Category: Basketball

The Lakers found their next starting center, and they didn’t have to give up Austin Reaves to land him.

There’s a reason why.

As athletic and skilled as Deandre Ayton is for a 7-footer, he’s better known at this stage of his career for his shortcomings.

His maddening inconsistency. His uninspired defense. His lack of motivation. His inability to stay healthy.

If you didn’t like Anthony Davis, you’re going to hate Ayton. Davis was always accountable or at very least not tone deaf, which Ayton apparently is.

“I got nothing to prove in this league,” Ayton once told veteran NBA reporter Mark Medina. “I’m a max player, and I’ll continue to be a max player.”

Little wonder the Portland Trail Blazers officially gave up on Ayton during the weekend by buying out his contract, opening the door for the Lakers to pick him up at a bargain price.

The Lakers are wagering they can do what the Trail Blazers, and the Phoenix Suns before them, couldn’t.

They are betting they can start the engine inside of Ayton and keep it roaring.

From a physical and technical standpoint, Ayton is capable of being the player the Lakers need him to be. However, most athletes who don’t already have something burning inside of them at 26 don’t suddenly discover fire at 27, which is how old Ayton will be later this month.

Read more:Lakers agree to terms with former Portland center Deandre Ayton

Which is why the Lakers should be grateful they still have LeBron James.

Who better to show a chronic underachiever how to maximize his gifts than a player preparing for a record 23rd season? Conversely, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer can’t inspire Ayton, who or what will?

The 40-year-old James will give the Lakers a chance to reach Ayton, which, in turn, will give them a chance to contend for another championship.

With their current roster, the Lakers clearly remain behind the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers belong with the next tier of Western Conference teams, alongside the Golden State Warriors and Clippers. That’s more or less where they were last season.

The Lakers are still looking for shooters. They still have to figure out how they’re going to stop anyone. They also need Ayton to be more than the player he was in his first seven NBA seasons, even with his respectable career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Read more:Bronny James plays coy about father LeBron's future with Lakers

James will lead by example. He will model the work habits required to be a consistent performer. He will display an attention to detail that will make Ayton recalibrate how he thinks of the game.

Reaves has benefited from his proximity to James. So has Rui Hachimura. Then again, Reaves and Hachimura were open to such guidance. Is Ayton?

Rewiring Ayton’s 27-year-old brain might feel like a longshot, but consider this: Ayton was at his best when he played alongside a strong veteran presence.

Ayton was a third-year player on the Suns when they acquired a 35-year-old Chris Paul before the 2020-21 season. With Ayton playing a starring role, the Suns went on to reach the NBA finals, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The postseason run offered an example of how Ayton could respond positively to experienced leadership, as well as how he could be best deployed on the court.

The mobile Ayton was a dangerous threat for Paul, and he should be a dangerous lob threat for Luka Doncic. The ability of Ayton to knock down midrange jumpers spaced the floor for the Suns, and that skill will undoubtedly be exploited by coach JJ Redick.

The X’s and O’s won’t matter if Ayton doesn’t show up to play every night, however. Ayton presumably agreed to the buyout of his contract because he wanted to change the narrative of his career. This is his chance. He will have a playmaker in Doncic, a team with championship aspirations in the Lakers. Perhaps most important, he will have a teacher in James.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Is Horford leaving Celtics a ‘foregone conclusion'? Free agency latest originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Al Horford has yet to decide about his plans for the 2025-26 NBA season. But if you’re waiting for the veteran big man to return to the Boston Celtics, don’t hold your breath.

Horford is currently weighing his options in unrestricted free agency, and it appears the Golden State Warriors are the top candidate for his services. Here’s a brief rundown of notable Horford-related reports since the unofficial start to NBA free agency on Monday:

• On Monday, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Horford had received interest from the Celtics, Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency.
• On Tuesday, Substack’s Marc Stein described Horford as a “leading target” for Golden State.
• On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Dan Woike reported that Horford is under “serious consideration” by the Los Angeles Lakers in addition to the Warriors.
• On Wednesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on NBA Todaythat Horford is most likely choosing between the Lakers, Warriors and retirement, adding that Golden State has been “very aggressive” in trying to sign Horford.
• Later Wednesday, the Lakers reportedly agreed to sign big man Deandre Ayton, which seemingly would take them out of the running for Horford.
• On Wednesday, The Ringer’s Rob Mahoney noted on the Bill Simmons Podcastthat Horford-to-Golden State is being “treated as a foregone conclusion around the league right now.” Co-host Bill Simmons then replied, “It’s happening,” referring to the Warriors signing Horford.
• Late Wednesday night, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported the Warriors are “waiting on Al Horford’s decision.”

Long story short: Most signs point to Horford eventually joining the Warriors, or potentially retiring at age 39 after 18 NBA seasons.

Horford is a beloved figure in Boston who helped bring an 18th championship to the Celtics and has spent seven of his last nine NBA seasons with the franchise, including the last four. If the C’s were gearing up for another title run in 2025-26, it’d be hard to imagine Horford uprooting from Boston at this stage of his career.

But the reality is that the Celtics could be facing a reset year in 2025-26, with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis already traded, fellow big man Luke Kornet lost to the San Antonio Spurs in free agency and superstar forward Jayson Tatum likely out for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Horford was a perfect fit on a deep Celtics team that could manage his minutes in the regular season and lean on his veteran leadership in the postseason. But the 2025-26 Celtics — whose frontcourt currently consists of Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman Sr., Luka Garza and rookie Amari Williams — would need much more from Horford to remain competitive, with much lower odds of a deep playoff run.

If Horford indeed chooses Golden State, he’d join a veteran-laden team led by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler that could use an experienced big man after losing Kevon Looney in free agency.

And while the Warriors aren’t exactly title favorites in the Western Conference, they’re still more in “win-now” mode than Boston, which could look to further cut costs to get under the second apron of the luxury tax.

Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Lakers have set their roster for the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League while announcing their schedule.

The 16-player team, which will feature second-year guards Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, opens play Saturday against the Golden State Warriors at 3:30 p.m. at Chase Center in San Francisco, site of the California Classic.

The Lakers also play at 1:30 p.m. Sunday against the Miami Heat and at 7 p.m. Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers then head to Nevada for the Las Vegas Summer League, which runs from July 10-20.

They open play against the Dallas Mavericks and No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg at 5 p.m. on July 10 at Thomas & Mack Center, where they will play all of their games.

Their other scheduled games:

—5:30 p.m. July 12 vs. New Orleans

—7:30 p.m. July 14 vs. the Clippers

—6 p.m. July 17 vs. Boston

There will be a four-team tournament from July 18-20. Teams not making the tournament will get one consolation game.

ROSTER

No.; Name; Pos.; Ht.; Wt; Age; Previous team/Country; Yrs.

36; Darius Bazley; F; 6-9; 216; 25; Princeton HS (Ohio) / USA; 6

26; RJ Davis; G; 6-0; 175; 23; North Carolina / USA; R

43; Eric Dixon; F; 6-8; 259; 24; Villanova / USA; R

45; DaJuan Gordon; G; 6-4; 190; 24; UT Arlington / USA; 1

9; Bronny James; G; 6-2; 212; 20; USC / USA; 1

55; Trey Jemison III; C; 6-11; 275; 25; UAB / USA; 2

38; TY Johnson; G; 6-3; 190; 23; UC Davis / USA; R

65; Arthur Kaluma; F; 6-6; 223; 23; Texas / USA; R

4; Dalton Knecht; G; 6-6; 215; 24; Tennessee / USA; 1

31; Augustas Marčiulionis; G; 6-4; 200; 23; Saint Mary’s / Lithuania; R

29; Sam Mennenga; F; 6-9; 240; 23; Breakers / New Zealand; R

50; Julian Reese; F; 6-9; 252; 22; Maryland / USA; R

40; Sir’Jabari Rice; G; 6-4; 180; 26: Texas / USA; 2

27; DJ Steward; G; 6-2; 162; 23; Duke / USA; 4

41; Cole Swider; F; 6-8; 220; 25; Syracuse / USA; 3

54; Ethan Taylor; G; 6-5; 205; 23; Air Force / USA; R

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The NBA world immediately began to speculate about LeBron James’ future with the Lakers after his representative made comments about his client monitoring how the team would handle the offseason in an attempt to improve the team, but Bronny James was not among the crowd.

Bronny has been preparing to play for the Lakers in the California Classic that starts Saturday in San Francisco. He talked after practice Wednesday about how he was unaware of the rumors and innuendo surrounding his famous teammate and father.

LeBron James opted into his $56.2-million contract on Sunday, leading his agent, Rich Paul, the chief executive of Klutch Sports, to tell ESPN that James was watching closely to see how the Lakers would improve the team.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul told ESPN. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

In NBA circles, that was seen as a way to force Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka to make moves during the offseason to make the team better or that James might be willing to seek a trade.

Paul made it clear to ESPN that was not the case.

Read more:Lakers agree to terms with former Portland center Deandre Ayton

Bronny, in his second season in the NBA after being selected in the second of the draft at No. 55 in June 2024, said he’s not on social media as much anymore, but that he was told about the news.

“Actually, one of my friends called me talking about where, what I was gonna do. 'cause they seen my dad, whatever. I didn't see it,” Bronny said after practice Wednesday. “He called me. I was like, 'Yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about.' .... Yeah, I don't … I, yeah, I don't really pay attention to that stuff so. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff going around that I don't pay attention to, yeah.”

The Lakers did make a move Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with Deandre Ayton, giving them a center they had to have.

Bronny was asked if his conversations with LeBron include the direction the franchise is headed and where his dad wants to play.

“No, we don't really talk about it much,” Bronny said. “But I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, not even pay attention to it. Just lock into what you have going on right now. And that's what's gonna get me better and to keep me focused. I think it's good that he tells me to not pay attention to that stuff.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

A few notes on the Mike Brown hire, how the Knicks got there and what happens next...

Brown has an extensive coaching resume. Two-time NBA Coach of the Year. A career winning percentage of .599 over 754 regular season games. He’s won four NBA titles as an assistant coach in San Antonio (under Gregg Popovich) and Golden State (under Steve Kerr).

He led the Kings to their first playoff berth in 16 seasons in 2023.

Hopefully for the Knicks, Brown’s vast experience has prepared him for the sky-high expectations that come with his next job.

As you know, the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after a season in which they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. Thibodeau had won at least one playoff series in three straight seasons. Before Thibodeau arrived, the Knicks had won just one playoff series in the past 20 years. 

So, team president Leon Rose’s decision to fire Thibodeau was a big gamble. Firing Thibodeau and hiring Brown can’t be a lateral move. It has to elevate the Knicks to the next level, which is the NBA Finals.

Did Rose make the right call? We won’t know the answer to that question until next spring.

But Brown will be under significant pressure to perform from Day One in New York.

THE PROCESS

The Knicks started their search by asking teams for permission to speak to their current head coaches. Each request was denied. In the immediate aftermath of the firing, there was hope that Ime Udoka or Chris Finch could be available. Jason Kidd was also seen as a top candidate. But the pathway to either of those three coaches was non-existent.

So the Knicks turned their attention to established head coaches and assistant coaches. They interviewed Brown, Taylor Jenkins, James Borrego, Micah Nori and Dawn Staley. The Knicks' interest in Staley, first reported by KnicksFanTv, was real. There was a formal interview. But this search was always most likely to end with an established head coach.

The Knicks have that in Brown.

He wasn’t their first choice. But one high-ranking executive who knows Brown well said he was the best option available to the Knicks. Brown was the only candidate to have a second interview and met owner James Dolan formally on Tuesday. A little over 24 hours later, the Knicks were closing in on a contract for their next head coach. The decision was ultimately Rose’s to make. He had the support to make his own choice from key stakeholders in the organization. Rose landed on Brown.

Was it the right call? Again, let’s circle back in late May/early June of 2026.

WHAT ABOUT HIS STAFF?

The Knicks will not force Brown to keep any of Thibodeau’s former assistant coaches. Brown and other coaches were told during the interview process that they’d have autonomy in hiring their own staff. So Brown will build his own staff. He is targeting Borrego for the top role on staff and views Borrego as a great offensive coordinator of sorts.

But Borrego is under contract in New Orleans, so it could be difficult to procure him. Brown is also considering some former Thibodeau assistants for his staff. He will evaluate his options as he gets going, but as he sorts things out, I’d strongly expect Rick Brunson, Darren Ermann, Mark Bryant and Maurice Cheeks to end up on Brown’s staff. How the staff looks will ultimately be his call. But I’d be surprised if the names mentioned above don’t end up on the final staff.

The Lakers finally got a center they have so desperately needed when they agreed to a deal with Deandre Ayton, according to people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The Lakers were able to get Ayton after he received a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers of his $35-million contract, giving up about $10-million, according to reports. That opened the door for the Lakers to get Ayton for about $9 million this upcoming season after he cleared waivers Wednesday, according to people familiar with the deal.

Ayton averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds over 30.2 minutes per game for the Trail Blazers last season. But he played in only 40 games, missing every game after the All-Star break because of a calf injury.

At 26 and 7-foot, Ayton fills a need for the Lakers because of his age, size and athleticism.

After the Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Mavericks last season for Luka Doncic, the team was left with only Jaxson Hayes at center. Hayes was inefficient in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing his starting job after playing in the first four games.

Read more:LeBron James exercises $52.6-million option and will be first to play 23 NBA seasons

When the free-agency period started Monday afternoon, the Lakers didn’t have a center on their roster, which they now have in Ayton.

The Lakers had been linked to free-agent centers Brook Lopez, who agreed to a deal with the Clippers, and Clint Capela, who agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers had more money to spend on Ayton because Dorian Finney-Smith declined his $15.3 million option with L.A. and agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets for $53 million over four years.

Ayton was the first overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA draft, two spots ahead of Doncic, who was selected third by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Mavericks.

The Lakers see Ayton as a lob threat alongside Doncic, which worked well in Phoenix when Chris Paul was throwing lobs to Ayton when they reached the NBA Finals.

The Lakers feel good about the addition of Ayton because they got younger, more mobile and more athletic.

Also, the Lakers were able to maintain significant salary-cap flexibility going forward and are projected to have $60 million in cap space next July.

The Lakers aren't done, as they will continue to monitor the league for roster upgrades through trades and other free agents.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Source: Warriors, Kings, Pistons discussing Jonathan Kuminga, Malik Monk trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga and Malik Monk could be on the move soon.

The Warriors, Kings and Detroit Pistons are discussing a three-team blockbuster that would send Kuminga and veteran point guard Dennis Schröder to Sacramento in separate sign-and-trade deals, a source told NBC Sports California.

The trade discussions remain fluid.

Schröder, on Tuesday, reportedly agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with the Kings.

The Kings, in turn, would send Monk to the Pistons, and second-year NBA guard Devin Carter and newly acquired big man Dario Šarić to the Warriors, the source said.

The Kings parting ways with Monk has been the most likely scenario this offseason, two sources told NBC Sports California.

Sacramento also would send two second-rounders to Golden State, the source said.

For Kuminga, the trade would put an end to a turbulent Warriors tenure and give him a fresh start with the Kings.

The Warriors selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and while the 22-year-old showed flashes of potential, he never has been a perfect fit alongside Steph Curry.

Kuminga and the Warriors didn’t agree on a contract extension before the 2024-25 NBA season, and he played out the campaign not knowing what the future held for him. He became a restricted free agent Sunday when Golden State extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer.

But the trade market for restricted free agents hasn’t been robust this week, limiting Kuminga’s options outside of the Warriors.

In four seasons with the Warriors, Kuminga averaged 12.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field.

General manager Mike Dunleavy had hoped to acquire players in a potential sign-and-trade for Kuminga, but in this scenario, the Warriors would add a future asset while clearing salary cap space.

Sacramento would revamp part of its roster with the move, adding a starting point guard in Schröder and a potential game-changing talent in Kuminga.

The 31-year-old Schröder spent time with the Brooklyn Nets, Warriors and Pistons last season, averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 assists in 75 games. The Kings would be his 10th NBA franchise.

Carter, the No. 13 pick in last year’s NBA draft, battled injuries as a rookie and could join a Warriors team where minutes are hard to come by. He averaged 3.8 points in 11.0 minutes in 36 games.

Monk has been open about finding a home in Sacramento, so his departure would be bittersweet for the 27-year-old.

NBA free agency has been a whirlwind since the negotiating period opened Monday afternoon, and the Warriors and Kings could shake things up even more if they pull off this deal with the Pistons.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Warriors reportedly among seven teams included in Kevin Durant-to-Rockets trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Former Warriors great Kevin Durant is on the move again, and Golden State could play a part in facilitating the move for the former NBA MVP.

The Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns are working on expanding the blockbuster Durant trade to include an NBA-record seven teams, with the Warriors being among them, The Athletic’s Fred Katz reported Wednesday.

The Rockets and Suns are working on expanding the Kevin Durant trade into a deal that would involve a league-record seven teams.

No trade is imminent, but here’s what we know about negotiations so far: https://t.co/KxfNamJQTRpic.twitter.com/um3Gab6PCW

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) July 3, 2025

The Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are the other teams that reportedly could be worked into the deal.

The initial report on June 22 stated Houston would send guards Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, along with a slew of draft picks — including the No. 10 overall selection in 2025 — to Phoenix in exchange for Durant.

With potentially five additional teams in the mix, it’s unclear what the final compensation might be for the superstar scorer, or what the franchises being worked in the deal can expect as part of the deal.

After the Warriors reportedly pursued Durant before striking a deal with the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler before the 2025 trade deadline, Golden State still might be involved in a transaction including Durant after all.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

How will Mazzulla handle adversity? Mannix and Forsberg weigh in originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Joe Mazzulla’s fourth season as Boston Celtics head coach will be his most challenging yet.

The Celtics parted ways with key contributors Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), and Luke Kornet (free agency) this offseason as they shed salary to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Veteran big man Al Horford could be next to leave in free agency, and superstar Jayson Tatum will miss most if not all of the 2025-26 campaign recovering from a ruptured Achilles.

That leaves Jaylen Brown and Derrick White as the top two options on an otherwise underwhelming Celtics roster. Boston signed big man Luka Garza and forward Josh Minott in free agency, but they have been end-of-the-bench options in their last three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. And while Anfernee Simons (acquired in the Holiday deal) has upside, his $27.7 million salary makes him an obvious candidate to be moved this summer.

So, how will Mazzulla handle the adversity during what’s likely to be a rocky season in Boston? Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated shared his take during the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season.

“This is the most fascinating part of this season,” Mannix said. “Because I don’t think that Joe Mazzulla is hard-wired for mediocrity. Like, how is Joe Mazzulla going to handle a four-games-in-six losing streak? Or being a .500 team with no real chance to compete? Literally ever since he took over, this team was a championship contender. …

“The answer is, I don’t know. Joe is so intense and so focused on winning every single game and every single matchup every game. He takes losses personally. He is tormented by this stuff. I think this is going to be very interesting to watch how he handles all this.”

NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics insider Chris Forsberg offered an optimistic outlook, noting that Mazzulla has embraced challenges throughout his tenure.

“I’m the other way. He loves adversity,” Forsberg said. “Some of his happiest press conferences are when they got their butt kicked. … I think this actually plays right into what Joe wants to coach.”

This upcoming season, however, Mazzulla won’t have an elite starting five to lean on. The 2025-26 Celtics almost certainly won’t break any 3-point shooting records, so Mazzulla will have to find a new approach with players who probably wouldn’t have seen the court often with the championship core still intact.

“One thing coming off that first season that he did say was that he didn’t do a great job of necessarily leaning into the younger players. He was so focused on the core and chasing a championship that he maybe lost sight of the guys that he came up coaching and trying to develop,” Forsberg added. “Invariably, this year, the biggest thing for Joe is gonna have to be — he’s actually gonna have to like a rookie. Like, he’s gonna have to play Hugo (Gonzalez) and see what he can do, and play some of these younger guys.

“That’s gonna have to be a little bit of the switch for him, where he’s just hard-wired to just chase and win. He’s gonna want to play Jaylen Brown and Derrick White 40 minutes when that might not be the best thing for this team. He should lean into the (Josh) Minotts of the world and the (Luka) Garzas of the world and let’s see what you’ve got in potential complementary pieces.”

Mazzulla will get his first look at some of his new young talent, potentially including first-rounder Hugo Gonzalez, when Celtics Summer League begins on July 11.

Watch the full episode of The Off C’season featuring Mannix, Forsberg, Drew Carter, and Kevin O’Connor below:

Jonathan Kuminga holds ‘no leverage' in Warriors contract talks, per Bobby Marks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency still awaits resolution, ESPN’s Bobby Marks believes the Warriors have the upper hand in any ongoing negotiations with the 22-year-old wing.

The longtime NBA executive gave his perspective on the Kuminga saga during an interview with 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” show on Wednesday afternoon.

“I mean listen, [Kuminga] has got no leverage. The only leverage he has right now is to sign the qualifying offer at $7.9 million and then try and go out in free agency next offseason,” Marks told Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “When you look at the landscape of the league right now, it took [the Milwaukee Bucks] waiving Damian Lillard and paying him $25 million [per year] over the next five years just to create cap space.

“The only team out there that has cap space is [the Brooklyn Nets], and I don’t see them putting [in] an offer sheet [for Kuminga]. Of course there’s the sign-and-trade mechanism, but that requires cooperation from Golden State as far as what salaries they would want to take back in a deal here.”

One of the biggest issues the Warriors face is that Kuminga’s situation impacts how aggressive Golden State can be in free agency due to the uncertainty surrounding how much cap space a deal for the young wing could eventually take up. Still, Marks believes whatever deal gets struck will be on the Warriors’ terms.

“If he’s going to be on a long-term contract, it’s basically going to be on the terms of the Warriors in terms of what that number could be,” Marks explained. “What happens with Kuminga dictates what your flexibility is also with what you have, whether it’s your tax mid-level exception or maybe the full exception here.

“But if you’re trying to bring back Kuminga and you’re also trying to get big — a player like Al Horford, for example — your threshold as far as a new contract is 16, 18, maybe could you get closer to 20 [million dollars]? That’s probably where your walkaway number would be.”

Kuminga isn’t the only player in a tough spot, as Marks highlighted a handful of other names who are in a similar situation navigating restricted free agency during an offseason when cap space is at a premium around the league.

“He’s in a boat with a bunch of them, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, Cam Thomas, there’s a list of other restricted free agents who basically are in the same situation,” Marks said.

“The market tells you it’s not a good time to be a restricted free agent. That’s what the market tells you. I think Memphis is a little bit different because of where they were financially; they could do that. I think Golden State’s payroll, they’re OK right now, I think they’re 16 or 17 [million dollars] below the luxury tax and $24 million below the first apron. If they were where Memphis is, they probably could be a little bit more aggressive.”

Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 47 appearances during the 2024-25 NBA season.

While it remains to be seen what the ultimate resolution will be, Kuminga’s situation figures to be the most important domino to fall in Golden State’s offseason.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Mannix: Why Celtics should consider pursuing Damian Lillard originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics’ franchise-altering offseason took an unexpected turn Wednesday with the team’s reported interest in superstar guard Damian Lillard.

On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks waived Lillard to free up cap space to sign former Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner in free agency. They did so by stretching the $112.6 million remaining on Lillard’s contract over the next five years.

The Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers are “known to be among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal (with Lillard) sooner rather than later,” The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon reported. The mention of Boston came as a surprise with the team shedding salary this summer by parting with Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), and Luke Kornet (free agency), and still aiming to get under the second apron of the luxury tax.

Given the current state of the C’s, signing Lillard may seem like a head-scratcher, especially with the 34-year-old set to miss all of the 2025-26 campaign due to a torn Achilles. But looking beyond next season, it’s easy to see why Boston is intrigued by the idea of adding the nine-time All-Star to the mix.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated shared his take on the Celtics’ reported interest in Lillard during Wednesday’s episode of The Off C’season.

“I think the mechanics of a deal will be the most important thing,” Mannix said. “Dame is done for the ’25-’26 season. He got injured in the first round of the playoffs. He’s not coming back until the same year Tatum is coming back. But I thought he was an interesting player for Boston when Portland was dangling him a couple of years ago. I still think he’s an interesting player now because he is a proven postseason scorer. He is a clutch shooter. And if he’s available on the cheap, which I believe he will be to whatever team signs him to his next deal, absolutely, I think they should consider pursuing him.

“And look, he’s not gonna be as pricey as he once was because he’s going to get the full $100+ million from Milwaukee after they waived and stretched him. So yeah, I think the Celtics are among the teams that are going to show an interest in Damian Lillard, but I do expect it to be a strong market for Damian Lillard.”

As Mannix notes, the Celtics wouldn’t have to worry too much about the financials since Lillard will be earning $22.5 million per year from the Bucks. He will likely be available for relatively cheap, so there’s no real downside to adding a supremely talented player with the goal of returning to contention in 2027.

That said, Lillard may wait a while to decide on his next destination. Mannix believes the seven-time All-NBA selection could put his contract offers on the back burner while he rehabs in Portland this season.

“When I’ve talked to people around Lillard, I think he wants to rehab in Portland, or do a lot of it in Portland,” Mannix said. “He spent the last couple of years away from his family, away from his kids, living in Milwaukee. I talked to him about this in the past, others have as well, like, how difficult that was for him. I think he’d like to spend the bulk of next year around them, and I wouldn’t expect him to be looking for a deal right now.

“He’s got plenty of money coming his way from Milwaukee. He’s got all the resources in the world potentially at his fingertips out there. I think there’s gonna be a decision he makes months from now rather than days and weeks from now.”

Lillard may not be the same player when he returns from injury, but he was outstanding for the Bucks last season. He averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range.

Watch the full episode of The Off C’season featuring Mannix, Chris Forsberg, Drew Carter, and Kevin O’Connor below: