Category: Basketball

Why?

Because you just can’t get enough Johnny Dawkins.

On Thursday, we looked back at Johnny D’s masterful play against Notre Dame in 1986, where he blocked David Rivers at the buzzer to preserve a one-point Duke victory in Cameron.

This play is from his NBA days with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He hits a clutch shot here to boost the Sixers past the Portland Trailblazers, 104-102. Dawkins had 23 points and 10 assists. He was a terrific player before injuries caught up to him.

Also on the Sixers: former Blue Devil Mike Gminski, Charles Barkley, former NC State star Charles Shackleford, and Manute Bol. It must have been an amazing locker room.

Also in the game, but we didn’t spot him here: Alaa Abdelnaby, who was with the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland also featured Maryland star Buck Williams, who is wearing the goggles. You’ll see him guarding Bol.

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The Warriors’ rival report has it’s final opponent in the crosshairs down in L.A. but it ain’t the Lakers. The Clippers are the one Pacific team whose offseason can’t really be graded yet, because the trade that defines it hasn’t actually closed. Before Golden State gets to the part of the summer where every team’s roster feels settled, it’s worth checking in on the one division rival still waiting on the league office to tell them who’s actually on their team.

On paper, the moves are straightforward enough. Quiet business: re-signings, a small trade for center Johni Broome, a two-way deal for center Jamarion Sharp. The one that actually reshapes the roster is the deal sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, along with a package of picks. Everyone covering the team, from beat writers to fan sites, has spent July writing rotation projections that assume this trade is basically done.

It isn’t. The Clippers and Raptors agreed to it on June 30. Nine days later, both teams announced it was on hold. The Clippers built a roster the league hasn’t signed off on yet. The holdup is an NBA investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap to pay Leonard, tied to a since-collapsed endorsement deal with the company Aspiration.

"If I'm the Toronto Raptors, I'm finding a way to get up out of this deal. I'm finding a way to back out."@KendrickPerkins does not want the Raptors to go through with the trade for Kawhi Leonard 👀 pic.twitter.com/48mEzgXXdn

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 30, 2026

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported that the case could stretch into 2027 if the Clippers and the players’ union can’t agree on any findings or proposed punishment. Commissioner Adam Silver has said the investigation needs to wrap before next season starts, but has also acknowledged it’s already gone on longer than he’d hoped. The union has said it won’t hesitate to fight any penalty it sees as unsupported by evidence, and the Clippers have maintained from the start that they never funneled money to Leonard at all.

Meanwhile, basketball analysis has largely moved forward as though the trade is inevitable, projecting Brandon Ingram into the starting lineup and Gradey Dick into the wing rotation before the league has approved any of it. 213hoops’ Robert Flom took the more grounded approach, and it’s probably the more useful one for a fan base trying to figure out what to actually expect this season.

Flom placed the Clippers somewhere in the 9-to-12 range in the West regardless of how the roster shakes out, clearing only the Kings and Pelicans with real confidence. He projected a win total anywhere from the low 30s to the mid 40s, called this the first Clippers season since 2018 without real playoff expectations, and suggested that’s actually not the worst thing, since it might make the year more fun to watch without the pressure of a playoff push riding on it.

So the Clippers enter the season with two different stories running at once. One is a basketball team quietly preparing for a future built around Brandon Ingram, assuming the trade becomes official. The other is a franchise waiting on a law firm and a players’ union to decide whether that trade, and the season built around it, is even allowed to exist as constructed.

Every other team in the Pacific spent the summer answering questions about its roster. The Clippers are still waiting to find out what theirs officially is. Until the league closes the investigation, every projection comes with an asterisk. The Warriors won’t know exactly what they’re preparing for until the NBA decides which Clippers roster is actually allowed to exist.

Victor Wembanyama returned to Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, France, where he played basketball as a teenager. He was there as a guest of honor in the unveiling of a refurbishment to the basketball court.

Victor Wembanyama at the new court ceremony in Nanterre, France. Even catches a lob from a young fan #nba#porvida#sanantonio#gospursgo (via The Manila Times) pic.twitter.com/6e4eFZfyby

— JeffGSpursZone (@JeffGSpursZone) July 30, 2026

Per a Spurs press release:

“The San Antonio Spurs revealed a newly refurbished basketball court in Nanterre, France, commemorated with a youth basketball clinic and appearance from Spurs player Victor Wembanyama. Presented by Ledger, the court is part of the Spurs ‘Play Paris’ program, which was launched in 2025 in honor of the organization’s continued commitment to inspire the next generation of elite athletes and provide safe, accessible play spaces across France.“

R. C. Buford was also on hand for the ribbon cutting and the center court logo reveal. The Spurs along with Ledger have launched the “Play Paris” initiative in 2025, a program built to inspire the next generation, provide access to play and create a lasting legacy within the community.

“The opening of this court reflects what Play Paris is all about – honoring legacy and creating opportunities for young people to come together through basketball. Nanterre has helped shape France’s basketball culture in a meaningful way, and we’re proud to invest in spaces where the next generation can continue to develop, build confidence and feel connected to the game that unites us globally.”

This is sick https://t.co/ILBBH0HuoBpic.twitter.com/sCNjiDr1dZ

— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) July 30, 2026

The court design features Nanterre 92’s signature green and black. The court is open to the public and will host tournaments, youth clinics as well as free play.

Ariel Wengroff, EVP of Marketing & Communications at Ledger stated,

“The best partnerships are built on shared values, and this court is proof of that. Ledger is a French company with a global community — when the Spurs came to us with the Play Paris initiative, supporting a project rooted in our home country was an easy yes. We’re proud to help bring this space to life for the young athletes of Nanterre, where they can build the confidence and wellness that are the foundation of any bright future.”

Raphael Adam, mayor of Nanterre, succinctly linked the partnership stating,

“Ever since you welcomed a child from Nanterre, an unbreakable bond has been forged between our city and the legendary NBA franchise, the San Antonio Spurs. This court stands today as a symbol of that connection—a source of pride for Nanterre and its residents.”

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Keeping it moving here on the rival report here at GSOM, we’re working through the Pacific Divsion to give a shout out to the moribund Kings. Sacramento is still one of the first teams the Warriors have to solve every season. Before we start obsessing over whatever superteam the rest of the league built this summer, it’s worth looking one exit down I-80.

This is a math problem, and Sacramento has spent three years trying to solve it.

Here’s the full inventory of Sacramento’s 2026 free agency activity: they waived DeMar DeRozan and Isaiah Stevens, they let Russell Westbrook walk without a fight, and they signed Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler to two-way deals. That’s it.

Meanwhile the rest of the West is trying to level up. Sacramento enters the season with the league’s tenth-highest payroll, five players making more than $20 million, and more than $80 million tied up in Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine alone. One veteran minimum contract pushes them into the tax.

Kings post DeMar DeRozan

Includes his $10M salary for 2026-27

Sacramento is $1.8M above the luxury tax

They have $3.85M in unlikely bonuses counting against the apron pic.twitter.com/6tIhzFUnRg

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 6, 2026

Ian Goodwillie framed the whole non-approach as the smart play rather than the desperate one:

Basically, the Kings likely have to wait until Zach LaVine’s current contract finishes at the end of the 2026-2027 season. Then, nearly $50 million of cap space opens up, and Sacramento can start making moves on the open market. They’ll also have to hand out some extensions to existing players.

For now, Sacramento will have to work with what they have. The Kings have drafted well the last couple of years, made solid trades and signings that will help, and continue the rebuild from there. Once the big-money contracts are gone, they’ll have a strong foundation to make moves from.

The Kings’ inaction isn’t a front office standing still out of confusion. It’s a franchise that understands the math doesn’t work yet, and won’t for another year. Rather than take on bad money just to say they did something, Sacramento is banking on the summer of 2027 and everything happening now is just runway toward that moment.It’s hard to argue with that logic as crossing the first apron this year would’ve meant trade restrictions and buyout limitations on a team that’s nowhere near contending anyway. Why pay the penalty for a rebuild you haven’t finished rebuilding yet?

Ethan Minton took a different angle on this dilemma and quite frankly it’s the one that should actually worry Sacramento. His argument wasn’t really about the money. It was about whether anyone with options would ever pick Sacramento in the first place:

Sacramento has the 23rd-largest population among NBA cities. It doesn’t have the nightlife of Miami, the big-city feel of New York City or the ocean-view high-rises of San Francisco. For young, up-and-coming stars, Sacramento is not the most desirable location. Another reason free agents haven’t tended to pick Sacramento is the culture. The Kings have made the postseason once over the last twenty seasons. A string of poor decisions on draft night and questionable trades by the front office have forced the franchise into a perpetual state of losing.

That’s the split worth sitting with. One writer sees a temporary cap problem while the other sees a permanent market problem. Whether Sacramento is right or wrong won’t really be answered until 2027. The Warriors don’t have that luxury. Their championship window is happening now, which means every game against a team choosing tomorrow over today still counts exactly the same in the standings.

Let’s get back to the Warriors’ divisional rivals out in the big blue Pacific, continuing with the Suns. I previously broke down their draft day strategy and now we’re talking what happened after free agency. Phoenix is the team that ended the Warriors’ season last spring, in a play-in elimination game that still stings a little to write about. Before Golden State worries about the teams that got flashier over the summer, it’s worth checking on the one that already has a recent win over them.

The Suns had a quiet, disciplined offseason right up until they didn’t. GM Brian Gregory re-signed Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Mark Williams, added shooter Luke Kennard in free agency, and traded up in the first round to grab Arizona forward Koa Peat. Smart value contracts, a rotation kept mostly intact, a promising rookie added on the cheap. On paper, that’s a near-perfect summer for a team trying to build without a real cap advantage.

Then they traded an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, along with Royce O’Neale, for Miles Bridges.

That single move is doing all the heavy lifting in how this offseason gets remembered. Everything else Phoenix did was the responsible version of team-building. Bridges is the swing for the fences.

CBS Sports Sam Quinn Gives The Suns A D Grade For Their Miles Bridges Trade:

“I’m giving the Suns a D, the theory for them is that they think Miles Bridges is a better player than I do.” pic.twitter.com/fHitsYXVbR

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) June 29, 2026

Ben Leibowitz of the Valley of the Sun posted this:

“But now, the Suns are moving forward with Bridges. The 28-year-old veteran has never made an All-Star team in his NBA career, but many Suns fans were (rightfully) more critical of Bridges’ off-court indiscretions. His history of domestic violence, chronicled by longtime NBA reporter David Aldridge, would make anyone with a conscience cringe.“

Despite his past, the Suns’ front office gave up a lot to acquire Bridges even entering a contract year. For most of the summer, Phoenix behaved like a team willing to win around the margins. If Bridges plays like the difference-maker the Suns believe he can be, nobody will remember the quiet work that came first. If he doesn’t, that unprotected 2033 pick becomes the only move anyone talks about. Either way, this is still the core of the roster that ended Golden State’s season in the play-in last spring. The Warriors won’t have to wait long to find out whether Phoenix’s biggest gamble made that team any better.

Top 5 defense in Phoenix next season anybody wanna bet me

— The Voice ❤️‍🩹 (@swaveyxquis) July 24, 2026

Out of curiosity, I wondered when was the last time the Phoenix Suns won a title. A quick Google search told me they had been to the NBA Finals three times and had never won it all. If I was a betting man, I’d wager the house that this ignominious streak shall absolutely continue in the next year. Still, the Warriors are gonna see this team alot this year during the regular season and will have to figure these guys out if they want to make headway in the West.

Right after the draft and before free agency I wrote a series talking about what the Golden State Warriors divisional rivals had been cooking up. It’s time to take it to the next level and talk about what these foos did after that.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a team the Warriors have to worry about ever year in the Pacific Divsion, but this summer that team doesn’t have LeBron James anymore. Before Golden State gets lost in its own offseason business, it’s worth understanding what LA actually built to replace him.

The short version: they gutted the roster and reloaded around Luka Doncic. Rui Hachimura is gone, as are Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes. In their place, general manager Rob Pelinka landed center Walker Kessler, guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton, frontcourt additions Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney, wings Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, and first-round rookie Cameron Carr.

Kessler is the move that defines the whole offseason, for better or worse. LA gave up two future first-round picks and two pick swaps to get him, then signed him to a four-year, $130 million deal. Everything else this summer was complementary. Kessler is the bet.

Magic Johnson believes this is exactly what a post-LeBron reset was supposed to look like. The Lakers legend has been posting his approval on X since the moves started landing, and his read is straightforward. Johnson wanted this roster to get younger, faster, and more athletic around Doncic, and he believes the front office delivered exactly that.

I said this offseason the Lakers had to get younger, more athletic, and faster, and they did just that.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 27, 2026

Gabe Vincent
Taurean Prince
Cam Reddish
Jaxson Hayes
Christian Wood
Re-signed Rui Hachimura
Re-signed D'Angelo Russell
Re-signed Austin Reaves

Lakers offseason. 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/IA9iVYV7k1

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 6, 2023

Defensively Kessler os a legitimate rim protector, Thybulle is a two-time All-Defensive presence on the perimeter, and Sexton and Grimes as players who bring real skill sets to the wing. however ESPN’s Zach Kram isn’t nearly as sold. His grade for the offseason landed at a C+, and the reasoning cuts right at the roster’s actual math.

The Lakers might have been the busiest team of the summer. But did all that activity make them better, or were they merely running in place?

“Of the top seven Lakers in playoff minutes this spring, the newly extended Austin Reaves is the only player still on the roster. He, Luka Doncic and Kessler form a strong three-man core. But the Lakers now have one of the NBA’s weakest forward groups, a glaring hole at backup center and almost no remaining draft assets to trade after giving up a haul for Kessler, who has never really played a meaningful NBA game.“

Soooo getting busier this summer isn’t the same as getting better eh? Hmmmm I feel like the whole offseason comes down to one question: does replacing LeBron with seven useful players actually leave you with a better basketball team?

LeBron’s production isn’t getting handed to one player. It’s getting spread across a franchise. Doncic can be the offensive engine. Is it arrogant to suppose that a team would lose a late stage LeBron James and then get immediately better? Has any team immediately got better after Bron left? Then again, Doncic might just be that dude and with Reaves alongside him, it might be enough to terrorize anybody on a given night.

Maybe this roster looks complete two years from now. The Warriors only care about the version showing up this season, while seven new rotation players are still learning how to play together and a post-LeBron identity is still under construction.

Darryn Peterson came into the NBA touted as the best shooter in the draft, with the potential to be more as a lead guard. That potential became very apparent in Peterson’s first game against the Washington Wizards when he showed off an incredible crossover that left Jamir Watkins stumbling.

DARRYN PETERSON ANKLE BREAKER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oLJcfW7Z2W

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) July 10, 2026

It turns out that crossover might have been more devastating than we thought. It turns out that this crossover actually tore Watkins’ ACL.

Wizards wing Jamir Watkins underwent surgery today to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, a team source told @TheAthleticNBA. Watkins, who is on a two-way contract, suffered the injury during the Wizards’ NBA Summer League opener. He could miss the entire 2026-27 season.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) July 30, 2026

Obviously, you hate to see that for Watkins, and all the best wishes for his full recovery. For Peterson, it just shows the upside of what he can do on the floor. Peterson has consistently proven his doubters wrong. In high school, Peterson had the ball in his hands a lot and had some up-and-down three-point shooting numbers. Coming into Kansas, that was the big question: could he shoot the three? Coming into the season for Utah, the biggest question has been how his body would hold up and whether he could play guard. He answered that by staying healthy and showing off a wicked crossover. We’ll see how Peterson continues to develop, but one thing is for sure, don’t count him out in any way, he has consistently proven any doubters wrong.

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors trade for Kawhi Leonard remains in limbo.

Leonard’s seven-year tenure with the Clippers appeared to be over after he was traded to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, June 30.

The Raptors were going to send forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033), two second-round picks (2030, 2033) and a 2027 first-round swap to Los Angeles.

Instead, both teams have put a halt to the trade, citing an ongoing investigation.

Leonard, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, and Leonard's uncle/advisor Dennis Robertson are being investigated for their alleged involvement in a “no-show” agreement with a company, Aspiration, to funnel extra compensation to Leonard as part of a salary cap circumvention.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated on July 14 that he expects the investigation to be concluded before the start of the 2026-27 season. Silver and the NBA are not conducting the investigation and instead using a third-party law firm.

ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported earlier this week that the investigation into the Clippers and Leonard could carry on into 2027. If the investigation were to carry on into the upcoming season, Leonard could be back in a Clippers uniform.

“I can’t comment on the specifics of the investigation, but what I can say is we did not do what we are accused of doing,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers' president of basketball operations, saud on June 23, a week before the trade was announced. “The investigation has had no impact on how we go about our business. We just continue to go about our business as normal.”

Do Raptors still want Kawhi Leonard?

The Raptors are not ready to officially welcome Leonard until a decision is reached regarding the investigation.

The organization released the following statement on July 9:

“Regarding our planned trade with the LA Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, the NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi.

In light of this, we will wait until the league's investigation is complete.

The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans.”

Toronto doesn’t want to be stuck in a situation like the Miami Heat found themselves in with Terry Rozier.

The Heat traded for Rozier, and he was out of the league a year later as a result of federal gambling probe. Rozier was initially charged with wire fraud and money laundering in the Eastern District of New York in December and was given two new charges this May of of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.

Will Clippers welcome Kawhi Leonard back?

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shared on the network’s show “NBA Today” that the Clippers would be fine with having Leonard back on the team next season.

The genesis of the trade happened because the Clippers were not willing to extend Leonard’s contract beyond the upcoming season, according to Shelburne.

Leonard is scheduled to make $50.3 million during the final year of his contract.

What’s Brandon Ingram thoughts on pending trade?

Ingram was named as an NBA All-Star for the second time in his career this past season. He played in 77 games in his first season with the Raptors, averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 33.8 minutes per game.

Marc J. Spears stated that he spoke with Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group, about Ingram.

"It's a business,” Spears said while sharing Paul’s comments on the show. “Brandon knows it's a business. He's fine either way."

Ingram will make $40 million next season. He has a player option for the 2027-28 season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clippers-Raptors Kawhi Leonard trade remains on hold: Where things stand

The Golden State Warriors seem very excited about rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft who won Summer League MVP. That’s a marked change from their feelings after interviewing Lendeborg before the 2025 draft, a meeting in which he was “acting like a jackass.”

Lendeborg had just finished two seasons at the University of Alabama-Birmingham last spring and was torn on whether to enter the NBA draft. He didn’t help his case for being pro-ready with flippant answers about his habits, ones that Lendeborg admits were bad before transferring to Michigan for his final college season,

“I was like, damn, I did that bad?” Lendeborg told Anthony Slater. “But thinking back I guess my answers weren’t as professional. Just giving honest answers like, ‘Yeah, I’m BSing in practice. Yeah, I’m not doing my job in games, but I’m performing.’ I guess I didn’t really give out the good vibe.”

We’re assuming he improved on those answers before this draft, while also improving on his approach to playing basketball. Lendeborg claims he didn’t practice hard enough, sleep well, or watch enough game tape until playing for Wolverines coach Dustin May, now coach of the Dallas Mavericks. That last one was the key to Lendeborg charming Steve Kerr after the Warriors coach quizzed him about his own game tape.

“I pretty much gave all the right answers,” Lendeborg said, which is good because, “I was BSing” probably wouldn’t have flown with Kerr.

For his part, the Warriors coach has gushed about Lendeborg’s “natural feel” for basketball, his pass-first attitude, and his personality, where, “There’s no filter.” At no point anywhere in the profile does he call Lendeborg a jackass, dingbat, numbskull, knucklehead, doofus, or a ding-dong.

Lendeborg specifically charmed Kerr and other Warriors officials when they went to dinner at Draymond Green’s restaurant, and watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks came back from 29 points down to shock the San Antonio Spurs. Lendeborg was the “life of the party.”

What might have also convinced the Warriors decision-makers is seeing the Knicks, a team relying on a group of rangy, defensive-minded wing players around an undersized, scoring point guards, take down the Spurs. Lendeborg looks to be the type of player that has become hugely valuable to the Knicks and other NBA teams, and been noticeably absent on the Dubs roster.

And now he even goes to bed on time and works hard in practice! I bet he even makes his bed every morning, like James Wiseman.

Yaxel Lendeborg used to be a jackass. But he’s not anymore. No more glass houses, white Ferraris, living for New Year’s Eve, slacking off in practice, sleeping during film sessions, horsing around in draft interviews, or sloppy steaks at Truffoni’s!

People can change.

Jamir Watkins will likely miss the 2026-27 season after surgery Thursday to fix a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left, according to media reports.

Watkins, the Wizards second round pick in 2025, is signed to a two-way contract and would probably have shuttled between the Wizards and the Capital City Go-Go depending on team needs. The 25-year-old wing injured the knee during team’s summer league game against the Utah Jazz when he appeared to slip and immediately grabbed his knee.

Watkins returned to that game and totaled 20 minutes before missing the rest of summer league.

It’s theoretically possible he could be back on the floor this season — athletes are returning to action in 6-9 months, though sports medicine experts indicate it can take a full year to regain full strength.

The technical term for this news: it sucks. While Watkins didn’t figure to be a major part of the team’s rotation this season, he’s a quality defender and blast of energy every time he steps on the court.

Hopefully he’ll be able to work on his shooting during the rehabilitation period.

Watkins, by the way, had a decent rookie season for a second rounder. His 63 PPA wasn’t great (in PPA, average is 100 and higher is better), but he held his own over 1,032 NBA minutes last season. And that PPA score was the team’s best score among rookies — Tre Johnson scored a 61, and Will Riley 57.

Strengths for Watkins last season include disruptive defense and rebounding. He was above average in steals and blocks per possession, and the team was routinely bad (as opposed to historically bad) on defense when he was out there. And, the 6-6 wing averaged 9.0 boards per 100 possessions, slightly better than league average for all positions.

To earn a bigger role when he returns from injury, Watkins will need to shoot better (just 29.7% on threes last season) and foul less (6.0 fouls per 100 possessions).

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr appears content running it back with the same core as last year.

According to ESPN NBA reporter Anthony Slater, Kerr said the Warriors were “wise” not to mortgage their future for short-term upgrades.

“[Sometimes] not making a move can be the best thing to do for your future,” Kerr said. “And you keep stacking up good moves and eventually you pounce when you’re ready.”

Kerr was referring to the Warriors being reluctant to acquire top-tier talent during the offseason, as they missed out on acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, and Jaylen Brown.

On Wednesday, Logan Murdock of The Ringer reported that the Warriors had an opportunity to trade Jaylen Brown, but elected not to.

On July 15, Kerr was seen driving down the Las Vegas strip after an NBA Summer League game. A group of fans approached him and asked if the Warriors were going to sign James, to which Kerr responded by saying, “We got him.” He later revealed that he was joking with the fans and didn’t think the team was a contender for him, despite multiple reports indicating they were.

“I didn’t even think we were realistically in the running for LeBron,” Kerr said. “It’s just that everyone kept saying we were. It never seemed serious to me despite all the reports.”

Despite the Warriors coach appearing to be okay with running it back with an aging team that has a 38-year-old Stephen Curry, 36-year-old Draymond Green, and a 30-year-old Kristaps Porzingis who appeared in only 32 games last season, Golden State has been one of the more aggressive teams in recent years to trade away young talent in an attempt to win now.

In 2025, Golden State struck a blockbuster trade during the NBA trade deadline with the Miami Heat to acquire Jimmy Butler, in an attempt to help Curry win his fifth NBA Championship.

The Warriors were eliminated in the second round that season and didn’t do much better last year, as their season came to an end in a play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns, while Butler missed most of the season due to a torn ACL.

Slater added that in May, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy admitted that the team has been coming up short over the last two seasons not because of talent but because of injuries. He also noted that in April, Curry said he wants the Warriors to focus on building a foundation again.

Having the No.11 pick in the NBA Draft this offseason, Golden State showed their intentions by drafting Yaxel Lendeborg, who’s already made a great first impression. He helped lead the Warriors to a Summer League championship and was crowned the game’s MVP when he scored 21 points with 10 rebounds and 2 steals.

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One of the main talking points regarding LeBron James’ signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 24 was his salary cut. King James signed a two-year deal that will pay him $3.9 million next season.

It's nearly a $50 million pay cut. It's below his rookie salary of around $4 million. It’s the largest pay cut in NBA history.

But it isn’t how James makes the bulk of his cash.

USA TODAY analyzed James’ annual salary and estimated endorsement earnings over the course of his career and found that he’s earned roughly 65% of his career earnings from endorsements — a figure that represents nearly two-thirds of his overall pay.

In total, James has earned over $1.5 billion (not inflation-adjusted) across his 23-season NBA career, with over $1 billion coming from endorsements. Per Sportico, he’s the fourth-highest paid athlete of all time behind Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods.

This means that while James’ salary for the 2026-27 season is around 92% less than his final Los Angeles Lakers salary, he’ll still be making a hefty paycheck from endorsement deals.

Using James’ trend in endorsement earnings since 2021, USA TODAY calculates that his endorsement figure for 2026-27 would sit at around $91 million.

When combined with his salary number, James looks set to earn around $95 million for the upcoming season. And that's not even factoring in James' other business ventures, such as his minority partnership stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club and other sports and media holdings.

The pay cut will likely drop him down from No. 4 on Forbes’ highest paid athletes list, but a $95 million haul would still place him tied for No. 12 on the 2026 list, which was published in May. He’d be tied with soccer star Kylian Mbappe, one of the leading stars at the 2026 World Cup.

Of course, that’s just a trends-based estimate — it’s certainly plausible that James could earn even more from endorsements in the upcoming season.

So, James is taking a big pay cut ― one that enables the 76ers to maintain a stacked roster that also includes Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown ― his overall cash hit isn’t as harsh as it initially seems.

Methodology: Salary data from Spotrac’s year-by-year cash earnings table. Endorsement data through 2025-26 from Forbes. USA TODAY estimated the 2026-27 endorsement figure based on recent trends.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James took a massive pay cut. He still makes bank.

LeBron James appears to be pushing back on reports that his move to the Philadelphia 76ers will be documented as the final chapter of his NBA career.

Maverick Carter, James’ longtime business manager and close friend, rejected comparisons between a potential project and Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance on Thursday.

“We are NOT doing anything like the ‘last dance,’” Carter wrote on X. “LeBron doesn’t even know when his last season is.”

James then reposted Carter’s message to his own timeline, signaling his agreement without issuing a separate statement.

The response followed a report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand that James and ESPN were nearing an agreement on a behind-the-scenes documentary series. Negotiations were reportedly at the “one-yard line,” with cameras expected to follow James during his time in Philadelphia.

Marchand compared the possible project to The Last Dance, the 10-part ESPN series that chronicled Jordan’s final championship season with the Chicago Bulls. Carter’s message did not necessarily rule out cameras following James, but it firmly rejected the idea that the project would document a predetermined farewell.

That distinction matters because James’ retirement timeline remains unsettled.

The 41-year-old signed a two-year contract with the 76ers after spending eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite his age, those closest to LeBron have suggested that his career could continue beyond the upcoming season.

“I think Philadelphia’s going to energize him,” agent Rich Paul recently told ESPN. “Maybe we get two [seasons]. Maybe we get four.”

James remained productive during his final season in Los Angeles, averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 51.5 percent from the field despite settling into a more complementary role with the Lakers alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

He now joins a 76ers roster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and newly acquired Jaylen Brown. Philadelphia hopes the star-heavy group can end the franchise’s championship drought and give James a fifth title.

What LeBron’s retweet made clear is that he does not consider his first season in Philadelphia to be his confirmed last dance.

Cameras may be preparing to capture the next chapter. James’ camp insists nobody knows whether it will be the final one.

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With teams like the Thunder and Spurs possessing dominant frontcourt players, it was clear obtaining a center was a high priority for Los Angeles.

They accomplished that goal by trading for Walker Kessler, who the Lakers reportedly feel will pair very well with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in this new era. While they got the blockbuster deal done, it was far from a foregone conclusion. Kessler was a restricted free agent, so the Jazz could’ve paid whatever it cost to keep him or simply refused to send him to the Lakers.

Considering how important it was to obtain a big, the Lakers had to have backup plans. In a recent article by Dan Woike in The Athletic, Mitchell Robinson may have been viewed by the team as Plan B.

Had it not been Kessler, the Lakers, according to team and league sources, would’ve likely tried to sign free agent center Mitchell Robinson, who left the New York Knicks to sign a three-year, $47.4 million deal with Boston.

Robinson was linked to the Lakers throughout the offseason. In fact, the Lakers were even reportedly interested in drafting Robinson had he fallen to them at No. 39 in the 2018 NBA Draft. So, it’s no surprise that after a season where he won a title with the Knicks and LA needed a productive center, they’d be interested in Robinson.

While Robinson is a fine player, he is definitely not at Kessler’s level. Last year, Robinson averaged  5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He’s a solid defender and an efficient scorer, shooting 72.3% from the field last season.

However, Kessler has far better production. During the 2024-25 season, Kessler averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka had to have backup plans in place in case the top option wasn’t acquirable. Luckily for them, things worked out.

The Lakers got Kessler, and Robinson ended up signing a three-year $47.4 million deal with the Celtics.

This was an interesting Plan B. Hopefully, Plan A works out even better.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.