Category: Basketball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Well, we’ve been here before.

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

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

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

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

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

But then hope returned.

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

We all know what happened next.

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

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

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

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

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

Draymond Green is staying home.

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

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

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Warriors star Draymond Green being one of the closest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GETTING AHEAD OF THE JONESES

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

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

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

NOT YOUR AVERAGE FRIDAY NIGHT RUN-THROUGH AT THE LOMAXES

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

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

LEAVE THEM OTHER CRABS BEHIND

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

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

61

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

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

BE THE BIG FISH IN THEIR OWN POND

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

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

BE THE BIG FISH IN AN EVEN BIGGER POND

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

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

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

FIVE’S ALIVE

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

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

MIKE BROWN, KNICKERBOCKER TRAILBLAZER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until it did.

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

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

Well, that’s not the case anymore.

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

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

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

—

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

Is that a hot take? I don’t think so.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

Now that LeBron James has finally chosen the team he will, in all likelihood, finish his career with, all the major signings, trades, and additions have been made for this offseason.

This offseason will go down as one of the most active in terms of star-level players switching teams in recent NBA history. From Giannis Antetokounmpo to Jaylen Brown, NBA teams will look a lot different this upcoming season.

Some people around the NBA speculated that the Rockets may be one of those teams to try and make a major move this offseason, but that was not the case. The Rockets were coming off their second straight first-round defeat, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers, after an up-and-down regular season filled with injuries and inconsistent play.

The Rockets, however, felt they could not see the full potential of their team because of the above-mentioned injuries. Fred VanVleet, the Rockets’ on- and off-court leader, missed the entire season after a severe right knee injury consisting of a torn ACL and tears in both menisci.

VanVleet’s injury was a devastating blow, as the Rockets were never able to find a capable point guard to make up for his loss. Not having a legitimate point guard hampered the Rockets all regular season and even more in the playoffs.

The Rockets lost several games throughout because they couldn’t get the ball up the court without turning it over. They also couldn’t get into their offensive sets fast enough and at times looked lost on offense. The Rockets are hoping that VanVleet’s return will solve those issues.

VanVleet wasn’t the only Rocket to miss time; Steven Adams, the Rockets’ best screen setter and rebounder, missed the last few months, including the playoffs, after he suffered a season-ending injury.

The most devastating injury to the Rockets’ playoff chances, however, didn’t happen right before the playoffs when Kevin Durant, who only missed four games all season, played in only one playoff game after suffering two separate injuries, one right before the playoffs and another in the one game he did play in.

That injury was the straw that broke the camel’s back as the Rockets lost to the Lakers 4-2. The injuries also played a big part in the Rockets’ offseason plans and showed why they made the moves they did and did not make.

The Rockets front office and coaches want to see the team fully healthy

The Rockets, unlike some teams this offseason, had a fairly quiet offseason. They didn’t make any major splashes in free agency and have not made any trades so far this summer.

The Rockets did bring in two veterans to help solidify their league-worst bench. Marcus Smart was their first signing, and the Rockets hope he can bring much-needed help to their backcourt, even with VanVleet expected to be ready for training camp.

Bogdan Bogdanovic was also signed during free agency. The veteran is known for his instant offense off the bench, something the Rockets lacked all season as their bench was one of the lowest scoring in the league.

Both moves will help the team, but neither is as seismic as last year’s trade for Kevin Durant or the blockbuster moves some other teams made this offseason.

That shows the Rockets were content to run it back, but this time with a healthy team. Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka both stated after the season that they wanted to see how the team would look with a healthy roster, something they did not get to see at all last season.

We learned from the lack of major moves and the signing of Tari Eason to a long-term deal that the Rockets are going to give this current version of the Rockets a full, healthy season before they potentially “blow it up,” as some other playoff teams have done recently.

The league has not had this much parity in a long time, so the Rockets should know by the end of next season whether this is the team to lead them into the future.

We are in late July, aka the Dog Days of Summer, or the abyss of the NBA season. Kevin has a great piece about why the Washington Mystics had a great WNBA All-Star Weekend, highlighted by their win in the Shooting Stars Competition. But let’s focus back to the Washington Wizards for this story.

Over the past weekend, LeBron James decided to take his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers, which just happens to be the NBA market geographically closest to Washington. James, who is 41, is still more than capable of being a key starter for a top level team. And that’s going to shake up the power rankings.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com posted his latest power rankings for the Eastern Conference yesterday. After Washington acquired Trae Young and Anthony Davis last winter, wouldn’t that make a Young/Davis/AJ Dybantsa trio a postseason team, which means Top 10 in the East? Nope. He had them at No. 12. Here is Schumann’s blurb.

Key question: Can the young guys keep developing?

The Wizards were the worst team in the league last season, but there were some individual signs of progress with their young core …

• Kyshawn George saw the third biggest jump in points + rebounds + assists per 36 minutes among 290 players that played at least 500 minutes in each of the last two seasons.

• Alex Sarr, George and Bub Carrington saw the second, eighth and 11th biggest jumps, respectively, in effective field goal percentage among 123 players with at least 500 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.

Trae Young should help those players get better shots. The Wizards ranked 26th in shot quality last season, but their shot-quality score was much higher (top-five level) off of Young’s passes in the five games he played. However, the offense was still bad (106.6 points scored per 100 possessions) in his 104 minutes on the floor.  The young guards will also have to adjust to getting far fewer touches, and it remains to be seen if Sarr and Davis can fit together offensively.

Dybantsa is the future, but there’s a decent team here if the returners can find their way in what may be a very different offense from what we’ve seen over the last few seasons.

I think Schuhmann is hedging his bets here. If Dybantsa fires on most or all of his cylinders, Young plays all season and Davis remains in Washington for the whole 2025-26 season (not to mention remaining healthy), then the Wizards should be a postseason team. But the Wizards also haven’t shown they can make a jump from worst team in the NBA to just a below average team. Also, it wouldn’t shock me to see Anthony Davis get traded by the deadline in Feb. 2027 for … more draft picks. So I can see why he is skeptical.

In addition to Schumann, Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation’s NBA Editor is also skeptical of the Wizards’ improvement relative to other NBA teams for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season. In his latest rankings, post LeBron to Philly, the Wizards are at No.27 (and by extension, 13th in the East). That’s better than No. 30. But the Wizards are still effectively at the bottom of the barrel, even with a potential future All-Star in Dybantsa.

Do you think that the Wizards are ranked too low in the power rankings? Let us know in the comments below. And in case you missed it, our SB Nation Reacts poll is also below, but right above the comments section!

The naming of things can sometimes be funny. A small or cheap item can have a regal name attached that does not fit the size or stature of the actual product. For years, the “Great Lakes Classic” preseason matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions fit the “big name, small game” typology.

“The Battle for the Barge,” as fans would call the GLC, was regularly played between two teams who were only “Classic” in that they have both been around a long time, both were founded in Ohio (the Lions were originally the Portsmouth Spartans), and both have been classically bad since the Browns returned in 1999.

Detroit has seen a strong turnaround since 2022, with four straight winning records and two playoff appearances, while Cleveland has made the playoffs twice since 2020 but has seen four losing seasons in that timeframe as well.

According to Joel Walkowski, author of the book “Honolulu Blues: How The Detroit Lions Saved My Life,” fans of the Browns and Lions are 1a and 1b in having “the worst go of it of any franchise,” similar to the NBA’s GOAT debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James:

“I exist on this planet to make the argument that the Lions fans have the WORST go of it of any franchise…”

“I gotta give a hat tip to the Cleveland Browns. That is the Jordan-LeBron debate of this…” 

Do you agree with @theBigWalkowski? https://t.co/HIHqpDYst0pic.twitter.com/v3Hb0DLCbS

— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) July 28, 2026

Obviously, Walkowski has a bias, as we all do.

A look at the historical numbers between each team:

• Record: CLE – 567-560-14, DET – 615-717-34
• Winning %: CLE – 50.3%, DET – 46%
• Championships: CLE – 8, DET – 4

Maybe Walkowski is on to something, big picture and in the long-term. For the more recent history, the Browns have been far more downtrodden and have had an organization that has made mind-numbing decision after mind-numbing decision.

Then again, Detroit and Cleveland are also the only two teams since the strike-shortened season of 1982 to have winless seasons, so both fan bases have gone through a lot.

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Overall, which fan base do you think has it worse? Do you agree with Walkowski because of the whole history of the franchises or do you think it is the Browns given the history since The Return in 1999?

Join the conversation below in our comment section

The FanDuel Sportsbook has put out win totals for all 30 NBA teams for the upcoming 2026-27 season. It’s been quite a fun offseason, as the player and coach movement has been interesting to follow. As the league enters the final stretch of the offseason before camp begins in September, now is a good time to take stock of the league with the season win totals offered by FanDuel.

Dallas Mavericks: O/U 35.5 wins

I suppose there’s no reason to bury the lead here. FanDuel has given the Mavericks an over/under of 35.5 wins for the 2026-27 regular season. This win total places the Mavericks at 11^th in the Western Conference.

Per Basketball Reference, this is the lowest win total that Dallas has been given since Luka Doncic’s rookie year in 2018-19, where the line was also 35.5 (the Mavericks went on to win 33 games that year). This number has also moved in recent days. As recently as last week, the Mavericks win total was 34.5. Perhaps there is some optimism out there amongst bettors.

It’s hard to square exactly what the team is in the odds market. Last year’s team had an over/under of 41.5 wins, and they never once looked like they would go over the total in route to a 26-win campaign. If the Mavericks were to go 36-46, that would hit the over and yet, I’m not sure many of you would be pleased with the result. It’s hard to improve by 10+ wins in just one season, especially when you account for the sheer overhaul that the organization underwent this offseason. As our colleague Matt wrote in recent days, this is setting up to be a gap year(s).

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Full odds via the FanDuel Sportsbook

Western Conference

1. San Antonio: 60.5 wins
2. OKC Thunder: 60.5 wins
3. Minnesota: 48.5 wins
4. Denver: 48.5 wins
5. Houston: 46.5 wins
6. LA Lakers: 45.5 wins
7. Portland: 43.5 wins
8. Golden State: 39.5 wins
9. Phoenix: 39.5 wins
10. Utah: 36.5 wins
11. Dallas: 35.5 wins
12. LA Clippers: 28.5 wins
13. New Orleans: 28.5 wins
14. Memphis: 28.5 wins
15. Sacramento: 21.5 wins

One thing that stands out to me: There are VERY clear tiers among teams in the west. The top two are on a tier of their own, followed by a solid middle class. But the bottom of the West, from the play-in on down, is going to be a complete mess. Prepare accordingly.

First blush, I like Houston over, Portland under and Utah over.

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Eastern Conference

1. New York: 51.5 wins
2. Philadelphia: 50.5 wins
3. Detroit: 49.5 wins
4. Boston: 49.5 wins
5. Cleveland: 47.5 wins
6. Miami: 45.5 wins
7. Toronto: 45.5 wins
8. Orlando: 44.5 wins
9. Atlanta: 44.5 wins
10. Indiana: 43.5 wins
11. Charlotte: 37.5 wins
12. Washington: 35.5 wins
13. Chicago: 29.5 wins
14. Milwaukee: 24.5 wins
15. Brooklyn: 24.5 wins

As tiered as the West is, buddy the entire Eastern Conference is a free-for-all. Of note, the books think the East is far deeper than the west, as Indiana at tenth in the East has a win total that would tie Portland for seventh in the West.

Early on, put me down for the Celtics over, the Knicks and Sixers under, and the Pacers over.

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What do you think about the early odds? Let us know in the comments!

Unsurprisingly, the Cleveland Cavaliers need to add another forward to the roster in the wake of LeBron James going to the Philadelphia 76ers. It seems that the signing of Mario Hezonja is not the only transaction the Cavaliers are pursuing.

In a segment on NBA Today, ESPN’s Shams Charania noted that “DeMar DeRozan has interest from Cleveland”. Charania also mentioned that “Miami, Denver and Cleveland are among the teams interested in DeMar DeRozan”.

Shams Latest On Cavs Offseason:

“Miami & Cleveland have aspirations to compete for a championship in the eastern conference. That’s why they are trying to move swiftly on their next step…both teams have their own business to handle as well. Cleveland has to get James Harden… pic.twitter.com/IO47UVdRTy

— Dylan🔮🎆🪼 (@dillybar2145__) July 27, 2026

The Sacramento Kings bought out DeRozan earlier this month. DeRozan will turn 37 by the time the season tips off in October. Age hasn’t hindered his ability to be a microwave scorer and availability averaging 18.4 points while shooting 49.7% from the field in the 77 games played this past season.

The Cavaliers clearly need wing talent after Dean Wade signed with the 76ers and Keon Ellis signed with the Brooklyn Nets. DeRozan projects as a more awkward fit for Cleveland’s roster given that he has been the primary scoring option for the majority of his career. The unknown of how he will find his spots on a team with the ball primarily in James Harden and Donovan Mitchell is yet to be seen.

A clear benefit for the Cavaliers in a DeRozan addition would be the pressure to the rim DeRozan provides, as well as being a sufficient scorer without support. The warts of the acquisition would be that DeRozan has never established a consistent outside shot.

Kenny Atkinson’s offense really allows three-point shooters to thrive i.e., Sam Merrill and Max Strus. There have not been many players like DeRozan who have come into the Cavaliers’ offense with his iso-mid-range heavy skillet. Caris LeVert was the closest comparison; however, LeVert was much more of a willing three-point shooter.

The common thread between DeRozan and fellow forwards attached to the Cavaliers and others is that the teams interested were those affected by the LeBron James sweepstakes. This could be a common theme for the remainder of the summer as teams try to find suitable replacements at the wing.

It’s worth noting that DeRozan and Harden grew up as childhood friends. We’ll see if that factors at all in these discussions.

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