Category: Basketball

Metta Sandiford-Artest said he tried to buy a 1% minority ownership stake in the Lakers under Mark Walter, but his bid was declined.

Sandiford-Artest said he reached out to Walter after the businessman bought the Buss family’s majority stake in the Lakers for a $10 billion valuation in 2025.

“I sent the email the next day, I tried to get in at $100 [million], and they didn’t let me in,” Sandiford-Artest told the California Post. “But I wish he had let me in. That would’ve been great to have a former Laker as an owner, especially with the Buss family gone. It would’ve been great to have a Laker, a champion like Metta World Peace.”

Less than a year after Walter bought the Lakers for what was then the highest valuation ever for a U.S. professional sports franchise, he agreed to sell his stake to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner for a record $12.5 billion valuation on Aug. 12. The deal is pending approval from the NBA Board of Governors. 

Walter is being investigated by federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding potential loan fraud. 

Sandiford-Artest, who played for the Lakers for six seasons over two separate stints and won a championship alongside Kobe Bryant in 2010, said he had a feeling that the Lakers’ eye-popping valuation was going to skyrocket.

“Once it sold, the next day I tried to buy in for 1%,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post. “I knew it was going to [go up in value]. I knew it. I said the Lakers are going to be valued at $14 [billion]. I thought it was going to be a $14 billion value within like 18 months.”

Sandiford-Artest said he wasn’t sure why Walter declined his offer. 

“They didn’t respond, and then they were like no,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post.  “The reason why I tried to is I knew the value was going to go up, so I missed out. I was kind of bummed about it. You have a former player who wants to put in $100 [million].”

Under the Lakers’ new ownership, Sandiford-Artest believes the valuation of the 17-time championship franchise is going to soar even more. 

“The Lakers are going to be just as big as Disney, honestly,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post. 

Sandiford-Artest said he similarly tried to buy a stake in the BIG3, a 3-on-3 half-court professional basketball league founded in 2017 by rapper and actor Ice Cube and businessman Jeff Kwatinetz. 

Sandiford-Artest, who played in the BIG3 in 2018, said his offer was declined. The league is expecting a $290 million valuation when it plans to go public later this year. 

“I would’ve seven-exed my money,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post. “I was a little bit bummed, But it goes to show you the foresight that I had.”

Sandiford-Artest retired from the NBA in 2017. He was an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. He was a four-time All Defensive Team selectee over his 17-season career. 

As for the Lakers, Sandiford-Artest has nothing but gratitude for his two stints with the franchise from 2009-2013 and 2015-2017. 

They transformed him into a champion after he feared he would be out of the league following the infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl in November 2004, which led to him being suspended for 86 games when he was with the Pistons. 

“I was surprised to be a Laker, honestly,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post. “I didn’t think that was going to happen. They helped me out by letting me play on their team and helping me get a ring. That was something I always wanted.”

Sandiford-Artest famously made a game-sealing 3-pointer for the Lakers with 1:01 left in Game 7 of the Finals against the Celtics in 2010.

Sandiford-Artest was especially grateful for his time under the Buss family, which is embroiled in a battle over its remaining 17.8% minority stake in the Lakers. Five of the Buss siblings voted to sell their share in the team on Aug. 17, while Jeanie Buss is contesting the sale and wants to remain the team’s governor. 

“Just the way they involved me in the organization,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post. “That stands out a lot. It was like a family.”

Sandiford-Artest praised Jeanie Buss and the Lakers’ executives for supporting his advocacy for mental health awareness among athletes. 

“They created a platform as they got involved with UCLA Health, adding a psychologist, all of the stuff like that,” Sandiford-Artest told The Post. “I think that was a great compliment. I was already bringing that stuff to the forefront, and I think Jeanie had an interest in it.”

Jerry Buss initially bought the Lakers as part of a larger financial deal for $67.5 million in 1979 before leaving his stake in the franchise to his children after he died in 2013.

Under the Buss family, Sandiford-Artest said the Lakers felt like a “mom and pop” organization. 

“They just always made it feel like home,” he said. 

Don Nelson is one of the most important figures in Golden State Warriors franchise history. That’s why the team will be honoring him with a jersey patch all next summer — even putting it above their data center patch!

Paying homage to a legend of the game.

The Golden State Warriors will honor Hall of Fame head coach Don Nelson with a ‘Nellie’ band on their uniforms throughout the 2026-27 season. pic.twitter.com/1gpW0Oq0z0

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 26, 2026

The Warriors will sport a “NELLIE” patch on the left shoulder of their uniforms, honoring the coach who won 422 games over 11 seasons running the team. Nelson, who passed away earlier this month at age 86, won five titles as an NBA player and led the Warriors to some improbable playoff victories. The Warriors swept the Utah Jazz and Defensive Player of the Year Mark Eaton in 1989 while playing 6-foot-7 Rod Higgins at center and upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007 by frustrating Dirk Nowitzki with a high-paced, small-ball lineup.

Nelson once said, “The more scotch I drink, the better the game plan gets,” and in 2007, the NBA actually had to bar him from bringing cans into postgame news conferences. What a legend.

The patch joins the “IREN” patch on the Warriors jerseys, which is an Australian company that makes data centers. To truly honor Nelson, the Warriors might also want to add an “IRIE” patch, considering he began farming marijuana in Hawaii, to go along with his bed-and-breakfast and his legendary poker room, popularized by the likes of Woody Nelson and Woody Harrelson, though not Woody Allen.

It’s a common way of memorializing franchise legends for the Warriors. In the 2024-25 season, they honored longtime guard, coach, and executive Al Attles with a No. 16 patch. In 2016, they wore a No. 42 patch for Hall of Famer and barbecue legend Nate Thurmond. In the 2010-11 season, the jerseys sported a patch of Franklin Mieuli’s signature deerstalker cap after their former owner passed away.

The Warriors will also honor Nelson this season by playing small lineups, because they don’t have tall players on their roster, and having seven-foot centers launch three-pointers. As another tribute, they’ll likely be driving their fans to reach for scotch or a bag of Nellie Kush. Just as Nellie would have wanted.

When you look at the Phoenix Suns, their current roster construction, and how it impacts both the short term and the long term, one thing is clear. This upcoming season is going to be a make-or-break year for 24-year-old Jalen Green.

Green came to Phoenix as part of the Kevin Durant trade, bringing the youth and athleticism the Suns desperately needed. Unfortunately, he played only 32 games last season. That’s right, his superpower of health instantly evaporated once he experienced the Phoenix sun. Last season was supposed to be the dating period, the time when we learned about his fit and skill set within the confines of who the Suns are and what they are. Alas, injuries pushed that timeline back. Now, 2026–27 becomes the dating period. That being said, the Phoenix Suns are facing an interesting dilemma when it comes to Green.

He’s owed $36.3 million this upcoming season, the second-highest salary on the team, and holds a $36 million player option for the following year. With extensions beginning to kick in for players like Dillon Brooks and potentially Miles Bridges, committing additional long-term money to Green could become financially irresponsible. So he enters this season with something to prove. If Green doesn’t show that he’s worth being part of the long-term plan, then the clock starts ticking on when and how Phoenix moves off his contract. 

That leads to the real question. How long do you give Jalen Green? Do you let the entire season play out and make a decision next summer, knowing there’s a strong possibility he opts into that $36 million player option? Or, if he struggles, do you start shopping him early and potentially move him before or at the trade deadline?

That’s the dilemma Phoenix will have to navigate. The front office has to weigh all these factors while also trying to understand exactly how Green fits within this team’s ecosystem. Is he someone you use as a primary playmaker, allowing Devin Booker to thrive more in an off-ball role? Or is Green the off-ball guard, the player who benefits from the gravity Booker naturally creates?

The early indications suggest the Suns may want Green to handle more point guard responsibilities, much like they experimented with Bradley Beal two summers ago.

Maybe in the future they switch it but as of right now they view Jalen as the PG.

— Benjamin Garcia (@BenGarciaShow) August 26, 2026

Is that the right strategy? I’m not sure the guy with a 1.4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio is the ideal choice to be your primary ball handler. Booker, by comparison, has a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8:1. Yikes, right? My guess is that we’re going to see an infusion of both philosophies. That would make sense considering the Suns are clearly leaning into a more modern, positionless approach with the way they’ve constructed this roster.

In a perfect world, Green progresses as both a player and a playmaker. He uses his athleticism to become elite at getting to the rim while also improving his overall decision-making. If that happens, the Suns will then have to figure out how to make everything work financially in the years ahead. But if Green reaches that level, that’s a good problem to have.

You’d much rather have a talented player and be trying to figure out how to make everything fit within the system, the organization, and the cap sheet than be stuck with someone who is overpriced, overpaid, and underperforming. So ultimately, this is a prove-it year for Jalen Green.

And proving it means more than scoring points. Green has to show that his athleticism can translate into winning basketball, that his decision-making can improve, and that he complements Booker rather than complicates the offense around him. Phoenix never received the evaluation period it expected last season. Now it gets another chance. By next summer, the Suns need to know whether Jalen Green is part of what they’re building or simply another contract they have to navigate around.

---

Joey and Jesse Buss didn’t take long to find their way back into sports franchise ownership. On Wednesday, the Buss brothers announced they had joined the San Diego Padres ownership group.

Shortly before finalizing the sale of their majority stake in the Lakers to Mark Walter last year, the brothers created Buss Sports Capital to return to ownership. Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported the details of the deal with the Padres.

Joey and Jesse announced they will be on the new ownership group’s advisory board and apply their experience with player development, payroll management and roster construction to support this new era in Padres franchise history. Their stake in the Padres is in the neighborhood of 5%, sources told ESPN.

Joey released a statement to ESPN on the decision to join the Padres, their first move as a company.

“We are honored to join Kwanza and José and have the opportunity to contribute to the future of a team that Jesse and I have loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego,” Joey Buss said in a statement. “Sports have always been a part of our family’s story, and great organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and create a lasting sense of community. Padres fans have built one of the most passionate and loyal communities in all of sports, and we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to deepen that connection in San Diego and around the world.

“The Padres are on the cusp of something special, and through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing our experience and perspective to the ownership group and doing our part to build on the strong foundation already in place.”

This move should not be contingent on anything with the sale of the minority stake the siblings are trying to complete. That said, I’m sure they’d love to add more money to this venture with another sale, which might be part of their motivation to cash out.

McMenamin also noted an interesting point later in the article about potential future endeavors for the Buss brothers.

The minority ownership position with the Padres is Buss Sports Capital’s first major business move since its launch; however, the Buss brothers continue to pursue an ownership stake in the upcoming NBA Europe league, sources told ESPN.

The NBA Europe league still doesn’t feel like it’ll be a real thing, but that’s not really based on anything of note. Commissioner Adam Silver has pushed hard to expand into Europe, so it’s clearly a priority for him. Smaller developments over the years seem to be laying the groundwork for an NBA Europe league.

One would think that the Buss brothers would be good candidates to get involved with the league. Both wanted to remain with the Lakers before Jeanie fired them and had success with the franchise.

Now, it’ll just be a matter of how much money they may have to invest in the new league.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The woman accusing former Los Angeles Lakers star Byron Scott of sexually assaulting her when she was 15 has settled her claims against Campbell Hall, the prestigious Southern California private school where the alleged incident occurred nearly 40 years ago.

Terms of the settlement are under seal until the completion of the civil lawsuit against Scott, according to a ruling issued in the case last week approving the agreement and obtained by USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday, August 26. The trial is set to begin on Sept. 8 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

According to court documents previously obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the woman accuses the now 65-year-old Scott of sexual battery and false imprisonment. The original lawsuit was filed in 2022 under the California Child Victim's Act, which extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse survivors to file civil claims. Scott sought to keep his name out of the documents and requested to use "John Doe."

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The lawsuit says in 1987 the Lakers were visiting the accuser's high school, Campbell Hall in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, where the accuser was taking summer classes, after which she "was sexually assaulted by Byron Scott in a locked janitor’s closet in the high school gymnasium." The team was at the school filming instructional basketball videos in the gym and met with the parents, students and teachers.

Campbell Hall was also named as a defendant, and the lawsuit accused the institution of negligence for not protecting the accuser. The school previously attempted to remove itself from the litigation, but a judge ruled against its motion in January. The lawsuit demanded a jury trial and $25,000 for damages, payment of attorney fees, and loss of wages to be paid by Scott and the high school.

Notable Campbell Hall alumni include director Paul Thomas Anderson, actresses Dakota and Elle Fanning and NBA players Jrue, Justin and Aaron Holiday.

Scott was 26 years old and married to his first wife, Anita, at the time of the alleged sexual assault. He has since divorced and remarried. Scott played for the Lakers from 1983 to 1993, winning three NBA championships during the "Showtime" era, and finished his career with the team in 1996-97. Scott also spent 15 seasons as an NBA head coach, most recently with the Lakers in 2015-16.

"Our client is devastated by this complaint," Scott's attorney Linda Bauermeister said in a statement in May 2025 after the lawsuit was initially filed. "Our client believed the plaintiff to be over 18 and had no idea she would claim otherwise until 35 years later. He respects girls and women, and the claims have blindsided him and his family."

Contributing: Scooby Axson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Woman accusing Byron Scott of sexual assault settles with school as trial looms

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Perhaps Michael Jordan’s media career will mirror his NBA years with a little break in the middle.

Jordan’s run with NBC Sports’s basketball coverage is expected to cease after just one year, according to Front Office Sports, although the reason has not yet been revealed.

NBC Sports landed exclusive interviews with Jordan in its return to NBA coverage last season, an addition many hailed since Jordan is known for being rather reserved when it comes to media details.

That excitement, though, tempered when NBA fans realized that Jordan would not be making live appearances to provide analysis.

Instead, the network broke up one pre-recorded sit-down interview with Mike Tirico into different clips for the “MJ: Insights to Excellence” segments that didn’t highlight the sport’s current storylines.

Hall of Famer and friend turned enemy turned friend Charles Barkley ripped NBC for the format.

“It’s a bad look for NBC and it’s just a bad look, plain and simple,” Barkley said in January.

“They couldn’t fly to Michael like once a month and do a new interview? That makes NBC look really bad, plain and simple.”

Tirico defended the segment, pointing to the rarity of Jordan speaking about the sport since he had last done so during ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary in 2020.

He described Jordan as “awesome” for the segments.

“Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not,” Tirico said in January. “Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You’re damn right it was. And if we get another shot at it, will I be more than excited to be a part of it? You betcha. In our world right now, all you want to do is make the final answer before you know everything. I love that Michael trusted us enough to sit and do something that he hasn’t done in a long, long, long time.”

He added: “Every time one airs, people say, ‘Oh, this is from the same interview.’ But they also talk about what he said. It starts a topic of conversation. His voice still resonates.”

Jordan, the six-time NBA champion, is still active in NBA circles due to his standing as a minority owner of the Hornets.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Jonathan Kuminga have been linked for much of the offseason.

But the framework to get Kuminga in purple and gold remains complex.

Despite being an unrestricted free agent, Kuminga joining the Lakers requires a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers don’t have the cap space to sign Kuminga outright, leaving the team with limited options to acquire the 23-year-old forward.

A decision is expected to come soon.

The Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves appear to be the remaining teams in the sweepstakes, but Kuminga’s reported preference is LA.

The squad initially pitched Kuminga the opportunity to start alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

But Kuminga’s camp wanted more money than in the Lakers’ initial deal, believed to be worth $10 million annually.

With training camp next month, Kuminga’s market has continued to shrink.

The Timberwolves can sign Kuminga as part of their tax mid-level exception, without requiring the Hawks cooperation. In some ways, it’s an easier deal for the Timberwolves to get done.

Kuminga’s free agency has been a complex process, but it’s near its conclusion.

Joey and Jesse Buss are securing their next sports franchise ownership stake. 

The Buss brothers, through Buss Sports Capital, have reached a deal to become minority owners of the San Diego Padres.

The Athletic reported Wednesday that Joey and Jesse Buss are acquiring an ownership stake of around 5% of the Padres, who have new controlling owners after Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano purchased controlling shares of the franchise. 

The Buss brothers will be on the Padres’ ownership group’s advisory board as part of their investment in the franchise.

Joey and Jesse Buss launched Buss Sports Capital in September 2025 after the Buss family sold the majority stake of the Lakers to Mark Walter. 

Joey Buss said in a statement to The Athletic: “We are honored to join Kwanza and José and have the opportunity to contribute to the future of a team that Jesse and I have loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego. Sports have always been a part of our family’s story, and great organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and create a lasting sense of community. Padres fans have built one of the most passionate and loyal communities in all of sports, and we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to deepen that connection in San Diego and around the world.

“The Padres are on the cusp of something special, and through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing our experience and perspective to the ownership group and doing our part to build on the strong foundation already in place.”

Joey and Jesse Buss are also pursuing an ownership stake in an NBA Europe franchise. 

The news of their investment in the Padres came a week after five of the Buss siblings voted to sell their remaining 17.8% ownership stake in the Lakers to future franchise majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. 

Kushner and Iger agreed to purchase the majority ownership stake of the Lakers from Walter in mid-August for a historic valuation of $12.5 billion. 

Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ current governor, didn’t vote in favor of the sale and is contesting her siblings’ decision through her lawyer, Adam Streisand.

Bennedict Mathurin is headed to New Orleans. How long he’ll stay in the Big Easy remains to be seen.

The former Arizona Wildcats standout has signed a two-year $16 million deal with the Pelicans that includes a player option, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

Bennedict Mathurin has agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, including a player option, sources tell ESPN.

Mathurin’s reps approached the Clippers about withdrawing his $8.8M qualifying offer, effectively turning the QO into a more favorable… pic.twitter.com/U53SEBOm3m

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2026

According to Charania, Mathurin chose flexibility and an earlier route to unrestricted free agency versus longer-term offers that would have come with total team control.

Mathurin was traded last season to the Los Angeles Clippers after spending the first three-and-a-half seasons with the Indiana Pacers. The 24-year-old averaged 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year.

Mathurin only started one game with the Clippers out of 26 appearances. He’ll have a better opportunity to earn a starting role in New Orleans, where his main competition will be Trey Murphy and Saddiq Bey. The Pelicans are coming off a 26-56 season.

New Orleans has had its eye on Mathurin for some time, according to Charania, who reported the team has aggressively pursued him for over a year.

Mathurin becomes the first Arizona alum to play for New Orleans since Solomon Hill and Stanley Johnson played for them in 2019.

Jonathan Kuminga, Timberwolves agree to two-year, $13M contract, per agent originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga has found a new home following his first foray into unrestricted NBA free agency.

The former top Warriors draft pick has agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves that includes a player option, his agent Aaron Turner told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday.

Per Charania, Kuminga will start for the Timberwolves during the 2026-27 NBA season.

BREAKING: Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender. pic.twitter.com/KdtD6YEy9j

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2026

Following his up-and-down tenure in the Bay, Golden State traded Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks in February, along with Buddy Hield, in the deal that brought Kristaps Porziņģis to the Warriors. The Hawks subsequently declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option in June after the young forward averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds across 16 games with them.

As the Warriors’ No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga averaged 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 278 games with Golden State . As a rookie, he helped Golden State win the 2022 NBA championship, and his best season came two years later when he averaged 16.1 points in 74 contests.

But Kuminga was in and out of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s rotation during his last few seasons with the team and eventually demanded a trade, bringing an end to an often-tumultuous tenure with Golden State.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were linked to Kuminga this offseason, but instead he lands with a different Western Conference competitor. Kuminga and the new-look Timberwolves will play the Warriors in Golden State’s fifth game of the 2026-27 season on Oct. 28th in Minnesota.

The start of NBA training camps is still a little more than a month away, but it’s not too early to look ahead at the upcoming regular season.

A busy offseason that saw stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami Heat), LeBron James (Philadelphia 76ers) and Jaylen Brown (76ers) find new homes has mostly wrapped up as teams enjoy their final month of summer vacation before getting back to hoops.

And with that fluctuation in personnel comes a new hierarchy and balance of power in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Either way, all teams are chasing the New York Knicks, who snapped a 53-year title drought in dramatic fashion by knocking of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The Spurs, of course, remain one of the teams to beat in the West.

Here’s a look at projections for every team, based on our view of what each team's record will be at the end of the 2026-27 regular season:

USA TODAY Sports 2026-27 NBA record projections

Eastern Conference

1. Philadelphia 76ers: 62-20
2. New Yok Knicks: 56-26
3. Indiana Pacers: 53-29
4. Miami Heat: 49-33
5. Boston Celtics: 46-36
6. Detroit Pistons: 45-37
7. Cleveland Cavaliers: 44-38
8. Toronto Raptors: 44-38
9. Atlanta Hawks: 43-39
10. Chicago Bulls: 40-42
11. Orlando Magic: 36-46
12. Washington Wizards: 30-52
13. Charlotte Hornets: 28-54
14. Brooklyn Nets: 20-62
15. Milwaukee Bucks: 17-65

A couple of things to note: Indiana’s success will depend entirely on how star point guard Tyrese Haliburton returns after missing all of last season with his ruptured Achilles tendon. But if he can return to previous form, the Pacers — a team that is being significantly overlooked — could be a real threat in the East. The Celtics are an intriguing team to watch, but they will need Derrick White to bounce back from a tough shooting year, and they’ll need Paul George to take on a massive role to replace Jaylen Brown. Either way, this puts a ton of pressure on Jayson Tatum to carry the squad.

The Bulls could be a sneaky team to make a jump, with the additions of Norman Powell and No. 4 overall rookie Caleb Wilson. And the Magic have a new coach in Sean Sweeney, but he’ll have to revamp an offense that struggled to find consistent shooting. Orlando may be a candidate to drop off.

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 65-17
2. San Antonio Spurs: 60-22
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: 55-27
4. Houston Rockets: 55-27
5. Denver Nuggets: 53-29
6. Los Angeles Lakers: 48-34
7. Utah Jazz: 44-38
8. Phoenix Suns: 44-38
9. Golden State Warriors: 41-41
10. Portland Trail Blazers: 40-42
11. New Orleans Pelicans: 34-48
12. Dallas Mavericks: 32-50
13. Los Angeles Clippers: 31-51
14. Memphis Grizzlies: 20-62
15. Sacramento Kings: 18-64

It’s clear the Thunder and Spurs are the top two teams in the West, when healthy. Yet, the race for the guaranteed playoff spots in seed Nos. 3 through 6 should be tightly contested. As it stands now, the Timberwolves, Rockets, Nuggets and Lakers appear to be in that next tier, but health and the fit of new additions will be the determining factors. Minnesota is incorporating LaMelo Ball, the Rockets will be getting a boost at point guard with the return of Fred VanVleet (torn ACL) and the Lakers have a revamped roster with LeBron James gone and Walker Kessler in.

The Jazz, now that their tank is complete, are a team that could ascend with their mix of young players (rookie guard Darryn Peterson, last year’s No. 5 overall selection Ace Bailey and Keyonte George) and vets (Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will rule the NBA this season? Record projections for every team