And I asked him, I said, "You know, as a coach, you lost Ty Jerome and Darius Garland is obviously recovering from toe surgery. Are you anticipating Darius being ready for training?" And he said, "No, I don't decide these things. It's going to be up to Darius and the training staff led by Steve Spiro." But he said, "I don't expect him to, and I want him to take his time with this, and we're not going to push it. We're not going to rush it...
"We have Don (Donovan Mitchell). We have Lonzo (Ball). We have CP (Craig Porter Jr.). We are kind of covered. We also have Evan (Mobley), where we can throw it to him in a trail position and have him be a play-maker."
The Cavaliers should not rush it. How important Garland is to the Cavaliers' success was clearly evident in the playoffs — they need him fully healthy. Last season, Garland averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, shooting 40.1% from 3. In the playoffs that fell off to 18 points and 5.2 assists a game, but he played in just five postseason games because of the turf toe injury and was far less efficient, shooting just 28.6% from 3.
Cleveland enters the season as the clear favorite to grab the No. 1 seed in the East this coming season, but they need to prove they can carry that over to the playoffs this time. Coming off a 64-win season and with a very deep team, Atkinson can afford to monitor and rest players more while still racking up plenty of wins to get the top seed. What matters more is a rested and healthy Cavaliers team heading into the playoffs, because that team has a legitimate chance to make the Finals. What matters is the big picture.
And if that means Garland misses some of training camp, that's just fine.
The Boston Celtics are trading forward Georges Niang and two future second-round picks to the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard RJ Luis Jr., ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
The Celtics acquired Niang — a Methuen, Mass., native — from the Hawks earlier this offseason in a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta. By sending Niang and his expiring $8.2 million contract to Utah, Boston drops further under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax and saves more than $40 million on its luxury tax bill, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Utah is acquiring Georges Niang with part of the $26.6M John Collins Trade Exception.
Niang is on an expiring $8.2M contract.
Celtics tax bill drops from $73.1M to $30.4M.
They are now $10.2M below the 2nd apron and $1.7M over the 1st.
RJ Luis Jr. began his college career at UMass (2022-23) before transferring to St. John’s (2023-25). The 22-year-old went undrafted in 2025 before signing a two-way contract with the Jazz in June.
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NFL teams play in UK and have been alerted to situation
Sports organisations in the US will press the Home Office to apply exemptions to new travel rules for American citizens entering the UK, after Harris English’s caddie missed out on around £130,000 by being denied access for the Scottish Open and the Open Championship.
The case of Eric Larson has alerted sport governing bodies such as the NFL and NBA, which stage games in London, that sportspeople or staff can be prohibited from entering the UK under electronic travel authorisation (ETA) rules if they have a criminal conviction. Larson was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1995 for involvement in drug dealing and rebuilt his career as a caddie for several leading PGA Tour players after serving 10 years.
Those moves aren’t shaking Pritchard’s confidence in the guys still left on the roster, though.
In the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast, Pritchard sat down with Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg. The Oregon alum shared why, even in an offseason of retooling the roster, the Celtics enter next season with the same goal in mind. What message would he have for Celtics fans who might not feel the same way?
“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team. We’re trying to win a championship,” Pritchard said. “It’s not even about playoffs, we have one standard in Boston and it’s to win a championship. Everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship. And we will do everything in our power necessary to go for that. That’s what (the fans) should know.”
🔊 Celtics Talk Podcast: Payton Pritchard on Celtics’ summer changes, NBA’s new heave rule and Kyrie wanting to swing on him | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
The Celtics, fresh off a championship in 2024, are on a sustained run of dominance in the NBA dating all the way back to their 2008 title. In the past 18 years, the Celtics have 17 playoff appearances with four Finals trips and nine Eastern Conference Finals berths. They’ve made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons dating back to 2015.
All that is nice, but winning titles has long been the main goal in Boston, for the Celtics and all the other teams. Pritchard, since being drafted in 2020, has quickly realized that.
Next season, he’ll have to chase that goal without some of his longtime teammates in Kornet, Holiday and Porzingis. While sad to see them go, Pritchard is happy for them to be getting bigger opportunities elsewhere.
“I mean, it definitely sucks,” Pritchard said about the offseason changes. “You become brothers with your teammates, you’re with them all the time. So, definitely going to miss them. It’s part of the business side so you have to move on.
“But you see a guy like Luke (Kornet) get paid, you know, you have to be happy for him for all the work he’s put in to earn that.
“I’m personally really going to miss Jrue. Jrue’s like a big brother, somebody I learned a lot from. One of the best teammates that I’ve ever had, and competitors. He’s the reason why we won a championship, so going to miss him a lot.
“Obviously, KP (Kristaps Porzingis), the type of person he is. Boston fans loved him, and a heck of a talent. We’re definitely going to miss those guys but it’s part of the NBA. We have to regroup, got to find new identities, new people need to step up and we got to get back to that level.”
With so many minutes now up for grabs, Pritchard plans on continuing his ascension. Last season, he averaged career-bests in points (14.3), rebounds (3.8), assists (3.5), steals (0.9) and shooting percentage (47.2).
“I feel like everybody should be excited,” Pritchard said. “There’s a lot of opportunities across the board. For me, personally, I’m excited every year. Because it’s an opportunity to prove myself again, to show that I can take another step. And that’s my goal every year. I’m definitely hungry and motivated this year, been working really hard. So I’m excited.”
Pritchard also shared his thoughts on the NBA’s potential new heave rule, Jayson Tatum’s injury and what Kyrie Irving said about his half-court shot in the 2024 NBA Finals. Check out the full episode here or on YouTube.
When the basketball gods handed San Antonio the No. 2 pick and the chance to draft highly-touted point guard Dylan Harper, there were questions in other front offices if the Spurs might play hardball in negotiations with De'Aaron Fox and not give him the max that was expected after a mid-season trade for the former All-Star.
No, they paid him the max. The Spurs and Fox agreed to a four-year max contract that could be worth up to $229 million, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania. (The actual total will likely be closer to $22.4 million, the $229 million figure is based on the salary cap going up 10% next year, while the NBA projects it will rise by 7%.) This is a straight four, with no options for the player or team, and kicks in for the 2026-27 season, keeping Fox under contract until the summer of 2030.
The Spurs traded for Fox at the deadline in a massive three-team deal (which included Zach LaVine to the Kings) after Fox's representatives reportedly told Sacramento management he would not sign an extension with the team. Fox had previously questioned if the Kings were committed to "competing at a high level." San Antonio was Fox's preferred landing spot, giving him the chance to pair up with Victor Wembanyama on a team building a contender.
However, Wembanyama and Fox only played five games together before the French center was out for the season due to blood clots in his shoulder. Fox averaged 19.7 points per game shooting 27.4% on 3-pointers — both numbers well below his career averages — in 17 games before ending his season in March to undergo finger surgery.
San Antonio is a patient organization and coach Mitch Johnson is expected to spend this season figuring out how Fox, Harper and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle fit together — and especially how they mesh with Victor Wembanyama. The expectation around the league has been that the Spurs will eventually have to move on from at least one of their guard trio, although this Fox contract ends right when Harper's second contract would kick in, so the timing may work out. Fox, especially if his numbers dip, will be challenging to trade on this new contract. Wembanyama can sign an extension after next season, and it would kick in for the 2027-28 season.
So far the trade from Sacramento to San Antonio has worked out as well as Fox wanted. Now he needs to earn that money on the court.
As the offseason has marched on, the chances of a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade — giving him the fresh start he seeks — seemed to fade. There were talks with the Suns (Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and three second-round picks is the reported offer) that went nowhere. There were talks with the Kings, where the offer reportedly was Malik Monk, another player (maybe Dario Saric) and a lottery-protected first-round pick, but the Warriors rejected it, saying they want the pick to be unprotected. Talks died there.
Now, the Warriors are done with trade talks and are going to bring Kuminga into camp, one way or another, reports veteran Bay Area journalist Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard.
The word I got when I checked in with a Warriors source on Sunday: Kuminga won't be traded this summer. He'll be back on the Warriors' roster to start the season. And it'll either come when he signs the Warriors' offer or accepts the $7.9 million one-year qualifying offer...
But several sources have indicated that the Warriors have been unenthusiastic about the general idea of a Kuminga sign-and-trade from the outset. The broad context is that Joe Lacob remains a fan of Kuminga's and is determined to either keep the 22-year-old on the roster or get real value in return. And he's willing to wait it out.
As Kawakami admits, this sounds a lot like a negotiating tactic — this is what you leak to put pressure on the Kings to take the protections off their pick and get a deal done. If we can all see that, so can the Kings, and they can afford to be patient and wait this out. Golden State is patient as well, despite having as many as six roster spots to fill (it currently has just nine players under contract) and with reported deals hanging out there with Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton just waiting on the Kuminga situation to resolve.
The Warriors' standing offer to Kuminga is reportedly two years, $45 million with a team option on the second year, but they want Kuminga to waive the no-trade clause that would automatically come with this contract. Kuminga has no plans to do that, why would he give up the leverage he has in this situation? For his part, Kuminga has postured that he would sign the qualifying offer and bet on himself (a move neither side prefers but remains an option).
Jonathan Kuminga’s latest Instagram story: “I’ll bet on myself all day” with his agent tagged and pictured next to him pic.twitter.com/AHmpNaIgZE
Kawakami made a reasonable compromise suggestion: Golden State partially guarantees the second year of that contract, say for $15 million (give or take). That bumps Kuminga's guaranteed money up so he gets some added security, that guarantee isn't enough to scare off a team trading for Kuminga that wants to retain him, but it also eliminates the no-trade clause (which is tied to Bird rights, which would be lost if Kuminga were traded then waived for nothing).
However, there is little pressure on either side to compromise right now, the drop-dead date for Kuminga to accept the qualifying offer is Oct. 1, close to when training camps start. Until then, expect a lot more posturing.
The Falcons have agreed to terms with offensive tackle Kaleb McGary on an extension, the team announced. The deal is for two years and $30 million, per multiple reports, locking in McGary through 2027.
He was entering the final year of his contract, scheduled to make $14.5 million in base salary this season.
McGary, Chris Lindstrom, Jake Matthews and Matthew Bergeron have spent three seasons together with more to come. Ryan Neuzil will take over full time at center this season, replacing Drew Dalman.
McGary has served as the team's starting right tackle since the Falcons drafted him in 2019. He will protect Michael Penix's blindside, with the quarterback being a lefty.
McGary has appeared in 93 games, with 92 starts in his career.
"I think he’s a special player," Matthews said of McGary, via Tori McElhaney of the team website. "[I] just respect him. Going into seven years with him, I really think he's really improved a lot, and I'm expecting him to be solid and one of the staple guys on this offensive line."
Until Giannis Antetokounmpo clearly, definitively says, "I will be a Milwaukee Buck next season," the speculation about his future will not stop. The Knicks’ decision to extend Mikal Bridges — making him unavailable for trade for six months, something they would not have done if they believed Antetokounmpo would be available this summer — has not slowed the rumors. Even if the Greek Freak came out today and said he was staying put on social media, the rumors would not stop.
That speculation continued on Monday when Shams Charania appeared on ESPN's Get Up.
"Sources tell me there's still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving."
"Sources tell me there's still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving. And so, he's going to continue to evaluate his future...There's been some very real conversations over the past week or so. The constant question that Giannis has though is, 'Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be one for this upcoming year and 2026-2027?' He wants to win a second championship... "This is a very tough decision for him. This is 12 years he's spent there. There's a lot of equity there."
Antetokounmpo's only public comments on the situation had him suggesting he is likely to stay: "Probably. Probably, we'll see. Probably, I love Milwaukee."
Those comments came after the Bucks made a bold move to show Antetokounmpo how committed they are to winning, stretching-and-waiving the injured Damian Lillard to get an upgrade at center in Myles Turner.
While the Bucks still seem one player away (unless Khris Middleton can regain his All-Star/Olympian form), Antetokounmpo has to ask himself if the other teams he might jump to really get him closer to a ring? If he moves to a team in the West such as Golden State (a team rumored to have interest), he will have to run a gauntlet of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Thunder (bringing everyone back from a 68-win team), Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, Kevin Durant and the Rockets, Anthony Edwards and the Mavericks, LeBron James and Luka Doncic with the Lakers, and the list goes on and on. Jumping to a team in the East creates its own problems. Go to New York and the cost of adding Antetokounmpo would gut the roster of the depth that makes them a contender (again, Mikal Bridges is off the table until at least the trade deadline, plus the Knicks don't have nearly enough remaining draft picks to entice Milwaukee). A trade to Miami would create the same depth issue, plus the Heat also do not have enough draft picks. Cleveland is over the second apron and doesn't have the needed massive salary to make an Antetokounmpo trade.
The list goes on and on. Whatever Antetokounmpo thinks of the Bucks roster and chances, it may be the best of his options, and it remains a place where he has strong ties to the community, where his family is established and happy. There are good reasons for Antetokounmpo to say he "probably" will be back in Milwaukee.
But until he takes the qualifying "probably" out of his statement, the speculation will continue.
Last week, Marcus Morris Sr. was arrested in Florida. He made a court appearance concerning a case where prosecutors alleged he owed $265,000 to two Las Vegas casinos after bouncing checks to pay off those markers. While the official charges are for fraud, Morris has steadfastly denied that there was any malice or fraud involved, that this was more of a misunderstanding.
"Don't ever put my name with nothing but fraud. This is not fraud activity. I have never wrote a check to no casinos in exchange for money that I can put in my pocket. I wrote exchange for credit thinking that you know the source of the income and you know what I've done in the past years to pay it back plus put the money back that I chose to take from y'all to gamble with. So you know I want to just clear that up and then you could take it how you want."
Morris also talked about spending a few days in a Broward County jail.
"You could think about think about me this way. But I know what my loved ones and the people that surround us and the people we surround ourselves with really feel about us. But listen, jail, don't f*** with it. Don't f*** with it. That's why we had to do this s*** outside cuz I couldn't sit in no small ass room. I came home, I think I slept outside."
This entire situation and the criminal case will go away if the bill is paid, which appears to be the case with Morris and these charges.
The eight-year NBA veteran agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday, citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
BREAKING: San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox has agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN. The max deal secures Fox's future in San Antonio through the 2029-30 season. pic.twitter.com/vvCdMExAbt
Fox’s deal has no player option in the final year, according to Charania, keeping the guard with the Spurs through the 2029-30 NBA season.
He worked with Paul to orchestrate his blockbuster move from Sacramento to San Antonio at the 2024-25 trade deadline, sparking the multi-team deal that brought California native Zach LaVine to the state’s capital city from the Chicago Bulls.
It appears the Spurs are committed to Fox and 7-foot-3 center Victor Wembanyama being their duo of the future. And that’s precisely what Fox, a Texas native, wanted, as San Antonio was the one destination he claims to have wanted to be traded to.
Fox averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over his first 17 games with the Spurs before ending his season for surgery on March 18 to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie, which he injured in his last Kings training camp in October. The Spurs clearly aren’t worried about Fox’s health and are banking on him returning to Kings form for the long haul.
Over eight seasons as a fan favorite in Sacramento, Fox averaged 21.5 points, 6.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He helped the “Beam Team” Kings reach the 2022-23 NBA playoffs after the franchise hadn’t been since 2005-06 and holds Sacramento’s single-game scoring record after dropping 60 points on Nov. 16 at Golden 1 Center in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Fox played 521 games with the Kings, including Sacramento’s seven-game series defeat to Steph Curry and the Warriors in the first round of the 2022-23 Western Conference playoffs.
It appears, for the moment, that Jonathan Kuminga will remain with the Warriors next season.
Of course, that can change, but the San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami reported Monday in his latest column, citing a Warriors source, that Golden State plans to have Kuminga on its roster for the 2025-26 NBA season.
“The word I got when I checked in with a Warriors source on Sunday: Kuminga won’t be traded this summer,” Kawakami wrote. “He’ll be back on the Warriors’ roster to start the season. And it’ll either come when he signs the Warriors’ offer or accepts the $7.9 million one-year qualifying offer.”
While the Warriors reportedly have explored sign-and-trade deals involving Kuminga, a restricted free agent, with multiple teams this offseason, Kawakami adds that Golden State never was keen on the idea of dealing the young forward in the first place.
“But several sources have indicated that the Warriors have been unenthusiastic about the general idea of a Kuminga sign-and-trade from the outset,” Kawakami adds. “The broad context is that Joe Lacob remains a fan of Kuminga’s and is determined to either keep the 22-year-old on the roster or get real value in return. And he’s willing to wait it out.”
The Kings, who, along with the Phoenix Suns, are interested in facilitating a sign-and-trade for Kuminga, reportedly offered a recent package of veteran guard Malik Monk and their 2030 first-round draft pick.
However, it doesn’t seem like the Warriors were that interested in Sacramento’s offer, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Wednesday that Golden State was planning to shut down sign-and-trade talks.
The Miami Heat upgraded this summer, moving on from Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson but adding a borderline All-Star last season in Norman Powell. That's a positive for Miami, but how much does it move the needle for a 37-win team?
"It's a very good shake up for our team and now there's a different dynamic to it...
"I feel like Norman is one of those guys that floats under the radar. But as you saw this year, he's really shown that he can be an All-Star caliber player. You've seen what he's done and you've seen him grow in this league. And, obviously, he wants to take the next challenge. Obviously, the next challenge is being with the Miami Heat. So I'm happy to have him."
Miami has a chance to make some noise in what is projected to be a down Eastern Conference, but it needs to find some more consistent offense this season. Powell helps with that, but the Heat need more: Adebayo and Tyler Herro need to stay healthy and play 65+ games, Andrew Wiggins needs play at his All-Star form from Golden State, Kel'el Ware needs to take a step forward (likely with Erik Spoelstra prodding him), and Davion Mitchell needs to show that how he played in the 30 games after being traded to the Heat were not a fluke, when he averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 assists per game. The Heat bet on Mitchell, signing him to a two-year, $24 million contract.
"Davion being back, obviously, we've been missing somebody that can really play on-ball defense," Adebayo said. "And having him come in and be that guy and understand his role, I'm looking forward to him being here for a full year and all of us being together and getting to know one another and turning this into more of a brotherhood. We were kind of disconnected a little bit trying to figure out everybody's role and trying to figure out everybody's style of play. But now we're going to have a good training camp and then we go from there."
A return to the playoffs — and hopefully a better result than a 0-4 sweep exit in the first round (at the hands of the Cavaliers) — seems distinctly possible for the Heat, who should be improved over a season ago.
The 2025-26 Boston Celtics will face drastically diminished outside expectations compared to the championship-or-bust mentality that defined recent seasons. But that doesn’t mean individual members of the organization won’t face their own pressures during a so-called “gap year” ahead.
What’s more, the Celtics organization — particularly those in the brain trust — would be quick to remind us that pressure is just opportunity in disguise. While some tend to put a negative spin on that responsibility, the Celtics will encourage all levels of their organization to embrace the pressure that will come with new roles this season.
So, which members of the Celtics will face the most pressure — or embrace the most opportunity — during the 2025-26 season? Shoutout to our buddy Brian Robb, who recently posed this question to us on the “Still Poddable” podcast.
After some additional deliberation, we decided to power rank the top pressure/opportunity candidates based on Boston’s roster in early August.
1. Brad Stevens
We’re not sure Stevens ever feels pressure, but he certainly understands the obligation of being in charge of the Celtics’ roster. Those 18 banners are a constant reminder of the North Star you’re chasing. Even in a transitional year, Stevens’ challenge is to show the franchise is actively moving back toward that goal.
It’s an important season for Stevens’ draft picks. There should be more minutes and more ability to learn through the bumps for recent draftees.
Will first-round selections Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez show they can be rotational presences for Boston’s next contender? Can Jordan Walsh show more consistency in Year 3? Stevens hasn’t had the most glitzy spots to select from in the draft, but the second apron makes it basically imperative that any team with a roster featuring two max-salary players needs to hit on their picks.
Beyond that, Stevens has to plot the next step forward. And that might actually be a step backward.
If the Celtics fail to show signs of being even a sneaky contender early in the 2025-26 season, does Stevens embrace trying to get completely under the luxury tax with hopes of resetting prohibitive repeater penalties? Can he do that without mortgaging draft assets in order to get off additional salary? Is there a move that can add a low-risk, high-reward player who the team can embrace while waiting for Tatum to get healthy again?
Stevens doesn’t like to procrastinate. Even this past summer, he got his initial roster tinkering done early, moving off of the bulky salaries of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
This current Celtics puzzle feels far from finished, for this season and beyond, and Stevens will have plenty of opportunities to chart where things go from here.
2. Joe Mazzulla
We all know what Mazzulla is capable of with a talent-filled roster. The Celtics have a shiny Larry O’Brien Trophy that confirms his ability to push the right buttons with a championship squad. The question now is whether Mazzulla can mask some of the deficiencies of a team in transition.
Stevens had an uncanny ability to take teams perceived as having less talent than rivals and get them to far exceed expectations. Stevens did that at Butler with some magical NCAA tournament runs, and he did it in the infancy of his Boston tenure even before superstars started flocking here.
How much can Mazzulla mask the defensive drop-off after losing Jrue Holiday and an Al Horford? How does Mazzulla tinker with play style when Tatum is sidelined, and the team is lacking all the little ways he makes players around him better on the court?
The Celtics have plenty of question marks entering the season, particularly in a new-look frontcourt. Outside of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, there are roles to fill and it’s going to be fascinating to see how Mazzulla chooses to deploy his available talent.
3. Jaylen Brown
We feel like a broken record, but every time the Boston Celtics have asked for more from Brown, he’s given it to them. As Tatum recovers, Brown will slide into the 1A role that many have wondered whether he might eventually crave. He’ll get every chance to show he can maintain an All-NBA level output when he’s at the top of every opponent’s scouting report.
It will be perhaps the biggest storyline of the 2025-26 season. How does Brown fare in that harsher spotlight? Every time someone has attempted to put a ceiling on his potential, he’s rocketed through it. Brown has routinely fueled himself off those doubters, and will get every opportunity to do the same this season.
If Tatum’s absence allows Brown to elevate to new levels, then the Celtics would be extremely well positioned to contend again when Tatum is healthy.
4. Payton Pritchard
Some have wondered if Pritchard might remain in his bench role to start the 2025-26 season. We’d much rather see the Celtics thrust him into a high-minute starting spot and allow him to show even more than what we saw in his evolution to Sixth Man of the Year.
We’ve already seen Pritchard (and White) go for 40 points in a spot start last season. Pundits have long suggested that teams would take advantage of his size if Pritchard was a starter, but he’s routinely found ways to antagonize bigger opponents.
There’s common theme for every Celtics player this season: Let’s see what you’ve got. Maybe if Tatum was healthy, or more of the roster had returned, then the Celtics would have been content to let Pritchard stick in the reserve role. Now? Turn him loose.
Let’s see if Pritchard can answer the lingering questions of whether he could be a high-efficiency starter. Given the thrifty salary at which the team extended him, Pritchard emerging as a starting guard absolutely would aid roster building.
It’s still truly wild that it’s been less than two full years since the Sacramento Kings waived Queta. His glow-up — from two-way addition, to earning his roster spot on the parent team thanks to his efforts while Boston was dinged up at the start of the 2023-24 title season, to securing a longer-term deal with the Celtics in the aftermath — has been fun to watch.
Now, with the overhaul to Boston’s frontcourt after the departures of Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and, presumably soon, Al Horford, there is going to be every opportunity for 26-year-old Queta to take his next step.
Whether he’s starter or a big-minutes reserve, the Celtics need Queta to hold down the fort, particularly as a defender and a rebounder. Mazzulla routinely put Queta in tough spots early in his Boston tenure with hopes that he would learn on the fly. Now, he’s really going to get every chance to battle through any growing pains.
Queta saw how Kornet turned himself into a $41 million player. Few thought Kornet was capable of that when he first arrived in Boston. Can Queta be the next center whom Boston nurtures into a starter-level player?
6. Sam Hauser
Boston’s sweet-shooting forward is entering the first year of his four-year, $45 million extension. The Celtics have been able to keep him on the roster by making cuts elsewhere, but Hauser still has to prove he’s worth the splurge long term.
Even with some health-hindered shooting woes early last season, Hauser still shot 41.6 percent beyond the 3-point arc. He should get even more looks this season.
7. Jordan Walsh
On one hand, Walsh was the second-youngest player on Boston’s Summer League team at just 21. On the other, it’s Year 3 for the 2023 second-round pick and it’s time to show that he can more consistently make an impact.
Walsh has to play with the edge he displayed at this year’s Summer League and make the most of the minutes available as Tatum recovers.
8. Amari Williams
We feel guilty having a two-way player this high on the list, but here’s the reality: The Celtics need to develop reliable big men, and Williams has an obvious skill set with his passing and shot blocking.
Can he make strides with his finishing around the basket and show his long-term potential? The Celtics didn’t hesitate to cut bait with a second-round two-way player last season in Anton Watson.
9. Luka Garza
Garza hasn’t played more than 250 minutes since his rookie season. That’s about to change. The offensive talents are obvious. The Celtics need him to show he can learn and grow on the defensive end.
10. Baylor Scheierman
It’s only Year 2, but Scheierman will turn 25 before camp opens. The end of his rookie season hinted at great potential beyond just 3-point shooting with his flashy playmaking and high basketball IQ.
Like Walsh, Scheierman needs to take advantage of minutes at the wing spot while they’re available.
Damian Lillard has followed in the footsteps of Stephen Curry (Davidson), Trae Young (Oklahoma), Patty Mills (Hawaii) and Terance Mann (Florida State).
Lillard has become the general manager of his alma mater, the Weber State men's basketball program.
A legacy continues in Ogden. Wildcat legend Damian Lillard is officially joining Weber State Men’s Basketball as the new General Manager.
Dame is stepping into a leadership role that will help shape the future of Wildcat hoops.
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) August 3, 2025
While these GM roles for NBA players are often more ceremonial — the star can help with recruiting, swing by some practices and stay in touch with players, has valuable experience, but is not the one making decisions on NIL money or anything on the court — Lillard is hoping to do a little more, part of which is boosting the NIL resources for the program. Here's what he said at Weber State's annual basketball alumni game, according to Isaac Fisher of The Ogden Standard-Examiner (hat tip Hoop Rumors).
"It's something that, my relationship with coach [Eric] Duft and this program means a lot to me, and seeing the success of the program means a lot to me. I feel like I can do a lot to help the program be successful, to help the players even individually continue to grow their careers past college, that's something that I'm passionate about...
"All of the resources that I have, I've got an opportunity to be able to create for the program, while they're in the program and even after the program, it's something I'm excited about. I'm looking forward to doing that work, looking forward to continue to lift up the university, lift up the program. It's going to be fun."
Weber State went 12-22 last season, but has had 20+ wins in two of the past four seasons. It's been a decade since the Wildcats advanced out of the Big Sky to the NCAA Tournament.
Lillard was surprisingly waived-and-stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, then signed to return home to the Portland Trail Blazers. He will spend the coming season rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered during last season's playoffs. Lillard will spend time this season mentoring the Trail Blazers' young stars such as Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara and Yang Hansen. Now, it will have a new group to help mentor in Utah, as well.
Lakers star Luka Doncic, right, sits next to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka after agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with the Lakers on Saturday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Near the conclusion of the news conference to address his contract extension with the Lakers, Luka Doncic detailed the training program that contributed to his striking weight loss.
When he was finished talking about how he lifted weight and refrained from playing basketball for a month, general manager Rob Pelinka made it a point to offer some thoughts.
“Luka’s done all the work,” Pelinka said, “but it’s important to have a support system around you to help you do the great work.”
Pelinka went on to praise Doncic’s trainer, Anze Macek, and physiotherapist, Javier Barrio. He remarked how Macek and Barrio have “worked seamlessly” with the Lakers’ staff. He name-checked Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy, and business manager, Lara Beth Seager.
Shortly after Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers last season, stories emerged about tensions between his inner circle and former team.
Pelinka’s words contained an indirect message: We will support you the way Mavericks didn’t. This is your team.
The news conference ended with seven Lakers players and coach JJ Redick emerging from the back to take a picture with Doncic as he held up his jersey. A couple of the players, center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart, were personally recruited to the team by Doncic.
Doncic is now officially the center of the Lakers’ universe, and as inevitable as that seemed from the moment Pelinka acquired him, the dynamic intensifies a question that was initially raised last season: What does this mean for LeBron James?
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, left, and Luka Doncic hold up Doncic's jersey during a news conference in El Segundo on Saturday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Too much shouldn’t be made of James’ absence from the news conference on Saturday, as Austin Reaves wasn’t there either. However, James is under contract for just one more season and Doncic for at least three more, and how will James deal with not being the focal point of his franchise? James is a player who is used to exercising boundless influence over teams that employ him, enough to where the 17-time NBA champion Lakers drafted his undersized son.
While the Lakers once had visions of Anthony Davis replacing James as the face of their franchise, the imaginary baton was never passed. The Lakers didn’t make as big a deal of Davis’ extension two years ago as they did with Doncic’s on Saturday, for which a Doncic-themed photo gallery was erected for the news conference.
There’s an uneasy feeling about the situation, in large part because James hasn’t clearly communicated his thoughts. When James exercised his player option for the upcoming season, his agent said that because James wanted to play for championships and the Lakers were “building for the future,” their camp wanted “to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.”
The 40-year-old James will have a say in what happens, as his deal includes a no-trade provision.
Asked how James viewed the Lakers’ summer and whether he thought James would retire with the team, Pelinka replied, “So all the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, [agent Rich Paul] in particular, have been positive and supportive. So very professional and Rich has been great. The dialogue with him has been open and constant.
“In terms of LeBron's career, I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect he and his family's decision in terms of how long he's going to play. I think that's first and foremost and we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that. I think that's really important, but if he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great."
In other words, there wasn’t enough clarity for Pelinka to be able to say with any degree of certainty, yes, he thought James would retire a Laker.
Doncic accepted an offer from the Lakers to be their next headliner. That was an important development for them. But for them to be able to properly showcase their next act, they will have to close their previous one, whether it’s by him accepting a supporting role or deciding to take his talents elsewhere.
