Category: Basketball

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — One year ago, Luka Doncic could not have envisioned this moment. He expected to follow in Dirk Nowitzki's footsteps as a lifelong Maverick. Instead, there he was Saturday in the Lakers' practice facility, wearing a suit and having just signed a contract extension, talking about chasing a ring in purple and gold
.
It may have taken a minute to get there after a shocking mid-season trade, but now Doncic is where he wants to be — in Los Angeles, with the Lakers.

"I was kind of thinking, obviously not at the moment when I got traded, but later on when I started playing, I wanted to be here," Doncic said. "Like I said, this is an amazing organization. We have a trust in each other, so honestly, I decided pretty quick."

After he made that mental decision there was not much drama leading up to Saturday, when Doncic chose the Lakers, putting his signature on a three-year contract max contract extension that could be worth up to $165 million (but more likely ends up around $160.8 million, based on the NBA's salary cap projections).

"Six months ago to the day, the Los Angeles Lakers chose Luka Doncic through a trade where he came to our franchise," Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said. "Today, Luka Doncic chose the Los Angeles Lakers."

“Skinny” Luka

The talk of the Lakers' offseason has not been Doncic's contract extension, but his post-trade revenge body — Doncic looks noticeably thinner and conditioned, even when wearing a suit.

Doncic talked about his process this offseason.

"For the first month, I didn't play basketball at all," Doncic said of his conditioning plan, echoing what he told Men's Health magazine. "We were more focused on other things. So I think that kind of sparked, the first five days was really hard without basketball. I actually didn't know what to do, but after it was easier. But physically, weightlifting, balancing, those stuff, and then after one month we started playing basketball, too."

As for the trade sparking a "revenge body" transformation, Doncic tried to sidestep the idea.

"I would just say, it was like a fresh start for me," Doncic said. "Obviously, I was on my way of doing it [already], but it was just kind of a fresh start. I had a little more time to get my mind on basketball, just doing other things. So, I would just say, like, a fresh start for me."

Doncic talks titles

It's hard to escape the history in the Lakers' practice facility. The banners from the team's 17 NBA titles hang over the courts, while the walls are lined with the retired names and numbers of Hall of Fame Lakers legends — Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and many more.

Doncic doesn't shy away from that, he leans into it, saying multiple times he wants to add to the banners and see his name on the wall of this facility someday.

He also thinks this Lakers roster has a chance to be special.

"Honestly, I think we have a great team," Doncic said. "We have what we need to compete for the championship. I'll bring whatever I can... We got some new great guys being on the team. We're going to go for it."

The Lakers, who had for years tried to build a roster to maximize LeBron James' skill set, shifted to building around Doncic after the trade. That meant bringing in a rim-running center this summer and trying to add 3&D wings who can knock down shots and space the floor, taking advantage of Doncic's pick-and-roll mastery.

"In conversations with Luka, it was really important for us to get a rim, lob-catching center," Pelinka said. "And we feel like getting Deandre Ayton was huge. It's going to unlock so much in Luka's game. As you can tell in the pick-and-roll reads, he's the best in the world, and I think Deandre is going to really help.

"And then, our thesis for our roster was to get younger. And I think getting some 3&D players like Jake LaRavia that we could add at his age [23], 42% shooter [from 3], having wings that can shoot and play on both sides of the ball, I think is also really important. And then being able to add Marcus Smart, Defensive Player of the Year a couple years ago. I think there's a chip on his shoulder to be back at that level and put the league on notice.

"I think having players like that surrounding both Luka and LeBron, guys that can defend multiple positions is really important. So we like the upgrades we were able to make to the roster."
Whether those upgrades are enough in a stacked Western Conference will play out when the NBA season opens in 80 days.

In the short term, after a night celebrating this new contract (saying it was a "surprise" what was planned for him), Doncic is off to Slovenia to compete with his national team at EuroBasket. Doncic's love for his country and his passion for
representing it should never be questioned.

Now, neither should his desire to be a Laker — he has now chosen them.

Luka Doncic is where he wants to be — and now he is locked in.

As had been expected, Doncic has signed a max contract extension with the Lakers on Saturday, the first day the team was eligible to make him an offer. This is a three-year max deal — two guaranteed years plus a third-year player option — that can be worth up to $165 million (but more likely is about $160.8 million based on the NBA's projected salary cap raises).

"Today is a monumental moment for our franchise. Luka Doncic's future is with the Los Angeles Lakers," Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. "Luka is one of the game's most transcendent players, and his on-court dominance and passion is without compare. From the moment Luka became a Laker, there was an immediate connection and admiration between Luka and our fanbase. You can feel it in your spirit when you attend a Lakers game."

Despite some takes early on both online and in the media, there was no drama with this extension — the Lakers were always going to offer the max and Doncic always planned to sign it. The Lakers could have offered (and likely did) a four-year, $229 million max extension to Doncic, but the smart move for him was always signing for three years. That's because after those three seasons, Doncic will be at 10 years in the league, at which point he is eligible for 35% of the salary cap (up from the 30% that he receives in this contract). After these three years, Doncic can sign a five-year max contract with the Lakers or a four-year one with another team.

"This is an amazing organization, and I truly believe in what we're building together," Doncic said in a statement. "I'm going to keep working as hard as I can to bring another championship to Los Angeles and to make Laker Nation proud. This is just the beginning. I'm excited for what's ahead and to keep building something special with this team."

Doncic was traded to the Lakers at the February deadline in a deal that shocked the league, and from that moment the Lakers have started to change their focus to building around him, and tweak their roster to fit his style of play. While that created some drama around LeBron James — who had been the face of the franchise but at age 40 and entering his 23rd season is not the future in Los Angeles — the reality is that with those two stars, the Lakers are a threat in the West. In 28 games after the trade last season, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.

Whether spurred by the sting of the trade or just maturity, Doncic has focused on his physical conditioning this offseason and appears to be in the best shape of his career. Lakers fans will get to see how he looks and plays when Doncic represents his native Slovenia in the upcoming EuroBasket championships, which start Aug. 27 and run through Sept. 14 (within a couple of weeks of the start of the Lakers training camp).

Anyone wondering why NBA owners seem to be pushing harder for starting an NBA league in Europe than expanding domestically, we have some answers for you.

But it's all about the money.

Commissioner Adam Silver has been in Europe this past week, talking up the NBA's vision and selling it to potential stakeholders in the new venture, including Real Madrid, reports Joe Varden of The Athletic. Part of what Silver and the league are pitching is a $500 million per team franchise fee to buy in, reports the Sports Business Journal.

The NBA is pursuing franchise fees of more than $500M from teams looking to join the prospective NBA Europe, with multiple sources maintaining the league's preferred number is somewhere between half a billion and $1B....

Franchise valuations are also said to be part of ancillary discussions with banks and private equity conglomerates, as part of an effort to settle on a dollar figure. An official from one EuroLeague franchise had earlier scoffed at a proposed $500M figure, and -- considering the template for NBA Europe includes existing EuroLeague clubs -- it seemed unclear whether teams will be priced out of joining.

See why NBA owners like this idea? They could secure a share of these massive franchise fees — at least 10 teams at half a billion each is $5 billion at minimum, about what the expansion fee would be for a team in Seattle or Las Vegas — without having to give up any of their new national television revenue or equity in the league.

What the NBA envisions is a few current big-name European teams — "A" license-holding, stakeholding teams from the existing EuroLeague — jumping ship to the new NBA league, with Real Madrid seen as the most willing team to make a move (Tony Parker-owned ASVEL Basket also is one to watch). Then the NBA could tap into sovereign wealth funds and private equity — groups limited in how much of a stateside NBA team they can own — to put together expansion teams or prop up smaller existing teams, something Varden details at The Athletic.

The United Kingdom is home to soccer's mighty Premier League and is also another place where the NBA could attract big soccer dollars from Middle Eastern sovereign funds. The British Basketball League's reigning champion, London Lions, is owned by tech giant Tesonet...

Additionally, Silver and his associates met in London this week with representatives from four private equity firms (CVC, RedBird, Bridgepoint and KKR), as well as officials from the Turkish basketball and soccer club Galatasaray.

The NBA believes there is money left on the table in Europe, in areas such as broadcast rights and getting new, larger arenas built. What the NBA touts is its brand name and its business acumen — the ability to squeeze every dollar out of the business of basketball. What Real Madrid and teams such as FC Barcelona or Fenerbahçe Istanbul bring is history and a built-in fan base for the league.

We're still a few years away from an NBA league in Europe, but it has become a growing focus for the league. From an existing NBA owner's perspective, it's easy to see why this is attractive. We'll see if the European clubs (and fan bases) feel the same way.

By Oct. 1, we will know where Jonathan Kuminga is playing basketball next season.

That's the date Kuminga would have to pick up the $7.9 million qualifying offer and play next season with the Warriors. That is a "nuclear option" (as Sam Amick of The Athletic put it) that neither side wants, but Kuminga's social media post that he is willing to bet on himself suggests he's considering it.

There has been a lot of sound and fury around Kuminga's restricted free agency, so far signifying nothing. Here is where things stand right now, according to multiple reports.

• Kuminga rejects Warriors' offer. The Golden State Warriors offered Kuminga a two-year, $45 million contract. While Kuminga would like a larger payday — his agent reportedly countered with three years, $82 million — the bigger reasons he rejected the offer was because Golden State is insisting on a team option for the second season, and that Kuminga waive the built-in no-trade clause would come with a two-year deal, reports Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN.

• The money is similar everywhere. Kuminga reportedly was seeking something close to $30 million a season, but the market is not offering more than the low $20 million a year range. The Warriors' offer was two years, $45 million ($22.5 million per year average). The Kings offered three years, $63 million ($21 million average), Amick reported. Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, spoke with Phoenix, which reportedly offered him four years, $90 million — exactly what the Warriors offered per year, just with more years.

• Suns, Kings trade offers not impressing Warriors. The hope for both Kuminga and the Warriors at the start of free agency was to find a sign-and-trade that landed Kuminga in a new home and brought players and picks back to the Bay Area that the Warriors wanted. Sacramento and Phoenix have talked sign-and-trade with the Warriors, but no offer has come close to being accepted.

Sacramento offered a package based around Dario Saric, Devin Carter and a lottery-protected first-round pick, but the Warriors rejected it, reports Jason Alexander at the Sacramento Bee. The Warriors want the pick to be unprotected. They would also like Keon Ellis included in the deal, but he is off-limits according to the report (as is Keegan Murray, but that should go without saying).

Phoenix's trade offer is rumored to be something along the lines of Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and three second-round picks, but Amick reports the Warriors have shown "zero interest" in that offer, adding: "Per team sources, the talks between the Suns and Warriors have never progressed in any serious manner."

Does Kuminga take the qualifying offer? We are a long way from that needing to happen, and there is good reason for both sides to find a middle ground before then. For the Warriors, that qualifying offer comes with a no-trade clause, meaning they might not be able to trade him and next summer Kuminga walks out the door for nothing. For Kuminga, playing a season at $7.9 million leaves a lot of money on the table. In a career where your window to earn top dollar is not very long, and that doesn't even mention the risk of serious injury or something that could hurt future earnings.

Kuminga, 22, averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 47 games last season (he missed time with an ankle injury).

Right now, more than six weeks away from training camp even opening and a couple of months out from the Oct. 1 deadline, everyone can do their public posturing. There is some pressure on the Warriors to resolve the Kuminga situation so they can formally sign Al Horford and finalize their roster, but they can afford to wait a while. Eventually, the sides will likely find a middle ground.

For now, Kuminga is the biggest offseason drama still on the board, and that's drawing a lot of interest.

Luka Doncic went on NBC's Today show Thursday and played dumb. Host Craig Melvin asked, "Big decision on Saturday... whether you sign that contract extension. Any message for fans?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Doncic responded with a smile. "I can't discuss anything yet."

Saturday, Aug. 2, six months from the day they traded for him in a deal that shook the league, the Lakers can offer a contract extension to Doncic. Los Angeles' offer cannot come close to the five-year, $346 million supermax contract (35% of the salary cap) that Dallas could have offered, but Nico Harrison and Dallas ownership balked at paying that number (because of doubts about Doncic's conditioning, which appear to have motivated Doncic). The max the Lakers can offer is 30% of the salary cap under the terms of the CBA.

Doncic is going to sign the contract. The Lakers have clearly started to build around him as the future (leaving LeBron James in a spot he has not been in before in his career). Doncic has seen what L.A. is doing, and not only has he spoken highly of the Lakers organization since the trade, but also this summer he helped recruit Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to join him.

The only question is the form of the extension he signs. There are a few options.

Four-year max

The Lakers' biggest offer is four years, $224.9 million and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka will put that on the table Saturday. (Note: That number is lower than the $229 million often reported as the max because the NBA salary cap is projected to rise just 7% next season and not the previously projected 10%, lowering the total.)

This new deal includes the $49.9 million Doncic is guaranteed to make next season (that is locked in no matter what he chooses), then he would opt out of the final year of his current contract and sign a four-year extension, which likely would be structured as three guaranteed seasons plus a player option. There have been some reports out of Europe that Doncic has agreed to this four-year max contract. While it is possible, that seems unlikely, unless there are player options after two years.

Three-year max

This is more likely the deal Doncic signs: three years, $160.8 million (two years plus a player option in the final year, and this is lower than the previously reported $165 million because of the smaller expected rise in the salary cap).

The reason to sign for the three years is money — after playing three more seasons, Doncic will have reached 10 years of service in the league, at which point he is eligible for 35% of the salary cap (up from the 30% L.A. can offer now). With the three-year deal, when that ends he can sign a five-year max contract with the Lakers or a four-year one with another team, depending on how he feels about his situation at the time. This is the option that gets him the most money and flexibility.

There are other options. In theory, Doncic could sign a two-year deal (one guaranteed plus a player option) to keep some leverage over the Lakers, but the more likely option is to lock in max money until he gets to 10 years of service, then go from there.

One way or another, Doncic will sign with the Lakers. He is currently in the United States on a Jordan Brand shoe tour and is expected to sign the deal this weekend. By Aug. 4 he is expected to be in Slovenia, preparing for the EuroBasket with his national team. If he doesn't sign the deal before heading back to Europe, it likely is into September before the deal is formally inked. But it will be.

Former UCLA star Johnny Juzang developed into a respectable wing rotation player in Utah who averaged 8.9 points a game last season, but with the addition of Ace Bailey to the Jazz, Juzang was the odd man out.

He is now headed to Minnesota on a one-year contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. This is going to be a minimum contract and it is not guaranteed, reports Chris Hine of the Star Tribune, meaning Juzang is going to need to earn a roster spot (or a two-way spot) in training camp. The Timberwolves currently have 13 guaranteed contracts on the books, so there are a couple of open roster spots, but Juzang is going to have to work to prove he should fill that role.

Juzang spent two seasons in Utah on a two-way contract, developing his game. The man could always shoot the rock, 37.6% on 3-pointers last season, and create a shot for himself with the ball in his hands. However, he needed to work to become a better off-ball player and scorer, something he did well enough to earn a regular contract with the team and become part of the rotation in Utah, playing almost 20 minutes a night for the Jazz.

However, Juzang is not good on the defensive end and that could be a challenge on a deep Timberwolves team that has reached the Western Conference Finals in consecutive years. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are expected to be the starters on the wings for the Timberwolves next season, with Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark in the rotation (plus Joe Ingles). In the best of circumstances, Juzang is going to be lightly used in the rotation, but Chris Finch may like the idea of a scorer off the bench he can turn to in certain spots.

Mikal Bridges' first season reunited with his Villanova crew in New York didn't live up to the steep five first-round picks price paid for him, although Bridges started to find his footing and had some critical defensive moments in the playoffs.

That, along with his potential fit in new coach Mike Brown's system, had the Knicks and Bridges agreeing to a four-year, $150 million contract extension, something first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania and since confirmed by multiple other reports.

That is slightly less than the $156 million max he could have gotten this summer, Charania notes. While it may not seem like much, the giveback should give the Knicks more financial flexibility and help them avoid the dreaded second luxury tax apron in future seasons. Bridges also could have waited a year, become a free agent and gotten a larger five-year contract but took this deal instead.

This deal locks up the Knicks' core — Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Bridges — for two more seasons, which becomes three years if KAT and Hart pick up their player options. Bridges' $37.5 million average salary on this contract is the fourth highest on the team (behind Towns, Anunoby and Brunson). That the Knicks were willing to pay Bridges that much now suggests they think Giannis Antetokounmpo is not going to be available this coming season.

Bridges had an up-and-down first season in New York, averaging 17.6 points a game and shooting 35.4% from 3, his lowest percentage since his rookie season. However, he seemed more comfortable in Tom Thibodeau's system as the season went on and had some critical defensive plays in the playoffs, helping the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. Bridges is considered one of the players most likely to benefit from the up-tempo, more ball movement system new coach Mike Brown is expected to bring to Madison Square Garden next season.

This portion of the calendar is usually the quietest from an NBA transaction standpoint. Summer leagues have already been played, introducing the league's newest talents, and free agency has largely run its course. However, this summer brings about an interesting situation, with four prominent restricted free agents still on the market.

Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, Jonathan Kuminga and Cam Thomas have yet to agree to deals with their current teams, and there aren't many squads out there with the cap space required to produce an offer sheet that would be challenging to match. These situations impact roster construction, which impacts fantasy basketball. Let's look at each player's situation and how it will impact fantasy basketball for the 2025-26 season.

PG/SG Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls

After struggling down the stretch for the Thunder in 2023-24, Giddey was traded to the Bulls ahead of his contract year. While he did boast a higher scoring average in 2022-23, this past season was the guard's best regarding overall production. In 70 games, Giddey averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.5 three-pointers, shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the foul line. He finished with career-highs in rebounds, assists, steals, three-pointers and three-point percentage, meshing well with fellow guard Cboy White.

However, Giddey's 2024-25 season wasn't enough to get Chicago to commit to an extension on par with the deal Orlando gave Jalen Suggs (AAV: $30.1 million). A top-50 player in eight-cat formats, the Bulls guard was ranked just inside the top-60 in nine-cat, according to Basketball Monster. Remaining with the Bulls would ensure Giddey's fantasy value holds, if not improves slightly, since this will also be the team's first full season since trading Zach LaVine at the February trade deadline. Giddey entered last season with a Yahoo! ADP of 69, and that would likely represent his draft floor this fall.

SG/SF Quentin Grimes, Philadelphia 76ers

Grimes is an interesting case, as the 76ers acquired him and a second-round pick (which would become Johni Broome) from the Mavericks at the February deadline for Caleb Martin. As the 76ers were playing out the string, Grimes went off, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.9 three-pointers per game in 28 appearances. It must be mentioned that Philadelphia would finish the season without Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, which freed up additional offensive opportunities for Grimes and others. Few expect Grimes to be the top-50 player (eight-cat formats) he was from February 7 onward, but he'll be a fantasy-relevant player in Philadelphia next season.

While Maxey will be ready for training camp, the same can't be guaranteed for Embiid or George. George's status is more impactful to Grimes, depending on the starting lineup. They both can start, but it would require one of them (or Kelly Oubre Jr.) to defend power forwards. Grimes was not on many fantasy radars before last season began, but that won't be the case this fall. Should he be selected with a top-100 pick? George's availability to start the season will undoubtedly impact where Grimes lands in fantasy drafts if he returns to Philadelphia.

SF/PF Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are the one team that has not made a signing in free agency this summer, and Kuminga's status has been a factor. Until this situation is resolved, Golden State really can't do much, even with the reports of Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton potentially joining the ranks. Does Kuminga receive a new deal that is on par with his expectations? Or would it be a team-friendly deal that he's reportedly turned down? Or, does Kuminga sign the qualifying offer and play on that before heading into unrestricted free agency next summer? Phoenix and Sacramento have reportedly expressed interest in adding Kuminga, but both would need a willing partner in the Warriors to execute a sign-and-trade.

Injuries limited Kuminga to 47 games last season, and already-poor fantasy value dipped even more after the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler. From February 7 onward, JK averaged 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.6 steals in 20.8 minutes, making 15 appearances. That production placed Kuminga outside the top-350 in nine-cat formats. Given how his career has gone thus far, his Yahoo! ADP will likely be far below where it was entering last season (91) if he were to remain with the Warriors. At best, Kuminga would be a player worth taking a late-round flier.

SG Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets

Thomas may have finished last season with a gaudy point average, but injuries limited him to 25 games. In those appearances, he averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 three-pointers in 31.2 minutes, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 88.1 percent from the foul line. A top-100 player in eight-cat formats, Thomas was ranked just outside that threshold in nine-cat formats. However, the lackluster availability meant fantasy managers missed out on the full benefits, especially with Thomas playing two games from November 27 to February 26, and his final appearance of the season coming on March 13.

The Nets are clearly in rebuilding mode, as evidenced by the team using all five of its first-round picks and trading Cam Johnson to the Nuggets in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn. Thomas can certainly provide scoring in this lineup, as there's a clear need for a secondary option next to Porter. However, would he be given free rein, or would MPJ and the young guard added via the draft be the team's priority? Thomas' Yahoo! ADP is unlikely to approach what it was last fall (69), but returning to Brooklyn would make him worthy of a top-100 pick, at worst.