Category: Basketball

After a nervous few days in which the Bucks waived Pete Nance from the non-guaranteed deal they signed him to in July to cut their official roster to 16—and then waived Kevin Porter Jr. yesterday to bring it to 15—the team announced that Nance has indeed signed another two-way contract to return to Milwaukee for a third season. This will be the 26-year-old’s final season of two-way eligibility.

Why was it a nervous few days? Well, as we wrote in the latest edition of Heard ‘em Say, by waiving Nance, the Bucks reportedly risked the very real possibility of another team snapping him up on a standard contract—something Milwaukee couldn’t realistically offer without taking a significant financial hit. Remember, the Bucks were already going to have to eat one standard contract—which ended up being KPJ’s $5.39m deal—and it seems clear they didn’t want to eat two. Cutting Nance was always going to be the “easy way out” because, as I mentioned, his standard contract was non-guaranteed; however, doing so carried risk, as Nance’s ability has clearly broken into the mainstream.

Make no mistake: while Nance will be on a two-way deal with the Bucks, Jenkins won’t treat him like a two-way player. I doubt he’ll even play much with the Wisconsin Herd this year; instead, I’d wager guys like Bogoljub Markovic and Nate Ament will spend more time in Oshkosh. Clearly, Horst and his team were shrewd enough to convince Nance to allow them to take advantage of the fact that he had a year of two-way eligibility remaining—which saves them having to sign him to a standard deal to keep him—but conversations were surely had about how that contract does not reflect the plans Horst and Co. have for him, both for this season and in the future. Just don’t be putting anything in writing, eh, Jon?

Nance is coming off his best season as a pro, averaging 5.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.0 APG, shooting 42.0% from three, in a career-high 15.7 minutes per contest. All three of Milwaukee’s two-way contracts are now occupied.

Joshua Jefferson, the 6’9” 23-year-old point forward taken at No. 28 in the Draft, has been the forgotten man this summer. Because of NBA regs, he couldn’t join the Nets Summer League team until the first game in Las Vegas. No practice, just a review of the playbook and the results were as expected: some smart plays but with the caveat that things will take time. He also was recovering from an ankle injury sustained in his final days at Iowa State. In three games, he averaged 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. 

Then, he couldn’t practice in training camp, couldn’t play in any of the four preseason games because of back stiffness. Just three days ago, he was seen running wind sprints, seemingly not near activation…

So it was a surprise when the head coach announced Monday that Jefferson had participated in practice and would be ready for Wednesday’s game vs. the Charlotte Hornets.

“[Joshua] will be available, yeah. He just practiced, contact practice, and did a great job. I’m happy to see him back. He’s had a buildup and today he played with the rest of the group,” Fernandez said. Whether he makes his debut in the opener remains Fernandez decision.

Jefferson has the Nets excited despite the long road and injuries. He fits the Nets requirements of positional size, versatility and quick thinking. He can play next to Egor Demin or step in for him.

Indeed, according to insiders, the Nets demanded the exchange of picks — the 28th Timberwolves pick for the Nets 33rd — that got him to Brooklyn as part of the multi-team Julius Randle deal. Those same insiders said Jefferson was always an organization target. Scouts believed that if he had been younger, he would have done higher. Jefferson, in fact is the Nets oldest first round pick since Mason Plumlee in 2013. He’s also the ninth oldest player on this year’s roster.

At Media Day, Jefferson talked about his NBA role and how it will likely change from what he played at Iowa State.

“I think [creating with the ball in my hands] is a big part of who I am as a player,” Jefferson said as Erik Slater reported. “Creating for others, making the job easier and getting open shots for my teammates. It’s going to change a little bit with the amount of weapons that we have.

“So just getting it off the glass and then pushing in transition and playing out of closeouts and stuff like that is how I’m going to continue to integrate my game. Just making quick decisions with the ball, given I probably won’t have the ball as much as I did in college. So just understand that I’ve got to be effective in the opportunities that I get.”

As of Monday, only one Nets player — second round pick Tyler Bilodeau — won’t be available. The two-way is out with a shoulder sprain.

• Nets first-round pick cleared for season-opener after missing preseason – Erik Slater – Clutch Points
• Nets’ Joshua Jefferson available for season opener vs. the Hornets – Shareef Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

Waiting for a new season can be excruciating, tiresome, and hard. It can feel like an eternity. As a fan, you are usually left with questions: why did the past season go up in flames, and what needs to happen to finally, please, finally do better in the future? To somehow reach that goal that many franchises chase for decades. Or 53 years, to be exact, as the Knicks had.

Of course, our beloved ‘Bockers ended that wait, and everything felt a lot different this past offseason. It was the dream that we never wanted to stop dreaming, the summer we all never thought was possible. While others lived and died by some unknown rookie’s shooting form in Las Vegas, we were busy scheduling Late Night TV gigs, rewatching YouTube highlights 24/7, and emptying bank accounts for the next very special and definitely not limited championship edition of some sort. The Knicks, and we as fans, deservedly basked in the glory of the franchise’s third title, an event that will never be forgotten and will be cherished forever. And yet a new season is still knocking on the door.

A rarely up and mostly down preseason for the Knicks didn’t exactly worry anybody, but now the time of, “Ahh, we’ll get em next time” is over. The real games begin this week, and if New York is ready for the challenge yet is anybody’s guess. The Knicks have shown their mental fortitude plenty of times, especially during their magical playoff run that led them to the NBA’s promised land last June. But dialing up your focus on a night when a banner goes up in the rafters and the players get their championship rings is something entirely different. Imagine focusing on your daily tasks when your biggest life achievement is seemingly celebrated by everybody? Except, of course, by the guys who flew their helicopters down I-95 to derail the festivities.

Sixers hope to spoil Knicks’ big night

28.3, 26.9, 20.9, 28.7, and a meager 16—those are last year’s point averages for Philadelphia’s projected starters this upcoming season. To say that they got a bit of scoring potential would be an understatement. Somehow the 76ers found a way to turn one of the ugliest roster setups in the Association into a serious, realistic “All In” push for a championship. After the Boston Celtics basically gift-wrapped Jaylen Brown in a trade for them, they also got some good news from LeBron James, who decided that his last basketball stand should be in Philly.

Mike Gansey, Elton Brand and Jameer Nelson, the newly formed braintrust behind the Sixers’ surge, also managed to complement the headline-grabbing moves by making some smart additions along the edges of the roster. Dean Wade and his nagging defense arrived from Cleveland, the lazy but gifted Anfernee Simons signed for little money after an unremarkable stint in Chicago, and former NBA champ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be counted on to provide veteran leadership. On top of that, the Sixers found Labaron Philon Jr. in the Draft, a lanky, creative combo guard who won’t score the 22 points per contest he put up for Alabama but who will clearly add another dimension off Philly’s bench.

But even if the rest of the roster is more solid than usual for a freshly formed top-heavy superteam, in the end everything will come down to Philly’s big guns next season—for better or worse. Individually, they are maybe the most talented group in the entire league, and all their stars have big-time playmaking potential next to their obvious scoring punch. Nick Nurse will have the mammoth task of somehow cramping all these individuals into a collective game plan and already tried to do so in the preseason. What ultimately transpired, though, was less five guys pulling on one string and more turns of creating advantages in selected two man games. Which could already be quite a lot in Philly’s case.

Massive potential, question marks for 76ers

The new look Sixers have gigantic potential in the pick-and-roll and can utilize all sorts of different weapons. Imagine defending Tyrese Maxey’s drive around a Joel Embiid screen first and then also matching up with a LeBron James-Jaylen Brown two-man game on the weak side. As a cherry on top, you have VJ Edgecombe flying in along the baseline. Yeah, not really fun—at least not for most teams in the league that will already be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of talent Philly can roll out on any given night. How often they roll, of course, is one of the many questions surrounding this group.

Because for all their potential, the 76ers are rail-thin in the frontcourt after former Knick Ariel Hukporti ruptured his Achilles. Fate has it that this is exactly the spot where Philly has to count on Joel Embiid to at least be somewhat healthy, something he isn’t exactly known for, to say the least. The talkative center seemed to have shed a few pounds in the offseason and probably looked healthier than he did in a long time lately. Yet make no mistake, those banged up knees are still there and will be an enormous obstacle for any type of defense the Sixers will try to muster. Especially beside an aging LeBron James who needs his off nights more often these days, too.

Besides the daunting task of managing a roster crying for chemistry and load management, at the same time the new Philadelphia 76ers might present one of the more interesting social studies basketball has seen in years. A self-absorbed, in his eyes always underappreciated, streaming Aficionado mixing with an even more self-absorbed, aging superstar who needs the limelight like flies need you know what – lean back and watch some terror on the squad unfold. It surely can get interesting. For Philly, only as long as the 7-foot-1 floppy disc doesn’t want to be treated like a leftover and joins in on the fun, as well. Their promising young, exciting and likable backcourt, you ask? Well, there’s always the backseat. All jokes, opponent’s wishful thinking, and LeBronisms about happiness aside, this thing could fall apart before Embiid’s first scheduled night off.

A banner going up at the Garden

On Tuesday, you can bet that the Liberty Ballers will try to avenge some of their latest playoff losses at the hands of the Knicks. They have way more to prove than New York, and that motivation alone might be enough to offset some of the obvious Xs and Os challenges Philadelphia faces against Mike Brown’s guys. We all saw what Jalen Brunson and his friends did to Joel Embiid in the pick-and-roll last season, and there is no reason to believe they can’t do it again this year, too.

Opening Night often is about more than Xs and Os, though. It’s about managing emotions, shaking off rust, and getting accustomed to live game action again. It’s about dealing with new teammates, new expectations, and your body feeling different than it did half a year ago. For the Knicks, it will be a tightrope act of celebrating past accomplishments while caring about a contest dwarfed by those deeds. They wouldn’t be the first veteran-led title team that mismanages a night like that.

But even if things don’t go well on the court for the Knicks, do not despair, fans, as hard as it might be to watch LeBron and company prance around MSG like they won something meaningful. They won’t have, unlike what your Knicks did in June, which will be celebrated for one more night and for good reason. Many things (like players’ hairlines) aren’t forever; banners and titles are, though. Enjoy every minute of the celebrations and let the game unfold as it may. Let’s go Knicks!

Game Details

Who: Philadelphia 76ers (0-0) at New York Knicks (0-0)
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC
TV: NBC
Follow: @ptknicksblog

Injury Report

Backup center Adem Bona missed the preseason for Philly with a foot sprain but practiced again on Sunday unlike Domenick Barlow (back) and Dean Wade. Wade is a game time decision due to a bum ankle sustained in the preseason finale. Josh Hart is dealing with his own ankle injury for the Knicks but figures to be available.

One of the biggest moves the Sacramento Kings made during the offseason was taking a chance on former All-Star Ben Simmons, who missed all of the 2025-26 season to focus on rehabilitation recovering from lingering injuries in his back and knees.

His resurgence was profiled by ESPN in its E60 series "Being Ben," a 60-minute in-depth documentary that goes behind the scenes into Simmons' thoughts and emotions upon his return to the NBA and overcoming past wounds.

The documentary, hosted by ESPN's Andscape senior writer Marc Spears, premiered on ESPN on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. ET. The nonfiction motion picture took a peek into Simmons' life away from the NBA, how he's processed his career up to this point and what he has been up to during his time away.

Simmons was a free agent before choosing to commit to Sacramento, and there was tremendous interest in his comeback story. However, all the excitement for the documentary's release was derailed just hours later when the Kings announced Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon during a live practice drill, likely ending his season before it even began.

Spears told USA TODAY in a phone interview that he spoke to Simmons a day before the documentary aired and that he was excited for the film. Spears said the injury occurred "likely, probably within the hour" before the documentary debuted.

"It's sad because after people watched it, I think it sets in and the resonation with it was extremely strong and people are feeling it and digging it," Spears said. "And then all of a sudden you just get this gut punch after you just watch this documentary of what just happened to Ben."

The Kings will continue to honor his contract, so Simmons' $3.5 million is still guaranteed, which means he won't have to go through rehabilitation alone. He'll have the support of the Kings organization.

Members of the organization voice support

The Kings are certainly distressed about Simmons' injury but have pledged their support in his rehab journey.

Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. told reporters that losing Simmons is "bad news" and "changes a lot" but provided words of encouragement and support for him.

"We're all here for him. We his brothers," Acuff said. "We just want to continue this journey for him. He got us with him through everything. He has a family in us. Just really praying for him and hope everything goes well."

Kings head coach Doug Christie was about to make Simmons a captain. He worked his way into the starting lineup during the preseason after he was initially projected as the backup point guard to Acuff.

Christie called the injury a "gut punch" to the team.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have multiple players working through injuries as the start of the 2026-27 regular season looms.

Kenny Atkinson provided updates on Sam Merrill, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Khalifa Diop.

“[Everyone practiced] except for Nae’Qwan,” said Atkinson. “Sam was limited.”

Diop and Tomlin did not appear throughout the preseason. Merrill played in two of the three.

Atkinson noted that Diop had a setback in his recovery from a recent injury.

“He’s fitting great culturally, coming back from a setback injury,” Atkinson said. “I love his spirit, and he’s a guy who I can speak French with.”

Diop has played multiple years overseas and is set to play his rookie season in Cleveland. He’s one of only a few frontcourt players on the roster and could end up playing real minutes if any of the other bigs on the roster get injured this year.

Meanwhile, we know how important Merrill is.

Merrill was one of Cleveland’s most important bench players last season and will be even more so this year. He’s their lead sharpshooter with the second unit and arguably the best shooter on the team. The Cavs will lean on Merrill for volume three-point shooting as Max Strus was traded this summer.

As for Tomlin, another step forward from the lanky, athletic wing would be sweet. Tomlin brought energy and hustle to the table last season but struggled to put it all together. He’ll need to improve as a three-point shooter and refine his defensive impact before being a full-time rotational player. But Tomlin has all the tools to do so.

Cleveland plays their first game of the season on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. They’ll play their home opener in Rocket Arena on Saturday, hosting the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Nets tipping off Wednesday against the Hornets, it’s hard to quantify just how far Egor Dëmin has come from this point a year ago as a rookie.

But coach Jordi Fernández’s quippy answer does speak to Dëmin’s biggest strides.

“Maybe ask the performance team about his weight and how much bigger his biceps is. Maybe that’s a way to quantify,” Fernández said. “I’m very happy with the way he’s played. …He sees the floor very well, and he’s done a great job getting into the [paint].”

Dëmin’s added muscle has been well documented, as has his growth from a lithe teen who struggled against NBA physicality to a more filled-out version.

The second-year guard couldn’t or wouldn’t say how much stronger he’s gotten, only that he’s more ready for the rigors of the league.

“That’s true. There was a growth, a significant growth, in what dumbbells I’m picking up on the arm day, yeah,” Dëmin laughed.

But for the Russian, it’s about more than just touching the paint or even getting to the rim.

It’s about knowing what to do when he gets there.

“Yeah, play off two feet and look for the spray or keep your options open. But don’t go in there without a plan,” Fernández said. “He’s done a great job. He’s worked at it, and shown he’s way more comfortable now getting there.

“When you’re 18, 19, the game goes so fast. Now it slows down, because you’re more confident, you’re stronger. We’ve seen it in preseason — he’s just got to continue to do it in the regular season.”

That regular season starts Wednesday against the visiting Hornets.

Dëmin will likely start on the ball, with Mikel Brown Jr. still on a minutes limit. That means Dëmin will have to not only not get turned at the point of attack, but actually have a plan once he gets in the paint.

“I haven’t done that for a while, getting to the rim like that actively, and sometimes when I get there it’s hard to believe, where I’m like, ‘I’m actually here,’ and I almost expect something to happen,” Dëmin admitted. “So for me, realize that I’m actually a big body, so… it’s harder to defend for people, especially now. So just having a state of mind that nobody can stop me, and just having that idea of getting there aggressively and finishing with quality and not just to show that I got to the paint.”

Joshua Jefferson (back) practiced full contact Monday and will be available vs. Charlotte. Tyler Bilodeau will be out with a sprained shoulder.

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Fernández on having legendary soccer coach Pep Guardiola — who is also Catalan — visit during the summer: “He loves basketball, so he wanted to see the gym and the players and watch them work out. … He’s curious on how we do things, how we work here. And obviously I have a lot of questions for him on how he’s handled certain situations. … There’s a lot you can learn from a leader like that. He’s one of my favorites, so it’s always good to see him and obviously have him [here].”

As they do, the Brooklyn Nets declined to offer Noah Clowney an extension Monday, the deadline for such deals. Indeed, only eight players from the 2023 Draft were rewarded. Big names like Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black, Derick Lively II, Bilal Coulibaly and Jaime Jacquez didn’t make the cut either.

At this point, Clowney is on a prove-it deal. He’ll be paid $5.4 million and come June, he will be a restricted free agent meaning the Nets will be able to match any bid from any time. In the new world of the CBA, that’s what free agency looks like.

The 6’10” forward who’s just turned 22 is coming of a season where he he averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and got to the line 3.4 times in 66 games, 60 of them, all encouraging numbers. His shooting splits were less so: 40/33/80. More important so was his consistency. Now, of course, he won’t be starting 60 games, not with Julius Randle starting at the power forward. He told the media Monday that he understands the dynamic.

“I mean, realistically, we’re professionals. You should be able to adjust to a new role,” Clowney said. “It might take a couple games to click — maybe more than a couple of games — but you should be able to figure it out. 

“It’s not changing so drastically to where it’s like concerning me. I play less minutes more than likely. Other than that, my role is not too much different. Coming in with two ball handlers, the ball will be in my hands a lot less, 100 percent, but pick your spots, create chaos. That’s the goal.” 

Despite that, Jordi Fernandez sounded optimistic about Clowney’s role in the upcoming season.

“I’ve seen consistency from him, and that’s the key,” Fernández said. “If he can provide that to the group, Noah is going to help us win a lot of games, [with] not just his size and physicality, but also his shooting, getting to the free-throw line, just doing the simple things. 

“He’s put in all this work all summer and he’s shown … consistency. And now we’re going into real games. … We’re all excited and I think Noah’s going to be a big part of it.”

More importantly, the head coach is more interested in how Clowney helps the team

 “Yeah, he can be better,” Fernández admitted. “And he will be better, and that’s important. He focuses. He’s focusing on it. We brought those points to him, and we know he can impact not just the defensive glass but also the offensive glass.

“And there’s no excuses. Sometimes we put him [on] very good offensive players, and that’s still not an excuse. He’s going to go and finish possessions.”

Clowney has looked good in preseason … very good, as Brian Lewis noted. He averaged 9.8 points this preseason on solid 52.2/60.0/85.7 shooting splits, and was a team-best plus-7.5. On the other hand, he grabbed only three rebounds. The inconsistency thing again. Clowney told the media he gets it.

“Rebounding, I don’t know the numbers,” Clowney said. “That’s the goal, to get more. But I try to do what I’m asked. 

“Play defense, go get some rebounds to end possessions, make shots when the ball comes to you. Pretty much that. Just bring an energy on the court, especially playing bench minutes. It’s a lot easier to come in and play harder for one stint per half. But yeah, just pretty much guard, keep the ball flowing, just play basketball.” 

If Clowney sounds less than excited, not to worry. He is excited. Clowney is notoriously low-key.

“Everybody’s excited about it,” Clowney said of the season. “There’s no benefit from losing. There’s none. So, win games. We’re going to go into every game with the idea of winning it, put our best foot forward. And that excites a lot of people. So yeah, it’s a lot more excitement in the building.”

Bottom line: the decision not to extend Clowney was not unexpected. The Nets have a history of prove-it contracts and seven of the eight players given extensions were taken ahead of him in the 2023 Draft.

• Nets don’t offer Noah Clowney rookie extension as he embraces prove-it season in new role ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets Notebook: Noah Clowney adjusts to reduced role, rookies get injury updates ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

After four preseason games with the Minnesota Timberwolves on an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, forward/center Drew Timme was waived before the start of the 2026-27 regular season.

No need to fret, as the Phoenix Suns immediately picked up the Gonzaga Bulldog legend off waivers and signed him to their third and final two-way contract spot. This was first reported by The NBA Consensus. Timme replaced guard Koby Brea, who was cut in order to add more frontcourt depth to second-year coach Jordan Ott’s roster.

The 6-10, 235-pound talent plans to split his time with the big club and their G League affiliate, Valley Suns. Former Gonzaga guard David Stockton will be teammates with Timme on the Valley Suns. The G League franchise’s general manager, Brendan Sabean, used to be a student manager under coach Mark Few from 2010-14.

This will be the sixth NBA organization that Timme has been involved with in his professional career since going undrafted back in 2023. His second time being on a two-way deal after being with the Los Angeles Lakers and the then South Bay Lakers in the G League during the 2025-26 campaign.

During this past preseason with Minnesota, Timme averaged 6.0 points on a shooting split of 60.0 field goal percentage/40.0 three-point percentage/57.1 free throw percentage, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 10.8 minutes per game. He has put together 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 36 games played across two NBA seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and Lakers.

With Timme being named to Phoenix’s opening night roster, that makes 12 active former Zags in the NBA.

Chicago Bulls forward/center Zach Collins

Los Angeles Clippers forward Rui Hachimura

Sacramento Kings forward/center Domantas Sabonis

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren

Atlanta Hawks wing Corey Kispert

Denver Nuggets wing Julian Strawther

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard

Denver Nuggets guard Ryan Nembhard (two-way)

Golden State Warriors forward/center Graham Ike (two-way)

Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Smith (two-way)

The 2026-27 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with Oklahoma City’s Holmgren traveling to the San Antonio Spurs at 6:30 p.m. PT on NBC.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

Both Dalton Knecht and the Lakers took a giant kick to the chin. 

As for the Lakers?

They waived their No. 17 pick in the 2024 draft on Monday after trying to use the 25-year-old forward as trade bait but getting no bites. 

This is their second first-round pick in the last few years that turned out to be fool’s gold following selecting Jalen Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 draft and then declining his third-year option and watching him slip out of the league. 

As for Knecht?

He went from being a promising stud who had back-to-back 27-point and 37-point performances his rookie season to slipping out of Lakers coach JJ Redick’s rotation. 

His fall from grace was precipitous, leaving the forward treading water in no-man’s land with his best option at this point likely being signing a two-way contract. 

So, how did we get here?

Dalton’s downfall

This is unfortunate for both parties. The Lakers let a desperately-needed first-round draft pick evaporate into thin air. And Knecht’s career is snowballing downhill. 

Things reached a critical point in February 2025. 

Shortly after the Lakers stunned the basketball world by acquiring Luka Dončić from the Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline, they sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, a future first-round pick and a pick swap to the Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. 

But Williams failed his physical with the Lakers, who then rescinded the deal. That meant Knecht had to tuck his tail between his legs and walk back into a locker room that had been ready to move on without him. 

There’s no coming back from that, really. 

How could his confidence not be irrevocably shaken by that? Imagine your boss firing you. Then getting a call from him, saying, “Never mind.” And then having to go into the office the next day. 

After that, Knecht’s deficits became more and more glaring. 

He was liability on defense. And when his shot wasn’t falling, trying to plug him into a roster that needed shooters that could create space for Doncic and Reaves became like trying to shove a square into a round hole. 

He went from averaging 9.1 points on 46.1% shooting (37.6% from deep), 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 19.2 minutes per game his rookie season, to averaging 4.2 points on 45.5% shooting (34.2% from deep), 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 10.2 minutes per game last season. 

Things got even worse for him this preseason. 

With nine new players trying to prove themselves, Knecht kept free falling. 

In four preseason games, he averaged 2.8 points on 25% shooting from the field (3-for-12) and 14.3% from 3 (1-for-7) as well as 1.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.

“The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed,” Redick said when asked about Knecht before the Lakers played the Nuggets. “I think he got better as a player over the last two years. I think each guy has, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the amount of injuries we had. So I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”

So when the Lakers had to trim their roster from 16 players under contract to 15 on Monday, the inevitable happened. 

Knecht was first in line, ahead of Bronny James (the 55th pick in the 2024 draft) and Jaden Hardy, whom the Lakers acquired along with two future second-round draft picks (in 2031 and 2032) in a exchange for Deandre Ayton in July. 

The Lakers ultimately decided to wave the white flag, letting one of their prized first-round picks drift into the ether with absolutely nothing to show for it but $4.2 million in debt that was remaining on his deal. 

It’s a shame the Lakers didn’t trade him the summer after the botched Williams trade. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t strike a deal last season. And it’s unsurprising that they couldn’t get a Hail Mary before Monday.

Now, this is a blight for Lakers’ general manager and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka. 

And it’s a darn shame for Knecht, who just a short while ago was headed on a very different career trajectory. 

Just a lose-lose for both parties. 

Retired NBA forward Blake Griffin and swimwear designer Francesca Aiello are married, a representative for Griffin confirmed to People.

The pair, who reportedly got engaged in late 2024, have yet to share details of their wedding.

Griffin made waves when he was spotted wearing his gold wedding band while promoting Season 2 of NBA on Prime, as well as his new weekly talk show, “The Stepback,” last week.

The six-time NBA All-Star put his wedding ring on display while posing with Aiello, who founded the lifestyle brand Frankies Bikinis, on the red carpet at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Before that, he donned it at an exclusive screening of “The Stepback with Blake Griffin,” on Wednesday, and the NBA on Prime Season 2 Launch Event “The Art of Basketball” on Tuesday.

Griffin and Aiello never announced an engagement.

He reportedly proposed to Aiello around the holidays in 2024.

The model, a Malibu native, stirred buzz when she showed off her massive engagement ring in various Instagram posts in early 2025.

Griffin and Aiello first started dating in June 2018 and briefly split before they reconnected in August 2023.

Griffin is a father to son Ford, 13, and daughter Finley, 10, from his previous relationship with ex-girlfriend, Brynn Cameron.

He spent eight seasons with the Clippers after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

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The 2011 Rookie of the Year also played for the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.

Griffin’s new weekly late-night sports talk and comedy show, “The Stepback with Blake Griffin,” premieres Tuesday, Oct. 20 with Amazon Studios, YouTube and Wondery.

The 2026-27 NBA season tips off next Tuesday, but the basketball card market is already in midseason form. 

Since the Knicks’ dramatic NBA Finals victory in June, NBA fans have largely been focused on LeBron’s move to the 76ers, because it wouldn’t be an offseason without The King commanding the vast majority of the attention. However, when it comes to cards, Michael Jordan inserts and Cooper Flagg’s Rookie Debut Patch stole the show this summer. 

As the world prepares for the NBA’s opening night tripleheader, which features the Knicks’ banner-raising, LeBron’s 76ers debut, Wemby vs. Shai round 2, and a matinee Pistons-Celtics clash, digital collectibles platform Courtyard, released an interesting take on their platform’s data with the introduction of a unique NBA tier list. 

Unlike most player rankings floating around social media around ahead of a new season, this list isn’t based on on-court performance. Instead, Courtyard’s used data to showcase the players basketball collectors are most likely to hold—or sell—after they’re pulled from one of Courtyard’s basketball packs.

The Keep, Flip, Ship Hierarchy

On Courtyard, collectors who rip one of the company’s many digital basketball packs can take an instant buyback offer (flip) on their new, graded card, keep the card vaulted for free, or redeem it and have the physical version of the card shipped to them. Courtyard’s tier list ranks players by how collectors treated their pulls, with the S-Tier representing the players that collectors held onto the most, while the F-Tier represented the players that were most frequently flipped.

A few placements stand out. Tyrese Maxey ranks above Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year. Donovan Clingan, who averaged a double-double last season and Pistons guard Ausar Thompson, who might find his shot one day, share a tier with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren, an All-Star and All-Defensive First Team selection last season, landed in the D-Tier, alongside Mikal Bridges, who helped the Knicks win their first title since 1973. Needless to say, collectors will have plenty of opinions about who is where on this list.

Does this mean that Donovan Clingan is a better buy than say, Nikola Jokic who is on the B-tier? Definitely not, at least in my opinion. It’s more a reflection of where the market has him currently priced (low) versus his overall potential. Conversely, Cooper Flagg is still high on the list but not at the top, likely because his market is currently reaching new market highs each day, which leads to collectors selling quickly. In that regard, the list is very interesting.

“Keeping a card is about the most honest thing a collector does. A sale tells you what the market thinks a card is worth. Holding onto it tells you what it’s worth to you,” said Nico le Jeune, co-founder and CEO of Courtyard. “That’s why this list doesn’t look much like an MVP ballot. Collectors hold onto Tyrese Maxey more than Cooper Flagg, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lands in the same tier as Donovan Clingan. Fans have their own idea of who matters.”

Key Offseason Moves

The Knicks might have won the NBA Finals, but Mavs’ rising sophomore forward holds the title for the biggest NBA card of a single player sold since June. Others haven’t played a game in decades.

• Cooper Flagg: His 1-of-1 Topps rookie debut patch autograph sold for $8.04 million at Fanatics Collect on September 25th. It’s the highest price paid for any single NBA player’s card, and the third-highest NBA card sale overall, behind only a Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant Dual Logoman Auto 1/1 ($12.93 million) , and a Jordan/LeBron Dual Logoman Auto 1/1 ($10 million). Flagg’s previous record was $366,000.
• Kobe Bryant/LeBron James: A 1-of-1 2007-08 Exquisite Dual Logoman Autograph sold for $6,501,840 through Alt on September 24th, the most expensive sale in the marketplace’s history. It also marked what might’ve been the high point of the recent Jordan boom, which has captivated The Hobby for what seems like forever at this point—leading to rising prices for other vintage cards from players like Shaq, when the cost of Jordan inserts started to price people out.
• The Knicks starting five: A 1-of-1 Topps Now quintuple autograph featuring Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns sold for $317,200. Credit where it’s due. It’s nice to see something other than RCs and vintage, for once. 

The 2026 Rookie Class Gets Its Debut

Last week, the preorder for Topps Flagship Basketball crashed Topps’ website. We all know rookies drive demand, but the class of 2026 has a wider breadth of potential than collectors are used to. 

Washington selected former BYU star AJ Dybantsa first overall, followed by Darryn Peterson (Utah Jazz), Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (Chicago Bulls), and Keaton Wagler (Los Angeles Clippers). Their first Topps rookie cards will arrive… sometime soon, as the initial launch date during the NBA’s opening week (October 23rd) has since been pushed back to November 5th. 

Who will you be chasing in NBA packs this season?

Let us know over on Mantel.

When JJ Redick took over as the Lakers’ head coach in June 2024, he and Rob Pelinka, the franchise’s general manager and now president of basketball operations, laid out many emphases that fit into their vision of the franchise.

Among them was player development – with the exact phrase being mentioned by Redick and Pelinka at least 13 times during Redick’s introductory press conference on June 24, 2024.

Nearly 2 ½ years later, the Lakers’ player development system is coming back into focus after they waived 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht Monday to become compliant with the league’s rules, trimming their roster from 16 to 15 players signed to standard NBA deals.

The decision highlighted the Lakers’ struggles with maximizing younger players over the last few years.

If they are going to compete with the best of the Western Conference, led by the Spurs and Thunder, they must make a drastic improvement in this area.

And soon. 

Lakers inability to develop

Knecht, along with second-round pick Bronny James, who Redick once referred to as “case study one” for the franchise’s player development program after the team drafted the son of LeBron James with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft, made up the Lakers’ first draft class after Redick was hired.

The Lakers also had 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino and second-round pick Maxwell Lewis entering their second NBA seasons as Redick was brought on board. 

But the Lakers have very little to show from the players in those draft classes.

Hood-Schifino? Traded to the Jazz, and immediately waived by Utah, as part of the three-team trade that brought superstar guard Luka Doncic to Los Angeles after an unremarkable 1 ½ seasons with the Lakers.

Lewis? Currently playing overseas after playing just 41 games for the Lakers, and two seasons in the NBA. 

With Knecht now gone, Bronny is the Lakers’ lone draft pick from 2023 and 2024 still on the roster. 

Even though he’s made significant strides in his development, to the point of being a positive contributor in the rotation toward the end of 2025-26 after regular-season, the younger James’ play during the preseason has made it clear he isn’t ready to be a regular contributor to this Lakers’ team.

There’s a good chance Reaves will not only be the lone player in the Lakers’ starting lineup on Wednesday who started his career with the franchise, but also the only player in the rotation who was at least on a rookie contract with the Lakers.

By comparison, the Thunder drafted three players projected to start this season (Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace) and traded for another (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) while he was still on his rookie deal.

Even as those former young players sign more expensive veteran contracts, they have multiple young players on less expensive deals that will provide depth behind their higher-paid rotation players. 

The Spurs are in a similar boat as the Thunder.

With the constraints on roster building under the first and second aprons, more attention and investments are being paid to identifying and developing younger players.

Even by the league’s best teams. 

Pelinka spoke about this trend over two years. 

“Part of the road to a really, really good team,” he said in June 2024, “and you can look around the landscape of the league right now with many young teams doing really, really well, is going to lean hard into that player development piece.”

It’s time for the Lakers to catch up in this department.

They must if they want to compete for a title while Doncic is in his prime. 

The Thunder and Spurs, with their young stars and younger rosters, aren’t going anywhere. 

Redick acknowledged developing second-year forward Adou Thiero and rookie wing Cameron Carr into “functional rotation NBA players over the next 12 to 24 months” would change the Lakers’ ceiling. 

And he’s absolutely right.

The Lakers know firsthand how much quality development can change the direction of a franchise. 

It’s why they’ve made hires and internal changes to ramp up their player development program over the last couple of years.

They developed Alex Caruso, who went undrafted in 2016 and joined the Lakers in 2017, into a rotation player for the 2020 title team before he departed the franchise in 2021.

Reaves developed from an undrafted player into a star guard who received a four-year, $180 million contract this past summer and is the unquestioned No. 2 option behind Doncic in this new era. He was also an essential part of the Lakers making the 2023 Western Conference finals.

Max Christie, the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick, developed into a starting-level 3-and-D wing before being traded to the Mavericks as part of the Doncic acquisition. 

But since then, the success stories haven’t come as often. 

This needs to change if the Lakers want to have any shot at catching up with the best of the West over the next couple of years.

By mid-August, Josh Hart was already tired of the perpetual congratulations. In September, it felt like “a burden.”

As great as winning a championship was for the Knicks — and many of the players celebrated wildly and extensively, to be clear — Hart wanted to focus on progress, not history. 

“You’re fully into the swing of working out in the summer and it’s tough to turn the page,” Hart said. “Because you’re sitting there, you turn the page, you’re like ‘I got to work and then somebody says, ‘Congrats, we did this, my family did this, we watched it together,’ and you just keep getting brought back to the championship. 

“You move on, you get brought back. That’s also why I can’t wait for that opening night tip, to really put all that stuff behind us.”

Hart’s conundrum is at the center of Tuesday’s season opener against the 76ers, a night at MSG meant to celebrate the feelings and accomplishments he’s been trying to avoid. It will be a test of focus from the Knicks, who will go from accepting rings to raising a banner to trying to beat LeBron James. 

All within minutes. 

It probably helps that New York’s head coach, Mike Brown, has participated in four ring nights with the Spurs and Warriors. There’s a voice of experience in a high position. 

“It is a little tough even for me as a coach,” Brown said. “People are patting you on the back, telling how good you are and it’s good and you want people to be able to do that with you and for you and all that stuff, but in the same breath there always has to be a part of you — and I know this from experience that says — don’t listen to this, don’t read this, don’t watch this. Because it’s hard to stay even-keeled in situations like that. You got to embrace it, you got to enjoy it with others, especially your family, but try to come back down to earth as soon as possible. … We have a pretty sharp group. But if they don’t know, we’ll definitely help by reminding them, ‘This is not last year. This is a new season and we can’t just think we’re going to switch that light on and get after it.’ ”

History suggests the Knicks will beat the Sixers. The defending champions are 64-15 in their home openers, according to The Elias Sports Bureau, which isn’t surprising because defending champs tend to be good. Not all of those games were ‘ring night,’ but most were and the recent examples hold firm:

The last loser of their own ring night was the 2020 Lakers, who fell to the Clippers in an empty arena because of the pandemic. James, who will be at ring night Tuesday with the 76ers, was on those Lakers. Two years ago, the Knicks were shellacked by the Celtics on ring night in Boston. 

OG Anunoby won his ring night with the Raptors in 2019, but it required overtime to topple the Pelicans. Anunoby finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 36 minutes. 

“You celebrate with the ring, take pictures, then the game started. It was kind of weird,” Anunoby said. “Then the game goes on, first quarter and second quarter, it gets back to normal. You get used to it. But initially, yeah, it was kind of weird.”

For Hart, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, this will be their first game as champs on ring night. They were the defending NCAA titlists with Villanova in 2016, but the banner was raised at a students-only pep rally called Hoops Mania — not before a game. 

Brunson, nonetheless, understands the assignment. 

“It’s about how quickly you turn a page and how quickly you understand that the egos have to be checked at the door,” he said.

The Knicks will get their first glimpse of life without Mitchell Robinson. 

After eight years with Robinson on the roster — though not always on the active list — New York faces the Sixers in Tuesday’s opener with Andre Drummond as the backup center. 

It is by far the biggest change from last season’s championship-winning roster and therefore will be under the microscope when Drummond faces his former team from Philly. 

“Mitch [who signed with the Celtics in free agency] is a great player. We’re not bringing Andre in here to quote-unquote be Mitch,” coach Mike Brown told The Post’s Steve Serby. “Andre’s going to be Andre, but that means everybody else has to give a little bit more defensively, and has to give a little bit more when it comes to offensive and defensive rebounding.”

Drummond’s greatest strength, throughout a lengthy career, was rebounding. But he’s now past his prime at 33 years old and replacing the NBA’s best offensive rebounder in Robinson.

The Knicks entered camp without a third center after Karl-Anthony Towns and Drummond, opening up a competition that ended with James Wiseman as the winner.

Wiseman is a former No. 2 pick and draft bust with the Golden State Warriors, but a superb athlete who always had a fan in Mike Brown. 

Brown was the lead assistant at Golden State when Wiseman was drafted there. 

“It was a different situation with the Knicks,” Brown said. “You come in as No. 2 pick in the draft with Golden State and you’re talented and skilled as he is and it can be tough on you because of expectations. Not just from the media and fans but sometimes your teammates and coaches and rest of the organization and if it’s hard for certain individuals to live up to. … With this situation, it’s — OK, he’s been around the block, he’s experienced adversity. We’re not looking for him to start or fight for a starting position. We’re not necessarily looking for him to come in and be a backup. He has the luxury of growing at his own pace without much pressure.”

The Sixers also have frontcourt questions after their backup, Ariel Hukporti, tore his Achilles in the preseason opener. Hukporti was the Knicks third-string center last season but left in free agency. 

Joel Embiid’s backup is Adem Bona, who will have to deal with Drummond, his teammate last season.