De’Anthony Melton’s long-awaited Warriors return has come close to official after committing to sign a deal with the Warriors before the 2025-26 NBA season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday evening, citing sources.
Melton signed a one-year, $12.8 million contract to join the Warriors at the opening of NBA free agency last year on the mid-level exception. His injury concerns became apparent early on, as did his perfect fit on the team.
The veteran guard began the 2024-25 campaign coming off the bench through the first three regular-season games, then was shelved for the Warriors’ next five games because of similar back issues that held him to only 38 contests with the Philadelphia 76ers a season prior. His return to health immediately showed what kind of impact he could have on the Warriors. In his first game back, Melton had 10 points and three assists in a blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, prompting coach Steve Kerr to insert Melton into the starting lineup.
That wasn’t just any game. It was an 11-point win on the road over the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in which Melton scored 19 points while going 5 of 8 from 3-point range with 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals. The Warriors then welcomed Klay Thompson back to Chase Center in a win to remember against the Dallas Mavericks, and had to say goodbye to Melton without even knowing it.
Undoubtedly, the Splash Brothers of Steph Curry and Thompson were the story of the night. Curry was the showman, sending his former teammate out of his old home with a loss after scoring the final 12 points of the game. Melton was the unsung hero, showing why he could be the new ideal complement next to Curry.
Before Curry went on his scoring spree, Melton showcased his two-way ability by first diving on the floor for a loose ball and then hitting a massive three to cut the Warriors’ deficit to four points with a little under four minutes left in the game.
De'Anthony Melton's 3 before Steph Curry scored the final 12 points of the game was so huge
Brought the Warriors within 4 with 3:51 left Warriors had missed their last 7 shots Started with Melton diving on the floor for loose ball pic.twitter.com/CVKNu2xT9U
He finished that game, just his sixth of the season, as a plus-12 by tallying 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal. But Melton also sustained an injury late in the win that later was revealed as a season-ending torn ACL. The Warriors used his contract to then acquire Dennis Schröder and never truly made up for his absence.
Melton being back in Warriors colors will make plenty of people within the franchise happy, especially Curry. It also creates the same questions as when he arrived last year: Who starts in the backcourt next to Steph?
The options also are the same as last season. Kerr will be choosing between Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield. Each brings something different to the table. Melton easily is the best on-ball defender of the three, Podziemski is the connector who really came into his own after the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler, and Hield is one of the best threats in the league behind the 3-point line.
Even though it was an extremely small sample size, Melton was exactly what the Warriors needed next to Curry because of his defensive tenacity and underrated offense. The two played 47 minutes together and were a plus-39, producing a 136.5 offensive rating and 98.1 defensive rating for a 38.4 net rating. Curry had a 10.4 net rating (120.0 offensive rating, 109.5 defensive rating) next to Podziemski over 652 regular-season minutes, and a 9.0 net rating (119.3 offensive rating and 110.3 defensive rating) in 969 regular-season minutes alongside Hield.
“That was really the perfect mix. De’Anthony does a little bit of everything: On-ball defense, rebounding, 3-point shooting, playmaking,” Kerr said in mid-November. “It was great fit, and that’s why we targeted him.”
Can Melton step into big minutes and a starting role right away coming off his ACL surgery, as well as previous injury issues to his back? Probably not. The job likely will be Podziemski’s to start the season entering Year 3.
If so, that leaves Hield as a feared sharpshooter off the bench, and Melton doing a bit of everything on and off the ball also in a reserve role. The real likelihood is all three get starting nods throughout the season based on health and matchups, and closing games always will be more important anyway. The Warriors used 38 different starting lineups in the 2024-25 regular season, 11 more than the previous year.
Even when it’s not at the start of games, getting Curry and Melton on the court together will have to be a priority for Kerr against the toughest teams.
Bringing Melton back into the fold isn’t a move for October, November and December. It’s one for the stretch run of the regular season and a hopeful playoff push for a chance at title contention. At his contract number, he’s a worthy bet but a gamble nonetheless for an older team that already will need everything to go right health-wise.
This signing has been expected since early in the offseason, but was on hold for months pending the resolution of the Jonathan Kuminga restricted free agency situation. Now, with training camps a day away, the Warriors can wait no longer.
Golden State and Al Horford have verbally agreed to a multi-year contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and confirmed by other sources. He leaves a Boston team where he helped mature their young core and was a key part of their 2024 championship run, and Horford essentially confirmed the deal with the Warriors by thanking Celtics fans.
Exactly what Horford's new contract looks like still depends on how the Kuminga situation plays out (as Keith Smith of Spotrac explains). If Kuminga picks up the $8 million qualifying offer, Golden State can give Horford the full mid-level exception ($14.1 million this year, with raises after), hardcapping the Warriors at the first apron of the luxury tax. If the Warriors and Kuminga work out an extension before the Wednesday deadline (likely for north of $20 million a season), the Warriors can still offer the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.7 million), and the team would be hard-capped at the second apron. Either way, the Warriors have to sign at least four more players with De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry expected to make up three of those (all for the minimum).
Horford, 39, is a natural fit at a floor-spacing center backing up (at times next to) Draymond Green in the Warriors' offense, plus he remains a solid defender. That's why the Warriors targeted him early in free agency. Horford wants to compete for something in the final couple of years of his career, and the Warriors — with Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler — provide him with that opportunity, if this older squad can stay healthy when the playoffs roll around.
It was three years ago, after the Warriors’ improbable 2022 NBA championship run, that they were faced with a dilemma of having to part ways with one of two revered role players among coaches, teammates and the fan base.
When the Portland Trail Blazers offered Gary Payton II a three-year contract worth $28 million that offseason, he couldn’t turn down a contract the Warriors couldn’t match, despite his hope to stay with the franchise that first believed in him and changed his career. His departure also opened the door for Kevon Looney to stay in Golden State on a three-year, $22.5 million contract.
Three years later, Looney is the one on the move and Payton is the one walking back through the doors of Chase Center.
Looney and the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract a few hours after the opening of NBA free agency on June 30, a number that the Warriors never were going to come close to. Indications going into free agency also suggested Payton’s time with the Warriors likely was coming to an end. But he always wanted to remain a Warrior, and after waiting three months, that became a reality Sunday.
Payton has committed to sign a deal with the Warriors, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday evening, citing sources.
And even if Payton’s role continues to drop, he still holds value to the Warriors for a handful of reasons.
He played 62 regular-season games last year, his most since that 2021-22 championship season, but Payton’s 15 minutes per game were his lowest ever as a Warrior. By now, it’s well known how unique of a player Payton is. At 6-foot-2, Steve Kerr uses him as a power forward in the dunker spot on offense and a point guard on defense who can go up against multiple positions and players of varying sizes and skill sets.
There isn’t a player on the roster Kerr trusts more to disrupt a top scorer on the ball. Payton will pick you up full-court and make you work for every inch. It’s in his blood.
The Western Conference is full of stars that make Kerr confident in plucking Payton from the bench and unleashing his tenacity to throw them off rhythm and flip the game in the Warriors’ favor. The list includes the likes of Anthony Edwards, James Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant and many more. But Payton last season wasn’t quite as effective as the past.
He finished the season with a 110.1 defensive rating, which was the same number as Buddy Hield, a 3-point specialist whose pluses aren’t associated with that side of the ball. Payton’s defensive win shares were among the worst on the team. But he also ranked fifth in the NBA in deflections per 75 possessions, and was the fourth-best wing stopper by D-LEBRON last season.
Some stats will be in his favor, others won’t. Some games will call for Payton’s duties, others won’t. Plenty of Payton’s services are based on matchups, and there will be nights where he undoubtedly is a game-changer.
There also is the fact he’s another player on Rick Celebrini’s long list of injury concerns, needing to find the right concoction to keep his motor running at the right times. That includes making sure Payton doesn’t keep popping up on the injury report with an illness, too.
But aside from his stingy defense and poster dunks, there’s another reason it was important to keep Payton in a Warriors jersey. Steph Curry is the reason.
Curry always has vouched for Payton’s importance. He’s one of a few who perfectly understand how to play next to Curry, freeing him with a mixture of screens, movement and knowing where he’s going to wind up on the court. The two played 53 games together last season and produced a 5.2 net rating with a 117.8 offensive rating and 112.7 defensive rating.
Those are essentially the same numbers Curry and Jimmy Butler had as a duo – slightly better, actually. Butler played 128 fewer minutes next to Curry than Payton and had a 5.0 net rating with a 117.5 offensive rating and 112.5 defensive rating.
In an 82-game regular season, Payton could receive more DNPs than in the past and might see limited action at times. There also will be games where he’s absolutely invaluable. That’s how it goes.
Payton’s personality is loved throughout the franchise and his impact is felt in the community. The Bay has become, and always will be, home to the son of an Oakland legend. Add in his play that’s uniquely him for a team and coach that best utilizes his ability and it’s easy to see why Payton still holds value in being on the Warriors’ roster.
The Warriors appear on track to reunite with two familiar faces for the 2025-26 NBA season.
Both Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton have committed to sign contracts with Golden State, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing sources.
Free agents Gary Payton II and De'Anthony Melton have committed to signing deals to return to the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN. Payton, Melton and Al Horford are now locked in for the Warriors' 2025-26 roster. pic.twitter.com/h0xtsmstGe
The Warriors also signed Will Richard to a four-year contract with two years fully guaranteed, Charania reported, citing his agents.
Golden State's No. 56 pick Will Richard is signing a four-year contract, with two years fully guaranteed as the Warriors invest long-term in the rookie, his agents Jared Mucha and Marcus Monk of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/iKP7XwHM8W
Payton II played five seasons with the Warriors across two different stints, first from the 2020-21 NBA season through the 2021-2022 campaign, before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers as a free agent in the summer of 2022 before he was traded back to Golden State at the trade deadline the very next season and has played with the Warriors ever since.
In 194 career games with the Warriors, Payton has averaged 6.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 59.2-percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from 3-point range.
Payton once again will provide the Warriors depth at the guard position behind superstar Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield.
Meanwhile, Melton, who has been rumored to return to Golden State all offseason, will pick up where he left off before suffering a season-ending ACL injury last year. Melton signed with Golden State last offseason but played in just six games before suffering the injury and later being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. In six games (two starts), Melton averaged 10.3 points on 40.7-percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from 3-point range, with 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes.
In the two contests Melton started, he dramatically helped elevate the offense alongside Curry, averaging 16.5 points on 47.8 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from distance, with 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 26.5 minutes.
The Warriors were 4-2 with Melton in their lineup.
Kevin Love landed in Utah this summer as part of the three-team trade that saw Norman Powell move to Miami and John Collins to the L.A. Clippers. From the moment that trade became official, there was speculation — and maybe an expectation — that Love would be flipped to another team in a trade, or just bought out.
Love, 37, appeared in just 23 games for the Heat last season averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in the limited minutes he did play.
While not the All-NBA level player he was at his peak, Love is still a big who can space the floor as a shooter (35.7% on 3-pointers last season), a quality rebounder, an elite outlet passer and just a guy who knows how to play the game. As the season moves on and teams get a better understanding of their rosters (and injuries happen), there could be a team looking for veteran depth along the front line, and Love (making $4.2 million in the final year of his contract) would fit that bill. If not, Love is likely to get bought out after the trade deadline.
Rebuilding Utah is expected to be open to moving a number of its veteran players during this season. Love may be one of those, but for now he is in Utah and ready to suit up for the fourth team of his career.
Steve Ballmer, owner of the Clippers, pumps up the crowd at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena in 2023. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
On the eve of Clippers training camp, owner Steve Ballmer and the team are facing pressures over an NBA probe into allegations that the team circumvented the league salary cap when a sustainability firm paid star Kawhi Leonard $21 million.
Since purchasing the team a decade ago, Ballmer has been on a quest to bring the also-ran Clippers their first NBA title. The billionaire philanthropist has been alternately encouraged and frustrated with a team that has posted a winning record every season under his ownership, but has made early exits from the playoffs a habit. He also spearheaded the construction of the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly arena in sports — the $2-billion Intuit Dome that opened a year ago to rave reviews.
Now, a top-rated law firm hired by the NBA is trying to determine whether the team violated league rules by funneling extra money to Leonard through a separate company in which the Clippers' owner was an investor.
Over the last few weeks, Ballmer has been pressed for details about his $50-million investment and 2%-3% ownership stake in the firm Aspiration Partners, and whether the Clippers knew that the now-defunct company paid millions to Leonard through an endorsement deal. Aspiration provided what the company described as "socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products.”
The Clippers have issued statements forcefully denying wrongdoing and saying they welcome the probe. Leonard and his representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
“There’s nothing fun about being highlighted in this way,” Ballmer said at a recent forum hosted by the Sports Business Journal. “It’s a whole lot more fun to be highlighted for building a great arena. But this too shall pass.”
A Clippers spokesman said Thursday that they aren’t scheduling any interviews for Ballmer “at the moment,” but Ballmer told the SBJ forum he “feels quite confident … that we abided [by] the rules. So, I welcome the investigation that the NBA is doing.” He stressed his investment in Aspiration came well before it made its deal with Leonard, and that he was not involved in that deal.
The salary cap limits what teams can spend on player payroll to ensure parity and prevent the wealthiest teams from outspending smaller-market teams to acquire the best player. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has called attempts to circumvent it a "cardinal sin."
In this case, Leonard agreed to a $28-million contract for endorsement and marketing work for Aspiration, which went out of business in March. Players are allowed to have separate endorsement and other business deals. At issue in this case is whether the Clippers participated in arranging the side deal beyond simply introducing Aspiration executives to Leonard.
The most painful penalties the NBA could impose would be suspending Ballmer for a maximum of one year and docking the Clippers their first-round draft picks for up to five years. The team already is without a first-round pick in 2026 and 2028, having traded them away. Forfeiting the remaining picks through 2032 would make it harder for Ballmer to realize that championship dream.
Kawhi Leonard before a Clippers game against the Grizzlies at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The maximum fine the league can impose is $7.5 million, a pittance relative to Ballmer’s estimated net worth of $171 billion. Leonard’s performance has fallen short of expectations, so even the league voiding the last two years of his contract would have limited sting, and save the franchise the $100 million owed to the 34-year-old forward.
Proving that the Clippers violated the salary cap could be difficult, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver made clear at a meeting of team owners. Much is riding on the outcome of the investigation.
Ballmer, 69, has forged a strong relationship with Silver, who became commissioner the same year Ballmer bought the Clippers. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome in February, and Ballmer chairs the league’s audit committee on the Board of Governors.
Ballmer’s philanthropy is well-established. He and his wife, Connie, have given away billions through their Ballmer Group to improve the economic mobility of children and families in disadvantaged communities. (The Ballmer Group is one of the foundations sponsoring the Los Angeles Times’ early childhood education initiative.)
Ballmer turned his attention to the Clippers in 2014, buying the team from disgraced owner Donald Sterling, who was forced to sell for making racist comments.
The price tag of $2 billion, nearly four times what anyone had previously paid for an NBA team, was considered ludicrous at the time. The value of the franchise has nearly tripled to an estimated $5.5 billion.
Bankruptcy documents show that Aspiration paid Leonard $21 million — and still owes him $7 million — after agreeing to a $28-million contract for endorsement and marketing work at the company. The Boston Sports Journal reported that Leonard was also promised a $20-million ownership stake in Aspiration.
There is no record of anything Leonard did on behalf of Aspiration. Several former employees told the Athletic that Leonard’s deal was a “no-show” arrangement in which Leonard wouldn’t have to do any endorsement work.
Former Aspiration chief operating officer and chief legal officer Mike Shuckerow told ESPN that he was one of three company executives who signed a statement that read, “The [Aspiration] team expressed concerns at the time regarding the high cost of the arrangement [with Leonard] and its lack of alignment with Aspiration’s brand and business strategy. While subsequent marketing efforts were undertaken, they were ultimately discontinued and should not be interpreted as support for the deal itself.”
However, former Aspiration CEO Andrei Cherny wrote on X that Leonard’s contract “contained three pages of extensive obligations that Leonard had to perform. And the contract clearly said that if Leonard did not meet those obligations, Aspiration could terminate the contract.”
Aspiration’s initial funding included a $50-million investment in December 2021 from Ballmer, which he has acknowledged. The Clippers also agreed to a 23-year, $300-million sponsorship deal with Aspiration, but turned down its $1-billion offer for naming rights to the new arena. Intuit, the creator of QuickBooks, TurboTax and other widely used applications, paid $550 million.
In December 2022, Clippers minority owner and vice chairman Dennis J. Wong — who was Ballmer’s roommate at Harvard in the 1970s — invested $1.99 million in the company nine days before Leonard received a $1.75-million quarterly payment from Aspiration, according to documents obtained by the Athletic. The Clippers declined to comment about Wong’s investment.
In March 2023, Ballmer invested another $10 million, according to the Athletic. The investment contributed to a last-ditch fundraising round by Aspiration at a time it was nearly out of cash.
The NBA investigation is now trying to establish whether the Clippers knowingly broke a league rule to slip more money to a player they were already paying the maximum allowed under the salary cap, which makes this situation different than what the league envisioned as motivation for a team to circumvent the salary cap.
Language in the NBA collective bargaining agreement describes skirting the cap as instances where a team pays a player a lower than market salary and makes up for it by paying him some other way in secret. That way the team would have more money under the cap to pay other players.
The Clippers situation differs because money Leonard made from Aspiration was in addition to the maximum salary he could be paid under salary cap rules and not a way to create cap space for teammates.
Ballmer acknowledged to ESPN that he introduced Leonard to Aspiration executives, but not until after the team had agreed to a contract extension with Leonard and the $330-million sponsorship deal with Aspiration.
“We were done with Kawhi, we were done with Aspiration,” Ballmer said. “The deals were all locked and loaded. Then, they did request to be introduced to Kawhi, and under the rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved.”
Ballmer was adamant that he knew nothing of the details of the endorsement agreement, that in fact teams are required to stay out of negotiations between players and companies they endorse.
Michael McCann, a sports law expert and a visiting professor at Harvard, said the investigation will center on whether the investments into Aspiration by Ballmer were a quid pro quo for the firm to turn around and give Leonard millions.
Silver has indicated the investigation must demonstrate that the Clippers knew of or participated in Leonard’s deal.
Some experts believe Ballmer is entering the probe with a strong image and could maintain it depending on the outcome of the investigation. “The fact that he’s done a great job, that he’s captivated fans and sponsors, is likely to be in his favor as this goes forward,” said David Carter, a professor of sports business at USC and principal of the Sports Business Group.
Silver said the NBA will revisit its investment and endorsement rules as a result of the allegations involving the Clippers, Ballmer and Leonard
Around the league there is a belief that if the NBA does find wrongdoing, Silver will have to act.
“The only thing I hear consistently around the league is that they want the league to come down really hard to deter other teams from [circumventing the salary cap],” said an NBA executive who requested anonymity to speak freely. “Because if there is no big penalty, other teams are going to start doing that, and then competitive advantage is just going to be, the imbalance is going to be out of control.”
Leonard joined the Clippers in July 2019 on a three-year, $103-million contract after leading the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title. The 6-foot-7 forward from Moreno Valley signed a four-year, $176.3-million extension in 2021, when Aspiration made its sponsorship deal with the Clippers and Ballmer became a minority owner in the company.
After signing a three-year, $153-million extension a year ago, Leonard will have been paid or is under contract for $375 million in career salary.
The NBA looked into allegations that the Clippers paid Leonard or his representative and uncle, Dennis Robertson, a side deal when he first joined the team in 2019. No wrongdoing was found, although the Toronto Star recently reported that Robertson made demands of the Raptors during unsuccessful negotiations in 2019. The Raptors rejected the $10-million demand and Leonard signed with the Clippers, the newspaper said.
Neither Robertson nor Leonard’s agent responded to emails or texts asking for comment on the endorsement arrangement with Aspiration and the allegation reported in the Star regarding Robertson.
Times staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this story.
New Orleans' playoff dreams hinge on that new physique translating to Zion not only playing at a high level on the court but actually staying healthy. There is skepticism about that around the league as Zion has played in 65+ games in just one of his six NBA seasons. When he is on the court he produces — Zion averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists a game last season, but he played in just 30 games due to a hamstring injury.
"We came up with a plan from boxing to working out on the football field, a lot to just different random workouts. And during that timeframe last year, I really felt a shift in my body to where I would look at him and go, 'Dude, it feels good to feel good.' I haven't felt like this since college, high school, just where I can walk into a gym and I feel good."
Zion's teammates echoed that. Wing Trey Murphy III said Zion looked "slimmer than I've ever seen him during the summertime, which is always a good sign. And I feel like he's in a really good place mentally."
Zion also credited his relationships with the Pelicans' new head of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, for pushing the change.
"He's going to hold me accountable, and as he holds me accountable, he's going to give me a lot of responsibility as well, which I'm excited for," Williamson said. "I know he's going to hold me to a really high standard, and if I slip up or anything, I know he's going to be right there to make sure I get right back on the path...
"[Dumars and GM Troy Weaver] embraced me and I just told them, 'I'm not going to let y'all down.' It helped a lot that they really believed in me."
Again, all the right words, but it feels like a repeat of the sentiments we've heard since Zion was drafted No. 1 by the Pelicans back in 2019. Action, not words, matter now. It's going to take Zion staying healthy and consistently putting up All-Star numbers again — and doing it over the course of the season — before fans and the rest of the league are going to buy in. If that happens, the Pelicans will have decisions to make — he is extension eligible, and teams will call to see if he's available via trade — but Zion will have to prove he can be there consistently before it's time to have those conversations.
At long last, Al Horford’s time in Boston has come to an end.
The veteran big man has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Golden State Warriors in NBA free agency, his agent confirmed to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday. After spending eight of his 18 NBA seasons with Boston (five in his second stint), Horford likely will end his illustrious career in a new uniform.
Horford confirmed his departure on Instagram, posting a farewell message to Boston fans:
Horford, who turned 39 on June 3, remained productive during the 2024-25 season despite his age. The five-time All-Star averaged 9.0 points over 42 regular-season games, then 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds over 11 playoff appearances.
Horford’s absence will be glaring during what could be Boston’s most challenging season in years. Multiple pieces of the championship core already have been moved — the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, then lost big man Luke Kornet in free agency — while Tatum will spend most (if not all) of the 2025-26 campaign recovering from a ruptured Achilles.
Tatum’s injury as well as the offseason departures of Holiday, Porzingis and Kornet factored into Horford’s decision to sign elsewhere, according to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, but it was still “quite hard” for Horford to leave Boston, “which he considers a second home,” Himmelsbach reported.
With Horford, Porzingis and Kornet out of the picture, Boston’s current frontcourt consists of Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman Sr., free-agent addition Luka Garza and rookie Amari Williams.
The good stuff starts around the 5:10 mark, with a clip of Tatum deadlifting a large amount of weight before hitting the court for dribbling, shooting and running drills.
Did we mention that Tatum ruptured his Achilles — an injury that sidelines many professional athletes for a full year — in MAY??
The 27-year-old has attacked his recovery maniacally, however: After getting surgery just hours following his initial injury, Tatum stayed in Boston the entire offseason, essentially treating his rehab like a full-time job and taking only the occasional weekend trip throughout the summer.
Tatum’s hard work appears to be paying off, to the point where he’s leaving his fellow NBA superstars in awe. Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant, who tore his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals, reacted fittingly on X after seeing Tatum’s workout video:
“Insane. Let’s get it JT,” Durant wrote.
Tatum told me last week that KD’s recovery gave him the “most optimism” that he could get it all back. https://t.co/Rr1R3GRQfb
Of course, there’s still no guarantee Tatum will return to action this season. The Celtics likely will take a conservative approach with their superstar, and there are risks associated with throwing Tatum into the fire late in the regular season if Boston is fighting to make the playoffs.
But it’s clear that Tatum is hell-bent on returning to action as soon as possible — Tatum admitted to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix he has a date “circled” on his calendar that he wants to return by — and at this rate, it’s hard not to envision his potential return becoming a serious storyline when the calendar flips to 2026.
Walking into the Warriors’ locker room at Chase Center, looking directly to the left and seeing an emptiness to spaces Klay Thompson used to occupy was an unfillable void left behind by a legend last season.
Kevon Looney isn’t headed for the Basketball Hall of Fame like Thompson. His locker room presence will be just as missed, or more, when turning to the right and seeing somebody else in that first spot that served as an invitation to laughs and real wisdom for teammates and media members alike.
“Loon is everything I talked about in terms of committing to the team and sacrifice and getting through adversity,” Coach Steve Kerr said more than four months ago after the Warriors’ 2024-25 NBA season ended. “He is in many ways our moral compass in that regard.”
The Boston Celtics will find themselves in a similar situation for the 2025-26 season. They’re already in a gap year knowing star forward Jayson Tatum is out for the season after tearing his Achilles in the second round of the NBA playoffs, deciding to make multiple trades and shed money over the offseason. Boston still will have a second star in Jaylen Brown to lean on, as well as Derrick White, Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard and a handful of other talented players.
Who they won’t have is Al Horford, missing both his play and veteran leadership on and off the court.
Brown will do his best replacing the talents of Tatum. Horford will be a different kind of absence, especially emotionally.
“You can’t replace Al,” Pritchard said the day after the Celtics’ season ended. “I definitely hope we get that figured out because his locker room presence alone is just crucial. We definitely need him back.”
Horford isn’t coming back to Boston, he’s finally coming to the Bay Area to join the Warriors. Golden State and Horford, according to the center’s agent Jason Glushon, have committed to a multi-year contract.
Horford, 39 years old, in his own ways will have influence over the few young players on the Warriors, most notably for 25-year-old centers Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Plus, any help at center is a win for Draymond Green and his health for a full season. Horford also bring something the Warriors have never had at his position.
Through Horford’s first eight NBA seasons, he attempted a total of 65 threes, making 21 for a 32.3 3-point percentage. Everything changed for him the next year in the 2015-16 season, the same season that Steph Curry won his second consecutive NBA MVP while making a record 402 threes – taking 886 shots from beyond the arc.
That also was the season Horford took nearly four times as many threes as he had his first eight years in the NBA. Horford went from a total of 65 3-point attempts for his career to making 88 and taking 256 in one season. He now has made the fourth-most threes (877) by a center in NBA history, behind only Karl-Anthony Towns, Brook Lopez and Nikola Vučević, in that order. Horford has made at least 100 threes in each of the last three seasons while connecting on 40.9 percent of them.
This past season he only played 60 games, a career low for a full season, yet still made his second-most threes (114) and also attempted his second most (314).
Post was an afterthought for the Warriors last season as a rookie until late January. It didn’t take long to notice what a change his ability to stretch the floor as a center made for the Warriors. Post played 42 regular-season games and went 73 of 179 (40.8 percent) on threes. His prowess from deep as a center was a revelation in the Curry era.
The 73 threes Post made were the second-most ever by a center to play with Curry, one behind Dario Šarić’s 74 two seasons ago in 64 games. Aside from them, we’re talking about Nemanja Bjelica making 54 threes in the Warriors’ 2021-22 NBA championship season, Omari Spellman making 43 in their 15-win 2019-20 season when Curry only played five games, DeMarcus Cousins making 26 in 2018-19 and Marreese Speights draining 24 in 2015-16.
Just like in Boston last season, Horford likely won’t play both games of a back-to-back for Golden State, putting more of an emphasis on needed leaps from Post and Jackson-Davis. Horford isn’t the same lockdown defender he once was, but still can be highly effective on that end. He isn’t going to erase the legacy Looney created over his decade as a Warrior.
Between Kerr and Horford’s new Warriors teammates, that won’t be asked of him. They’ve seen and heard what kind of leader Horford is and won’t want him to change a thing. The Warriors also know what Horford still brings to the hardwood and the history he has against them.
In the 25 regular-season games Horford has played against the Warriors, he has averaged 14.9 points and 9.4 rebounds, both being career bests of his vs. any team.
Horford, even at his age, is the player the Warriors had to add this offseason as much as anybody else.
With Jonathan Kuminga’s situation potentially nearing a resolution, the Warriors finally have added big man Al Horford to the mix.
The 19-year NBA veteran has committed to signing a multi-year contract with Golden State, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing Horford’s agent, Jason Glushon.
BREAKING: Free agent Al Horford has committed to a multi-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, agent Jason Glushon tells ESPN. After seven of the past nine years in Boston and winning the 2024 title, Horford will enter his 19th NBA season as the Warriors' starting center. pic.twitter.com/xQTv2TjKeF
Horford entered the offseason as one of the league’s top unrestricted free agents after spending the last four seasons with the Celtics — his second stint in Boston. He seemingly will replace longtime Warriors center Kevon Looney, who signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans at the start of free agency.
The 39-year-old is a career 37.7-percent shooter from 3-point range and a valiant defender. A 2024 NBA champion with the Celtics, Horford averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 blocks during the 2024-25 season, where he admirably played in 60 regular-season games and started in 42 of them. Horford stands as one of five active players with 750-plus triples and 1,000-plus blocks.
Horford’s floor-spacing abilities should fit right into Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s offense centered around superstar Steph Curry. The center, too, should help Golden State combat the shooting limitations that come when co-stars Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are on the floor, especially at the same time.
The newfound partnership in the Bay makes sense. Boston seems out of contention for the near future with star forward Jayson Tatum recovering from a ruptured Achilles, and Golden State is trying to climb the mountain once again, aiming for a fifth title in 12 seasons.
Horford, entering Year 19, doesn’t have time to waste, making the Warriors a fitting destination for him.
Asked about his early impressions of VJ Edgecombe, Andre Drummond didn’t first point to the No. 3 overall pick’s bounce or defensive chops.
“The first day I saw VJ I was instantly impressed, because the first thing he did was just ask me a bunch of questions,” Drummond said Friday at Sixers media day. “He even asked me how my day was. He’s like, ‘What do you think about this, big bro? How do you feel about this?’
“He’s a kid that wants to soak up knowledge. And he’s a gifted athlete and he’s very, very good. I think he’s going to be very good for us and I’m excited about what’s to come.”
Day 1 of Edgecombe’s first NBA training camp was Saturday. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse named him and two-way contract player Dominick Barlow as standouts.
As Drummond noted, Edgecombe is fully aware he has tons of NBA-specific knowledge to gain. The 20-year-old has recently been asking teammates about how to prepare for the Sixers’ upcoming preseason trip to Abu Dhabi. Edgecombe’s watched Tyrese Maxey’s shooting and marveled at his range and “muscle memory.” Over the summer, he was curious about “the fouls and physicality.”
“What is legal, what is not legal? It’s a different game from college, so I’m just trying to learn the rules,” Edgecombe said Friday. “That’s why I ask a lot of questions, especially if I’m trying to box (Drummond) out on a rebound or something like that. Little things like that … just trying to learn. I ask questions to everybody — literally anyone. I ask Justin (Edwards) questions, Jared (McCain), Tyrese, everybody. I’m just trying to get better.”
Since draft night, Edgecombe has worked to adapt to various aspects of NBA life. That includes his strength and conditioning habits. The 6-foot-4 guard said he’s gained a bit of muscle and is up to the 195 to 200-pound range.
“I’m just trying to find a routine and stick to that,” he said. “I’ve been lifting a lot more, lifting a lot of weight. I’m resting a lot. I’ve got to get my eight to 10 hours of sleep now. I’m taking recovery more seriously, to be honest with you.”
Edgecombe has also aimed to improve his outside shooting after going 34 percent behind the college line last season.
While he wasn’t a poor or unwilling shooter at Baylor, Edgecombe was fully on board with mechanical tweaks.
“I had a flat shot in college,” he said. “Now my arc is really good compared to where it was a month ago … and just more consistent. It’s crazy that it’s now rare for me to shoot flat. Now I know when my shot is flat.”
In terms of Edgecombe’s rookie role, Nurse said Friday he plans to use him both on and off the ball. Nurse can also envision Edgecombe “playing some three” and generally being a part of guard-heavy lineups that play a high-energy, fast-paced style.
Whatever the assignment, Edgecombe seems like he’ll roll with it (and ask about anything he needs to know).
“It’s basketball, at the end of the day,” he said. “I feel like everyone on the court is interchangeable, so whoever’s got the ball can bring it up. We have a lot of versatile guys. Sometimes I’m running, sometimes I’m bringing the ball up, sometimes I’m trailing. But I’m just out there trying to make winning plays.”
“He did participate,” Nurse said. “Everything right from the start was live and he was in there, participating in that stuff. He didn’t do everything, but he did quite a bit.
“I think he’s probably told you how he’s feeling, how he’s looking. He was moving good, playing hard and he had great spirit out there today.”
A Sixers official said Trendon Watford (right hamstring tightness) is day-to-day and that Paul George (left knee surgery) did an individual on-court workout.
Jayson Tatum was crushed. Physically. Emotionally. Here he was, a top-five player in the world on a Celtics team with a legitimate chance to be the first NBA repeat champions since Kevin Durant was living in the Bay Area, then suddenly, after diving for a loose ball, he was lying on the court at Madison Square Garden in incredible pain with what he knew was a torn Achilles.
"It was almost like I felt betrayed," Tatum said of the injury. "I was one of those guys that I never wanted to sit out... I feel like I took care of my body. I didn't cheat the game. When it was time to rest, I rested. When it was time to work out or lift or get treatment or whatever it was, I felt like I always stayed on top of my routine.
"So for this to happen, it was just like, man, this was not supposed to happen to me. And for a while, I was kind of like — it may sound dramatic, but I remember telling my mom, like 'Mom, I might be done. I don't know if I'll be able to overcome this or if I'm up for this challenge.' You know, I just felt defeated. And there was a time I was like, I don't know if I want to do this anymore."
The mental toughness and fight that led Tatum to become one of the top five players in the world eventually kicked in, and he has gotten on top of his recovery routine, working toward a return. Both in his interview with NBC News and in his appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Friends, he emphasized that this is a day-to-day process. And he would not rule out a return this season.
"Like, [day to day] how I've approached this process, is like, man, the most important thing is making a full recovery. I'm not saying that I'm not playing this season.
"I'm not taking that off the table, because, you know, for me as a competitor, every day I go into the weight room and do rehab, I'm working towards something, obviously, coming back 100%, whenever that is."
Whether Tatum returns this season could hinge on several factors, the most important being his body and recovery, but also where the Celtics are in the playoff chase in the later stages of the season. Would it be worth the risk? This is a Boston team that sent out two key veteran players from their championship team — Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — because of the NBA's restrictive second apron. There are expectations in league circles that this will be a bit of a gap year for Boston, which will retool next summer with a healthy Tatum and Jaylen Brown and make another title run. New owner Bill Chisholm said he will do whatever it takes for this team to win.
Tatum will be at the heart of that — and maybe even be part of this season. He has a goal, he will not rule it out.
As the Warriors’ contract saga with free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga approaches the three-month mark, there are plenty of opinions across the NBA landscape on how to bring the standoff to an end.
Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague hasn’t shied away from sharing his thoughts on the situation throughout the offseason, and this week, he advocated for Golden State to make a move that would benefit both itself and Kuminga.
On a recent episode of his “Club 520” podcast, Teague explained why he’d like to see the Warriors complete a sign-and-trade deal that would send Kuminga to Sacramento and guard Malik Monk to the Bay.
“Malik Monk could actually be a fire addition to the Warriors,” Teague stated (h/t Golden State Warriors on SI.com). “But I think they are set on a big — that’s what they need more than anything. I think he’d be a fire addition, though, because they need a spark plug like him. That’s the Jordan Poole type of player right there.”
Across his last three seasons with Sacramento, Monk has averaged 15.3 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range. The 27-year-old finished fifth and second in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, respectively.
As Teague noted, Monk could provide the Warriors with a similar spark off the bench to former Golden State guard Jordan Poole, who played a pivotal role in their 2022 NBA Finals-winning run.
“I think if he got in that system with those veterans and those players, that could mold him a little more. He’ll probably be better than Jordan Poole, to be honest,” Teague continued on Monk. “I’m not saying he’s a better player. Jordan Poole is cold, but Jordan Poole grew up in that system, so he figured out how to be successful in it.”
While the Warriors finding a Poole-type replacement sounds great in theory, it might not be all that realistic at this point.
According to a report by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson on Saturday, the chances of Golden State agreeing to a sign-and-trade featuring Kuminga are slim.
The deadline for Jonathan Kuminga’s qualifying offer is Wednesday, two days into training camp
Any chances of a sign-and-trade are virtually over. “That’s done with,” is all I’ve heard. https://t.co/NZ76Becld5
Kerr, 32, spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G-League affiliate. He has been with the organization since 2018, previously spending three seasons with Golden State working in player development and as a video coordinator.
Under his father, who is entering his 12th NBA season as Golden State’s head coach, Kerr will join a veteran coaching staff on the Warriors’ bench. Former NBA head coaches Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse are two prominent names on the staff; both were hired prior to the 2024-25 season.
The Warriors also announced a slew of other changes within their basketball operations department. Notably, David Fatoki was promoted to vice president of basketball development after serving as the general manager of Santa Cruz for the last four seasons. Nikola Milojević, son of late Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević, has been hired in a video coordinator, player development role as well.
