Category: Basketball

Of all the storylines lingering over the 2025-26 season, perhaps none carries more intrigue than what lies in front of the Milwaukee Bucks: Do they trade Giannis Antetokounmpo or not?

By almost all accounts, Antetokounmpo represents one of the three-best players in the NBA. He ranks third best in the Estimated Plus-Minus prediction metric, behind only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. 

SGA plays for the defending champion and title favorite Thunder. Jokić’s Nuggets are close behind them. Antetokounmpo’s team, on the other hand, is … closer to the bottom. His supporting cast is among the worst in the sport. According to BetMGM, the Bucks’ win total sits at 42.5 for the 2025-26 season, a pitiful mark for an Eastern Conference team with an MVP candidate in his prime. It’s the least-confident betting forecast for a Giannis-manned squad since 2016-17, when the Bucks, coached by Jason Kidd, were expected to win just 36.5 games. 

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The Bucks are understandably reluctant to part with the all-time great whom they drafted in 2013. According to ESPN reports on Tuesday, the Knicks weren’t able to get traction in Giannis talks this summer. But it’s time for Milwaukee to pull the plug and seek a trade package in which a team throws the kitchen sink at it: multiple first-round picks and players who can step in right away.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, kitchen-sink deals work out more often for the seller than the buyer. The past three NBA champions (OKC, Boston and Denver) were built in large part due to unloading superstars at the right time.

In order to get back to title contention, it’s time for the Bucks to trade Giannis to the highest bidder.

OKC is the model

In the summer of 2019, Thunder president of basketball operations Sam Presti faced a similar situation as the one in front of Bucks general manager Jon Horst. Then, when the Los Angeles Clippers came calling about Paul George, Presti took a pragmatic look at the franchise. Like Antetokounmpo, George finished third in the MVP race that season. But Presti saw an opportunity to build through the draft and traded him for a king’s ransom, the package including a boatload of picks and Gilgeous-Alexander, the future MVP and Finals MVP. 

And Presti didn’t stop there. Less than a week later, he traded the team’s other version of Antetokounmpo, OKC’s face of the franchise, Russell Westbrook, whom it also drafted and developed into an MVP. It would be easy to think the Thunder could have tried to convince Westbrook they could still contend for a title, but the franchise did right by Westbrook, emotional ties and all. The Thunder moved him to Houston for Chris Paul, two first-round picks and two first-round swaps.

“We recently had conversations with Russell about the team, his career, and how he sees the future,” Presti said in a statement after the trade. “Through those conversations we came to the understanding that looking at some alternative situations would be something that made sense for him. As a result, and due to his history with the Thunder, we worked together to accommodate this.”

Six years later, it’s the Thunder who are the reigning champs — not George’s Clippers or Westbrook’s Rockets. In fact, neither George nor Westbrook — the stars in the OKC trades — is still with his respective team. Meanwhile, OKC is the envy of the league, landing at No. 1 in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings and the heavy favorite to win the 2025-26 championship.

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The team currently with the next-rosiest future, the Rockets, finds itself there because it followed Presti’s playbook and also decided to pivot and sell its superstars to the highest bidders. Westbrook lasted just one season in Houston before he was traded to Washington for John Wall and a protected first-round pick. A few months later, the Rockets unloaded their franchise cornerstone, James Harden, and sent him to Brooklyn for another kitchen-sink deal. Now, with a young core of Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr., they’ve built a growing powerhouse in the Western Conference. 

Not every superstar seller can climb to title contention so quickly. Utah and Brooklyn are still pulling themselves out of the league cellar after each hit the reset button in 2022 and 2023, respectively. But the team with the darkest timeline of them all, the Suns, is the cautionary tale of being on the other side of a kitchen-sink deal.

The Gut Tax

It was a little over two years ago when then-new Suns owner Mat Ishbia traded for Kevin Durant in February 2023. The KD trade wasn’t a cannonball leap into a pool; this was a meteor hitting an ocean. 

Ishbia and his front office decided to go all-in for Durant, giving up not one but four unprotected first-round picks, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and a 2028 first-round pick swap in order to add the 34-year-old who was sidelined with a knee injury at the time.

How risky was the deal? In the wake of the trade, Ishbia told Sports Illustrated, “I think there is no risk. I don’t look at it as a risk at all.”

Gulp. In ESPN’s annual Future Power Rankings, the Suns now rank dead-last among all 30 teams. After paying a league-high $152 million in luxury tax payments and missing the playoffs in Durant’s third season with the club, the Suns pulled the plug and traded Durant to Houston in July. The Suns now have a middling, mishmash roster and still almost no draft assets. They have the worst of both worlds, with little hope now or down the line.

There’s no such thing as a risk-free trade no matter what your exuberant new owner might claim. Kitchen-sink deals have the potential to doom the star-chasing franchise for a cocktail of reasons, but primarily because of a very obvious, yet overlooked reason: 

You have to give up a lot to get said star. Call it the Gut Tax.

The nice thing about free agency is that teams don’t have to pay the Gut Tax to get their star. The Warriors didn’t have to trade Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in order to land Durant in the summer of 2016. They took advantage of a cap spike that summer and added him to an existing championship core.

What would the Knicks have looked like if they had waited for Carmelo Anthony in free agency instead of trading the farm for him? In 2011, the Knicks gutted their team by sending Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov to Denver along with two first-round picks. As luck would have it, Denver posted a better record than the Knicks during their Melo era. Making matters worse, in 2016, Denver used one of those Knicks first-round picks to select Jamal Murray, the team’s second-best player on the 2023 title team. With Anthony, the Knicks never got past the second round.

Looking at recent champions is a study in how teams benefited by selling their stars at the right time. OKC moved off Westbrook and George in 2019 and won a title in six years. The Boston Celtics drafted their championship-winning duo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, thanks to the infamous 2013 Nets trade that netted the Celtics four future first-round picks for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Another big reason why the blockbuster deal doesn’t always pan out for the higher-profile star: star veterans are injury-riddled more than ever. In win-now situations, Durant’s recent superteams struggled to stay healthy. It was the same for the Antetokounmpo/Damian Lillard/Khris Middleton Bucks. 

Cole Burston via Getty Images

This is not to say that teams haven’t won it all after trading for a big fish. The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 championship in the first season following the Anthony Davis trade with New Orleans. Other teams seemed to follow their lead, with mixed results.

In a span beginning with the summer of 2019, when Davis and George were traded from their small-market clubs, to 2023, we’ve seen 11 kitchen-sink deals, which I’m defining as trades involving multiple first-round picks and at least one player.

The 11 Superstar “Kitchen Sink” Trades, 2019-23

• 2023 POR trades Damian Lillard to MIL

• 2023 BRK trades Kevin Durant to PHX

• 2022 BRK trades James Harden to PHI

• 2022 UTA trades Donovan Mitchell to CLE

• 2022 UTA trades Rudy Gobert to MIN

• 2022 SAS trades Dejounte Murray to ATL

• 2021 HOU trades James Harden to BRK

• 2020 NOP trades Jrue Holiday to MIL

• 2019 OKC trades Russell Westbrook to HOU

• 2019 OKC trades Paul George to LAC

• 2019 NOP trades Anthony Davis to LAL

While the superstar-acquiring teams have had dynastic dreams, none of those 11 blockbuster deals has resulted in more than one championship. Only two — Milwaukee trading for Jrue Holiday and the Lakers getting Davis — resulted in even one title banner. The nine other deals haven’t even resulted in a Finals appearance at any point for the teams that acquired new superstars. Cleveland with Donovan Mitchell and Minnesota with Rudy Gobert would like to change that.

Perhaps even more troubling is that many of these star acquisitions have ended up being little more than a rental. The Durant era in Phoenix didn’t even last three full seasons. Was there even a Harden era in Brooklyn? Or Philly? You’d be forgiven if you didn’t remember Dejounte Murray making the playoffs in Atlanta during any of his two seasons. All in all, six of the 11 star tenures lasted fewer than three seasons with the acquiring team. The majority of them had little staying power.

On the other side of the ledger, the rebuilding teams may have to wait longer to win their titles, but it’s hard to say they’re definitively worse off. Both of Presti’s kitchen-sink deals in moving off of Westbrook and George helped them build the 2025 Finals team; Gilgeous-Alexander, 2025 All-NBA member Jalen Williams and Aaron Wiggins were directly or indirectly acquired in those trades. 

Houston learned the hard way that superteams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and its homegrown talent was essential to demonstrate leverage in this summer’s Durant trade talks with Phoenix. The Rockets gave up just one first-round pick, locked at No. 10 in a down draft, to get KD. Sure, Houston may end up trading for Giannis this season, but there’s no indication the Rockets have chased him at all up to this point. As is, they project to be title contenders for years to come.

What will Milwaukee do? First, it has to look in the mirror.

Where Milwaukee goes from here

The Bucks should heed the lesson of the Suns and how doubling down can doom their franchise. But one thing Phoenix did manage to do was trade Durant while he was still healthy. Antetokounmpo, who is turning 31 in December, has missed 14 games on average over the last five seasons and battled injuries in postseasons’ past. Moving a healthy Antetokounmpo sooner than later could help them extract maximum value.

Injuries are a variable that Milwaukee has struggled to control. Part of the overall cynicism around the Bucks is a result of the blockbuster trade for Lillard that went awry. In the summer of 2023, the Bucks traded Holiday, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick and two swaps (2028 and 2030) to the Trail Blazers only to waive him less than two years later following a devastating Achilles tear. 

The irony of the Blazers-Bucks deal is that a player of Lillard’s offensively tilted skill set would be perfectly paired with a defensive-minded guard like Holiday. As it happens, Holiday and Lillard are now on Portland’s roster, not Milwaukee’s, this upcoming season. 

Not only did the Bucks give up a key player from their 2021 championship squad, they also gave up their opportunity to pivot. By giving up tons of draft capital, the Bucks pushed themselves into a corner with almost nowhere to go.

Like Durant and the Suns, the Bucks never reached the heights they envisioned when they gave up the farm for the superstar. Lillard was supposed to be the missing piece, but the Bucks failed to get out of the first round in each of Lillard’s two seasons due to injuries to both Lillard and Antetokounmpo (and Middleton). 

Unlike Durant and the Suns, the Bucks had little recourse but to waive-and-stretch Lillard’s deal once he suffered a career-altering injury and eat the dead money left on his contract for the next five seasons. If Lillard were healthy, they could have pivoted more easily if Antetokounmpo asked out. Instructively, the Suns traded Durant for much less than they got him for, but they did net Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the No. 10 pick (Khaman Maluach) in this year’s draft.

The Bucks don’t have a proper co-pilot for Antetokounmpo. The team wants Myles Turner to be that guy after he played in the NBA Finals, but the former Pacers center averaged a measly 13.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in the team’s Cinderella run to the Finals. Without Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam’s heroics in late-game situations, would we think of Turner the same way?

Because of the weak supporting cast, Antetokounmpo may have been wise to wait for any sort of trade demand. If the Bucks do sputter out of the gate, he’ll have more justification for asking out. In addition, as ESPN reported Tuesday, his monster $200-million-plus extension can be signed up until October 1, 2026, only if his team has employed him for at least six months. Teams will be motivated to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline rather than wait for this summer.

Though the Knicks undoubtedly would love to have a player like Antetokounmpo, they don’t have an unprotected first-round pick to offer until this summer when their 2033 pick is unlocked. Like the Anthony deal in 2011, the Knicks would have to cannibalize their own team in order to meet Milwaukee’s asking price. Barring the Knicks trading Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby for longer-term assets, it’s hard to see how the Knicks and Bucks check off each other’s boxes.

The Warriors could get in the mix with three unprotected first-round picks (2026, 2028 and 2032) at their disposal, but a third team would likely have to be involved in order to make the money work. After Phoenix chased Jimmy Butler last season, could a three-way deal involving Giannis to Golden State and Butler finally going to Phoenix work? In this scenario, Phoenix would reroute the bulk of the KD haul — Green and Brooks — to Milwaukee along with Golden State’s picks.

The Cavaliers may be another team to watch. After another disappointing finish to the season, would Cleveland put Evan Mobley in a deal for Antetokounmpo if it got off to a slow start? The Bucks undoubtedly would covet the 24-year-old Defensive Player of the Year as the future of their franchise. The Cavs would also have two unprotected first-round picks in 2030 and 2032 at the ready if the Bucks were at all uneasy about Mobley’s five-year, $224 million contract.

If suitors are willing to commit multiple unprotected first-round picks and a young player, the Bucks have to listen. Milwaukee might think it’s unthinkable for a small-market team to trade the face of its franchise in his prime. But the other side can bring a much brighter horizon. Just ask Sam Presti. 

Why Al Horford isn't worried about Warriors' aging core, reveals key to success originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Much has been made of the Warriors core’s age heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, but 39-year-old center Al Horford is not concerned.

The four featured Golden State players, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Horford, all are age 35 or older. Maintaining health throughout an 82-game regular season is a key concern this season, just as it has been in the recent past.

“The way that I see our group, we have a lot of depth. I see a lot of guys that are working really hard and guys who are very capable in our group,” Horford told reporters Tuesday. “So, I’m not worried about it just because of our depth.” 

But key role players such as Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Gui Santos and Quinten Post are all under 25.  

Both Podziemski and Moody played in at least 64 games last season. Post saw a significant increase in playing time in the second half of last season. Kuminga, despite fluctuations in playing time due to injury and rotation changes, has solidified himself as perhaps the Warriors’ most explosive athlete. 

“I feel like we have guys here that can step in and contribute and have big nights,” Horford said. “It’s a very long season, and as you know in the NBA, the teams that usually have more depth are the teams that are going to be more successful.” 

The depth in youth, whose experience will only continue to grow, will be key for Golden State’s regular-season success as older players will inevitably need more rest. 

“I feel like we don’t have to hold back with any of them. We can just go, and they’re going to get a lot of opportunities and a lot of chances. And for them, they have to be ready for that,” Horford said. 

The Warriors’ new stretch-big has been a steady presence in recent years. Horford has played at least 60 games in each of his last four seasons with the Boston Celtics. 

“The priority for me is to make sure that I stay healthy throughout the regular season and that’s my focus right now. And when we get to the postseason, that’s a whole other level,” Horford said. 

Curry and Green played in 70 and 68 games, respectively, last season. The two stars being available in the regular season helped the Warriors reach the playoffs for the 10^th time in the last 13 seasons. 

But Curry’s hamstring injury in the Western Conference Semifinals doomed Golden State to a second-round exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Maintaining tip-top health heading into the postseason is not just a priority for Horford, but for the Warriors’ old guard at large. 

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Kings star DeMar DeRozan excited to play ex-team Raptors despite Drake diss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Despite finding himself in the middle of the biggest rap beef of the past decade last season, DeMar DeRozan says he will hold no ill will toward the city of Toronto, a place he says is dear to his heart, when the Kings kick off their 2025 preseason on Wednesday against the Raptors.

“That’s home,” DeRozan told reporters after practice Tuesday. “That’s where my whole career started. That’s where I became the player I am today. The Raptors organization definitely always going to hold a special place, regardless. 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now, there’s nothing that can ever replace that feeling that I had in my years there. It’s always cool to see familiar faces that are still there.”

DeRozan, who was born and raised in Compton, Calif. – also the home of Kendrick Lamar —  played the first nine seasons of his career in Toronto – the home of Drake.

The drama unfolded publicly and even included Kings owner Vivek Ranadive getting involved, but still, the 36-year-old star says no diss from Drake can ever come between him and the city.

“I don’t care, what I did there, I put my life on the line every single night that I stepped on that court,” DeRozan said. “Nothing and nobody could ever take that away. I don’t get caught up in shenanigans, all that comes with it.

“At the end of the day, I hoop, I go out there, every true fan and every person who knows me there knows I represent that place more than anybody who ever came through there.”

And when it comes to the on-court aspect, DeRozan believes the Kings can benefit from seeing a team with great length – something Sacramento has struggled with in recent years.

“They’ve always been one of those dynamic teams that had a lot of wings,” DeRozan said. “They’ve got some great talent, to see [Brandon Ingram] back out there playing for them. You’ve got RJ [Barrett], you’ve got Scottie [Barnes], it’s a lot of length out there that we’ve got to be ready for. I’m looking forward to it.”

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Watch Steph Curry ride cable car to his new bourbon bar opening in San Francisco originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry: four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP, 11-time NBA All-Star, and now, owner of the newest bourbon bar in San Francisco. 

Curry opened his new establishment, Eighth Rule, Tuesday in San Francisco’s Union Square, pairing up with renowned chef Michael Mina’s steakhouse Bourbon Steak. 

Powell Street was shut down Tuesday evening as Curry arrived via cable car, accompanied by Mina and San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie.

The bourbon bar, located in the Westin St. Francis in Union Square, is Curry’s latest business outside of basketball. The Warriors star launched his own bourbon brand, Gentleman’s Cut, in 2023. 

Curry and Mina have been planning to open a bar together for years, per the San Francisco Chronicle. The two have known each other since 2017, when the chef partnered with Ayesha Curry to open International Smoke.

“I’ve always dreamt of creating my own little haven to bring people together, and now we have the perfect location,” Curry said in a press release when the opening was announced in August. 

The bar opening is Curry’s latest accomplishment heading into the 2025-26 NBA season. Earlier in the offseason, he released a new book, “Shot Ready”. 

Eighth Rule marks Curry’s first venture into hospitality and creates a new milestone for revitalization efforts in Downtown San Francisco. 

The bar will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight daily. 

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PHOENIX — Nick U’Ren sits up as he dives into his story. His sheepish aura is gone.

“So we had gotten done with free agency,” he said, the excitement of this story visible in his stiffened posture, how his hands came alive as he talked.

“We traded for Alyssa Thomas. We traded for Satou Sabally. And I’m exhausted. I told our assistant general manager Fleur McIntyre and Preston Fawcett, he’s our director of player personnel, to ‘invite whoever you want to training camp.’ And they found Monique Akoa Makani — who never stepped foot in this country before she came to our training camp and steps into starting for a finals team — and Kat Westbeld. I wouldn’t have known who they were. They found them.”

He pointed to the other end of the court, watching the Mercury preparing for the WNBA Finals, identifying Fawcett in a white hoodie, then precisely pointed to McIntyre, sitting next to a player. It’s important to U’Ren their names are mentioned and their contributions understood. He wants the focus off him. So he dives into the brilliance of AT. He fawns over the immense talent of Sabally, the pedigree of Kahleah Copper, the heart of coach Nate Tibbetts. All of them veiled story pitches, anything to re-direct the spotlight.

But in doing so, U’Ren underscores the philosophy he employs and the fabric that has the Mercury, surprisingly, in the WNBA Finals. They’re still breathing, courtesy of the new seven-game format, a win from shifting the pressure of this series onto Las Vegas. But that Phoenix is here, in his second season, serves as proof of concept.

“He’s seen a lot of winning,” said Bob Myers, who as president of basketball operations of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors was U’Ren’s boss for five years. “He cares. He was very, very studious. How many people worked on a bench and in the front office? I think it’s kind of a rare combo. So it gives them a great understanding of an organization, how it operates. There’s an authenticity to him that makes him someone people want to follow. And he’s very humble. … It’s really been an awesome kind of validation of his process.”

It started with Nick, assembling the pieces – a brand new roster with stars willing to take a chance and depth off the bench. Nate took that roster and laid the foundation for a new culture – one built on accountability, belief and joy. And together, they gave us a chance to… pic.twitter.com/XSwUVFWoyH

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 29, 2025

Home will feel different this time for U’Ren. The arena will look the same, plastered in purple and orange, like it did when he was a diehard Suns fan as a kid. The X-Factor, the Mercury’s boisterous faithful, will bubble with a familiar raucousness, like it did when Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter had the city on tilt.

For U’Ren, the Tempe, Ariz., product and the pride of McClintock High, Wednesday marks a seminal moment. The chills may not last long, as the sense of honor is tempered by the anxiety of the Mercury’s 0-2 hole with one of the all-time greats on the other side for the Las Vegas Aces. But this is why he came home. This is why he gave up his seat in a glory franchise in Golden State, leaving the prestige and opportunity of the NBA. For a moment like this. Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, with his parents in the crowd, in the gym of his childhood, with a team he constructed. For the love of the Valley.

It took him only two years to put together a team, on the court and off, worthy of championship contention. But it took 20 years of development, of grinding, of faith, of soaking up every ounce of wisdom he could from his Hall of Fame senseis. They called him Boy Wonder in Golden State. It’s no wonder the boy from Phoenix has come up golden.

“He’s just so rock solid,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “His emotional IQ is off the charts. He’s really thoughtful and process-driven. He just does things the right way.”

The recruitment of Alyssa Thomas earlier this year came down to basketball philosophy.

Everything else about Phoenix, Thomas was on board. Mercury legend Jennifer Gillom was one of Thomas’ coaches in Connecticut, so she was well aware of the culture and the legacy of WNBA basketball in Phoenix. Thomas also played with USA Basketball, so she’d seen the fancy new practice digs.

But her primary concern was how she’d fit into the Mercury’s system and their vision for maximizing her talents. U’Ren hired Tibbetts in 2024, in part because of how Tibbetts saw the game. They knew each other from Tibbetts’ days in Portland, a common foe of the Warriors in the Western Conference. Tibbetts also interviewed for a job with the Warriors in 2018. But their philosophies overlap.

Skill over traditional size — with shooting, passing and length being premium traits. U’Ren and Tibbetts want size, but it matters positionally more than just throwing a big out there for the sake of having one. They cherish high-IQ basketball players who can make quick decisions, even while moving. Defensive pressure and intensity cover most ills and, especially important, fuel transition offense.

Oh, and of course, take advantage of the 3-pointer.

“Coming here, one of my very first meetings with Nate, he was like, ‘I need you to get some more up.’ And I don’t think a coach has ever told me that,” Copper said. “I played in the middy, shot a couple of 3s. It wasn’t really my role. But I always wanted to grow my game, and that was the first conversation I had with Nate. … It’s times on the sideline where he’s like, ‘Shoot it!’ And I’m like, ‘All right, bet.’”

U’Ren’s understanding of basketball begins with Kerr, who took a 51-win team in 2014, injected his philosophy of skill and motion into an offense led by Steph Curry, and won four championships. One of the key pieces of his offense was Draymond Green, the highly skilled, undersized big who doubles as a point-forward.

Yeah, they sold Thomas.

“I don’t think he gets enough credit for how he put this team together,” Thomas said of U’Ren.

“From Day 1, they made it clear what they were trying to build. Yeah, it was a match made in heaven for me.”

The construction of this team, and the success it’s endured so fast, is validation for U’Ren. How many people have a dream, get to learn from the best and get to put what they learned into action — and do it at home?

The journey to this point got legs back in 2014. U’Ren was in the weight room of the Suns training facility. As an intern for Phoenix, spending every waking hour in the facility, he was working out when he saw journalist David Aldridge on the screen and Kerr’s name in the headline.

U’Ren put down the dumbbells and affixed his attention to the television. That’s how he learned Kerr was taking the Warriors head coaching job. That’s how the journey began, at least in his mind.

Kerr was the general manager of the Suns when he hired U’Ren as an intern. Kerr was sifting through a stack of resumes, loaded with Ivy Leaguers, but chose U’Ren because he remembered his face and work ethic from the Las Vegas Summer League. Kerr left the Suns in 2010. He said wherever he landed for his next job, he’d hire U’Ren to join him. Four years later, U’Ren wasn’t sure how serious Kerr was or how it would work out. But that day in the weight room, he allowed himself to envision his career starting in earnest.

Kerr honored his word. Taking a cue from his agent at the time, NFL executive-turned-agent Mike Tannenbaum, Kerr knew the perfect job for U’Ren. Tannenbaum told Kerr how former NFL coach Bill Parcells wouldn’t hire a typical administrative assistant but filled that seat with another young football mind. So Kerr hired his former intern with front office aspirations as his “special assistant.”

U’Ren checked emails, answered phones and managed the head coach’s calendar. He also helped with advanced scouting, was in charge of the video room and warmed up Shaun Livingston and others before games.

In his nine-year tenure with Golden State, U’Ren elevated from special assistant on the coaching staff to assistant general manager in the front office. But the ethos that shapes him as a GM, that he’s infused into the Mercury, happened in his first season with Kerr. It informed the perspective he uses to shape the franchise.

After the Warriors lost Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals to Cleveland in Oakland, U’Ren was coordinating the film for the staff. He had an idea.

Instead of continuing to match the size of the Cavaliers, who were basically playing two centers in Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson, U’Ren thought the Warriors should go small. Start small forward Andre Iguodala instead of center Andrew Bogut, from the outset, and see if the Cavaliers could keep up.

It wasn’t until the Warriors lost Game 3 that Luke Walton, a Golden State assistant at the time, decided to indulge U’Ren’s thinking. They had a film session, and Walton was on board. He took the idea to Kerr. The Warriors made the lineup change and won Game 4. Kerr told the media after the game the adjustment was U’Ren’s idea.

“He got all that press the next day,” Kerr said. “He was so embarrassed. All the stories were about how young he was. So we started calling him Boy Wonder.”

The Warriors stuck to the lineup and won Games 5 and 6, capturing their first of four championships under Kerr. Iguodala won Finals MVP, and U’Ren was etched into Warriors lore.

That story is important to him. Not because it was his idea. But because it embodies what he learned in his tenure with a dynasty and what he aimed to incorporate in his first time in the big chair.

“I mean this with my whole heart,” he said. “It’s easy for a kid like me to have an idea and throw it out there. But this story is about three things. One, Steve creating an environment where his, basically, secretary felt comfortable coming to the group with that idea. Two, Steve having the guts to do it on the biggest stage. That’s just nuts. And then, three, to shout me out like that. No one’s doing that. No one’s giving some kid credit, you know? That story is way more about Steve than me.”

The first recruitment of Sabally came in 2024, U’Ren’s first free agency as general manager. She was intrigued with Phoenix but wasn’t quite ready to make the change from the Dallas Wings, who drafted her No. 2 in 2020. She also wasn’t thrilled about playing for a first-time head coach. So she wanted to see how Tibbetts did in his first season.

But by 2025’s free agency period, she knew she wanted to leave. She also saw enough from Tibbetts. Most of all, Sabally was in pursuit of something more holistic — a coaching staff that would make her better, a franchise that wanted to win, and a work environment conducive to her mental flourishing.

“I wasn’t happy anymore,” she said. “And with basketball, you just need to have a certain happiness to really be able to perform on the highest level for so long. You need to be able to really come to work and enjoy it. … This was the perfect opportunity for me. It’s a family environment here.”

That’s the best thing U’Ren can hear. Because if he took anything from his time under Myers, it’s to value the people. It’s not only the best way to get them to produce. It’s also the way such a life-consuming, stressful, often-thankless job can be the kind of reward it needs to be.

That’s why U’Ren is pointing again. At forward Natasha Mack, his eyes rolling as he summarizes her incredible story. At guard Sami Whitcomb, and her propensity for being clutch and showing veteran leadership. At center Kalani Brown, who doesn’t play as often but is always ready when she’s called.

This heart-warming version of U’Ren speaks to the meaning of this accomplishment. He’s doling out credit like Oprah Winfrey did audience prizes, mushy about the people he’s come to cherish.

Don’t get it twisted. U’Ren, beneath his unassuming veneer, is an intense competitor. It’s required in the halls of a dynasty.

“I think he vents to me more than anybody of what he’s feeling,” Thomas said with a smile. “He thanks me a lot of times that I just allow him to get what he’s thinking off.”

It’s why the sentimentality may not last long Wednesday because he knows going down 0-3 is a death sentence in a seven-game series. But before he gets lost in competitive fervor, he’ll take a moment to let it all in. He spent nearly a decade in one of the great basketball eras of all time, cutting his teeth and crafting his approach. And he got to bring it all home.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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What excites Al Horford most about playing alongside ‘fun' Jonathan Kuminga originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

One of the main setbacks with Jonathan Kuminga’s fit in the Warriors’ offense is the spacing.

The addition of veteran center Al Horford hopes to help with that at times, although we didn’t get a good enough preview of the two on the floor together during Golden State’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Still, Horford already sees the value in playing alongside Kuminga in his first season with the Warriors.

“I think it’s great. JK with his athleticism and the way that he moves, and how much pressure he generates on the rim, it’s going to be great,” Horford told reporters after practice Tuesday. “With me and him, I feel like I’ll be able to give him some space and he probably won’t always have an extra defender there. And if he does, then I’m going to be open and either I’m going to shoot it or we’re going to get a really good shot. So I think it’s really good.

“And he’s the type of player where it’s fun to play with a guy like that because the pace that he wants to play at and how he wants to attack the basket, I actually enjoy playing in that way. I know we played very little last game, but I’m sure we’ll continue to play more and more, and get more familiar with one another.”

In just a few weeks, Horford already has demonstrated the impact he can have on all his Warriors teammates.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, however, said he’s looking most forward to the combination of Horford and Kuminga.

“I think that’s a two-man combo that could make some sense,” Kerr told reporters last week. “With JK, we want to give him space when he’s got the ball. Al can do that. So, if JK’s at the four, Al’s at the five and we put shooters around those guys, that could be an interesting combination.”

It will be a case of trial by fire for the Warriors, but if Horford is a solution to the longtime concern of Kuminga’s fit, that’s certainly good news for Golden State.

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The 2025-26 fantasy basketball season is nearly here, and smart managers know that championships aren't won in the first three rounds—they're won by finding sleepers who outperform their ADP.

Which players currently being drafted after round 5 have legitimate top-50 upside? After analyzing the latest roster moves, injury reports, and playing time projections, we've identified five fantasy basketball sleepers for 2025-26 who could provide multiple rounds of value. From Myles Turner's move to Milwaukee to Matas Buzelis' expanded role in Chicago, these undervalued players represent some of the best draft values available.

Top Fantasy Basketball Sleepers

Myles Turner, Bucks (Yahoo ADP: 50)

Following an offseason trade, Turner will find himself playing for his first team other than the Pacers, suiting up for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks parted ways with veteran Brook Lopez during the offseason, making way for Turner to slide straight into the starting lineup. While the decision by the Pacers was somewhat confusing, given the recent success, it does provide Turner with an opportunity to play without as much pressure. Having been the subject of constant trade rumors, Turner will now be looking to prove a lot of people wrong, including perhaps the Indiana brain trust.

Turner finished the 2024-25 season as the 50th-ranked player in 9-category leagues, averaging 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.2 three-pointers in 30.2 minutes per contest. If nothing else, Turner is likely to play minutes in the low to mid-30s this season, an upgrade on what he has been afforded in recent times. Despite losing both Lopez and Damian Lillard, the Bucks will almost certainly be looking to win as many games as possible in what is a weakened Eastern Conference. Assuming Turner can improve slightly across the board, it wouldn't be surprising to see him end the season as a borderline second-round player.

OG Anunoby, Knicks (Yahoo ADP: 66)

Despite a change in head coach, there is no reason to think Anunoby's role will change this season. While it is almost certainly guaranteed that the starters in New York will be scaled back, the playing time for someone like Anunoby should continue to hover in the mid-30s on most nights. The Knicks added some much-needed depth during the offseason, meaning although Anunoby should play a little less, it could also result in more games played across what promises to be another hard-fought season.

Anunoby is coming off arguably his best statistical season, during which he averaged career-high numbers in scoring and blocks. He finished with averages of 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.3 three-pointers in 36.6 minutes per contest, sitting just inside the top 50 in 9-cat fantasy formats. There is no reason to think his production will change significantly, while in fact, he could be tasked with doing a little more on the offensive end if Mitchell Robinson is to replace Josh Hart in the starting lineup. Expect to see Anunoby flirting with the top 40 once again, providing managers with potentially two rounds of value.

Jakob Poeltl, Raptors (Yahoo ADP: 81)

Much like Anunoby, Poeltl is often overlooked in drafts, with this season being no different. While the 2024-25 season was one to forget for the Raptors, Poeltl provided the team with a reliable inside presence once again. With a healthy Brandon Ingram on the roster, things are looking up in Toronto. The Eastern Conference is wide open following significant injuries to Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana and Jayson Tatum in Boston. While the Raptors certainly don't have the deepest roster in the league, their top-end talent is intriguing.

Poeltl closed the most recent season as the 44th-ranked player in 9-cat, averaging 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks, shooting 62.7 percent from the floor and 67.4 percent from the line. Although his block numbers fell slightly, his scoring, rebounds and steals all marked career highs. Based on the current roster, Poeltl has very little competition for minutes, meaning he could log in excess of 30 minutes per game for the first time in his career. Not unlike Turner, small increases across the board could see him nudge the top 30 once all is said and done. 

Ausar Thompson, Pistons (Yahoo ADP: 87)

After a promising rookie season, Thompson's 2024-25 season was delayed due to health concerns, with his first game coming in late November. His playing time was heavily monitored throughout the season, limiting him to just 22.5 minutes per game. The restrictions were a key factor when analyzing his production, preventing him from building any sort of momentum. Fast forward to the 2025-26 season, and it appears as though Thompson is fully healthy and ready to hit reset on his career. 

Despite the hurdles, Thompson's per-game numbers were encouraging, taking steps forward on both ends of the floor. He closed the season with averages of 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks, shooting 53.5 percent from the floor and 64.1 percent from the stripe. His twin brother, Amen Thompson, took massive strides forward during his sophomore season, providing fantasy managers with somewhat of a blueprint as to what Ausar might be capable of. Factoring in a 30 percent increase in playing time, Thompson is positioned to also take some big steps forward. Managers can typically grab him in the seventh or eighth round, a range that could be considered his floor moving forward. With a top-40 ceiling, there could be plenty of value to be found when it comes to drafting Thompson.

Matas Buzelis, Bulls (Yahoo ADP: 95)

On the whole, Buzelis put together a serviceable rookie season but finished outside the top 250 in 9-category formats. Taken with the 11th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Buzelis was considered someone who could potentially have an immediate impact for a Bulls team with little to no identity. From the outset, it was clear the coaching staff had different opinions, limiting him to single-digit minutes for basically the first month of the season. While it was another disappointing season for Chicago, there were moments of positivity, including the rise of Josh Giddey, the continued growth of Coby White, and eventually, the promise shown by Buzelis down the stretch.

When he was finally thrust into a meaningful role, Buzelis made the most of his opportunities. In 16 games over the final month, he averaged 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 three-pointers in 26.8 minutes per contest, good enough for top-70 value. Common sense would indicate that he should be in the starting lineup come Opening Night, allowing him to play upwards of 28 minutes per game. Factor in added opportunities and skill development, and we have a player who could very well flirt with top-50 value for stretches throughout the season.

How Quinten Post already is learning from new Warriors teammate Al Horford originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Just a few weeks in, Al Horford already has made an impact on second-year Warriors center Quinten Post.

Post told reporters after practice Tuesday that he has been picking his new teammate’s brain and constantly asking him questions. The 25-year-old, coming off a solid rookie season, shared how taking notes from Horford can help elevate his game on both ends of the court in Year 2.

“Offensively right now we play a similar role in our system, being a spacer,” Post explained. “But he’s very good at looking for his own [shot]. He’s actually quite an aggressive player while also being a really good team player. I feel like I can definitely learn from him from where he picks his own spots to be aggressive. He’s very aggressive with his shots; he even attacks the rim out of those closeouts.

“And then defensively, he’s just very steady from what I’ve seen right now. He’s always in the right spots. Obviously, he’s in great shape. He’s athletic for 39. Definitely a lot to learn and I’m trying to see what he’s doing every day.”

From one sharpshooting big man to another, Post will take all the advice he can get from the 18-year veteran and five-time NBA All-Star.

Over the last three seasons, Horford has shot 46.9 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range on nearly five attempts per game.

As a rookie, Post shot 44.9 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from distance on 4.3 attempts per game.

But Post wants to provide the Warriors with more than just his shooting in his sophomore season, and Horford is the perfect player to lean on along his path toward becoming a versatile center in the league. And Horford already believes Post is on the right track.

“A very high IQ type player,” Horford said of Post on Tuesday. “[He] really understands how to play. Can really shoot the ball. I just think he’s in the process of finding his footing in the league. Being a part of this team and this group, he understands what he has to do. Since I’ve been here in the Bay Area, every time I come in, I see him working. He’s always working, whether it’s in the weight room or on the court. He is consistent with his work.

“He has the right tools to be successful because he listens, he works hard and you can already see some flashes on the floor with him.”

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The Lakers’ first practice of the week gave them hope of what they can look like whole when Marcus Smart takes the court.

Smart has been dealing with Achilles tendinopathy most of training camp and has been limited in practice. But coach JJ Redick said after practice Tuesday that Smart “did most of practice, including some live play."

Redick said LeBron James and Luka Doncic — along with Maxi Kleber (quad) and Gabe Vincent — did “modified, mostly individual work.”.

“Marcus participated in some live [practice] and then was out at the end,” Redick said. “Yeah he was awesome. He was awesome. He, I think given the workload of today, I was impressed that he was able to sustain his level of intensity for as long as he did.”

Redick said Doncic was out for “load management.” Then Redick laughed.

Smart has been one of the NBA’s better defenders over his career, winning defensive player of the year for the 2021-22 season while playing for the Boston Celtics and being named to the All-Defensive first team three times — 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Read more:With their big three out, Lakers work on 'championship habits' against Warriors

That will be a big part of his role with the Lakers, and during practice they got a glimpse of his defensive tenacity.

"Yeah, he guarded me a little bit at the first of practice,” Austin Reaves said. “You still feel that pressure. You feel the intensity that he brings on the defensive end, and that's going to be big for us. We need that. We need him to be the best version of himself. With that communication that he brings, especially defensively, he's been in the league a while. He knows how to win at the highest level. So, very excited to have him."

After the Washington Wizards bought out his contract, Smart received several calls from Doncic about joining the Lakers.

Smart eventually signed with the Lakers for two years and $11 million.

At practice Tuesday, Smart left an impression.

“He looked great. He was moving great,” Jarred Vanderbilt said. “But like I said, his main power is that he’s vocal. So being able to help the guys. Communicate, that’s a big part of defense also. Being physical is one of them, but also being vocal, being able to communicate. I think he does both at a very high level. So, he can definitely help us on that end of the floor.”

Vanderbilt is the Lakers’ other top defender, his versatility allowing him to guard multiple positions.

He was asked to envision what the Lakers' defense will be like with himself and Smart together on the court.

“Aw, man, just causing havoc,” Vanderbilt said. “Not only physically but just vocally. He’s a vocal guy as well, so it’s being the anchor of the defense, flying around, setting that tone defensively. Like, I’m excited. I can’t wait to share the court together.”

LeBron James ad

At some point after practice, the Lakers were asked if any one texted them about James’ cryptic post about “#TheSecondDecision” on Monday.

It left many wondering if James was talking about retiring.

He was not. It was about an ad for Hennessy that was posted on social media Tuesday morning.

“You guys are idiots,” Redick said when asked, laughing as he spoke. “We all knew it was an ad, right? No, I think most people that text me are also aware that it's probably an ad, so it wasn't. … Nobody was freaking out.”

Still, James is entering his NBA-record 23rd season.

"I just got a couple calls, like, 'what is this?'" Reaves said, laughing.

Rui Hachimura wanted to know what was going on.

So he contacted James just to be sure.

“I mean, [I got] a couple texts. But I texted him too,” Hachimura said. “But he was using a [weird] emoji. I don’t even know. I didn’t understand at all. But he loves to do that type of stuff. Surprises, right?”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Steve Kerr shares Jonathan Kuminga ‘concern' from Warriors' NBA preseason opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

If the Warriors are to reach their goals in the 2025-26 NBA season, Jonathan Kuminga figures to be a big reason why.

But, as Golden State coach Steve Kerr sees it, there’s still a sizable hurdle for Kuminga to clear: playing effectively with Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. And in Sunday’s 111-103 preseason win against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kerr wasn’t impressed.

“Well, there wasn’t much spacing, which is the big concern,” Kerr said of the Kuminga-Big Three lineup in his post-practice press conference Tuesday. “But we’ve got to continue to give them some looks.”

Kuminga finished with five points in 15 minutes on Sunday, days after signing a two-year, $48.5 million contract to remain with Golden State after a prolonged restricted free agency. However, the Warriors’ offense seemed to sputter when he shared the floor with the team’s other stars.

“It still feels to me like if we’re trying to play Jimmy, JK [and] Draymond, just from the other night, immediately…the spacing was not great,” Kerr said. “And it puts pressure on our offense to really have to execute. But it’s early in camp, too.”

Neither Kuminga, nor Green nor Butler, is considered to be a strong 3-point shooter, which limits how far the Warriors can stretch opposing defenses when they all are on the court. Kerr is hoping that the addition of center Al Horford will help solve that problem and let Kuminga find lineups to thrive in.

“I think Al kind of changes the equation here,” Kerr said. “I’m really intrigued to put Al and JK together with Draymond or Jimmy. That lineup makes perfect sense.”

Kerr added that the Warriors will continue to explore every option in an effort to unlock the 23-year-old Kuminga.

“If we can execute the stuff we’re trying to operate, then it can be effective,” Kerr said. “It’s just not a smooth fit.”

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