Category: Basketball

Josh Hart is encouraging Draymond Green to worry about his own financial spreadsheet.

In a recent episode of the “Club 520 Podcast” the Warriors forward commented on what he believed was a poor decision by Jalen Brunson for taking less to sign an extension with the Knicks in 2024, saying the team “can afford it” — and also referenced Hart’s bottom line.

“It’s the New York Knicks, bro. They can afford it. You ain’t gotta take no discount,” Green said.

We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets https://t.co/o5pr8MWiz6

— Josh Hart (@joshhart) July 29, 2026

“My situation is different because Steph (Curry) making 270 (million), Klay (Thompson) making 180. Alright, something gotta give,” Green said. “Cool, I could take less. But he the top guy! By the way, let Josh Hart or somebody else take less. They in my role, let one of them take less, but guess what? Steph Curry ain’t taking a penny less and neither did Klay Thompson. If this gonna work, somebody do. Well guess what I ain’t really expecting them to take less. I don’t know what he doing, but I’m happy for him.”

The questioning of Brunson’s sacrifice and mentioning that Hart should have been the one to take less didn’t sit right with the Knicks’ wing.

“We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets,” he wrote on X in a quote tweet of a video of Green’s comments.

Brunson’s pay cut — in which he did not sign a max extension but can recoup most of the money he left on the table in a future extension — allowed the Knicks to build up a competitive group and depth around him, which eventually led to the’s franchise first title since 1973 this past season.

Yet, Green, who recently signed a $27.7 million deal with the Warriors, argued that could have happened regardless.

He pointed to Warriors star Curry and ex-Golden State sharpshooter Thompson playing under max contracts while still winning four NBA titles between 2015-22.

From a financial perspective, Brunson’s decision was surprising at the time.

If Brunson had waited until the following summer for free agency, he could have signed a five-year deal worth about $270 million.

Yet, he agreed to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension.

The money left on the table enabled the Knicks to make deals for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges that fit within the salary cap, and those two helped the Knicks beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

A hypothetical: Joel Embiid plucks the board off the glass. What happens next?

He quickly turns and flings a pass ahead to LeBron James, who has already started bolting down the right flank on the break.

James may be 41, but he remains strong and powerful, so he glides past the first line of defense. But when help crashes in on him, James skips the ball across the floor to Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey pump fakes, but the defense closes in on him, too, so he waits for Embiid to catch up and settle at the top of the key. Maxey tosses Embiid the ball before slashing immediately to the paint on a give-and-go.

Embiid returns to Maxey, who is met at the basket by a rim protector, so Maxey contorts in mid-air, zipping a pass to Jaylen Brown near the right baseline for a corner 3.

For these new Philadelphia 76ers, now with Brown and James in the fold, their offensive portfolio has just expanded significantly. After Philadelphia was swept in the conference semifinals by the eventual NBA champion Knicks, it became clear the roster needed aggressive reshaping to contend with the NBA’s best.

Now, with Embiid, Maxey, James, Brown and second-year guard VJ Edgecombe, the 76ers suddenly have a starting five that rises to the top tier of the Eastern Conference.

All that said, what will their offense actually look like? And who will handle the ball?

Realistically, the 76ers won’t need to have one primary ball-handler, given that each of Maxey, James, Brown and (to a lesser extent) Edgecombe can initiate offense. The reality is the Sixers should have a much more fluid offense with multiple ball-handlers, because when teams boast different players with the ability to create, it leads to tremendous offensive versatility.

Primary ball-handling duties, however, should fall to James and Maxey.

At this point in his career, soon to begin his record 24th season in the NBA, the thing James does best is distribute. In fact, some of the more awkward moments on the floor last season with the Lakers were when Los Angeles opted to have Luka Dončić dominate the ball.

James wields exceptional court vision and anticipation and has an encyclopedic archive of sets and offensive actions. It may take some time for him to assimilate, but his ball-handling should unlock easier offense for everyone. It’s the best natural fit for him.

Over the past couple of seasons, out of necessity, Maxey had been miscast somewhat as a shoot-first point guard. Philadelphia contended with several injuries, and substandard roster management left the team devoid of a true play-making distributor at point guard. Maxey filled in, and starred in the role, leading the team in assists the past three seasons.

Yet, while Maxey can handle and create, he’s most naturally a three-level scoring guard who excels off the ball, particularly on backdoor cuts and give-and-gos.

Now with James and Brown (though mostly James), there won’t be as much of a burden on Maxey to be the sole initiator on offense.

Tyrese Maxey — Backdoor reel pic.twitter.com/Ph2wDIo9Hk

— .Slip (@SlipReaper) July 25, 2026

The other thing that’s safe to expect from these new-look Sixers: they’ll destabilize defenses in transition and will turn defense into offense.

Last season, the top three players in the NBA in converted transition field goals were Maxey (171), Brown (167) and James (164).  

The league leaders in total fastbreak points were Maxey (382) and James (343); with 253, Brown ranked 10th.

Pairing all three together suddenly gives Philadelphia immense adaptability with how it attacks teams in transition.

And while flexibility and fluid shot creation should rule the day in coach Nick Nurse’s offense, players will still have to buy in and adapt their roles to make it work.

The player who’ll need to tweak his game most is Brown. Last season, Brown’s best in his career, he ranked third in the NBA in usage (35.1), which measures the rate of a team’s plays that a specific player completes when on the court.

Much of that was because Jayson Tatum was sidelined most of the year with his Achilles tendon recovery, though Brown has plenty of experience playing with another high-usage star.

Still, Embiid (33.6; sixth) and Maxey (28.6; 22nd) also were high-usage players last season. Brown will have to keep finding ways to move without the ball, cut to the basket and find soft gaps in defenses for perimeter shots. Where Brown struggled somewhat was turnovers (3.6 per game) and bouts of inefficiency. Playing alongside James and Maxey, however, Brown won’t need to create for himself anymore; he can let the ball find him.

This, to be sure, is a good problem to have. Teams can never have too many playmakers on the court, and Philadelphia now boasts a starting lineup that averaged a combined 27 assists per game.

Expect the ball to move around freely. Expect a dramatic improvement from last year’s offensive rating (114.3; 16th). Philadelphia’s defense, however, might need some work.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The 76ers got LeBron James. What will their offense actually look like?

Minnesota Timberwolves fans spent most of July waiting for somebody to walk through the door and fix things.

We refreshed the timeline. We ran forensic analysis on Instagram emoji choices We talked ourselves into believing that a 41-year-old, four-time MVP would chose to spend the last act of his career in Minneapolis. For a few weeks there, it felt real. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball were making recruiting calls. Hope, that dangerous little houseguest, put its feet up on the coffee table.

Then one Shams Charania tweet ended the Minnesota dream. LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. And just like that, the whole elaborate fantasy was over.

It stung. Then it stopped stinging. And somewhere in the quiet afterward, a thing clicked that should have been obvious from the jump: the answer was never going to be a signing.

The answer already plays here.

The Reflex

You have to understand where the instinct comes from, because it isn’t stupidity. It’s scar tissue.

Minnesota’s entire emotional operating system was built around departure. Kevin Garnett had to leave for Boston to get his ring. He was the best player this franchise ever had, and his banner went up in a different building. Kevin Love wanted out and got out. Karl-Anthony Towns, the guy we watched grow up, ended up winning his title somewhere else too. For thirty-seven years, the lesson Wolves fans absorbed was that greatness is something that departs via moving truck. So of course we chased LeBron. Chasing LeBron was the reflex, the deep, conditioned belief that the last piece of the puzzle has to come from outside.

Which is exactly why we almost missed the actual story sitting in plain sight.

Look Who Was Working the Phones

Here’s the detail that reframes the entire summer: the recruitment wasn’t the front office cold-calling a legend and hoping. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Anthony Edwards was directly involved, on the phone with LeBron himself, doing the pitch.

And the way he did it tells you everything. As the story went, Ant told James, joking (but only barely), that if he didn’t make a decision soon, he’d tear his head off. When LeBron laughed and asked what happened if he signed somewhere else, Edwards said he’d tear his head off on the court instead. Read that back slowly. That is not a young player nervously auditioning for a savior. That is an alpha dog casually informing a top-two-ever talent that he’d be welcome as help. Help on a team that already has an owner, and the owner is number five. It’s Rocky calling out Apollo, except this Rocky is convinced he already owns the belt.

That’s the leap nobody circled on the calendar. Not a stat line. A posture. Edwards spent this offseason recruiting instead of being recruited, and the tone was less “please come save us” and more “come get on, or get run over.” The kid who used to eat Popeyes and giggle his way through media availability is now the guy telling future Hall of Famers where the bar is.

The Numbers Behind the Swagger

The swagger would be insufferable if it weren’t earned. It’s earned.

Edwards put up 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a night while shooting 39.9 percent from three. He’s entering his seventh season. Seven years is the window where the truly special ones stop being “a star with a ceiling” and simply become the ceiling. The new practice photos have people dusting off the Jordan comparisons again, and sure, that’s the offseason content machine doing its thing, but you don’t get compared to that guy for being ordinary in July. You get compared to him because there’s something in the film that keeps daring you to say it out loud.

The point isn’t that Edwards is already the best player alive. The point is that the Timberwolves’ path forward was never a free-agent addition sitting on top of him. It was him.

Let’s Not Pretend

Now, let’s not pretend the doubt is unreasonable, because it isn’t.

One man does not win a title alone. The graveyard of great scorers who never got a ring could fill a mid-size arena. The Wolves fell to the eventual Western Conference champion Spurs in six games this spring. It was the first time since 2023 that Minnesota didn’t reach the conference finals, which is its own gut-punch after two straight trips. The LaMelo Ball trade is a genuine gamble, a bet that could go sideways. Shipping out Naz Reid and Julius Randle left a power forward hole you could park a Zamboni in. And the money is terrifying: $215.8 million already committed for next season, with Edwards ($48.9M), Ball ($40.8M), and Rudy Gobert ($36.5M) eating most of it. There is no cavalry coming, because the credit card is maxed and the statement’s already past due.

All of that is true. Every word.

And every word of it is why the answer has to be Ant.

The Case

When you can’t buy the last piece, you have to grow it. That’s not cope. That’s the blueprint the teams that actually broke through all used. Dallas didn’t sign its way to a title; it waited on Dirk Nowitzki to turn into the most unguardable version of himself and then handed him the keys. Milwaukee didn’t import a finisher on top of Giannis; it let Giannis become the finisher. The franchises that finally cashed in weren’t the ones who found a savior on the open market. They were the ones whose homegrown superstar decided, in year six or seven, that “good enough to contend” was an insult.

The LaMelo trade fits that theory, it doesn’t contradict it. You don’t deal for a high-usage, ball-dominant guard to replace your best player. You do it to weaponize his gravity, to give Edwards a co-star whose job is to make the defense pick a poison. The gamble only pays off if Ant is exactly what we think he is. Everything Minnesota did this summer, the trade included, is a wager placed on number five. Which means the whole offseason quietly answered its own question. The Wolves already told you who they think the answer is. They just did it with a transaction sheet instead of a press release.

LeBron in Philadelphia doesn’t shrink Minnesota’s ceiling. It just removes the last excuse. There’s no veteran messiah to defer to now, no “once we add one more guy” asterisk to hide behind. It’s Ant’s team, Ant’s number, Ant’s leap or Ant’s disappointment.

He got married this summer, got the fresh cut, showed up to camp dressed like he had a board meeting to run. Take the hint. This is a man arranging his life around the idea that this is the year the leap becomes the point.

So Here We Are

The savior isn’t driving up I-94. He never was. He’s already in the building. He’s the one who was working the phones, the one telling four-time MVPs where the line is. The Timberwolves spent a summer looking outside for the thing they’ve had all along, and the search ending is the best thing that could’ve happened, because now there’s nowhere left to look but at him.

The answer isn’t coming. It’s already here.

Now he just has to go be it.

The Dallas Mavericks are going into the season with a projected starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II.

While this should be the starting five for the first game of the season (barring injury), it might not be how the Mavs finish the year.

“This starting five could look very different by the 2027 trade deadline, or even the start of the 2026-27 season.

A 34-year-old Irving coming off a torn ACL doesn’t fit a franchise now built around the 19-year-old Flagg. Washington, 27, is on the borderline as well and could be shopped to a contender to create more opportunities for No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr,“ Bleacher Report contributor Greg Swartz wrote.

“For now, this is the Mavs’ most likely outcome as they hope the 22-year-old Lively can return from foot surgery after playing just seven games last season.”

The Mavs will start Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg as long as they are on the roster, but other players can be swapped in and out.

Christy is expected to be the starting shooting guard, but there are opportunities for former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and Naji Marshall to take his spot if they feel that it is a better group for Dallas.

While Washington has a strong grasp on the starting power forward spot, Risacher, Santi Aldama or rookie Morez Johnson Jr. could get some looks in the first unit. Aldama could also slide in at center to take over for Lively, as well as Daniel Gafford.

Ultimately, the Mavs have several different configurations Dusty May can work with, which makes things exciting for the upcoming season.

Mavs Moneyball community, how do you think the team should start in the upcoming season? Drop your potential lineups in the comments section below.

Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2025-26 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, no players who were traded away, and none of the deep bench centers, since they were both irrelevant and are now all gone).

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Carter Bryant

2025-26 stats: 71 games played, 11.5 MPG, 4.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 33.5 3FG%

Contract Status: 3-year, rookie contract (team option for 2027-28 and 2028-29)

Age: 20

It wasn’t a guarantee that Carter Bryant would be a contributor for the San Antonio Spurs in his rookie season. The fourteenth-overall-pick in the 2025 NBA Draft entered a talented wing room with veterans like Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson taking up a large share of the minutes. Bryant had to earn his way into the rotation. His usage was sporadic early in the season as Mitch Johnson tried to get a feel for his roster. But slowly, as the season went on, Bryant got more opportunities and a longer leash, becoming a legitimate contributor late in the season and a factor in the playoffs.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Bryant. He missed so many dunks early in the year that his veteran teammates threatened to shave his head. He looked lost at times off the ball defensively, and made some silly rookie mistakes with the ball in his hands. But something clicked after Bryant played a single game for the Austin Spurs on January 9th (he had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a win). When he returned to the NBA team, he looked confident and more deliberate with his decision-making. He used his strength and athleticism to make impact plays on defense and stopped forcing so much on offense. His playing time increased as a result.

Over the course of the season, Bryant showed glimpses of what he could be: a two-way wing who wins defensively with his superior size, athleticism and strength, and an offense cutter who can hit the occasional three-pointer. He plays with an extremely high motor and a level of aggression that’s pretty rare for a player of his age. His eagerness comes with its downsides as well, as Bryant would sometimes find himself out of position or foul while trying to stop an opposing player.

That weakness was put on display in the NBA playoffs, where players like Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson exposed Bryant defensively. Without adding much on the offensive end, Bryant was left with a sparkplug energy role off the bench that sometimes hurt the Spurs more than it helped them in the postseason.

Playoff woes aside, it’s hard not to see Bryant’s rookie season as a success. He carved out a role for himself on an NBA Finals team, and showed promise of being a long-term piece of San Antonio’s core. His numbers won’t blow you away, but he looked worthy of a lottery pick in a stacked 2025 class. He developed so much over the course of just one season. It would be foolish to doubt he can’t get better from here.

Looking ahead

Bryant should continue to factor into San Antonio’s rotation next season, if not earn more minutes. Even with the addition of Tobias Harris, Bryant still has a role as a rangy defensive wing who can potentially play some small-ball five. With Harris joining, Julian Champagnie can probably go back to playing more of an off-ball wing role rather than a stretch four alongside Victor Wembanyama in the starting lineup, leaving some minutes to be had for Bryant as the backup forward. He’ll be fighting Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes for that spot.

Bryant will likely come into the season next year as the Spurs’ second-best perimeter defender behind Stephon Castle. That fact alone should earn him minutes. San Antonio will need to see him improve on the offensive end. Bryant needs to knock down open threes and learn how to attack a closeout. He showed signs of doing both in the NBA Summer League this year. He doesn’t need to be able to “cook” defenders off the bounce, just score on straight-line drives when the defense overcommits. But first, he has to shoot better than 33.5% from three to make defenses respect him outside of the paint.

I am particularly excited about Bryant’s future. Guys with his size, motor, and athleticism don’t grow on trees. His shot looks sound, and we’ve seen it go in when he’s on a roll. He could develop into the key three-and-D wing that San Antonio needs next to Wembanyama and its star guards. We’ll need to see him make steps toward becoming that player in his sophomore season.

Top performance

17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 5-6 from deep, providing an offensive spark in a game without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.

Final grade: C+

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Next up: Luke Kornet

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• Jordan McLaughlin

Moving on: Four reasons for optimism about what comes next for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s been a rough couple of months to be a Celtics fan.

Boston fumbled away a 3-1 lead in Round 1 against Philadelphia, spoiling what had otherwise been a highly enjoyable 2025-26 season. The Knicks won a championship and haven’t stopped parading around in the aftermath. The Celtics traded former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to a division rival, and those Sixers signed LeBron James in the aftermath to create a potential super team. The East as a whole looks as good on paper as it has in decades. 

The duck boats that flowed through downtown Boston just two years ago now feels like two lifetimes ago.

You’ve got two choices, though. You can sit here and wallow in self-pity. Or you can accept that what’s done is done, and move on. We all ran the emotional gamut and navigated the stages of grief that are inevitable when trading a franchise pillar. Some got through it quicker than others. Now it’s time to shift the focus from what happened to what comes next.

This is us channeling our inner Veronica Vaughn. We’re dragging any Billy Madison-looking Celtics fans into the pool and trying to roust you from July’s pity party. I believe in you, Billy (Chisholm). And Brad, too. 

Here are four reasons to be optimistic about what comes next for the Celtics:

MVP season loading?

Roster construction and money allocation in the apron era played a major role in Boston’s decision to pivot away from Brown, but we thought it was telling that when Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens discussed the trade, he almost immediately pointed to having such a high percentage of usage tied up in two superstars.

Brown finished 36.1 percent of Boston’s possessions during his floor time last season. That wasn’t just a career high, it was the 18th-highest single-season mark in NBA history since usage tracking began in 1978, per Basketball Reference. It was the highest mark in Celtics history and well north of the previous top usage rate set by Isaiah Thomas (33.8 percent) during his magical 2016-17 season.

Maybe Brown would have happily downshifted his usage with a healthier Jayson Tatum on the court this season. Maybe the advanced metrics that showed Boston performed better with Brown off the court in each of the last four seasons would have stabilized. But the Celtics evidently weren’t waiting to find out.

What’s clear now, while the team plots the next iteration of its roster, is that Tatum is going to shoulder the offensive load for the 2026-27 season and probably beyond. If the Celtics were to outkick the downsized expectations amid the departure of Brown, then Tatum is going to thrust himself directly into the same MVP conversation that Brown lingered in last season.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

This will be the first time that Tatum has been the sole focal point of the Celtics’ offense. There will be instances where he needs to use that attention to create opportunities for teammates. But Tatum is going to finish a lot of possessions. And his stat line could soar because of it.

Tatum already owns the Celtics’ record for single-season scoring average from the 2022-23 season, when he averaged 30.1 points to go along with 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists over 36.9 minutes per game. He finished fourth in MVP voting that year. 

Tatum’s rebounding was off the charts after his return last season (10 rebounds per game in 16 regular-season appearances). He’s averaged a career-best 8.2 assists per 100 possessions in each of his last two seasons. It’s not hard to imagine a particularly glitzy stat line next season. 

In much the same way that Brown thrived as the focal point last year and earned heavy MVP chatter when Boston bested outsider expectations, it feels like Tatum will have the chance to do the same this year. Maybe Victor Wembanyama will simply have a stranglehold on the award moving forward — with Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unlikely to cede their spots at the top of balloting as well. But Tatum will be in the conversation with plenty of possessions available to state his case.

In a big country

Overshadowed by all the Brown drama, the Celtics shored up maybe their biggest area of need last season by signing center Mitchell Robinson. It also created a void for a primary rival by signing away the Knicks’ longest-tenured player and a key piece of their championship bench.

Robinson is a glass-cleaning, country music-loving machine who will turn a whole bunch of Boston’s missed 3-pointers into the second-chance opportunities that Joe Mazzulla so dearly covets. Robinson corralled 21.2 percent of his team’s missed shots last season. That wasn’t just the highest mark in the NBA, it was nearly six percent higher than the next closest player with 1,000+ minutes played (Donovan Clingan, 15.3 percent).

The Celtics know full well how valuable Robinson can be. Mazzulla routinely deployed a Hack-a-Mitch strategy in hopes that New York would take Robinson off the court due to his free-throw woes. Opposing teams will do the same against Boston this year, but Robinson’s impact is undeniable if he stays on the court.

The Knicks’ offensive rebound rate spiked by 9.8 percent per 100 possessions during Mitchell’s floor time last season.  He corralled 31.9 percent of his own misses. His kickouts created some of the most efficient looks that New York got last season.

Can Robinson stay on the floor — both in terms of health and teams targeting his free-throw shooting weakness? That’s a major question for a player who averaged just 19.6 minutes per game over 60 appearances last season, and missed 116 games over the previous two campaigns. 

But his ability to impact winning when he’s on the court is undeniable. He’ll add much-needed depth to a spot that got exposed as Boston fumbled away that 3-1 series lead against the Sixers. His impact could greatly outkick the 9.1 percent of the cap he signed for while inking a 3-year, $47 million deal with Boston.

Kick the player development team into overdrive

Maybe the biggest storyline from last season was the way many of Boston’s youngest players thrived in elevated roles. From Neemias Queta and Payton Pritchard shuffling into starter spots, to recent draftees like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh all thriving in elevated minutes at various points throughout the 2025-26 campaign, to Luka Garza carving out a role after barely playing at two previous stops, it’s clear the Celtics can maximize their young talent.

Now all those players need to make another leap — or at least find the sort of consistency that the best players in the league bring on a night-to-night basis.

Sure, it would help if Derrick White finds his shot after a rough offensive season. But Pritchard will get every opportunity to be the No. 2 scoring option on the team. Can he eliminate some of the variance in his output, especially when the 3-point shot defies him? His numbers when sharing the floor with Tatum are particularly intriguing.

Can Neemias Queta avoid the sort of foul trouble that forced him off the court too often in the postseason? How many of Boston’s wings will make the sort of leap that makes it easy for Mazzulla to pencil them in for heightened minutes each night?

One thing that could help: The addition of veteran point guard Mike Conley. While Conley’s on-court role might be limited in his age-39 season, he brings 37,588 minutes of regular-season experience. He’s played in 120 playoff games.

To put it another way: Celtics rookie Chris Cenac Jr. was four months old when Conley Jr. was drafted in June 2007. His ability to guide young players could certainly aid Boston’s young nucleus.

The Celtics need to continue to nurture and develop from within.

In Brad We Trust: Optionality and clean books

Look, no one is going to hang a banner for resetting repeater penalties. Or creating optionality. But navigating the second apron and creating windows for increased spending certainly matters in this new apron era. The Celtics are putting themselves in a position to be opportunistic while much of the league is steamrolling towards a reckoning that Boston has already started navigating.

Stevens talked a lot about that optionality in the aftermath of the Brown trade. It’s not fun having to wait for the next shoe to drop, but all the pain points the Celtics have endured the past two summers — from the departures of core championship pieces like Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet last year; to the shocking Brown trade — have positioned the team to be aggressive with roster construction moving forward.

The next disgruntled NBA star is only a news cycle away. Maybe Denver implodes under the weight of the second apron. Is Anthony Edwards going to stay happy in Minnesota with LaMelo Ball added to the mix? Stars get moved every season, and yet we never stop being surprised when it happens.

The Celtics have the parts to at least get in on the conversation for any players that become available. The team can be judicious in hunting the next star it yearns to pair with Tatum. Maybe the team prioritizes depth and tries to find high-value players on mid-tier salaries to put around Tatum.

Stevens has quietly been locking up depth pieces on team-friendly deals. Queta (four years, $60 million) got a big extension, and Pritchard could soon sign a three-year, $67 million extension. The Celtics inked both Ron Harper Jr. and Jordan Walsh to long-term deals. Neither that duo, nor recent draftees Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez will earn more than 3 percent of the cap through their current pacts. 

The Celtics need to maximize their optionality. They need to be willing to spend when free of the repeater shackles next summer. But they’ve created more pathways than previously existed through their often painful maneuvering over the past two summers.

Stevens has thrust himself into a harsh spotlight by trading Brown. There’s going to be pressure to hit a home run on whatever big move comes next. Patience is in short supply in these parts. But Stevens has to show that the Brown trade, painful as it was, was a necessary step in getting the Celtics back to a spot where they can truly compete for a title.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are going into the upcoming season with a new starting lineup to boast after making a pair of offseason trades.

Ayo Dosunmu, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert are projected to start for the Wolves, which Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz places at No. 12 in his starting lineup rankings.

“There’s perhaps no greater positional need from any team than the Minnesota Timberwolves have for a starting power forward right now,” Swartz wrote.

“After trading away both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Wolves are looking at a small lineup with the 185-pound McDaniels playing the four unless further roster moves are made. Ball takes over the starting point guard duties in Minnesota and Dosunmu, though undersized, has played his share of small forward in the past for a guard-heavy Chicago Bulls team. The Wolves still need a real power forward who won’t be blown over by a stiff breeze before the season begins.“

In this perspective lineup, the Wolves are essentially running with three guards: Ball, Edwards, and Dosunmu. Ball stands 6-7, which will give him the opportunity to defend more wings, but he won’t be a wing on the offensive end of the floor.

The Wolves could swap out Dosunmu and have him come off the bench, but there isn’t necessarily a strong option off the bench that would give Minnesota the size they need.

Until they make a trade for another forward, the Wolves are better off sticking with this quintet.

Canis Hoopus community, do you think the Wolves are too small in the starting lineup? Let us know in the comments section below.

With Stephen Curry reportedly taking a ’don’t-get-too-excited-so-you-don’t-get-hurt’ approach to the final chapters of his Golden State Warriors’ tenure, it makes sense to think about alternative options that are on the table for the 12-time All-Star.

One destination that has surprisingly circulated in online discussions is the Toronto Raptors.

But is it a good fit for both parties? We think so and here are three reasons why:

The Raptors have the assets

Even with the reported Kawhi Leonard trade package – which includes a 2031 and 2033 first-rounder – Toronto still owns a first-round pick for the next four years. Other popular options, like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Denver Nuggets, can’t say the same thing. The San Antonio Spurs do own a first-rounder through the next four seasons, but they can’t offer a better package without sacrificing their young (and special) talent on controllable contracts.

Is that something the Spurs want to do for a 38-year-old on an expiring contract?

At the moment, a realistic offer could include De’Aaron Fox, another piece to bring the salaries within reach, and draft picks. The issue with Fox’s contract is that he has four years remaining on his deal, with the last year paying the guard over $61 million.

Meanwhile, the most popular Raptors offer (at least through online discourse), consists of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and draft picks. Quickley is owed $32.5 million each season for the next three years, while Barrett’s value is attached to a nearly $30 million expiring contract.

The Raptors are the best fit

There isn’t another team that is best suited to absorb a version of Curry that is in the back end of his career. Last year, Toronto ranked fifth in defensive rating (112.1) and has seemingly added Leonard to its defensive attack. Surrounded by Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead and Allen Graves, Curry can focus on doing what he does best, and that’s being an otherworldly shooting threat. On defence, expect an endless amount of pre-switching from multiple positions, forcing opposing ball-handlers to have to deal with what they can get, while on a short clock.

Other than Leonard, there isn’t another player on the roster who truly demands the ball in their hands. While Barnes graduated to superstar status in the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’s always been at his best as a jumbo-wing-bully-hub.

Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic’s offensive system is predicated on ball-movement and quick processing. Even with the offensive build-up that Brandon Ingram required to deploy his mid-range brilliance, Toronto still ranked third in assists (29.5) and potential assists (52.6) last season. A potential assist is defined by the NBA as ‘any pass to a teammate who shoots within one dribble of receiving the ball’. For comparison, the Warriors ranked sixth in assists (28.9) and first in potential assists (56.5). Theoretically, Curry would be walking into a system that emphasizes his elite skillset.

The Raptors offer the best narrative

While donning a Charlotte Hornets or Cavaliers jersey would most accurately tell a homecoming story, Curry ending up in Toronto would also lean into a ‘prodigal son’ narrative. The greatest-shooter-of-all-time spent several of his formative years in Canada, where his father Dell Curry, played for the Raptors.

In addition to experiencing the NBA world against the backdrop of the formerly known Air Canada Centre, Curry also played school ball in the Greater Toronto Area. His wife, Ayesha Curry, is famously noted for being born and growing up in a suburb of Toronto.

Part I of the series zoomed in on the possibility of Myles Turner returning as Milwaukee’s starting centre. This is certainly an option for Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins to mull over. But it comes with a cost. And when that cost is stunting the development of the player with arguably the most potential on the team—who you just received in exchange for your franchise’s GOAT—you better think twice. Instead, the Bucks might be best served bringing Turner off the bench.

Bench: The mentor

For all intents and purposes, Kel’el Ware is the centre of the Bucks’ universe (at least positionally) and for him to reach his ceiling he needs two things: freedom to own the role and mentorship. Benching Turner unlocks both. As a starter with consistent minutes, Ware can grow beyond the restraints that have capped him so far and reach the otherworldly heights his potential (and name) promises. But that’s not going to happen without the right voice in his ear—and that can’t come solely from coaches (there’s a reason I profiled possible veteran targets prior to the start of free agency).

Enter Turner. As one of the few veterans on this squad—he’s one of just three 30-year-olds—Turner’s value might be at its highest for this version of the Bucks in a leadership role, guiding Milwaukee’s young bigs the way only veterans who have been there and done that know how. That he’s a rim-protecting, floor-spacing big with similar measurables to Ware only makes this role all the more fitting.

While accepting a reduced role might be a tough pill to swallow, Turner knows a thing or two about the importance of mentorship—and working as a team, in the purest sense of the word. In his 2025 Players’ Tribune post, “It Took Me 10 Years to Write This,” Turner wrote effusively about nearly all of his Pacers teammates and the little things they did that contributed to winning. Veteran James Johnson was one of them:

[He] doesn’t really play but he stays impactful, with his veteran leadership and taking the young dudes under his wing. Like, what makes our team effective … it goes beyond elite stars, or elite depth, or even elite work ethic. We have elite role clarity. We have a team that’s a TEAM, and a group that’s a GROUP.

Turner clearly isn’t at the point Johnson was with that Pacers team, but if he truly believes those words he knows a move to the bench is the right one to make.

Mentorship aside, bringing Turner off the bench might just be the best way to maximise his all-around on-floor impact. Turner is at his best when paired with a playmaking guard who sets the table for him. This isn’t just conjecture, either, with Turner also highlighting Tyrese Halliburton’s transformative value to him in his Players’ Tribune post:

I felt like for the first time in my NBA career, I had both 1. a head coach who’s believing in me, and 2. a point guard who’s facilitating for me. And it’s like I was unleashed. 

Right away, I went from 13 ppg to 18 ppg. 33% on threes to 37%. 51% from the field to 55%. And it wasn’t just the numbers — it was so much deeper than that. Like, I don’t know if this will make sense, but it’s the first time where I felt like I had “basketball free will.” I wasn’t just getting told what NOT to do. With Coach and Tyrese, things flowed toward what’s possible. They started to let me engage mentally, not just physically. And when I’m doing that … I feel like I’m who I want to be as a basketball player. 

It was this connection that enabled Turner to convert at least 75% of his shots between 0-3 feet in the four seasons prior to coming to Milwaukee (per Basketball-Reference). With the Bucks—and without an elite playmaker—that dropped down to just 67%. It’s not surprising then that Turner’s overall scoring volume and efficiency nosedived without a true facilitator in Milwaukee; the percentage of two-point field goals he was assisted on reduced from 85% in his final season with the Pacers to 74% with the Bucks. For reference, Ware was at 68% last year—and he’s no shot creator. With these things in mind, Turner seems ideally suited to line up alongside up-and-coming dime-dropper Kasparas Jakučionis, who also figures to be utilised off the bench.

But, unlike Turner, Ware does score off the offensive glass, ranking tenth in the league in total points scored off putbacks (144), just short of Bucks killer Moussa Diabaté (150). Meanwhile, Turner had just 48—fewer than rookie wings VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel. Considering Jenkins’ teams have historically prioritised second-chance points, this is yet another reason Ware should start.

In all, a move to the bench doesn’t mean Turner won’t be a significant part of the rotation. After all, the Bucks are still relatively thin up front, with only Turner, Ware, and Jericho Sims as true bigs. It wouldn’t be surprising to see iterations of this squad with two of those three sharing the court, either. But for the Bucks to truly start their climb back up the Eastern Conference standings, they need Turner to lead—and that might mean sitting down.

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Bucks fans, what do you think about sending Myles Turner to the bench? Share your thoughts in the comments and stay tuned for Part III: Cut, coming tomorrow.

What did Mat Ishbia and the Suns pay Devin Booker to do? That’s the question Suns fans need to ask themselves. Instead, everyone has gotten hung up on what they think Mat Ishbia paid Devin Booker to be.

Fan sentiment is that Devin Booker needs to be a “superstar” because he got paid “superstar money”. He needs to make All-NBA teams, he needs to make All-Star teams, he needs to lead the Suns in scoring every night, and he needs to win every close game when it comes down to the wire, because that’s what Kobe did.

Mat Ishbia signed Devin Booker to the market-value supermax contract he had coming his way because the Suns and 29 other NBA front offices think that Devin Booker impacts winning. Mat Ishbia extended Devin Booker to build a title contender. He didn’t extend him so that Booker could win the scoring title (fingers crossed). Or make an All-NBA team (I hope, I hope, I hope). Or even play in an All-Star game (if he doesn’t, we riot). He extended Booker to build a team that can win, and win in the playoffs. The fine print didn’t specify that Booker had to be anything. Jordan Ott can use Booker however he sees fit.

An interesting conversation has come up in the Suns-related content sphere. Gil from the PHNX Suns stream posited whether or not there was “a world in which Jalen Green is the guy who’s averaging 24 plus, maybe around that 25 range.” He also asked whether there should be a “Passing of the Torch where Jalen is the guy who is maybe leading the team in scoring but Booker’s still getting go-to buckets down the stretch.” I have thoughts on that.

So did Ben Garcia from the Locked on Suns stream, who had the following to say about the idea of Booker stepping back in order for Green to grow:

“What if Jalen Green turns into a 25-point per game player and ascends past Devin Booker, and Devin Booker turns into the Big Shot Maker. That is stupid in my opinion because Jalen Green has never shot over 42% in a season.”

He went on to add, “Asking Devin Booker to take a step back, like that’s crazy. No one would ever tell a four or five-time All-Star to take a back seat to a guy who has never been an All-Star, never really contributed to winning.”

Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight.

Ben is caught up in what he thinks Devin Booker should be. It would be crazy to ask Devin Booker to take a back seat in any offense. That’s not what I think Gil meant. I think he meant the Suns would be better if Jalen Green were their leading scorer, and he’s right.

The Suns don’t need Devin Booker to be less involved in the offense; they need him to change the role he plays in the offense. Or the role he’s traditionally played. You don’t have to look any further than last year’s playoffs when Mike Brown asked Karl-Anthony Towns to take on a different role to see the proof of concept. If Jordan Ott did ask Booker to take on a different role in order to impact winning, he wouldn’t be the only coach who’s done so. Calipari at Kentucky asked Book to come off the bench. Kerr asked Book to be the glue guy to bring a collection of great talent into a cohesive team. Two championship-caliber coaches saw the value in Devin Booker’s greatest attribute behind the butter-smooth jumper. Devin Booker is an egoless (super)star who has the team-first mentality and the basketball IQ to adjust his game to suit the needs of the team.

The Suns don’t have to build the team around Devin Booker the way you have to build a team around LeBron or Luka. Teammates don’t have to be asked to fill a narrow role and sacrifice their game in order for Booker to get off his. This is important because the Suns have an optimization problem at the top of the payroll.

Jalen Green did not play as well for the Suns as he played on the Rockets. There are reasons for that. It’s the injury, it’s coming in late onto a team that had already gelled, but it’s also the role they asked Jalen Green to play. Jalen Green’s game didn’t blossom off of Booker’s gravity the way Brooks’ game did. My opinion is that’s because Jalen Green is a one, not a two. It is debatable where Jalen Green falls on the ladder of NBA ones, he hasn’t been an all-star yet, he’s certainly not a better one than Booker, but he was the leading scorer and shot-taker on a Rockets team that landed a two seed and won two play-off games. All four years on the Rockets, Jalen Green took the most shots on the team.

While Booker remains one of the more potent scorers in the league, the eye test tells that something is changing with Booker’s jumpshot. He doesn’t look as confident, he isn’t getting it off in traffic like he used to, he’s hunting fouls because he doesn’t trust it. Beyond the much-talked-about three-point shooting woes last year, Devin Booker put up his lowest field goal percentage since the 2017 season. The year before that, he also put up his lowest field goal percentage since the 2017 season. He covered up for it by putting up a career-high 8.1 free throw attempts a game. In the playoffs, the Thunder took him out of the game. I don’t care how good the Thunder were; when has there ever been a playoff series in which Devin Booker couldn’t get shots up?

Jalen Green, with all his flaws, has young legs. He can get into the lane at will. He can elevate above the crowd. He’s a three-level scorer with elite athleticism that’s tough to stop when the ball’s in his hand. At his best, he’s a score-first guy. The questionable shot selection, the limited playmaking, and the ball-stopping are all a part of his game, but the Suns need him to be aggressive.

This season’s puzzle is an optimization problem. How do you get the most out of Booker while still getting the most out of Green, Brooks, Bridges, and Gillespie? The Suns won’t win as many games as fans expect next season if they get the Jalen Green they had last season. He produced below his career averages in points and assists. Devin Booker is special with the ball in his hands, but so was CP3. CP3 didn’t have to be the leading scorer to be the best player on the floor. Neither does Devin Booker.

If the Suns need Jalen Green to be aggressive, they need Booker to be efficient. There’s hope that the addition of a fourth shot creator in Bridges will force defenses to be less aggressive in targeting Booker, but I’m not optimistic on that front. Running more plays for Booker is going to lead to more of the same from opposing defenses. More contested jumpers, more walk-up threes, more misses, fewer buckets. The Suns can run more plays through Jalen Green, and eventually, the rush-Booker-every-time-he-touches-the-ball game plan won’t make sense anymore. Devin Booker doesn’t need more shots; he needs better shots.

We all know Ishbia is a Michigan man so when I try to prognosticate on what vision he has for his Suns teams I go to the Detroit Pistons. Initially, my mind ran to the Bad Boy Pistons with Booker playing Zeke, but there was another championship Pistons team in 2004. Led by Chauncey Billups, but led in scoring by Rip Hamilton. As of the time I’m writing this, one of them is in the Naithsmith Hall of Fame, and the other isn’t. It wasn’t the leading scorer that got inducted.

Is Jalen Green the perfect fit next to Devin Booker? Maybe not, but unless something shocking happens, Jalen Green is who they have. If the Suns are serious about winning a playoff series this season, they’re going to need to get 25 points a game from Jalen Green because teams are no longer allowing Booker to go off on them. Will there be nights when Booker makes a run at a 50 spot? Of course, there will. But not in the playoffs. The Thunder showed us what’s going to happen in the playoffs. Adding Miles Bridges doesn’t change that. The rise of Jalen Green will.

Booker is one of the most adaptable superstars in NBA history. The Suns should consider what a different role would open up, not just in opportunities for his teammates, but in him finding more space to get his own shot off as well.

Is it time for Book to pass the torch and take up a different role on this team than he has on past teams? I don’t know if that’s what Ott has planned. I just know that if he asks. Book will do it.

For those who don’t follow the NBA, allow me to provide a brief history on the work Bob Myers has done as an executive.

Bob Myers was hired by the Golden State Warriors in 2011 as an assistant general manager. He would be promoted to general manager a year later.

Under Myers’s leadership, the Warriors would go on to draft Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green in 2012. This came a year after drafting Klay Thompson and three years after drafting Steph Curry. They signed future NBA Finals MVP Andre Igoudala to a four-year deal in 2013. They also extended the aforementioned Curry to what wound up being a team-friendly contract, thanks in part to his early career injury history dampening his value.

Those players wound up forming the core of what would become multiple NBA championship teams in the Bay Area. They won the title in 2015. They would’ve repeated in 2016, a season where they went 73-9 in the regular season, had it not been for a historic performance by LeBron James in Games 5-7 of the 2016 NBA Finals for the Cleveland Cavaliers to erase a 3-1 deficit and win the title.

The way the NBA was set up at the time, the salary cap exploded going into the 2016-17 season. The Warriors had the cap space and flexibility in terms of assets (aka, they renounced the free agency rights to Barnes) to convince a former NBA MVP and one of the 15 or so greatest players ever in Kevin Durant to join them as a free agent. The Warriors would go on to win the next two NBA titles and may have won yet another in 2019 had it not been for an Achilles injury to Durant and a torn ACL by Thompson in that Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

Golden State would have a couple down years in the aftermath of Durant departing as a free agent and Thompson’s lengthy recovery (he wound up tearing his Achilles during a workout prior to returning from the torn ACL), but the core of Curry, Thompson, and Green managed to win one last championship together in 2021-22. All in all, they won 4 championships and reached two more NBA Finals in a six year span and became a modern day NBA dynasty. Myers’ leadership and vision was a big part of the reason why the Warriors accomplished that.

Myers would eventually step down as GM of the Warriors and do work in television before taking his next executive job as president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which oversees operations of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils among other organizations.

The 76ers, well into the post-“Trust the Process” tanking era under former GM Sam Hinkie, had consistently been a good but not great team in the Eastern Conference. As a team, their ceiling was reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals. Joel Embiid is the longest-tenured Sixer, and while he’s oft-injured, he’s an MVP-caliber player when healthy. Philadelphia nailed a late first round pick on Tyrese Maxey, a 2-time All-Star, and the future is bright with VJ Edgecombe, a former high lottery pick.

Teams are always looking to improve, and when the opportunity to acquire a perennial All-Star and NBA champion in Jaylen Brown presented itself, the Sixers were positioned to pounce. Philadelphia sent an albatross Paul George contract and draft picks to Boston to acquire Brown. And while I’m not necessarily saying that move was the reason why Philadelphia all of a sudden became an attractive landing spot for LeBron James, it certainly didn’t hurt Philly’s chances. LeBron, at age 41 and looking to win one last championship before retiring, chose Philadelphia over potential reunions in Cleveland and Miami for what may be the final chapter in his Hall of Fame career.

Myers has been quoted in the past saying that he wasn’t necessarily looking to build superteams in the NBA. The goal is to build, compete, and ideally, each subsequent decision makes you incrementally better. It’s one thing for Myers to tell Rich Paul and Max Kellerman on their podcast that his pitch to LeBron would be that the Sixers gave him the best chance to win. It’s another thing to show your work by making the correct requisite moves beforehand to set up that possibility. It’s easier to show you’re serious about winning when you can point to trading for a perennial All-Star weeks prior as proof.

When you consistently make good decisions, and you consistently build upon a strong foundation, you position yourself to be in the mix for the move or moves that can put you over the top.

Look at the Florida Panthers, for instance. For most of their history as a franchise, the Panthers were a joke. Florida has always had the advantages of having great weather and a favorable tax situation, but when previous management groups there couldn’t get out of their own way and built losing hockey teams year after year, nobody wanted to go South Florida unless the team grossly overpaid or there was no other alternative when it came to being in the NHL.

It wasn’t until the last decade or so where they began to turn things around. It started with the drafting of key players like Sasha Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Jonathan Huberdeau to give them a foundation off which to work. They also added a key free agent in Sergei Bobrovsky who gave them stability in net (and would wind up being a key reason of why they won championships)

Once Bill Zito (and eventually, Sunny Mehta) came aboard, the Panthers made a series of decisions that made them incrementally better. Drafting Anton Lundell. Acquiring Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett via trade. Adding Gus Forsling off of waivers. Signing Carter Verhaeghe after he wasn’t qualified by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Was there a bit of luck involved that they were able to pluck a top pairing defenseman and a top six scoring winger off of the scrap heap? Sure. But by using the data and tools available, you make those smart, calculated risks. And those moves ultimately added to the foundation Florida already had where they were able to move Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar for Matthew Tkachuk, which ultimately led to them getting Brady Tkachuk last month.

Smart moves by a smart management team didn’t just turn Florida into a winner. They turned Florida into THE premier destination in the NHL. To where Florida became THE team that everybody wants to go to. Fans might be envious and/or annoyed when Florida, Tampa, and Vegas keep popping up on a player’s preferred trade destination list, but those organizations are there for a reason.

Instead of being annoyed about that though, the other 29 or so organizations should be asking themselves how do I get on that list? What can I do differently to get on that level? Instead of moping around and whining and complaining about the lack of palm trees in Buffalo like a loser, teams should be looking in the mirror and ask themselves what they’re not doing.

Bob Myers might not be a traditional” 200 Hockey Man”, and neither is Sunny Mehta. But the philosophy of continuing to make those incremental improvements and making smart bets is one that can apply regardless of the sport. It’s something Mehta literally talked about in his introductory press conference, and its likely a conversation that came up when Myers sat in on Mehta’s interview to be the Devils general manager.

Once those improvements are made and the team is better off on the field (or in this case, the ice) as a result of it, it opens up the door to larger possibilities.

New Jersey And Being a Destination

The idea of New Jersey being a destination isn’t something new. It’s something that former GM Tom Fitzgerald talked about a lot during his time here.

Fitzgerald frequently referred to New Jersey as a “hidden gem”, and while part of that is the role of used car salesman that comes along with being an NHL general manager, he wasn’t necessarily wrong.

New Jersey has plenty to offer, from its close proximity to NYC, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and the Jersey shore to what Fitzgerald cited as “the best travel in the league” with so many teams in the Eastern Conference located along the I-95 corridor. If you like golf, there’s plenty of options. If you like world-class restaurants, there’s plenty of options. If you want “city living”, there are plenty of places in Hoboken or Jersey City to take up residence. If you want a quieter lifestyle off the ice, there are plenty of places where one can live in relative anonymity in the suburbs. The practice rink and Prudential Center are under the same roof. I can go on, but you get the point. New Jersey isn’t unique in offering these things per se, but they can build a compelling argument around those things as selling points.

Fitzgerald did succeed to some extent when it came to convincing players to either come to or stay in New Jersey. He ultimately convinced Dougie Hamilton, Ondrej Palat, Brett Pesce, and Brenden Dillon to sign here as unrestricted free agents. He convinced Timo Meier to extend here. Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom waived no-trade clauses to come here. They certainly took a big swing to try to convince Johnny Gaudreau to sign here. Granted, Fitzgerald might’ve caved in a lot of negotiations where he ultimately offered too much term, too much money, too much trade protection, or some combination of the three, but when one is adding pieces through free agency, that’s the cost of doing business. You either bite the bullet and give the player what they’re looking for or you risk losing the player.

If there’s a critique though, it’s that the Devils haven’t had enough success on the ice to position themselves to be a contender for the truly elite level players when they do become available. They can get players, but they haven’t been able to get the difference makers that move the needle.

The Devils couldn’t get on Matthew Tkachuk’s list when he was available several years ago despite the Tkachuks being cousins with Fitzgerald, and they weren’t on Brady’s list either post-Fitzgerald firing despite Brady’s wife being from New Jersey.

The Devils haven’t been able to get on Dylan Larkin’s list either despite his close relationship with the Hughes brothers.

Ironically, the relationship with the Hughes brothers matters to some extent with Larkin since Quinn is there and Wild are on his list. As of this writing, the so-called Quinn Hughes contract extension to stay in Minnesota that we were told was a mere formality isn’t actually done yet (meanwhile, Quinn has spent most of his time with his brothers in New Jersey this summer but I digress).

Why is Minnesota on Larkin’s list? Aside from the obvious need for a top six center, they were one of the best teams in the league last season. They theoretically have a chance to win right now, even though their roster has taken a step back this offseason. The Devils have to prove they belong on that upper-echelon tier before they get that benefit of the doubt.

Winning matters. Players can make their money anywhere.

It’s why one organization located in a southwestern desert can struggle for decades despite good year-round weather being a selling point (Arizona) while another has done nothing but thrive since entering the league (Vegas).

Ownership matters. Having executives in place who know what they’re doing, who know how to build a winner, and will be aggressive in doing so matters. Having a winning culture matters. It’s why an organization like Vegas is on every player’s wishlist (despite their track record of treating players like a disposable napkin once they’re deemed no longer useful) while an organization like Arizona is, well, no longer located in Arizona.

It’s why teams like Vegas and Florida and Tampa Bay will ultimately be fine despite trading away so many futures. As long as they keep having the right people in place and keep building upon what is already in place, they’ll always have that next guy who will want to come in to replace the guy who ages out.

If it was simply about a favorable tax situation, an organization like the Kraken or Predators would have had nothing but success since entering the league.

Final Thoughts

I realize that my thoughts this week are sort of all over the place, but with the news that LeBron was going to Philadelphia and seeing Bob Myers, who works for HBSE, play a key role in convincing him to go there reassured me that the Devils are likely in good shape. Both with Myers in his larger role overseeing HBSE and Mehta as the Devils general manager.

Of course, its one thing to say you’re going to do these things and another thing entirely to be better. But I view the Devils similarly to how I’d view the Panthers pre-Zito and pre-Mehta, or the Sixers for most of the last decade. Where there are pieces there you can win with and are worth building around, but you need the right people in place at the top of the organization who know how to put the requisite pieces around them to win and will be aggressive when the time is right.

The one ‘yeah, but’ with all of this is that the players wield as much power as they ever have and aren’t afraid to use it. In many cases, not only do they have the no-trade clause, but they also have the power and wherewithal to utilize it to steer themselves towards a preferred destination. Those are roadblocks that even elite teams like Carolina and Colorado have had to navigate, and its certainly possible that even if the Devils do become a perennial contender, that’s something they’ll always have to deal with to some extent. At the end of the day, there will be players who won’t want to come to New Jersey no matter what they do to make themselves attractive to them.

I’m not saying that the Devils will definitely turn things around and join that upper echelon of NHL franchises with Myers and Mehta up top. The NHL is not the NBA, and what Myers accomplished there won’t necessarily work in the NHL. Mehta is still relatively unproven. But I do think there’s something to the idea of consistently making smart decisions and the mindset of “how do I get better today” rather than complacency. I also think there’s something to the idea of nobody is just going to hand greatness to you on a silver platter. If you want to be great, you have to grab the bull by the horns and take what’s yours. Of course, that process is different for players than executives, but the point is that it doesn’t just happen. Be aggressive, like Vegas consistently is, and go get yours.

It may take a little bit of time as Mehta continues to fix the mistakes of the previous regime and continues to reshape the roster, but the Devils are probably in good hands under Mehta and Myers’ leadership.

Spurs legend Manu Ginobili turned 49-years-old yesterday (happy belated birthday, Champ!). Even though he retired in 2018, he’s remained a fixture with the Spurs. From sitting with his family at home games to showing up with Tim Duncan to Gregg Popovich’s retirement announcement (where it was revealed he and Timmy were actively engaged in Pop’s physical therapy and recovery), Ginobili is still a Spur through and through.

The day before his birthday, this snippet of a dialogue between he and fellow teammate Tony Parker was posted:

"I do a little bit of everything but not too much of anything."

Manu Ginobili says he's contributing to the Spurs and testing to see if he likes coaching or front office work and may want to try it at a certain point.

🎥 Via: @SkweekSportspic.twitter.com/EjalsmZxFh

— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) July 27, 2026

Manu explained, “I was just giving my opinion as a former player…I was there for three days. And then I spent some time with Brian Wright talking about the team. So I do a little bit of everything but not too much of anything.”

Parker responded by saying, “So basically you are testing you’re testing coaching a little bit to see if you like it and you’re testing the front office, so GM, scout, all that kind of stuff to explain. And so right now, you like a little in both but you don’t want to commit right now because you still want to enjoy your time.”

“Definitely, that’s a great summary,” Manu replied. “I’m trying to contribute in any possible way because I love the organization, everybody in it. I’ve been a part of it for twenty years. so it’s basically my family, too. And I am learning, and then I’ll decide.”

As the Spurs continue to grow and shape a champion caliber roster, there can be no greater support than those who reigned supreme with the first dynasty. And any role Ginobili takes with the organization will enhance the growth of the team and the franchise as a whole.

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Warriors' quiet NBA offseason leads wandering eyes to the summer of 2027 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ quiet 2026 NBA offseason already has led wandering eyes towards the summer of 2027. 

Draymond Green on Tuesday returned to the Warriors on a one-year, $27.7 million contract, which is the same deal he turned down in opting out of his player opinion to open more financial flexibility in the team’s pursuit of LeBron James. Once Green’s new contract and De’Anthony Melton’s two-year, $11 million contract with a player option on the second year becomes finalized, the Warriors will be hard-capped to the second apron. 

They technically have three spots available, not including second-round pick Lajae Jones, to fill out on minimum contracts. 

James was the big fish this offseason that couldn’t be reeled in. The free-agent market is barren, and the Warriors’ salary cap situation only allows for cheap deals signed on the dotted line. As the Warriors continue to hold onto their draft picks, running a 37-win team back with reasons for optimism and arguments for the other side on nearly every player is as much about clearing the books for next summer as anything else. 

Bringing back Green, plus having Jimmy Butler’s $56.8 million contract he’s under this season, gives the Warriors $84.5 million in expiring contracts between the two of them. The trend goes much further than just those two. 

Along with Butler and Green, Steph Curry and Brandin Podziemski also are on expiring contracts. Curry becomes extension eligible on Aug. 29. The last time he was extension eligible, Curry took some time and he signed a one-year extension instead of the two years he was eligible for. Podziemski is up for a rookie contract extension he can sign until 3 p.m. PT the day before the regular-season opener. Butler can be extended starting in February of 2027. 

Green is the only of the three who can’t be extended. He did not receive a full no-trade clause in his new contract, but playing as a one-year Bird Rights player essentially functions the same and any trade would need his consent. 

Now, back to the Warriors and next offseason. 

The Warriors only have three players who have guaranteed contracts for the 2027-28 season: Moses Moody ($13.4 million), Yaxel Lendeborg ($6.4 million) and Gui Santos ($5 million). Kristaps Porziņģis has a $20 million player option, Al Horford has a $7.1 million player option and Melton has a player option projected at $5.75 million. Will Richard’s $2.5 million on his third season is non-guaranteed. 

Golden State is projected to have the most salary cap space in the league next offseason with just three guaranteed contracts currently signed.

So, why 2027? 

Inside their own building, Curry, Butler and Green can all be unrestricted free agents, with Curry the most likely off the board because of his extension. Outside the building, there’s a long list of enticing players who are set to be unrestricted free agents. 

Kawhi Leonard is part of that list. So is Michael Porter Jr., Tyler Herro, RJ Barrett, Zach LaVine, and some strong role players like Donte DiVincenzo, Lu Dort, Keldon Johnson, Davion Mitchell and more. 

The real interest is in those who have player options for next offseason in the chance they get turned down and the Warriors are an enticing enough destination for a slew of star names. Those star names include the likes of Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Ingram and others. James does have a player option, but he’s stated Philadelphia will be his final destination. 

But the problem is, free agency doesn’t work like that any more. These types of star names rarely make it to the open market, and it’s often about the move before the move, a la the 76ers trading for Jaylen Brown in order to sign James. 

It’s up to you to believe the Warriors will seal the deal with one of the above names or a different disgruntled star who wants out. The laundry list of vanishing names the Warriors have been attached to in recent years will sway you away. The Warriors will rightly argue they added a star in Butler 18 months ago in what was a great trade where only one first-round pick was moved to Miami. That also was a fairly riskless move, where the only real risk was age and injury concern, which blew up one year later.

The reasons for optimism from the roster the Warriors are bringing back in 2026-27 starts with hoping Curry plays more than 43 games. 

It’s hoping Green’s flashes in matchups against Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Leonard and some other stars can be sustained for longer periods, and he doesn’t get as turnover happy. It’s hoping Rick Celebrini has Porziņģis’ health under control, that Melton can play back-to-backs and Horford is the player he was starting on Christmas. It’s hoping Butler returns from injury as close to his past self, and Moody too. It’s hoping Lendeborg really is Day 1 ready and other young players can follow his lead. 

And much of what’s happening now looks to be keen on keeping tabs ahead of what’s possible to happen a year from now.

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Steve Kerr never felt Warriors ‘realistically' were in running for LeBron James originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors came up short in their pursuit of LeBron James, and it’s unclear exactly how close they came to landing him.

In Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s opinion, not close at all.

ESPN’s Anthony Slater, in an appearance Tuesday on “NBA Today,” shared what Kerr told him in a conversation after James chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers last week.

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

In the final two weeks leading up to James’ long-awaited decision, there was plenty of reporting that the Warriors were not optimistic about their chances to land the 22-time NBA All-Star, and Kerr’s comments to Slater seemingly confirm that.

Despite initially being viewed as the favorites to sign James once he left the Los Angeles Lakers, other teams, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia leapfrogged Golden State as the most likely suitors, in the court of public opinion.

And likely, in King James’ court as well.

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The NBA's offseason has reached its next phase. LeBron James made the biggest free agency decision of the year, and now most of the league's major roster questions for the 2026-27 season have been addressed. There could be a few more trades to avoid the NBA's salary-cap penalties, but otherwise the league's major transactions are complete.

But there sure were a lot of impact players on the move this year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, Julius Randle and James were among the former and current NBA All-Stars to switch teams this offseason. While the Knicks largely stood pat after winning an NBA championship, nearly every contender attempting to catch them made notable additions, subtractions or both after eight different title winners in eight years.

From blockbuster trades and free-agent signings to draft-night steals and key extensions, here are the best move made by each of the NBA's 30 teams this offseason:

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

Best move made by every NBA team this offseason

Atlanta Hawks

• Kept CJ McCollum: The Hawks re-signed a key playoff contributor to a one-year, $21 million deal that doesn't compromise the team's future salary cap space if it wants to chase another star to pair with Jalen Johnson.

Boston Celtics

• Shored up center spot: Though this Celtics offseason will be defined by the controversial Jaylen Brown trade, the front office led by Brad Stevens also addressed a need by re-signing center Neemias Queta and adding Knicks center Mitchell Robinson for a combined annual salary of less than $30 million. It should give Boston additional size, rebounding and rim protection at good value.

Brooklyn Nets

• DayRon Sharpe's deal: The Nets declined Sharpe's team option to sign him to a modest two-year, $10 million contract after the 24-year-old center enjoyed a career year in a reserve role. If Sharpe becomes a full-time starter in Brooklyn, this deal would be a bargain.

Charlotte Hornets

• Retained Coby White after LaMelo Ball trade: The Hornets signed White to a three-year, $74 million extension immediately following their trade of Ball. White can still push the pace and get downhill, but he also offers a potentially steadier option at point guard. If he isn't the right fit for Charlotte, his contract will have value on the trade market moving forward.

Chicago Bulls

• Landed Norman Powell: Drafting Caleb Wilson may turn out to be the most memorable move the Bulls made in 2026, but he was the obvious pick at No. 4 and they had to beat out the Detroit Pistons and others to sign Powell. The 2026 NBA All-Star fills a hole at shooting guard and his two-year, $45 million contract doesn't lock Chicago into a long-term relationship.

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Drafted Meleek Thomas: The Cavaliers signed Donovan Mitchell to a supermax extension that raised some eyebrows and then missed out on LeBron James to make for a relatively quiet offseason. But their decision to draft Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas with the No. 34 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after he slid from his late first-round projection could turn into a steal. Cleveland signed Thomas to a four-year, $9.3 million guaranteed contract and he strengthened the team's confidence by leading the NBA Summer League in scoring (27.3 points per game).

Dallas Mavericks

• Traded for Zaccharie Risacher: The Mavericks made several moves to better position themselves around Cooper Flagg as the franchise cornerstone, but acquiring the 2024 No. 1 overall pick and only giving up an undrafted player from a year ago (Ryan Nembhard) is the kind of gamble that can accelerate a rebuild if it pays off. Risacher was a disappointment in Atlanta, but the 21-year-old has ideal length and athleticism for a 3-and-D wing if he can figure out how his game translates at the NBA level.

Denver Nuggets

• Matched offer sheet for Spencer Jones: The Nuggets put themselves in the second apron by matching the two-year, $12 million offer sheet Jones got from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The decision complicated Denver's negotiations with restricted free agent Peyton Watson and could force a salary-clearing trade. But losing a young two-way wing to a conference rival for nothing would have been difficult to justify. If Jones continues his development, Denver may have retained a valuable rotation player on a reasonable contract.

Detroit Pistons

• Traded for Isaiah Joe: There is a lot of attention on the Pistons' front office due to the ongoing negotiations with restricted free agent Jalen Duren and concerns about Cade Cunningham's supporting cast. But Detroit desperately needed more shooting, and Joe came at the relatively low price of two future second-round picks. His $11.3 million salary this season, with a team option for 2027-28, makes this a low-risk bet with significant upside since Joe was a proven floor spacer seeking a larger role in Oklahoma City.

Golden State Warriors

• Kristaps Porzingis' team-friendly extension: The Warriors haven't pulled off a major move this offseason, but they did extend Kristaps Porzingis with a creative, team-friendly contract structure. Though the deal was announced as a two-year, $40 million contract, only $3 million of Porzingis' salary for the 2027-28 season is guaranteed. It provides Golden State with protection given his injury history, but Porzingis' multi-faceted offensive skill set could thrive with a full season in coach Steve Kerr's system.

Houston Rockets

• Tari Eason's deal: The Rockets didn't react to last season's disappointing first-round exit from the NBA playoffs with another batch of splashy moves, but the front office was lauded for the value it got on the five-year, $81 million extension signed by forward Tari Eason. The 25-year-old reportedly turned down a $100 million contract offer a year ago and had an uneven 2025-26 season, particularly shooting from 3-point range. But he remains a coveted two-way wing for his contributions beyond scoring.

Indiana Pacers

• Signed Kelly Oubre Jr.: The Pacers added a veteran two-way wing without using much salary space by signing Oubre to a two-year, $16.5 million contract. The 30-year-old is coming off the most efficient season of his career and his defensive versatility has long been a strength. If he becomes a regular part of Indiana's playoff rotation, the deal could prove to be one of the better values from this offseason.

LA Clippers

• Traded Kawhi Leonard (maybe): The Clippers appeared to successfully move on from the failed experiment of pairing James Harden with Kawhi Leonard when they got a better-than-expected return in a trade for Leonard. The Raptors were set to give up Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two pick swaps in the deal. But the trade is now on hold while the NBA completes its investigation into Leonard and the Clippers.

Los Angeles Lakers

• Acquired Walker Kessler: The Lakers entered the offseason seeking a long-term upgrade at center for Luka Doncic, and they paid a hefty price to acquire one. Whether GM Rob Pelinka gave up too much for a relatively unproven player is up for debate, but the four-year, $130 million contract Kessler got in Los Angeles makes him part of the team's nucleus for the foreseeable future. When healthy, he's a strong fit with Doncic because of his impact in the pick-and-roll and as a rim protector.

Memphis Grizzlies

• Drafted Cameron Boozer: The Grizzlies completed their roster tear down by trading Ja Morant and Santi Aldama this offseason, but their most important addition this offseason came during the 2026 NBA Draft. Landing a potential franchise cornerstone with the No. 3 pick was a critical part of the team's rebuilding efforts, and Boozer's skillsets should complement center Zach Edey and 2025 first-round pick Cedric Coward.

Miami Heat

• Traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo: Pat Riley and the Heat finally got another superstar to come to South Beach. Miami gave up a lot of its core to get Antetokounmpo from the Bucks, leaving limited support outside of Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins. But the chance to acquire a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber rarely comes and beating out the rest of the league for him was still a landmark accomplishment for the franchise. The Heat are a legitimate contender again because of Antetokounmpo, though they may need additional depth to complete their championship aspirations.

Milwaukee Bucks

• The Giannis trade haul: The Bucks are in rebuilding mode for the first time in years and the trade package they got in return for Antetokounmpo got them a strong foundation with which to work. Milwaukee landed Tyler Herro, three young rotation players and three first-round draft picks for a mix of immediate contributors and future assets that will also be valuable for the Bucks as potential trade chips.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Took a big swing on LaMelo Ball: The Timberwolves gave up Julius Randle, Naz Reid and much of their future draft capital to pair Ball with Anthony Edwards in hopes of challenging the best teams in the West. That's a steep price considering Ball's durability issues in the past. Their bet will need to produce more than highlight reels and funny postgame moments, but at least the franchise is willing to make one to raise its ceiling. Ball and Edwards have the potential to be the NBA's most dynamic backcourts for years to come if this experiment works.

New Orleans Pelicans

• Re-signed DeAndre Jordan: This is the Pelicans' best move because it's the only move they've made other than drafting Jason Pierre Jr. in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft. Jordan is more a coach than player at this point in his career, but he's a valued locker room presence.

New York Knicks

• Kept Jose Alvarado: The Knicks mostly sat out the offseason in order to avoid the second apron of the NBA's salary cap, but they appeared to secure a hometown discount when Alvarado declined a $4.5 million player option and signed a three-year, $14 million deal to remain as New York's backup point guard. The Brooklyn native arrived at the trade deadline last season and his presence as a proven pest off the bench should help keep Jalen Brunson fresh, particularly during the regular season.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Isaiah Hartenstein's team-friendly contract: The Thunder spent much of this offseason shedding contracts to stay under the second apron of the NBA's salary cap. But the three-year, $75 million extension Hartenstein agreed to before free agency began looks team-friendly given what other top-end centers have received in recent years. The deal gives OKC's front office more flexibility as it tries to keep its title contender together for the long haul.

Orlando Magic

• Reunited with Nikola Vucevic: The Magic are banking on the moves they made a year ago working out with a little more injury luck during the 2026-27 season. But Orlando did bring back Vucevic on a veteran-minimum contract. The 35-year-old center began his NBA career with the Magic, spending nearly nine years in Orlando, and could provide scoring help and experience off the bench at a low cost.

Philadelphia 76ers

• Won the LeBron Jamessweepstakes: There's an argument to be made that James never even considers joining the 76ers without the blockbuster trade that sent Jaylen Brown from the Celtics to Philadelphia. But new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey might never top acquiring the NBA's all-time leading scorer when he's still one of the league's top performers, especially on a veteran-minimum contract. James completes arguably the league's most potent starting lineup after a strong playoff run this past season.

Phoenix Suns

• Re-signed Collin Gillespie: The Suns made another splash by trading for Miles Bridges this offseason, but retaining guard Collin Gillespie on a four-year, $48 million deal before he hit the market should be a valuable contract for Phoenix. Gillespie began with the Suns on a two-way contract before setting the franchise record for 3-pointers with 232 during a career year last season.

Portland Trail Blazers

• Traded for Ja Morant: Though Morant might be an odd fit given the Blazers' glut of guards, Portland gave up very little for a two-year look at a player considered one of the NBA's rising stars not long ago. Morant should be motivated to prove himself after several injury-marred seasons in Memphis, and the Trail Blazers will have a higher ceiling if new coach Micah Nori can figure out how to make all the backcourt pieces work together.

Sacramento Kings

• Waived DeMar DeRozan: The Kings are mostly stuck with an expensive roster that can't compete in the Western Conference for now, but they were able to free some salary cap space by waiving DeRozan's partially guaranteed contract. The franchise has until the end of August to decide whether to stretch DeRozan's $10 million cap hit over three seasons. It's not a flashy move, but a necessary one for the franchise to begin extricating itself from its salary cap predicament.

San Antonio Spurs

• Victor Wembanyama's extension: The Spurs made savvy moves by signing Tobias Harris and retaining Julian Champagnie this offseason, but persuading Wembanyama to sign a 25% max extension this year instead of waiting for an even bigger payday next year will benefit the franchise's salary cap situation for years to come. The deal could wind up saving the Spurs more than $50 million and sets the tone that their star is willing to sacrifice financially in pursuit of a championship.

Toronto Raptors

• Traded for Kawhi Leonard again (maybe): The Raptors secured the experienced crunch-time scorer they were missing during the playoffs without giving up any of their young emerging stars. But the trade for Leonard remains on hold since he and the Clippers are still involved in an NBA investigation related to salary cap circumvention allegations. If the trade is approved, Leonard immediately vaults the Raptors into the Eastern Conference title conversation.

Utah Jazz

• Traded Walker Kessler: Losing Kessler may hurt Utah in the short term, though perhaps not as much as expected after the additions of Jusuf Nurkic and Mo Bamba. But acquiring two first-round picks, two pick swaps and future salary-cap flexibility by moving Kessler gives the Jazz an intriguing collection of young players and draft assets. The trade should position Utah to pursue another major move down the road without a significant decline in the near term.

Washington Wizards

• Drafted A.J. Dybantsa: As the Wizards' rebuild moves into its next phase with the infusion of veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis, the addition of Dybantsa as the No. 1 pick remains Washington's most important offseason move. The franchise's path to becoming a consistent contender in the Eastern Conference will go hand-in-hand with Dybantsa's development, and he's the favorite to lead all rookies in scoring this season despite having plenty of room to grow.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Breaking down the best offseason move by all 30 NBA teams in 2026