that side of the ball, but his frame is what will need to fill out in order for him to take that next level. With his back injury, it might be beneficial for him to grow his lower body, but his upper body will help him against some of the more physical players in the league.

It’s uncertain where Brown could land in this draft: he could either go as early as No. 5, or he could still be there when the Hawks draft at No. 8. If he is still there for the Hawks, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were their pick. He gives the team another ball handler who can create their own shot and offers perimeter shooting, which is the Hawks’ bread and butter.

Good day, Pounders. I was scrolling through social media and found this post:

I remember early in Wemby’s NBA career seeing him enter press conferences with a book. I have asked a few times what he was reading and considered reading along. I found his creating a book club with the Spurs to be on par with his personality.

As a high school teacher, I tend to look for summer activities to keep me from binge watching television for two solid months. So here is my proposal — let’s start a PtR book club.

Who’s with me?

My first proposal is Expensive Basketball by Shea Serrano. Previously I have read his 2017 book Basketball (And Other Things). Serrano’s writing is humorous and informative, hard to put down once you get into his flow. The chapters are short, most are 10-12 pages, so we can break it up over a few days/weeks.

The first chapter of Expensive Basketball is “The Erosive Terror of Tim Duncan,” which seems like a good omen.

If you are interested and have any books to add to the list for consideration, please join in the comments.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

Kristaps Porziņģis, Warriors reportedly have ‘growing momentum' toward new deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With the 2025-26 NBA season officially over, it’s time to shift gears to what is a pivotal offseason for general manager Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors.

One of the biggest offseason questions for Golden State is what the organization will do with center Kristaps Porziņģis. ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Wednesday, citing team and league sources, that the two sides are progressing toward a contract resolution.

“The Warriors, team sources said, want to bring back Porziņģis but prefer it to be on a short-term deal at a reduced rate from the $30.7 million he played for last season,” Slater wrote. “There is growing momentum toward a deal to bring Porziņģis back, league sources said.”

Porziņģis was on an expiring $30.7 million contract and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The 30-year-old originally signed a two-year, $60 million extension with the Boston Celtics in 2024, then was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks in July 2025 in a three-team trade.

Golden State acquired Porziņģis in an NBA trade deadline deal with the Hawks in exchange for forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield in February.

In 15 games and 11 starts with the Warriors, Porziņģis averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

Keeping the 7-foot-2, 240-pound big man would make a lot of sense for a Golden State team that needs more length and size on its roster.

Porziņģis, with his ability to stretch the floor as a 3-point shooter, offers a unique skill set that makes him a solid fit alongside Warriors stars Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.

With momentum building toward a new deal between the two sides, and with Golden State’s front office expressing high interest in a reunion, it will come as a surprise if Porziņģis is not on the Warriors’ roster come next season.

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There have been 75 first-round picks in the long, 80-year history of the New York Knicks.

Some of them have been iconic. Some of them made the Hall of Fame. Some of them went on to be known as something other than a Knick. And, as we all know, a lot of them were pretty forgettable.

There’s an exclusive list of those 75 within Knicks lore. In the first 79 years of the franchise, only eight of them had ever won a title with the franchise that drafted them, all between 1965-72:

Bill Bradley (2nd overall, 1965)
Dave Stallworth (5th overall, 1965)
Cazzie Russell (1st overall, 1966)
Clyde Frazier (5th overall, 1967)
Bill Hosket (10th overall, 1968)
John Warren (11th overall, 1969)
Dean Meminger (16th overall, 1971)
Tom Riker (8th overall, 1972)

But now, as we bask in the glory of the end of a 53-year title drought, a ninth name has been added to the list.

Pacôme Dadiet was born on July 27, 2005, in Aubagne, France, a decent-sized town of 50,000 in southern France, just a few miles from the Mediterranean coast and the city of Marseille. Basketball ran in the family. His older brother, Maxence, represents their dad’s home country internationally, representing Côte d’Ivoire.

As one of the four foreign-born players on the roster, his journey to this moment was a lot different than most. He didn’t go through the American AAU and high school circuits before embarking on a college career, he played for youth clubs as a teenager and built his NBA stock overseas.

In fact, from the age of 6, he played in the Saint-Charles Charenton development program, similar to the way the big European soccer clubs do with young players. By the time he was in his teens, he was rubbing elbows with some of the best young talent in France, including future teammate Mo Diawara and lottery pick Tidjane Salaün.

He moved on in 2020, joining the youth program of Centre Fédéral before eventually joining Paris Basketball in 2021-22, where he was a star for their U21 team at just 16. In that season, he was even recalled for eight games to play sporadic minutes for the premier club in LNB Pro A as one of the youngest players in Europe.

His upward trajectory was stalled when he looked to leave France as a whole, signing with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, but his debut was delayed several months due to a contract dispute. He was also relegated to their farm team, which played in Germany’s third level of competition.

In 2023-24, he finally got a chance to be a regular starter for a strong European club, and while his stats didn’t pop out, he fit the mold of what teams were looking for in an international player: a raw, versatile wing with all the right physical traits.

After Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly went in the lottery in 2023, there was a run on top French talent in 2024, with Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, and Salaün all going in the top 10. Add in the non-French prospects going in the lottery, like Matas Buzelis and Nikola Topić, and the conditions were right for Dadiet to slip into the first round, so after the Knicks traded out of No. 24 (and later No. 26), they decided to use their first first-round pick in three years on Dadiet at No. 25.

The Knicks have had a history of drafting French natives in the first round, a history that has, unfortunately, been pretty bleak. Frédéric Weis is one of the most infamous picks in franchise history, selected 15th overall in 1999 just after the team’s improbable run to the NBA Finals. We all believed in Frank Ntilikina, who was picked eighth in 2017, but he was out of New York after his rookie contract.

It didn’t help that the team’s aversion to the second apron contributed to them drafting Dadiet. He agreed to a buyout with Ratiopharm Ulm to immediately sign with the team instead of being a draft-and-stash, and as such, the team asked him to take just 80 percent of his Year 1 slot value, the absolute minimum, to save $900,000 against the salary cap.

He agreed to the move, one that’s relatively unprecedented, and it resulted in the Knicks being able to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. How about that?

Dadiet had a quiet Summer League, and it was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to play much as a rookie, especially with Tom Thibodeau as coach. He was raw, he wasn’t really ready, and his minutes were limited, even if he was technically in the Opening Night rotation in the 2024-25 opener against Boston, albeit briefly.

In his first two seasons, it’s been more about what he’s done down in the G-League and over the summer. He had consecutive 30-point games down in Westchester in March while occasionally suiting up for the big league club.

Over the last two seasons, Dadiet has only played in 47 games, scoring just 78 points. He’s scored double figures just twice, and one was in a garbage-time barrage in Denver. Even in this postseason, where he’s played seven games and has put up a higher points-per-game average due to just how many blowouts the Knicks had, he didn’t log a minute in the NBA Finals.

He still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, but even as the first two years of his NBA career haven’t resulted in much, he’s made some history.

Because newly drafted players come into the league much younger than they did in the 1970s, Dadiet is the youngest NBA champion in Knicks history, barely beating out his countryman Diawara. He’s not able to buy a drink in the United States until late July.

He’s also added his name to the list of Knicks’ first-round picks to win a title, a list that includes a legend of the game in Clyde Frazier. He also now has a 12.5% chance of becoming a senator like Bill Bradley, if the rules follow accordingly.

Congrats, Pacôme!

–

(P&T will be doing player-by-player article tributes over the next few weeks to commemorate the special team that ended our long, half-century nightmare)

Seeing the New York Knicks become world champions for the first time since 1973 with my own eyes was easily the most chaotic 24 hours of my life — and perhaps the best.

The drama absolutely wasn’t limited to the San Antonio Spurs hardwood as New York’s orange and blue heroes pulled away in the dying seconds to win Game 5, 94-90 in an explosive 16-point comeback.

Diehards who made the last-minute trip to Texas endured travel nightmares — and a share of distasteful fans who didn’t quite extend southern hospitality after the loss.

Bad actors behaved in a deplorable manner, just as pseudo-Knicks fans did terrible things in NYC to Spurs faithful.

I saw a lunatic in a white pickup truck laugh and point a gun at two Knicks fans minding their own business waiting to cross a street — and other New Yorkers told me they got egged like Victor Wembanyama during the finals while in Manhattan, among more stupidity over a damn game. 

What did the group do? They sprayed a bottle of champagne and smoked cigars on the San Antonio Riverwalk as if nothing had happened. 

The duo briefly held at what the driver thought was a humorous little gunpoint incident shook it off right after too. Some true and good-hearted Spurs fans — like the vast majority Saturday were — even waited with them until their car arrived.

No New Yorker cared about the nonsense, which plenty back in the Big Apple were equally, if not more, guilty of that night.

The Knicks were finally kings of the NBA again.

That’s what I’ll remember about my impromptu and haphazardly planned trip, one that cost a pretty penny but was still a discount compared to a good seat at Madison Square Garden.

I don’t care about the 4 a.m. wakeup call and early bird flight to Dallas Saturday, where a good friend of mine drove us the next four hours down I-35 to the greatest live game either of us ever witnessed. 

We stopped at a Buc-ees 146 miles north in Temple and saw several other Knicks fans en route to the Doobie Brothers’ beloved city as part of New York’s takeover. 

After road tripping the four hours back to Dallas Sunday morning, it’s an afterthought that my 3:36 p.m. flight home landed almost exactly 12 hours later at around 3:36 a.m. 

We had a series of nightmare delays, starting with air traffic control issues, then weather, and finally hearing our pilot “rejected” the plane we were supposed to take.

But hey, 12 hours is a lot quicker than 53 years.

More than thinking about the aimless time wasted and changing terminals at Dallas-Fort Worth, my mind goes to the tons of Knicks gear I saw throughout the airport of happy fans heading back home — eventually, that was.

Everyone you passed had a smile and offered a fist bump — high-spirited TSA officers in Dallas gave me a Knicks cheer and high five as well. Plus, I struck up fantastic conversation with fellow fans waiting for the same flight.

I must have heard “are you going to the parade?” at least a dozen times.

We were all overjoyed, chatting about coach Mike Brown’s fabulous core, including the legend himself, Jalen Brunson, who is expected to return next season when the banner goes up at MSG. 

Nobody was thrilled about being stuck, but if you have to be in an airport for hours, doing it with a unanimously united bunch of New Yorkers is the way to go.

Knicks lovers overran the Alamo Saturday afternoon as you couldn’t turn a corner in San Antonio without seeing team gear at Riverwalk bars, restaurants, hotels, or, truthfully, anywhere.

It carried over at the Spurs’ home court inside the Frost Bank Center, where New Yorkers owned the noise factor and booed Wemby during warmups to an almost ground-shaking decibel level. 

Just about my entire section in the rafters was filled with journeying Knicks fans, standing with palpable nervous energy almost the whole game, eager to witness long-awaited history.

I’ll never forget the pure elation on the away crowd’s faces when OG Anunoby hit the title-clinching free-throw with 7.7 seconds to go. 

Seeing the Larry O’Brien trophy hoisted at mid-court was a family affair as owner James Dolan got a fever pitch of electric praise from the huge crowd that remained. 

Strangers in the stands cried, hugged, shook hands and offered congratulations to one another as if it were a personal achievement like delivering a healthy baby or getting a major promotion at work.

If you yelled “Go New York Go New York Go!” on your way out of the arena, 50 voices would send it back.

It gave you chills — and a glow that will last much longer than memories of the grueling voyage there and back.

Two Max, or not Two Max? Celtics face difficult roster decisions originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

As the Boston Celtics plot what the core of their next title team might look like, the pursuit of any marquee talent on the trade market doesn’t necessarily answer the biggest question facing the team. 

Is it still feasible to have two max-money superstars as the long-term centerpiece of a championship roster?

Whether it’s leaning into the familiar superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, or any new-look superstar duo as rumors swirl about Boston’s potential pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics are navigating the math problems created by a prohibitive new collective bargaining agreement. 

The Celtics already felt the CBA squeeze last summer. Boston got ahead of the crunch and delivered the 2024 title season by building a deep and expensive roster. The team is now paying the late fees on that splurge, not in dollars but in diminished depth. Boston had to watch key pieces from that title team walk away, and traded others, to shimmy down off the second apron last summer. 

The Celtics can reset the pesky repeater penalties that make sustained spending nearly impossible by staying out of the luxury tax again this season. That’s a rather annoying hurdle for a team that has superstar players in their prime and yearns to build the best core around them immediately. Stomaching two max contracts — and putting a strong cast around them — becomes easier in the two years after the reset button is hit, but the new CBA is setting up a cycle where it’s basically impossible to splurge for more than those two seasons (teams pay the steep repeater rates for being in the luxury tax in three of four consecutive seasons).

Before last summer’s teardown, the Celtics were staring at a projected $540 million roster cost. Brad Stevens won Executive of the Year, as voted by his peers, in large part due to maintaining a competitive team despite chopping over $350 million off the books.

And while Boston’s younger players thrived throughout the 2025-26 season, and the team displayed unexpected depth while finishing second in the East, the absence of those veteran players was accentuated as Boston came unglued and kicked away a 3-1 series lead against Philadelphia in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

That delivered the Celtics to this latest offseason crossroads. For the better part of the past half-decade, it’s been a no-brainer decision to build the best possible team around the Jays core. Now, Boston has to ponder if that’s still the most prudent path. 

Roster building gets a lot more complicated when two players account for 70 percent of the salary cap.

The question becomes, in what feels like a new parity era of basketball, are teams better off building around one big-money star? And are the most valuable players in the league now the superstars that only command, say, 25 or 30 percent of the cap?

The spotlight on roster building is brighter now in the aftermath of the Knicks’ title season. New York has one max-money player in Karl-Anthony Towns, who commands 34.6 percent of the cap next season. Jalen Brunson only accounts for 22.9 percent of the cap after agreeing to a team-friendly extension in 2024 that could have been far more lucrative if he had waited another season.

Brunson has been celebrated for giving the Knicks financial flexibility, though his decision had plenty of other factors — including injury risk management and the potential to get back to the table and negotiate a true max deal sooner. Undeniably, Brunson’s lower salary has allowed the Knicks to build out a deep roster with OG Anunoby (25.8 percent of the cap next season) and Mikal Bridges (20.3 percent of the cap next season) also on reasonable deals. The Knicks swung big on those two trades and were rewarded. 

New York will start to feel the squeeze of the tax moving forward, particularly if it yearns to keep all the pieces of its championship core. But the construct of the team this past season begs the question of money allocation.

Which brings us back to the Celtics. It’s somewhat maddening that Boston built a homegrown core and is essentially being penalized for those players becoming All-NBA talent. The league should take measures in future CBAs to limit the tax penalties on teams that draft and develop. But that’s not going to solve the current roster riddle.

Neither does trading for someone like Antetokounmpo. The presence of any two max-contract players leaves the Celtics tiptoeing around the tax line this season. They could potentially scale above the tax to start the year, assess their title chances, and plan to dip back below the tax line before season’s end.

But the reality is that Boston — and the rest of the league as well — is now limited in how it can build around two stars, and teams are going to ride a wave of spending to avoid apron penalties and brutal tax bills. 

Whether the Celtics keep the Jays core, or pursue Antetokounmpo or any other max-money star, they will be banking heavily on internal development of younger players. Guys like Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh might need to make another leap beyond the large strides made last season and greatly outkick the value of their current contracts. There are tougher choices about the futures of players like Derrick White (18.4 percent of the cap next season) and Sam Hauser (even at only 6.6 percent of the cap next season). 

The Celtics have access to both the mid-level exception and a big-money traded player exception that could allow them to add impact talent this summer. But just how much they can spend must be balanced against the need to avoid the tax again. It’s a funky jigsaw puzzle, but one that won’t get easier to solve until next summer. 

No one wants to wait, though. Not with the Jays in their prime. Not with Tatum healthier after missing much of last season while rehabbing from an Achilles tear. Not with the Knicks parading around Manhattan with their first title in a half century.

The Celtics have intriguing choices to make this summer. So much of the attention will fall on the names of potential pursuits, especially given the megawatt star power of someone like Antetokounmpo. But this puzzle is bigger than that one piece. It’d be a lot easier to make that sort of move if the Celtics were in position to spend big to maximize what might be a limited window of a player on the backside of his career.

Boston’s path back to title contention hinges heavily on figuring out a math problem that the entire NBA doesn’t quite have an answer to yet.

Warriors reportedly consider Clippers star Kawhi Leonard win-now trade to make originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors could take another crack at pursuing an NBA superstar they targeted before the league’s Feb. 5 trade deadline last season.

Golden State reportedly discussed a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for forward Kawhi Leonard in the final days ahead of the deadline before Clippers team owner Steve Ballmer stepped in and essentially killed any potential deal.

However, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported in a story published Wednesday that, despite Ballmer still firm in his preference not to deal Leonard, the Warriors once again view the seven-time All-Star as the ideal win-now move this offseason.

“Team sources continue to indicate [Leonard is] the type of established wing talent they would pursue in a win-now maneuver, depending on the price point,” Slater wrote. “The problem: League sources said Ballmer has maintained a firm stance against a Leonard trade, preferring to continue building around his star forward.”

The soon-to-be 35-year-old averaged a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game on 50.5-percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from 3-point range in 65 games with the Clippers during the 2025-26 NBA season.

Leonard instantly would provide Golden State with one of the most lethal scoring tandems in the league alongside Steph Curry if the Warriors were to make a deal with their Western Conference rival, but for now, it seems unlikely.

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