Category: Basketball

The Los Angeles Lakers have already spent all their money in free agency, but improvements still need to be made to the roster.

General manager Rob Pelinka was aggressive once the signing window opened and headlined the Lakers’ free agent deals with a four-year, $130 million contract for center Walker Kessler. The Lakers also signed guards Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes as well as big man Sandro Mamukelashvili.

While those additions are strong individually, there’s much doubt surrounding how the team will jell as a collective. Moreover, there is still a glaring hole for a versatile wing defender.

The Lakers have been linked to free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is coming off a 2025-26 campaign where he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He shot 46.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc last season for the Atlanta Hawks.

The 23-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career with the Golden State Warriors, so the Lakers are quite familiar with the type of player Kuminga is. Joining the Lakers would be a good opportunity for Kuminga, who could serve as a starter or bench player in LA.

The organization saw several key players depart this offseason with LeBron James informing the Lakers he would not return for the 2026-27 season as well sharpshooter Luke Kennard and defensive specialist Marcus Smart signing elsewhere.

Their departures left the Lakers without multiple starters and one notable sixth man — Rui Hachimura.

Hachimura is an unrestricted free agent, yet remains unsigned unlike Kennard and Smart. The slow free agency process for Hachimura speaks volumes for the Lakers, who seem to be weighing their options in free agency.

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According to NBA insider Dave McMenamin, there are rumblings that LA is planning on making a potential trade or using the stretch provision to make an offer, which could be made to either Kuminga or Hachimura.

“That Hachimura remains unsigned caused several league sources to wonder whether the Lakers are planning some sort of trade or using the stretch provision on perhaps Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton to be able to offer Hachimura more,” McMenamin writes.

Currently, the Lakers don’t have the ability to sign another player, aside from a veteran on a league minimum. In order to make a considerable offer to Kuminga or Hachimura, the Lakers would have to execute a trade or waive Vanderbilt or Ayton.

Hachimura is coming off a strong playoff performance where he averaged 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. However, the current Lakers roster is lacking a versatile defender and the forward has notoriously struggled in that area.

But Hachimura gives the Lakers a solid three-point shooter who is coming off a postseason where he shot over 50% from three. There seems to be upside for both Hachimura and Kuminga, who is the younger option of the two.

If the Lakers want to continue infusing youth into the roster, Kuminga would be the obvious choice as he has the potential to develop into a solid two-way player at only 23 years old.

Pelinka will have to get creative in order to acquire more talent before the season begins, but it’s clear the path to do so will be challenging.

On June 17, 2024, the Mavericks walked off the floor in Boston disappointed, but hopeful for the future. They had just made the NBA Finals for the first time since their fateful win in 2011, and although it was sad to see them lose, everything pointed to them being back sooner rather than later. They retooled that summer, got hot in late November, and suited up to play the Timberwolves that Christmas. Luka Doncic had battled some injuries that fall, but he was healthy on Christmas Day. Until he wasn’t. Doncic exited the game in the first half with a calf injury and never put a Mavericks uniform on again. 

He is a Laker now. He has turned the page and played some of the best basketball of his career on the West Coast. But despite the fact that he plays in another city, it’s worth asking whether his heart is still in North Texas. In fact, it’s even worth asking if he’d ever return to North Texas and play for the Mavericks again. As my co-contributor Tyler Edsel and I have found, there is evidence to suggest he would, and we are going to lay out why and how that would happen. 

The Motivation

As we approach a year and a half since the trade, the number of motivating factors to push Doncic out of his foster home has increased tenfold. Let’s start with the reason anyone wants to play anywhere: winning. Doncic’s Lakers just got ousted in the second round via a sweep by the Thunder, giving them one playoff series win in the last two seasons. Of those three series, Doncic has played in just one: a five-game loss to the Timberwolves last year. To say he is motivated by winning in the postseason would be an understatement, and since being traded to the Lakers, he hasn’t done that. Through no fault of his own, I might add. 

And how do the Lakers turn around the disappointment of the last two seasons? Well, it starts with the roster. The roster building has been pinned to this offseason for quite some time. A person from the Slovenian superstar’s camp has said: “Ever since the trade, they’ve always told us: ‘summer of ’26. We’ll show you in the summer of ’26”. Well, it is the summer of ‘26. The Lakers have lost key pieces like Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes and likely Rui Hachimura. They have re-signed DeAndre Ayton and traded two unprotected first-round picks and $130 million over four years for center Walker Kessler, who has played just 63 games in the last two seasons. Not to mention, LeBron James has already stated his intent to play elsewhere.

In terms of additions, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili have signed multi-year deals with the team. Austin Reaves was just re-signed to a max contract, and while he is a similar fit alongside Doncic to NBA Finals teammate Kyrie Irving, the pieces around them do not compare. The Lakers have, effectively, one or two wings, and their bench leaves much to be desired. They will have to thread the needle for the next four months to build a better roster while they allocate north of 80 percent of the salary cap to Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler.

As long as Doncic is on the team, the Lakers will be good. We saw that with the Mavericks from 2020 to 2022. But good teams do not win championships. Doncic is entering his age-28 season, and the clock is ticking on his prime. The Lakers have effectively reset his career to 2021 or so with the roster they have assembled. He will be 29 by the time free agency in 2028 rolls around and his current contract is up. Depending on how the next two seasons go, Doncic could get disgruntled with the team he never asked to be on in the first place. 

If he were to ever leave Los Angeles, he could theoretically go anywhere. But we know how much Dallas means to him. And now the Mavericks have the guy to make playing here again enticing. Cooper Flagg is a fantastic fit alongside Doncic and will only be 21 years old during the summer of 2028. The regime that ultimately threw him out will have been long gone, and time heals all wounds created by an oblivious owner. Doncic has said that Dallas will always be home, and that doesn’t leave you in a few years. He knows that he will be welcomed with open arms and given a chance at redemption.

Right now, this is all posturing. There are fragments here and there that you can piece together, but no real smoke. There is kindling for a fire, however. And starting with this summer, there is a real path to ignite the purple and gold in flames by the time Doncic has a chance to jump ship.

Come back tomorrow for part two in this series.

Ah, yes, NBA Summer League, the time of the year when all the NBA sickos that don’t watch a single second of college basketball suddenly discover college players that we’ve been paying attention to for months if not years.

That’s the side value of Summer League. For our Marquette-centric purposes here, we’re keeping an eye on former Golden Eagles who are right on the fringe of an NBA roster, either on one side of the cut or another.

We will get at least one more game than listed below for every team. The Las Vegas format is “everyone plays four games, then decide a top four to create semifinals,” so there could even be two more games if any of the teams with Marquette players get that far. If they don’t finish top four, then there will be a consolation game for every team involved, so just one more than what is pre-scheduled. If the timing works out right, I’ll find a way to cram those extra games into this schedule eventually.

Because of how Summer League works — there’s more than just the Vegas event! — I have to publish this on Friday, July 3rd, even though Vegas doesn’t start until July 9th. That’s also why I have just one name on the list right now, because Vegas rosters aren’t 100% finalized for every team and for the moment, I’m only aware of one former Marquette player guaranteed to appear in Summer League. We’ll update as we can/need to……

Chase Ross — Los Angeles Lakers

Chase Ross just finished his senior year at Marquette, which goes into the history books as one of the more disappointing 14/4/3/2 seasons you’ll ever see from a college basketball player. To the surprise of no one, he was not selected in the NBA Draft, but Ross was pretty quickly claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers for an Exhibit 10 contract. That deal is enough to lock Ross into a spot with the Lakers here and at training camp, and give him an inside track on a two-way deal or a spot on LA’s G-League team when we get to the fall.

We don’t have just traditional Vegas Summer League to keep tabs on for Ross and the Lakers. They’ll be in the California Classic one week earlier, which is why you’re seeing this schedule now instead of closer to when the Vegas event tips off. It’s possible that Ross’ usage during the three Classic games will tip the Lakers’ hand as to how much we should expect to see him when the action shifts to Sin City, but who can say for certain until the ball is tipped?

California Classic

July 3: vs Golden State Warriors Gold, 9:30pm (NBA TV, ESPNU, Prime Video)
July 5: vs Miami Heat, 3:30pm (ESPN, Prime Video)
July 6: vs San Antonio Spurs, 6:30pm (ESPNU, Prime Video)

Las Vegas

July 10: vs Oklahoma City Thunder, 9pm, Prime Video
July 11: vs Dallas Mavericks, 7pm, ESPN
July 14: vs LA Clippers, 7pm, Prime Video
July 16: vs Chicago Bulls, 3pm, Prime Video

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In light of the Lakers’ 35-minute free-agency splurge Wednesday morning, which netted them Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton, and the dissection of each of those agreements, what can’t be overlooked is how the Lakers kicked it all off by filling their biggest need.

The Lakers agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Jazz that’ll land them restricted free-agent center Walker Kessler, ending a multiyear saga of attempting to bring the 7-foot-2, 245-pound Kessler to Los Angeles. 

And the cost to acquire Kessler was steep. 

A four-year, $130 million contract (an average annual salary of $32.5 million) that’ll pay Kessler around $30.2 million in 2026-27, making him the 10th-highest-paid center in the NBA next season (he’ll likely drop to 11th after All-Star big man Jalen Duren signs his next deal). 

Two unprotected first-round picks, with the Lakers sending the Jazz their selections in 2031 and 2033.

And providing the Jazz with the right to swap first-round picks in 2028 and 2030. Meaning the Lakers won’t have control of any of their first-round picks until 2032, which they can only trade as a pick swap. They couldn’t outright trade that pick until the day of the 2032 draft because of the “Stepien Rule.”

The Lakers also only have one second-round pick (2033) they can include in a trade, providing them with very little draft capital to make other moves if they need to pivot. 

And the Lakers, who entered free agency with $52 million in cap space, aren’t projected to have cap space again for the foreseeable future, let alone like they did this summer. 

Trading for Kessler was costly.

And he’s absolutely worth it — a player the Lakers needed to acquire this summer to have any semblance of having a successful offseason.

The sticker shock of Kessler’s salary is understandable. 

Among the 12 centers projected to be paid at least $28 million (including Duren), Kessler is the only one who hasn’t been named an All-Star at least once, showing he’s the most unproven. 

But at 24 years old (he turns 25 on July 26), he’s also one of the youngest and has the upside to not only be an All-Star but also an annual candidate for an All-Defense team. 

Kessler is also uniquely qualified to fill multiple needs the Lakers had. 

He’s been one of the league’s best rim protectors since entering the league out of Auburn in 2022, ranking in the top seven of defensive field-goal percentage difference allowed within 6 feet of the rim in each of his first three seasons. This includes No. 3 as a rookie and No. 3 as a second-year player.     

The Lakers? They were the league’s second-worst rim-protecting team in the league in 2025-26. 

Kessler has also been one of the league’s best rim protectors, with opponents consistently shooting significantly fewer shots at the rim when he’s on the floor compared with when he’s not throughout his career.

Since the Lakers traded Anthony Davis as part of the deal to acquire Luka Doncic in February 2025, coach JJ Redick has consistently had to scheme multiple ways to protect the paint despite not having the best resources personnel-wise.

Now, Redick has a player in Kessler he can build the Lakers’ defense around as they look to improve from having the No. 18-ranked defense in 2025-26 and No. 15 defense in 2024-25. 

And Kessler is versatile enough defensively that Redick can use him in multiple ways — though drop coverage is the best way for Kessler to operate.  

While most of Kessler’s value comes on the defensive end, he’s still a useful offensive player. 

He’s a great screener who’ll free up the plethora of ball handlers the Lakers have at their disposal, led by Doncic and fellow star guard Austin Reaves. 

And with great hands and a wide catch radius, Kessler is a strong converter at the rim via lobs, dunks or simple finishes. 

His offensive rebounding — he led the league in offensive boards per game with 4.6 in 2024-25 — will be a welcome sight for the Lakers, who’ve been a bottom-tier offensive rebounding team for five consecutive seasons.

But one of the biggest reasons why Kessler is worth every bit of what the Lakers gave up to get him is he’s what Doncic wanted.

The superstar guard made it clear to the Lakers he desired an upper-echelon center. 

Deandre Ayton isn’t that. Nor was Jaxson Hayes. 

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And while Kessler may be a limited player, he’s great at the areas he excels in and has a lot of room for growth — the type of player worth making a long-term investment in.

He’s also as close to a perfect fit as it gets for Doncic as a rim-protecting, rim-running big man — the center archetype Doncic has always been at his best playing alongside. Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2024 when he had Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in similar roles. 

With Doncic only having two more guaranteed seasons on his three-year extension that starts in 2026-27 (he has a player option for 2028-29), the Lakers couldn’t afford to strike out on another chance to get Doncic what he wanted. 

They couldn’t risk the potential of Doncic getting a wandering eye in the summer of 2028 if he felt discontent with the Lakers’ ability to build a complementary roster around him. 

Kessler doesn’t solve all of the Lakers’ issues.

They need more help on the wings. They could still get more athletic. They’re going to need at least one of — and probably both — 2026 first-round pick Cameron Carr and 2025 second-round pick Adou Thiero to have significant roles to have a shot at contending in the Western Conference. 

But Kessler fulfills multiple needs and can be a long-term starter alongside Doncic and Reaves. 

He can be a cornerstone for the franchise. 

He’ll give Doncic what he desires on the court and help remove questions about their willingness or ability to build around him. 

Which makes Kessler not worth every bit of what the Lakers gave up to get him but a necessary component of their offseason.

Sometimes, we as Washington Wizards fans get it wrong — or at least we are 99.9 percent certain that we will be wrong. If only a sportsbook like FanDuel could do robust prediction markets on trades. Just so you know, they did sponsor this post.

According to the latest SB Nation Reacts poll from earlier this week, 64 percent of Wizards fans believe Anthony Davis will be traded this offseason. However, the Wizards are reportedly NOT interested in trading him though.

It’s possible that Davis could be traded in the middle of next season. Look at previous Wizards like Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas or CJ McCollum. But the Wizards aren’t supposed to be rebuilding for the sake of rebuilding anymore. At this point, it appears that they want to see how AJ Dybantsa will work with Davis and Trae Young before any major decisions are made.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

We have a whole lot of smoke, friends.

After a couple days of LeBron James speculation and reports, his agent and longtime friend Rich Paul confirmed The King’s interest in potentially joining the Philadelphia 76ers.

Paul, the head of Klutch Sports, has a podcast he does with longtime sports media personality Max Kellerman called Game Over. On Friday morning’s edition, Paul went through all the realistic destinations for each team chasing LeBron and what those franchises bring to the table.

Here’s a condensed version with all the mentions of the Sixers transcribed. For the full context, watch the video.

Rich Paul: Philadelphia, everything changed.

Max Kellerman: So, they have his attention?

RP: How could you not have his attention when you have [Tyrese] Maxey, [VJ] Edgecombe, [Jaylen] Brown, [Joel] Embiid.

MK: All they really need here is a power forward who can think the game and shoot.

RP: He loves Maxey, so we don’t even have to talk about that. I think [LeBron] helps VJ really understand how to play the game. … Super talented, plays both ends of the floor, plays hard every night. The benefit [VJ] would get, would be ridiculous. Obviously, Jaylen Brown. Embiid is health and habits. If the health and habits of Embiid are there, it’s a really good team.

MK: That by itself doesn’t necessarily work. But if you add the right guy — LeBron James is the one guy who might be able to unlock that and get that to be a team.

RP: He enhances everything. He unlocks everything.

…

RP: Let me give you an X-Factor about the Sixers, though. We forgot something. Jameer Nelson is a part of the front office, ex-player. Mike Gansey … you know Mike Gansey is an Ohio guy? Played against us in high school. There’s a picture floating around that Mike Gansey’s brother put out of Mike Gansey and LeBron that were a part of the high school Ohio All-Americans for the season.

MK: Does LeBron remember guys like Gansey?

RP: Absolutey.

…

RP: Josh Harris and [David Blitzer]. Love those guys.

For what it’s worth, Paul and Kellerman easily spent the most time talking about the Sixers. Paul even went back and referenced them multiple times while talking about other teams. Now, that could just be because they’ve sort of thrown their hat into the ring late and are one of the more talked about teams around the league right now … but it could mean something.

After multiple reports of the Sixers attempting to make a pitch to LeBron, it sure sounds like they’re firmly in the mix.

Stay tuned.

Rich Paul, the agent for free agent LeBron James, said the New York Knicks have contacted him to gauge James' interest in joining the reigning NBA champions.

During an episode of the Netflix podcast "Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul," Paul displayed a whiteboard with a list of options and teams that the NBA's all-time leading scorer could play for after he informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would not be returning there for a ninth season.

Paul's whiteboard had 10 teams on it, including the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

Another one of the teams discussed was the Knicks, whose dominant playoff run led to their first championship in 53 years and has spurred NBA teams to rethink their rosters this offseason.

Perhaps the most pressing question heading into the Houston Rockets’ offseason has been settled.

OK, fine. The question of whether they’d acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo was settled some time ago. In the realm of realism, fans had Tari Eason’s contract at the top of their minds.

Now, they can rest.

Eason will be back with the Rockets on a five-year, $81.5 million contract. This should be a tremendously team-friendly contract:

To disagree, you’d have to be out on Eason entirely.

Rockets retain Eason on a steal of a contract

Granted, this season was not Eason’s finest.

His True Shooting % (TS%) dropped from 56.7% to 51.4%. Eason’s efficiency was disappointing. He spent a solid portion of the season as one of the best shooters in the league, only to morph into one of the worst. The net result was underwhelming at best.

His Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of -1.6 was a free fall from the 3.6 he posted in 2024-25. So, it requires some optimism to invest in this contract.

Consider me an optimist.

Anyone can have a down year. Eason’s production was mostly on an upward trajectory since his rookie year. Last season was likely a mere blip.

Here’s the point: $16.3 million is below market value for the player Eason has been for the sum of his NBA career. A market never seemed to take shape for him in Restricted Free Agency (RFA), likely because the number of teams with cap space was limited.

It would be fair to note that Eason’s durability has been a concern. That said, he’s been dealing with a pre-existing benign bone growth (exostosis) on his lower left tibia (per Google). The growth has been removed, so hopefully it won’t be problematic anymore.

After all, it seems like Eason is a big part of the Rockets’ plans.

Rockets need Eason to maximize potential

Eason is the closest thing to Ime Udoka that Ime Udoka has in his rotation.*

*Yes, he’s better than Udoka ever was.

Wings that rack up steals and offensive rebounds are a rarity. Eason embodies the Rockets’ broader basketball philosophy. The hallmark of this team’s approach is to maximize possessions by virtue of pure, unadulterated hustle.

The 3-and-D wing is a near-mythological creature. Eason has the D part down to a science. If he can get his three-ball more consistent (and stay healthy), this will be one of the best contracts in the NBA.

Thank God we won’t be watching him do it on another team.

Sixers reportedly set to sign Caleb Love to two-way deal  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Make that two Friday two-ways for the Sixers.

Shortly after the Sixers reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with Rayan Rupert, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that they’ve come to terms on a two-way deal for Caleb Love.

Like Rupert and new Sixers guard Anfernee Simons, Love is a former Trail Blazer. He played in 49 NBA games for Portland last season as a rookie and averaged 10.4 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per contest. Love learned from Damian Lillard and impressed his mentor.

He played in many high-profile games over five college seasons — three at North Carolina, two at Arizona. The 6-foot-3 Love is a confident scorer who posted at least 20 points on eight occasions last year. Love certainly has room to improve in the efficiency department; he shot 38.8 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from three-point range and 73.5 percent at the foul line. 

The Sixers’ list of guards is now Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Simons, rookie Labaron Philon Jr. and Love. The 27-year-old Simons is the oldest of the group. 

The New York Knicks keep looking for centers and big men in the free-agent and trade markets with no success to date.

New York’s pursuit of backups at both the center and power forward positions is starting to get concerning, and it only intensified after losing both sixth-man Mitchell Robinson and end-of-bench Ariel Hukporti in free agency.

Robinson agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to start at center with the Boston Celtics, while Hukporti inked a one-year, $3.4 million deal to become Joel Embiid’s backup in Philly. Both moves, obviously, were influenced by the Knicks’ need to remain below the second apron, as irrationally mandated by James Dolan.

Those financial constraints will continue to shape the Knicks’ options this offseason, with the franchise having roughly $8.5 million remaining to fill at least three roster spots.

That restriction has narrowed the market significantly, if not entirely, to a bunch of lesser, mostly aging bodies still available in the wild out there: Andre Drummond, Kevon Looney, Dwight Powell, Bismack Biyombo, Mason Plumlee, and the likes…

And on Thursday, we learned that the Knicks have been repeatedly denied in the pursuit of one of the few young, high-upside bigs considered to be both cheap (in terms of his salary) and available (if only for the right price) in New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi.

According to NBA reporter Chris Haynes, New York has “tried feverishly” to acquire Missi from the Pelicans, but multiple offers have been rejected of late. Haynes reported that New Orleans considers the third-year center a “core figure” and has made it clear he is not available.

“Sources: New York Knicks have tried feverishly to trade for New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi after losing Mitchell Robinson, but offers have been rejected multiple times. Pelicans view Missi as a vital core figure and the message is that he’s unavailable.”

According to SNY’s Ian Begley, who for some reason decided to wait more than a week to reveal the information he shared after Haynes’ report, perhaps to give us some false hope, New Orleans expressed a desire to keep Missi and allow him to develop under new head coach Jamahl Mosley all the way back to the NBA Draft, when the Knicks first asked about him.

“Around the NBA Draft, Pelicans signaled that Yves Missi would not be available via trade and will in New Orleans under new head coach Jamahl Mosely.”

Those two reports point to two rejections, but the Knicks’ interest in Missi predates the offseason, and that makes it three times the Pelicans have stiff-armed New York in its collective face.

The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy reported back in February that New York explored a deal for the center at last season’s trade deadline, when the Pelicans were seeking a first-round pick in return. The Knicks did not have that draft capital, and the Pels rejected all other packages offered by New York.

With Missi seemingly out of reach, what are the Knicks going to do to have some depth in the paint?

Well, for starters, it looks like New York was interested in signing Marvin Bagley III before he went to the Denver Nuggets, per HoopsHype. The same report points toward an interest in the aforementioned Drummond and Looney, as well as Chicago Bulls UFA Nick Richards

That said, Drummond himself opened up on free agency at the start of July and made it clear he is “not willing to play for less than my worth,” hinting at wanting more than a vet min deal.

“I did that once and then I got labeled as one of those guys, and I think it really killed my value in the NBA, because I’m still moving like I’m in my mid-20s. I still have a lot left in the tank. I think by taking that paycut—I feel like I’ve been climbing out of a hole for the last 4-5 years. It’s been hard.“

And regarding the widely-reported Looney pursuit, Bondy refuted the reports of the three-time champion being on the verge of signing with the Knicks.

For now, the Knicks’ preferred target (and that of most fans, too) is off the table, and the path to filling the frontcourt gap remains very, very unresolved.

Missi, meanwhile, reacted to all the whispers with a Druski meme. Trust him over sources.

You can follow Antonio on Twitter at @chapulana.

The Celtics have agreed to sign Neemias Queta to a 4-year, $56 million extension that begins in the 2027-2028 season, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported. Queta, who started 75 games for the Celtics last season, is coming off of a career year in which he established himself as Boston’s starting center.

Queta is already under contract for $2.7 million next season and will make an average of $14 million per year for the four seasons after.

The extension announcement comes just a few days after the Celtics signed Mitchell Robinson to a 3-year, $47 million deal. Robinson is on the heels of a championship with the Knicks, and is known as the NBA’s best offensive rebounder.

It was a long journey from Neemias Queta to get here

Neemias Queta, who is 26, has had a circuitous journey to this point; he was the 39th overall pick in 2021 but was waived by the Sacramento Kings two years later. He joined the Celtics on a two-way contract shortly after and began his tenure with the organization in Maine in the 2023-2024 season. After the championship, he signed a 3-year, $7.2 million contract with the Celtics.

Queta was fourth in the team’s frontcourt depth chart during his first two seasons in Boston. But he became the starting center after the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and saw Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk away in free agency last offseason.

Last season, Queta averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, all career highs, while shooting 65.3% from the field. He averaged 25.3 minutes across 76 games, also both career highs.

But, playing postseason minutes for the first time, Queta struggled a bit. Due to foul trouble, he was limited to just 21.7 minutes per game. He put together his best performance in Game 7, tallying 17 points (on 7-8 FG) and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes, all playoff career highs.

Queta could be the team’s starting center next season, though Mitchell Robinson might also make a case for the role. Robinson averaged 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game last season. The two seven-footers provide the Celtics more certainty in the frontcourt.

Several other Celtics extensions are looming

The Celtics are also eligible to sign Jordan Walsh to a long-term deal; Walsh has one year left on his contract after the team picked up his option on Monday. And, starting in October, they’ll be eligible to extend Payton Pritchard, who currently has two years on his deal.

For this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans how much importance Jon Horst should place on injecting veteran influence into what has suddenly become quite a young team. This is always a catch-22: while it is important to have veterans around, unless they are totally fine with never stepping foot on the court, you run the risk of them blocking the young guys’ development to some degree. So, where do Bucks fans stand on the conundrum? Poll results show that they are all-in on the youth movement.

Of course, these results follow last week’s Reacts poll, where nearly three-quarters of respondents approved of the Giannis trade return. Obviously, all of the players the Bucks got back are young (to some extent), so this week’s poll result makes a tonne of sense.

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After having three players selected in the NBA Draft lottery for the first time in school history, the Michigan Wolverines will be well represented in the 2026 NBA Summer League with five players set to make their professional debuts this month.

Here’s a breakdown of the former Michigan players taking the court in the NBA’s annual summer showcase.

Morez Johnson Jr. (Dallas Mavericks)

After being selected with the ninth pick by the Dallas Mavericks, Johnson reunited with former Michigan head coach Dusty May, who left Ann Arbor to take the reins in Dallas. Johnson averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds this past season, while shooting an efficient 62.3 percent from the field to help the Wolverines win the national championship. He will now try to make a positive impression in the Summer League and eventually secure a spot in the rotation as a rookie.

Debut: Thursday, July 9 at 7p.m. on ESPN

Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State Warriors)

Drafted by the Warriors with the 11th pick, Lendeborg landed with one of the NBA’s most prestigious franchises and will now get a chance to play with Stephen Curry. Lendeborg capped his college career by posting a team-high 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, winning Big Ten Player of the Year and spearheading Michigan’s title run. There’s no doubt his versatile skillset translates to the next level, and he should shine as Golden State competes in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Debut: Friday, July 3 at 10:30 p.m. on TBD network

Aday Mara (Oklahoma City Thunder)

There wasn’t a better landing spot for Mara than the Thunder, as he will immediately join a championship contender and provide an instant boost off the bench. He was drafted by Oklahoma City with the 12th overall pick, and the 7-foot-3 big man will bring elite rim protection and front court depth to the table. Mara broke a program-record with 103 blocks in his lone season in Ann Arbor and will now show off his unique skillset in the Summer League.

Debut: Saturday, July 4 at 3 p.m. on TBD network

Nimari Burnett (Toronto Raptors)

Despite not being selected in the draft, Burnett quickly signed an Exhibit-10 contract — a one-year, non-guaranteed deal — with the Toronto Raptors and will suit up in the Summer League. The former Wolverine shot an impressive 38.4 percent from three-point range in his time at Michigan, and he will aim to bring his sharpshooting ability to the pros. He will likely find himself in the G-League next season, but a strong showing this summer could earn him an invite to training camp.

Debut: Friday, July 10 at 9 p.m. on ESPN

Roddy Gayle Jr. (Detroit Pistons)

Getting a chance to stay local, Gayle agreed to a Summer League contract with the Pistons and will look to make an impact in the Las Vegas tournament. Famously dubbed “March Roddy” by fans and teammates, Gayle was an integral part of Michigan’s national championship run by averaging nine points per game in the NCAA Tournament. His aggressive perimeter defense and scoring prowess should stand out in the Summer League and could lead to a training camp invite if all goes well for him.

Debut: Thursday, July 9 at 5:30 p.m.on Amazon Prime Video

The NBA is hanging on The Decision 4.0 to find out where LeBron James will play for the 2026-27 season. James might turn 42 years old in December, but he still feels like a top-50 player in the world, and there are a ton of contenders who could use his services. James is believed to be choosing between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors for next season, but we now know he’s considering even more teams after his agent Rich Paul leaked a whiteboard detailing his “realistic” options.

Paul addressed James’ free agency on his Game Over Podcast with Max Kellerman, saying “outside of one organization, maybe two. I’ve heard from every team in the entire league.” What teams is James realistically considering? It’s all on this whiteboard:

It’s fascinating to see it all laid out like this. James’ first option is the Philadelphia 76ers, where he would fit in between Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid. His next option is the Miami Heat, where he would start alongside Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo. The Cavs are there of course, too, which would put James in a lineup with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Finally, there’s the Denver Nuggets, with Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic.

Notice the team in the upper lefthand corner: the Warriors. Paul doesn’t have a lineup written out for Golden State. Why? Maybe because they’re chasing Anthony Davis, too.

Here’s a clip of Paul talking about the 76ers, and saying “everything changed” after the Jaylen Brown trade:

The Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks are also on the board. On the Knicks, Paul said: “If the Knick hadn’t won, there would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks.”

The Warriors still feel like the frontrunner to me. Golden State’s plan was put in motion when Draymond Green opted out of his player option, and remember, Green’s agent is also Paul. It feels like LeBron would love to play with Stephen Curry, but landing Davis could be the holdup. The Wizards suddenly have a lot of power after their buy-low trade for Davis at the deadline. Washington could leverage Golden State for a bunch of future assets, or watch their LeBron dreams fade away if he doesn’t think the team can actually contend without Davis.

LeBron has indicated that happiness — not money — will be the driving factor in his decision. It feels like that means a lot of teams have a realistic shot at him even if they don’t have cap space.

Where would LeBron have the best chance to win his fifth ring? The Warriors wouldn’t rate too highly by that metric in my opinion with such an old team. I’d probably say Minnesota or Philadelphia. Maybe the Celtics even after trading Jaylen Brown?

LeBron’s decision is coming soon. It’s going to be fascinating to watch whatever team he chooses.