A day before the deadline for Kuminga to accept the qualifying offer, the 22-year-old on Tuesday agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract to return to Golden State with a team option on the second year, sources confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the news via Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner.
BREAKING: Sources confirm to @NBCSWarriors Jonathan Kuminga is signing a two-year, $48.5 million contract with a team option on the second year to return to the Warriors
As the summer-long negotiations persisted, the Warriors ended up increasing their offer to Kuminga by a total of $8 million over the next two years and guaranteed him approximately $15 million more than his qualifying offer would have for this season, Charania reported.
Through negotiations between Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Turner from July to September, Golden State ultimately increased its offer by a total of $8M in the two-year framework and guaranteed Kuminga approximately $15M more than his qualifying offer would have for this season. https://t.co/PlsTayRbZC
Kuminga’s absence in the Bay hung like a cloud over Warriors Media Day on Monday and the first day of NBA training camp Tuesday, but coach Steve Kerr insisted he wasn’t concerned about the situation and, through conversations with general manager Mike Dunleavy, was confident the two sides would strike a deal.
Until Tuesday, Kuminga and the Warriors had not been unable to find common ground in July, August and all of September, save a few hours, bringing Golden State’s offseason to a standstill.
Entering restricted free agency, it was unclear which direction the Warriors might go with Kuminga, a player many within the organization love but at times hasn’t fit well with Golden State’s scheme centered around Steph Curry, and especially now with the addition of veteran Jimmy Butler.
But it’s clear both the Warriors and Kuminga want to continue their partnership for the time being.
Now that the Kuminga situation has been resolved, the Warriors officially can fill out their roster with free agents. The team has both Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton committed to contracts they couldn’t sign until the Kuminga situation was figured out, and it is widely believed that Steph Curry’s brother, Seth Curry, also is waiting to come on board.
In four seasons with Golden State, Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game on 50.7-percent shooting from the field and 33.2 percent from 3-point range in 258 games (84 starts).
With the option to craft a new contract next summer, Kuminga now will have the chance to prove whether or not he’s worth an even larger payday when he takes the court with Golden State during the 2025-26 NBA season.
If the Spurs are going to leap up into the playoffs in a crowded West, it's going to involve two things. One is Victor Wembanyama staying healthy and taking another leap forward. The other is point guard De'Aaron Fox and Wembanyama developing chemistry, forming an unstoppable inside-out combo that drives the offense.
The second part of that is on hold. Fox confirmed at Spurs media day that he is still recovering from a right hamstring injury and added, "I don't think I'll be ready for opening night."
“I don’t think I’ll be ready for opening night.” - De’Aaron Fox (right hamstring) says he can play right now and feels great but says they are playing it by ear. He doesn’t think he’ll play in the preseason either #Spurspic.twitter.com/v3sUxK8t5o
Fox made this sound like the classic push-and-pull between a player who is feeling better and a team's medical staff, which understands just how easy it is to reinjure a hamstring that seems fully healed but needs more time.
"I feel good. I felt like I could have played a little bit ago, but they're not letting me," Fox said, adding later the target is a Nov. 1 return. "We're taking it day-by-day, but I feel great."
This is the first season the Spurs are supposed to be done rebuilding and start climbing up the Western standings. Wembanyama is in his third year and is the preseason heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, while also taking another step forward on offense. The question becomes how does a backcourt of Fox, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle all mesh.
Again, the second part of that is now on hold until around Nov. 1.
Warriors superstar Steph Curry continues to evolve entering Year 17 of his career.
The 37-year-old guard is wrapping up an offseason that featured a book release, a trip to China and his annual youth camp. It also, of course, featured a conditioning regimen to keep himself in shape ahead of another 82-game season.
That offseason conditioning programs looks much different than it did heading into his 2009-10 rookie season.
“It’s evolved based on trying to be more efficient with the work that you get in and more intentional about how each day is designed on-court, off-court,” Curry said about his offseason conditioning on Monday at Warriors Media Day.
New data-tracking technology has come into play, with metrics such as heart rate and time on feet driving the construction of an offseason regimen, according to Curry.
“All those type[s] of things that help monitor the output that you have over the summer so that you’re working smarter and coming into camp fresh knowing that there’s still a little bit of building to go,” Curry explained, “But that I’m in pretty good shape where you’re not putting your body through any unnecessary stress with that transition from off-season to in-season.”
Balance is key for Curry’s preparation heading into his 17th season. As an established scoring sensation, his on-court skill set does not need much improvement, if at all. Maintaining health and conditioning is the priority for the Warriors’ superstar.
“Probably the first decade was more on-court than off-court and that’s actually flipped now where it’s probably 60-40 off-court to on-court percentage now,” Curry noted.
Curry has played in 70-plus games in each of the last two seasons. It is the first time he has logged that many games in consecutive years since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
His 16 seasons with the Warriors is the most with a single team among active NBA players. Last season, he averaged 24.5 points per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field. Curry led the league with 3-point field goals made (4.4) and attempted (11.2) per game.
Tatum has aggressively attacked his rehab from the very beginning. He underwent surgery in New York less than 12 hours after rupturing his Achilles tendon at Madison Square Garden in Game 4 of the Celtics’ second-round playoff series with the New York Knicks. He spent essentially his entire offseason in Boston, working out regularly at the Celtics’ training facility under the guise of trainers and medical staff. And about four months after his initial injury, he’s already participating in basketball drills, which he documented in an eye-opening YouTube video over the weekend.
Tatum’s recovery has impressed his Celtics teammates, several of whom admitted to Insider Chris Forsberg at Monday’s Media Day that they were surprised to see the All-Star forward going through a basketball workout this soon after a surgery that keeps many players sidelined for a full year.
While Tatum is the latest in a long line of NBA players who suffered Achilles injuries — most notably Dejounte Murray, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton this past season — Forsberg believes Tatum could set a new standard with how swiftly he recovers.
“I think we’re watching something potentially unprecedented in terms of how quickly he can get back to a high level,” Forsberg said Monday on Arbella Early Edition. “There are still a lot of hurdles to go. It’s still a long time. I don’t think they’re going to rush this at all. But you can’t watch that video and then say, ‘Oh, a 200-day season and he’s not going to be back.'”
Tatum’s surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley, a renowned surgeon who reportedly has performed a special type of Achilles surgery called the “SpeedBridge” repair that can lead to a faster recovery time. It’s still unclear whether Tatum had that specific procedure, but nonetheless, he seems to be on the cutting edge of his rehab in several respects.
“You have to understand, they got him into surgery at an unprecedented rate,” Forsberg added. “No one has ever torn their Achilles and then been into surgery less than 12 hours before. Nobody who has (had) this injury in the NBA has gotten this Speedbridge procedure in that situation and then been back to rehabbing on this aggressive timeline.
“This might set a precedent for how we view this injury, and I know that’s daunting, because you never want to be the first one … but every indication is, he is progressing at a rate where we at least have to think about these conversations.”
“I’m gonna move it up. I’m into February now, and maybe I’ll be in January at some point,” Forsberg said. “I can’t watch that tape and not think to myself he’s going to be back on a basketball court sooner than later, as long as everyone is confident he cannot re-aggravate this injury, and he is at a point where the strength is enough.”
Here are five things to watch for the Sixers in the preseason:
What’s different about the offense?
Joel Embiid said on Day 1 of training camp that the Sixers have changed their offense “quite a bit.”
“I’m in the dunker (spot),” he said with a smile. “Let me just chill in the dunker and everybody else does whatever they want.”
We imagine Embiid will still be a major piece of the Sixers’ offense and not a mere spectator when he’s available. It also does sound like the Sixers intend to play a more guard-centric, up-tempo style.
“It’s certainly something we want to do as far as just creating more of a passing, ball movement type of situation,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Sunday. “There has been a lot of drill work leading up into (training camp) and it’s starting to take shape pretty good. … Again, I keep saying we’ve got a little bit more speed, we’ve got a little bit more perimeter play, we’ve got a little bit more guys that can get involved in actions. So we want them touching the ball.”
Edgecombe’s game and jumper
VJ Edgecombe has drawn glowing praise from all corners of the Sixers’ practice gym.
“VJ’s a special talent,” Tyrese Maxey said Friday of the No. 3 pick. “One of his talents that a lot of people don’t really use is how hard he plays on both ends of the floor, whether that’s offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, guarding the ball, playing in transition.
“Those are little things that a lot of people don’t do, so I think he’s going to be really good at that. He likes to learn, he wants to get better. The sky is the limit for him.”
Though the preseason results won’t matter, it will be interesting to see Edgecombe’s jump shot (on top of his sensational athleticism and all the tools Maxey named). Nurse mentioned at media day that Edgecombe made “great strides” with his shooting during the offseason. The 20-year-old said Saturday he’s improved his arc and consistency.
The backup bigs
Andre Drummond said at media day that he’s “100 percent to go” after struggling with a left big toe injury last season.
Nurse has also noted Drummond’s fitness level.
“I think he’s at least 20 or so pounds lighter than he was a year ago at this stage, so that’s a good start,” Nurse said Sunday. “He can probably keep going on that just a little bit more, but it’s helping him and his toe feels better. That’s obviously helping him. He’s moving a little bit better and he’s been playing very good.”
Drummond and second-year big man Adem Bona appear to be the main names behind Embiid at center. Bona’s coming off of an excellent end to his rookie season and won a EuroBasket silver medal this summer with Turkey.
According to Drummond, Bona is “jumping two inches higher than he did last year.” According to Nurse, the 22-year-old is “breaking all the weight room records.”
“It’s competitive,” Nurse said of the Sixers’ backup center outlook. “There’s three, four, five of them, depending on how far you want to go with it. … It’s Bona, it’s Drum, it’s (Johni) Broome, it’s (Jabari) Walker. (Dominick) Barlow maybe a little bit, too. … I think they know they’re in a battle. If you came to watch practice and you were watching that position, you’d see a lot of competition going on between that whole group.”
Walker, Barlow ‘in a very similar situation’
Both Barlow and Walker seem to have plausible routes to earning a larger role than the typical two-way contract player. Each could boost their case with strong showings in the preseason.
“They’re in a very similar situation, very similar positions,” Nurse said after Day 2 of training camp. “Barlow’s constantly on the glass, keeping the basketball alive, etc. I did talk to Jabari about that. Jabari can really rebound the ball. … He’s one of those guys that emphatically snatches rebounds out of there and he’s really good on the defensive glass especially.
“I just kind of reminded him yesterday that I didn’t quite see that, but I did see it today. … He was a lot more active kind of open-floor attacking, which we’re trying to get him to work on. He does have a handle enough and the size in the open floor to take guys on with some shoulder hits and some things. It’s a work in progress, there’s a ways to go on that with him, but he was very good today.”
The 22-year-old Barlow is 6-foot-9 with a 7-3 wingspan. He hasn’t been an outside shooter in the NBA (10 for 40 from three-point range across 96 games), but Barlow’s a good athlete who views his versatility as a strength.
“When I was at Overtime Elite, I think I played every position — two, three, four, five,” he said following Sunday’s practice. “The game is changing so much. You see a team like Houston run double-big lineups. You see Golden State run Draymond (Green) at the five and he’s traditionally undersized. I think the game is just evolving.
“On a night-to-night basis, you see different matchups and different positions, so I don’t worry so much about position. It’s just continuing to play a role and find ways to help our team be as effective as possible.”
How healthy can Sixers be on opening night?
The Sixers would love to minimize the injury woes that overwhelmed them from the very start of last year. It’s not a massive stretch to say injury-free preseason games would be successful preseason games.
Trendon Watford has been dealing with right hamstring tightness, which the Sixers have called a “day-to-day” injury.
“We are getting closer,” Nurse said of Watford’s status. “I would hope and I think that we’re going to see him in the practices at some point (in Abu Dhabi). … That’s what the hope is, I believe.”
Lakers center Deandre Ayton participates in the team's media day at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Deandre Ayton spent the last two years fading away from the national spotlight on a team that was closer to getting the first overall pick than getting to the first round of the playoffs. On Monday, the 7-foot center stood in front of flashing lights, answered questions in a packed news conference and glanced up at a shiny line of 17 championship trophies.
Ayton, whose inconsistent career hit a new low in Portland, where he was bought out of his contract and criticized for a poor work ethic, smiled at what he called “the biggest stage.” The former No. 1 overall pick is ready to launch his revenge tour with the Lakers.
"It's the biggest opportunity, I can say, of my career,” Ayton said Monday at Lakers media day. “Some people say it's my last leg, some people say it's my last chance. Well, it's the opportunity I can say I'm truly not going to take for granted.”
Marcus Smart knows the feeling. The 2022 defensive player of the year is coming off a contract buyout in Washington. After nine years and three all-defensive team honors with the Boston Celtics, Smart has played in just 54 games over two injury-plagued years with Memphis and Washington. The 31-year-old recognizes some may have forgotten the “Celtics' Marcus Smart" — the player who guarded all five positions, knocked down timely threes and brought contagious, tone-setting toughness.
The Lakers still remember.
“I know what he brings to the game,” LeBron James said. “I know that team is first, second, third, fourth, fifth, when it comes to Marcus Smart.”
Despite his resume and standing in the league, Smart doesn’t expect automatic entry to the Lakers' starting lineup.
“Whether I start or come off the bench,” Smart said, “my presence will be made.”
Lakers guard Marcus Smart takes part in media day at UCLA Health Training Center on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Smart’s defensive prowess could be a significant boost to a starting group that figures to include James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Rui Hachimura, who started in 57 of his 59 regular-season appearances last season, is in the final year of his contract after averaging 13.1 points and five rebounds per game last season.
Facing the possibility of coming off the bench ahead of a contract year, Hachimura said he would defer to coaches to decide what was best. Coach JJ Redick said the team has seven or eight starting-caliber players, and the starting lineup doesn’t weigh heavily on his mind entering his second season at the helm.
The center was the Lakers’ most significant offseason addition after the blockbuster trade that brought Doncic to L.A. also left the team without a starting center. Jaxson Hayes, who was thrust into the starting role out of necessity but fell out of the rotation during the playoffs, will be a valuable one-two punch with Ayton at center, James said. Forward Maxi Kleber, who played only five minutes after joining the team during the midseason trade with Dallas, said he is fully healthy after a lengthy foot injury.
Kleber, 33, knows firsthand the impact Doncic can have on a post player’s career. Kleber has played with Doncic since the Slovenian superstar was drafted in 2018 and marveled at Doncic’s ability to get easy shots for his teammates. Lob chances will start falling from the sky like never before for Ayton.
After practicing together in the offseason, Kleber commended Ayton for getting stronger and adding to his physical presence on the court. Redick has challenged the entire roster to arrive in “championship shape.”
Ayton didn’t need the additional motivation.
“You guys have an Angry Ayton,” the 27-year-old said, “where I've been disrespected most of my career and just been doubted. And I'm here where all [that is] behind me and I can add all that fuel into winning and playing alongside Luka."
Doncic, out for his own redemption after last year’s trade and conversations about his weight and work ethic, was eager to begin his first training camp with the Lakers. Coming off a quarterfinals appearance at EuroBasket with the Slovenian national team, Doncic said he felt stronger and quicker on the court after his offseason physical transformation. One of the league’s pick-and-roll savants, Doncic should help Ayton rediscover the dominance he flashed while helping the Phoenix Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021 and post a franchise-record 64 wins in 2022.
Finally back in the NBA spotlight with a new team, Ayton relishes the chance to chase more meaningful records.
“You can feel the pressure through the door,” Ayton said. “This team wants to win a championship."
SAN FRANCISCO – When we last saw Draymond Green on the basketball court, the Warriors were in the Western Conference semifinals, and the 35-year-old forward was trying and failing to reach the level achieved years ago as the backbone of Golden State’s dynasty.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle wouldn’t allow it. Three inches taller, 20 pounds heavier and five years younger than Green, Randle was feasting at the All the Buckets You Can Eat buffet. The place Draymond deemed “off limits” for most of his 13-year career.
“Ju played great the entire series,” Green conceded after the Timberwolves won Game 5 to advance to the conference finals, while the Warriors boarded a jet into the offseason.
“The way Julius has been playing since he came back from the injury … he’s been lights out,” Green added. “I have no doubt that he’ll continue to play that way. He’s aggressive as hell and he’s going to after it. He’s got the mindset, always have had that mindset. And it’s clicking for him.”
Was this some kind of conditional surrender? Or can Draymond, at this advanced NBA age, still represent the backbone of a stellar defense?
Don’t get it twisted. Green embraces the challenge that comes with the aging process. His quest is to prove he’s still elite and, moreover, quite capable of ruining opposing offenses.
“I think, ironically, at 22, there was some things that my body couldn’t do that I can do now,” he said Monday. “Because it’s just all the work you put in and the things that you learn and the strengthening that you do. I think there’s a little give and take there. I’m always confident that I can win mentally. That’s what you rely more on, when you realize, ‘Oh, man, I can’t quite do that thing.’
“But if I’m honest with you, I don’t think I’ve reached a point to where my body can’t do it.”
To be sure, for all the fireworks provided by the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, Draymond’s unique gifts as a defender were essential to Golden State’s “Death Lineups” that once demoralized even the best of opponents. He was the NBA’s only 6-foot-6 “big man” capable of protecting the paint, patrolling baselines, clogging passing lanes, supervising the defense and running point on the break.
It’s unreasonable to assume Green can be as peripatetic as he once was six or seven years ago. He shouldn’t have to be. He is entering the winter of his career, with young teammates available to boost the team’s energy. A slimmer Trayce Jackson-Davis. The relentless Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski. And, it appears likely, Jonathan Kuminga. They all can feed any fire started by the first unit.
But no frontcourt player on the roster has a physical/mental/instinctive combination to match Green at his best. He knows that. For the Warriors to beat back ageism and make a serious run, he needs to be that.
“I feel great,” he said. “Am I the same person that I was at 27? No. And thank God I’m not. I’ve learned a lot since 27. There’s things that change, but if you decrease in one area, you’ve got to grow in another. That’s the constant challenge of what keeps you going and keeps you striving to do it again and again and again.”
Against Randle in May, Green, despite earning All-Defensive first-team honors, seemed too small and not quick enough to offset his physical disadvantage. Randle averaged 25.2 points per game, shooting 53.3 percent from the field, adding 7.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds. He scored a combined 60 points in Games 4 and 5.
Now, five months later, as the Warriors prepare for the 2025-26 season, Green is determined to prove he has recovered his mojo and has the goods to embellish his status as an elite defensive force. The nine-time All-Defensive team selection is chasing No. 10.
Only five players in NBA history have earned the honor at least 10 times: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Scottie Pippen.
“That’s my motivation,” Green said. “To go and try to make another All-Defensive team and join that list. It’s an amazing list. All first-ballot Hall of Famers. To try to put myself, my name, in the hat with those guys … that would be a dream come true.”
Thousands of fingers throughout Dub Nation are crossed in hopes Green, who turns 36 next March, can live that dream. His odds are long in a league that has more than a dozen candidates, including San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.
That dream might be required for the Warriors to reach the heights to which they aspire.
Logic has never stopped random online speculation, and some wondered if it was a sign that he might want out in the summer of 2027, when he can become a free agent. No, he does not. Jokic ended that at Nuggets Media Day on Monday.
"Those contract extensions come as a reward as something that is natural to the sport," said Jokic. "Especially in today's NBA with how the salary cap is going. My plan is to be a Nugget forever."
While there are teams aiming to have cap space in 2027, most of them are more focused on another former MVP, one who plays in a northern Midwestern city. Sure, they would be open to Jokic if he decided to bolt, but nobody really expected that to happen.
Now Jokic and Jamal Murray — one of the best duos in the NBA — can focus on returning the Nuggets to the NBA Finals, surrounded by an improved roster filled with solid role players such as Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown and Tim. Hardaway Jr., as well as the returning Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther.
LeBron James laughs with James Worthy and others during a television interview at Lakers media day on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
LeBron James chuckled at the question he knew was coming as a a smile crossed his face when he was asked about the word “retirement.”
James stammered as he tried to answer the question during his session at the Lakers’ media day on Monday.
He never provided a definitive answer about his future. He’s about to enter his 23rd season in the NBA, which will mean James will have played more seasons in the league than anyone in history. He turns 41 on Dec. 30, but if last season was any indication, James hasn’t slowed down.
When James was asked about his approach to this season, knowing that retirement is near, he seemed unsure how to answer.
“I mean, I don't know,” he said. “I mean, I'm excited about today, I'm excited about an opportunity to be able to play a game that I love for another season. And whatever the journey, however the journey lays out this year, I'm just super invested, because like you just said, I don't know when the end is, but I know it's a lot sooner than later.
“So just being super appreciative of the fact that I could come up here, do another media day and talk to you guys and do all this stuff around here, so just excited about the journey and whatever this year has in store for me.”
James exercised his player option for $52.6 milllion this summer to play with the Laker, the final year of his deal. He did not sign an extension with the Lakers, meaning that James will be a free agent after the 2025-26 season if he does not retire.
James already is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer during the regular season with 42,184 points. He has played the second-most regular-season games in history at 1,562, just 50 behind the leader, Robert Parish.
James averaged 24.4 points,7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season
It was clear that he still was on top of his game.
“The things that still pushes me is the fact that the love of the game is still high,” James said. “The love of the process is even higher. So that's what continues to push me to play this game. I mean, it's really that simple. Me training and working on my body and trying to get my body as close to 100% as possible every year, it's something that's like —- it's a beautiful thing for me. Just continue to challenge to see how well I can push myself to play the game at a high level, recover at a high level, be able to sleep better, mentally prepare, try to stay sharp throughout the course of a long season. And just the roller coaster of an NBA season, that's all like, gratifying to me, no matter the good, the bad, the ugly. I love that process. So it's a bigger. … So much that goes into it, more than just picking up a basketball and shooting at the rim.”
James is teaming up with another superstar in Luka Doncic, who signed a three-year extension for $165-million.
Doncic, 26, is considered one of the top players in the league, giving James a top-notch running partner.
James was asked how much having a player like Doncic beside him will weigh in his decision to retire.
“Nah, nah. As far as how long I go in my career? Nah. Zero,” James said. “The motivation to be able to play alongside him every night, that's super motivating. That's what I'm going to train my body for. Every night I go out there and try to be the best player I can for him, and we're going to bounce that off one another. But as far as me weighing in on him and some other teammates of how far I go in my career, nah. It would be, literally my decision, along with my wife and — two of my boys [Bronny and Bryce] already gone. ... So it'll be a decision between me, my wife [Savannah] and my daughter [Zhuri]. It won't be, ‘Hey, having a meeting with my teammates.’ It won't be that.”
James and Austin Reaves have been teammates for four years now, and Reaves has seen no decline in his famous teammate.
Reaves, who declined a four-year, $89.2-million contract offer from the Lakers over the summer, hasn’t talked to James about retirement but doesn’t see it happening any time soon.
“Every time you see him, he’s got a big smile on his face, he’s the biggest kid in the room, has a great time and you got to appreciate that for somebody who has been going at it for so long, 23 years,” Reaves said. “At some point you feel like the joy might not be there. But every time you see him, it reinsures that he’s here for one thing and one thing only and that’s to win. But I don’t know about retirement. He might play for another 10 years.”
James returns to a Lakers team that was 50-32 last season and finished third in the Western Conference. The Lakers then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnnesota Timberwolves.
But the Lakers have retooled, adding center Deandre Ayton, guard Marcus Smart and wing Jake LaRavia.
James has won four NBA championships, and yearns for another.
“I don't know, just to know how many miles I got as far as this game in my 22 years, now starting 23 years, and to still be able to play at a high level, to still to be able to go out there and can make plays and be respectful on the floor,” James said.
“It's just super humbling and gratifying for me, personally. I love to play the game, and I love to play at a high level. And for me, age is kind of just a number, but it is reality too, though. I mean, you look at the history of the game, it's not been many guys at my age, or especially going into Year 23 that's been able to play at a level like that. And I've just tried to not take it for granted and just try to give the game as much as I can, inspire whoever I can: the younger generation, my generation, the generation after me, the generation to come. I think you are of the age what you, I guess, tell your mind you are.”
"I mean, the NBA is going to do their job. None of us did no wrongdoing. And, yeah, I mean, that's it. We invite the investigation...
"I understand that full contract and the services that I had to do. Like I said, I don't deal with the conspiracies or the clickbait analysts or journalism that's going on."
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank echoed Leonard's comments, saying during his remarks that, "we feel very, very confident we're on the right side of this."
The core of the allegations, first reported by the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, are that in 2021 Clippers owner Ballmer invested $50 million in the "green bank" company Aspiration. Within 18 months, the Clippers purchased $100 million in those green credits as part of Ballmer's effort to make the Clippers' new home, the Intuit Dome, carbon neutral. Aspiration became a $300 million sponsor of the Clippers team in 2021.
About that time, Leonard signed a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration (he also eventually was given another $20 million in company stock, which is now worthless). The salary cap circumvention case centers on the idea that Leonard did nothing for Aspiration as an endorser that can be seen publicly, leading to accusations that this was a "no-show" endorsement. The argument is that it was a way to funnel extra money to Leonard through a dying company. Aspiration is now bankrupt, and its CEO, Sanberg, has pled guilty to $248 million in fraud. Ballmer has maintained his innocence, saying he was “duped” like other investors, and that the Clippers ended their team sponsor relationship with Aspiration after it defaulted on its obligations.
Leonard pushed back on the allegation that he did nothing for Aspiration, that this was essentially a "no-show" contract.
"I don't think that's accurate, but it's old," Leonard said. "This is all new to you guys. The company went bankrupt a while ago, so we already knew this was going to happen." Leonard, however, did not detail what he did for Aspiration.
Clippers president Frank opened his remarks with a statement that continued the Clippers' claim that it is innocent in all this and that they would ultimately be proven innocent.
"We are glad there's an investigation, and we welcome it," Frank said. "We appreciate that there'll be a clear-eyed look at these allegations, and we're eager for the truth to come out. The assumptions and conclusions that have been made are disappointing and upsetting, and we expect the investigation will show that these allegations are wrong.
"I'm hurt for Steve [Ballmer]. He's one of the best people and most honorable people I've ever met. He does things the right way for the right reasons, and he constantly reminds us to stay on the right side of the rules. I'm also hurt for our players, our staff, and fans…
"The accusations made against us are serious, and they don't line up with my experience, my reality. We will cooperate with this investigation and let this process play out. But we are eager for the whole truth, the whole picture, to be revealed. We're very confident in what it will show."
Frank dodged a question about whether Leonard's uncle and business manager, Dennis Robertson (commonly referred to as "Uncle Dennis") had asked him for improper gifts when he signed with the team in 2019. Representatives of the Raptors and Lakers have said he did with them, even asking for a piece of the team. "Dennis knows the rules. Kawhi knows the rules," was Frank's pat response.
Frank and Leonard agreed on something else — that this would not be a distraction for the Clippers.
"I don't read headlines. I don't do conspiracies, theories or anything like that," Leonard said. "It's about the season and what we got ahead of us right now. And, yeah, tomorrow we'll start camp and see what we got…
"I mean, the NBA is going to do their job. None of us did no wrongdoing. And, yeah, I mean, that's it. We invite the investigations. It's not going to be a distraction for me or the rest of the team."
"I think one is you acknowledge it…" Frank said of the allegations. "They know that we're, we're very confident that we're on the right side of things. And then you just focus on what you can control. I mean, if you're looking for a distraction, you can find one, right? I think what makes athletes so special is their ability just to focus on things they can control."
A veteran team like the Clippers might be able to put the distraction aside and focus on the game, but the allegations and the league's investigation are not going away.
Lakers star LeBron James speaks with reporters during Lakers media day on Monday. Could this be James' final season? (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Of all the reams of words publicly spilled at Lakers media day Monday, only one really mattered.
When LeBron James was wrapping up his interview with the folks at Spectrum Sportsnet, host Chris McGee asked, “By the way, see you at next year’s media day?”
James’ laughing answer set the template for a season.
“Maybe.”
So the Lakers should treat the next eight months emptying their assets and foregoing their future and playing with the desperation of a team trying to earn one last piece of jewelry for arguably the greatest player ever?
Maybe.
So should the fans here and around the league show up in droves and line up around the block for their last live look at a living legend?
Maybe.
Or, if everything goes wrong and things get ugly, should the Lakers and James willingly part ways through a midseason buyout?
Maybe.
No matter what happens, the fact that James didn’t reveal his intentions in his first public appearance since last spring means that this Laker season has the chance to be a murky maybe mess.
Everybody knows where the Lakers stand, as Rob Pelinka said last week. He wants James to finish his career here.
“We would love if LeBron’s story would be he retire a Laker,” Pelinka said. “That would be a positive story.”
But still nobody knows where James stands, and it’s not obvious, because, while he’s 40 and entering his NBA-record 23rd season, he looks young, and acts energetic, and Monday at the Lakers facility he was at his charming best.
“Just excited about the journey and whatever this year has in store for me,” he said.
He’s probably not saying because he truly does not know. Next spring is a lifetime away. He doesn’t know how he’s going to feel. He doesn’t know how his basketball future could look.
But because he’s not saying, this season could seemingly go one of three ways.
It could go the Kershaw Way. James could once again be one of the top players in the league but get worn down by the strain on his body and in the last weeks of the season he could call it quits. The Crypto.com crowd gets a chance to say goodbye and his Lakers teammates can use his retirement as inspiration for a deep postseason run.
Or, it could go the Kobe Way. James could decide in the middle of the season that he’s had enough and embark on a league-wide farewell tour, the sort that once brought the tough Kobe Bryant to tears.
Or, given the organization’s recent sketchy history, it is entirely possible it could go the Typical Lakers Implosion Way.
LeBron James jokes with reporters as he arrives for interviews at Lakers media day on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
James could spend the year making the Lakers dangle on that “maybe,” subtly fighting against the loss of his team leadership to Luka Doncic, passively aggressively chiding Pelinka to improve the roster at the trade deadline, even occasionally threatening to quit on the spot.
Because it's too tough to trade him and the Lakers don’t want to spend the bucks to buy him out, they spend the rest of the season dodging his barbs, then, simply let James’ contract expire and watch him flee to home Cleveland for his swan song.
Three scenarios, but only two happy endings, and to make matters even more complicated, much depends not on James, but on the roster around him.
Are the Lakers going to be any good? Are you ready for it?
Maybe.
The Lakers only played 23 games with both James and the recently acquired Doncic last season, and they were 15-8 and grabbed a third seed and were acting like the best team in the NBA at one point before they disintegrated against Minnesota in the playoffs.
They added Deandre Ayton for length, Jake LaRavia for defense, Marcus Smart for toughness, and a new body for Doncic, a formerly pudgy and breathless kid who has acknowledged his very adult transformation.
“I’m in a better place for sure,” he said Monday.
Is that good enough to lead a team to a better place in the competitive West? Who knows?
Will it be good enough to convince James to ask for a new contract and stick around for yet another year? That doesn’t seem likely but then again, The Oldest Living Baller currently exists in the unlikely.
The only certainty is that James is going to make this decision on his own time, in his own voice, through his own podcast or social media or heck, maybe another 30-minute TV special called, “The Last Decision?”
How ever this plays out, he’s not saying anything now, which was obvious when he answered the first question at his media day news conference with dodgy utterances.
“I mean, I don't know,” he said. “I mean, I'm excited about today, I'm excited about an opportunity to be able to play a game that I love for another season. And whatever the journey, however the journey lays out this year, I'm just super invested, because … I don't know when the end is, but I know it's a lot sooner than later.”
He provided his most telling hint that he’s leaning into retirement when he talked about appreciating his final tours around the league.
“Knowing that the end is soon, not taking for granted, you know, a Tuesday night in a city that maybe I don't want to be in that night ... let's lock in because you don't know how many times you get the opportunity to play the game or to be able to compete,” he said. “So there's times where you wake up and you just feel like you just don't have it. So those will be the days where I know I can lock back in real fast, like, OK, well, you won't have many days like this, so let's lock in and enjoy the moment, enjoy the rest of the ride.”
Bronny and LeBron James pose for photos at Lakers media day as Rui Hachimura takes a selfie in front of them. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
He was asked if, now that he’s played with son Bronny, would he stick around to play with his Arizona-freshman son Bryce? His answer was LeBron at his fatherly best.
“No, I'm not waiting on Bryce,’ he said. “No. I don't know what his timeline is. He's his own young man now, like he's down in Tucson. We'll see what happens this year, next year, you know, but he has his own timeline. I got my timeline, and I don't know if they quite match up.”
He was asked if his decision would be influenced by a chance to play with Doncic. His answer was LeBron at his jabbing best.
“Ah, nah. As far as how long I go in my career? Nah. Zero,” he said. “The motivation to be able to play alongside him every night, that's super motivating. That's what I'm going to train my body for. Every night I go out there and try to be the best player I can for him, and we're going to bounce that off one another. But as far as me weighing in on him and some other teammates of how far I go in my career, nah.”
It may be Luka Doncic’s team, but it’s still LeBron James’ world, and he’s going to control his narrative down to the last syllables of the last sentences of his final goodbye.
The anchor of the Warriors’ defense has had one common thread for the past 13 seasons: Draymond Green.
The Michigan State alum has proven all there is to prove in his successful NBA career, but he’s never content. Green was asked Monday about possibly being selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team for a 10th time as the 2025-26 season begins.
“It would mean the world to me,” Green admitted to reporters at Warriors Media Day. “That’s my motivation, to go and try to make another All-Defensive Team and join that list. It’s an amazing list. All first-ballot Hall of Famers.”
Green’s defensive resume speaks for itself. His accolades include being the 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, a nine-time NBA All-Defensive selection (five First Team, four Second Team) and a finalist for the 2025 DPOY award.
“To try to put myself, my name in the hat with those guys,” Green continued. “Like any time you can put your name next to guys like — you’re talking Kobe [Bryant], Tim [Duncan] … And I can put my little name next to that? That — I mean, that would be a dream come true.”
The four-time NBA champion has had some ups and downs in his career, but cementing himself as one of the greatest defensive players of all time clearly is on his radar.
“That is definitely a motivating factor for me this year, for sure,” Green said.
Along with the personal quest for a 10th All-Defensive selection, Green and Golden State are looking to hoist another Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy this upcoming season.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard poses during the team's media day Monday at the Intuit Dome. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
Kawhi Leonard mumbled his way through a few answers to questions Monday about his endorsement deal with Aspiration Partners that has triggered an NBA investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the league salary cap.
The Clippers allowed only two reporters to ask about the deal during media day at Intuit Dome, refusing to give the microphone to additional reporters — including one from The Times — who raised their hands to ask questions. Leonard was ushered off the dais and out of sight.
"The NBA is going to do their job," Leonard said. "None of us did ... wrongdoing and, yeah, that's it. We invite the investigation."
Asked about his understanding of the endorsement deal and whether he performed any services, Leonard replied, "I understand the full contract and services that I had to do. Like I said, I don't deal with conspiracies or the click-bait analysts or journalism that's going on.
"I don't think it's accurate" that he provided no endorsement services to Aspiration, he said. "It's old. This is all new to you guys. But the company went bankrupt a while ago, so we already knew this was going to happen."
He added that he wasn't paid all the money due to him, saying, "I'm not sure [how much I'm owed]. I've got to go back and look at the books. ... The company went belly up and it was fine."
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard speaks during media day at the Intuit Dome on Monday. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, was insistent that the investigation will exonerate owner Steve Ballmer and the franchise.
"We appreciate that there will be a clear-eyed look at these allegations," Frank said. "And we are eager for the truth to come out.
"The assumptions and conclusions that have been made are disappointing and upsetting. And we expect the investigation will show that these allegations are wrong."
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 players. 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 the Clippers to compete for their first-ever NBA championship.
"I hurt for Steve," Frank said. "He’s one of the best people, most honorable people I’ve met. He does things the right way for the right reasons. And he constantly reminds us to stay on the right side of the rules.
"I also hurt for our players, our staff and fans. And, on a larger level, as I’ve learned about this over the past month, I feel bad for all the people defrauded by [Aspiration]."
Frank said a partition exists between team executives and companies that signed players for endorsements.
"Endorsement contracts are completely separate from player contracts," he said. "So what a player makes, Kawhi, or any of our other players, in endorsement contracts, I have no idea."
Ballmer, however, had a 2% to 3% ownership share in Aspiration and made separate investments of $50 million and $10 million in the company. Whether that same partition applied to him is something NBA investigators will examine, according to Michael McCann, a visiting professor of law at Harvard who has followed the situation closely.
Frank emphasized that the Clippers front office takes the salary cap rules seriously.
"The salary cap governs everything we do," he said. "Our mission every day is to build the best team we can under the constraints of the cap. There is no gray area. There are no secret shortcuts. It’s clear what we are and are not allowed to do."
Whether Leonard was as clear about the rules remains unknown. The forward who is under contract for two more seasons and $100 million said the upcoming season is all he's thinking about.
"I'm not getting into any conspiracy theories or anything like that," he said. "It's about the season and what we've got ahead of us right now."
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy has been extremely quiet this offseason, but a veteran big man is coming to the Bay.
Nineteen-year NBA veteran Al Horford has committed to signing a multi-year contract with Golden State, his agent Jason Glushon told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday. Draymond Green has been vocal about another big man joining the squad.
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
“When you’re at center, you’re involved in every single play because you’re anchoring the defense,” Green told reporters Monday at Warriors Media Day. “You are the last line of everything. So there is no break. Like you are at the forefront of everything. That can be a lot at times.”
“I’m never one that’s going to turn the opportunity down because if you turn the opportunity down,” Green continued, “you maybe turn the opportunity of minutes down, and I still love to play this game and compete and help my team win.”
Golden State has young talent at the center position in the program with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post, but the addition of Horford will allow Green to get back to his preferred position.
“In an ideal world, I would love to play more 4,” Green explained. “That’s my natural position. That’s how I became who I’ve become at that position. But nothing’s changed about me at this point. I will always do — be willing to do whatever the team needs me to do and whatever shoes that I need to wear, if it fits, I’m going to wear it.”
Executing the team’s needs has been a habit for Green for over a decade. In his 13th season, the Michigan State alum came in third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
“Playing in the NBA is tough,” Green concluded. “Living every day life for a lot of people is tough. So I’ll take my tough.”
Horford’s presence during the upcoming season likely will lessen the load for Green, along with the young big men on the roster.
“Obviously, it’s going to be different with JT not on the floor, but in terms of how I approach things, it’s no different,” Brown said when he joined NBC Sports Boston’s live stream during Celtics Media Day on Monday.
Brown believes there’s one area of his game he’ll be able showcase more, though.
“I think my playmaking,” Brown said. “Over the last two years, I’ve been put more in that role to be a playmaker and even though the numbers haven’t really jumped off, I think I’ve improved in that area a lot. I think this year will be a great year to see that.”
Brown averaged a career-best 4.5 assists last season. It’s not a number that jumps off the page, as Brown shared. He ranked third on the team behind Tatum (6.0 assists) and Derrick White (4.8) and tied for 45th in the NBA. But it was a noticeable improvement after he averaged 3.5 assists per game over the previous four seasons.
“Hopefully I have a few triple-doubles this year, multiple assist games,” Brown said.
With Jrue Holiday traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and Tatum likely to miss at least the majority of the regular season, the Green need other guards to step up their game. Payton Pritchard and White will facilitate in their respective roles, but the Celtics would benefit from another player like Brown doing the same.
The four-time NBA All-Star had offseason knee surgery after he played through a partially torn meniscus during the 2024-25 season. The procedure has allowed Brown to tap back into his athleticism this offseason. Brown, who said he’s feeling a little lighter, is closing in on 100 percent fully healthy.
“For me, I wanna play fast,” said Brown, noting he’s had that conversation with head coach Joe Mazzulla. “I’ve been saying that for a few years now. Some of the teams we saw play in the Finals, they play fast. Indiana plays fast. OKC plays fast. More and more teams play with that pace. That’s the pace that I’ve always wanted to play at.
“Our personnel hasn’t always been able to suit that, but I think we’ll be able to play a little faster this year, so I’m excited about that,” Brown said.
If Brown can transition into an improved playmaker and facilitator, there will be plenty of excitement to go around.
