Category: Sports News

The Knicks capped the 2025-26 NBA season with an improbable run to an NBA title. With that over, the focus turns to the title defense and what could be another wild offseason in the NBA.

Here are a few bold predictions for the 2026 offseason...

Mitchell Robinson re-signs with the Knicks

Let’s get crazy off the bat. The Knicks appear to have a mandate to keep out of the second apron, and the reported offers out there for Robinson go well beyond that room before New York gets to try to retain anybody else. 

All signs point to Robinson being a Laker or Net this time next week. But neither offers him the chance to compete or the camaraderie the Knicks do, and maybe that can outweigh pure dollars and cents.

Maybe this is a pipe dream, but Robinson’s a career Knick and seems to enjoy it. If the team can work the numbers a bit, perhaps offload other salary, it’s possible a reunion isn’t as far-fetched as expected.  

Kyrie Irving gets traded to the Pistons

The Mavericks have a new general manager and new head coach who said they want to see Irving and the to-be sophomore sensation Cooper Flagg share the court. But we’ve heard these declarations around the league before, and if Dallas has a chance to reorient its team on Flagg’s timeline, they sure will consider it.

Enter the Pistons, who have been stacking picks and prospects through their rise up the Eastern Conference standings. They can use a big talent upgrade to help make the leap to contender, and with few remaining options on the board that fit their needs, a trade for Irving is a logical fit. 

Something in the realm of Ron Holland II,Duncan Robinson and a host of picks could get it done. Detroit gets its outside punch and Dallas stocks up for the rebuild. 

Jaylen Brown gets traded to Utah

Brown’s departure from Boston seems likely after they reportedly included him in their Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit and continued to shop him in the days to follow. One destination that hasn’t claimed as many headlines as it should is Utah.

The Jazz have flirted with competence as they’ve drafted their way to solid talent, but are clearly looking to start really winning basketball games after acquiring JarenJackson Jr. via trade last season. Throwing him or Lauri Markannen along with some salary filler and picks in a deal with Boston would catapult them much closer to that goal by picking up a Finals MVP to steer their young squad. 

Meanwhile, the Celtics get to change up their style with a dynamic big and perhaps a prospect they scrape off the Jazz, too. And Brown gets to lead his own team in the Wild West. 

Knicks trade Pacome Dadiet or Miles McBride 

New York is facing the potential departure of Robinson and can’t go into the second apron to fill that hole or upgrade elsewhere. While many expect the team to largely stand pat following a successful championship run, the cap dynamics make it extremely difficult.

Dadiet is an intriguing prospect, but didn’t contribute much at the NBA level over two seasons and could help facilitate a deal or clear some cap room. McBride had a mixed playoff run but still has one of the most attractive contracts in the league at a position the Knicks are deep in, opening the door to flip him for a new option.

If they do make a trade, and that scenario shouldn’t be written off, these two are likely candidates to go, holding value to other teams without upsetting the core rotation or prospect pool too harshly. Knicks fans may not love the idea, but it may be necessary and bear surprising fruit. 

LeBron James rejoins the Cavaliers for one last run

The slow play between the Lakers and LeBron to start this offseason, along with this likely being close to, if not his final season, suggests a break-up between the two is waiting to happen. While it’s not the story right now, where James decides to play next season could swing the trajectory of the league. 

He’d complete potential superteams by joining his former team the Miami Heat, or his good friend Stephen Curry as a Golden State Warrior. But a re-return home to Cleveland, in order to finish his career as a Cavalier and potentially win them another chip, can’t be ignored. 

They might be the most desperate team for LeBron’s services, offering him a storybook ending and a clean basketball fit. Those factors may be enough to land him back in the wine and gold. 

In a move that is widely believed to signal the Golden State Warriors’ intent to chase after a couple of big fish names, Draymond Green has officially declined his $27.7 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent.

Green declining his player option allows the Warriors to free up cap space for flexibility purposes. Namely, this allows them to chase LeBron James and Anthony Davis – who both happen to be represented by the same agency (Klutch) and the same agent (Rich Paul) as Green.

The Warriors seem intent on creating a big four consisting of Steph Curry, James, Davis, and Green. This move signals that, at the very least, such intent is a distinct possibility.

Jaylen Brown is 29 years old, in the middle of his prime, with three years left on his contract, coming off a season in which he finished sixth in MVP voting, and is just two seasons removed from winning Finals MVP. So why hasn’t Brad Stevens been able to trade the star forward yet?

Once the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga ended with the former MVP taking his talents to South Beach, I expected Jaylen Brown to be traded shortly after, or at a minimum, a bidding war to commence. It has been worryingly quiet on the bidding war front. 

The Celtics front office was not willing to go all in on Giannis Antetokounmpo. Reportedly, the Celtics were not willing to include more than Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks in order to acquire Antetokounmpo. The unwillingness to go all in would lead me to believe that Brad Stevens is, or was, confident in the contingency plans should the Celtics not land the Bucks big man.

However, in the passing days, the market for Jaylen Brown does not appear to have materialized. Either the NBA does not view Jaylen Brown as the perennial All-Star that he is, or the market is trying to squeeze Brad Stevens. In what reached a ridiculous head on Saturday evening, an old friend, ESPN’s Bobby Marks, dumped gasoline on the Jaylen Brown discourse. 

On Sirius XM, Marks said: “There are mixed feelings about him. Jaylen Brown’s analytics are not good…I had an analytics guy tell me, ‘We view him as the seventh best player on the team.'”

To be fair and provide context, he went on to say that he views Jaylen Brown as a top-10 player in the NBA.

The claim from the “analytics guy” is obviously outlandish, but it also reeks of something someone might want out there if they were trying to suppress the market for Jaylen Brown.

These comments led Jaylen Brown defending himself.

It feels as though the situation is heading in a bad direction for the Boston Celtics. 

As we attempt to sift through the muck of internet drama surrounding the Jaylen Brown trade sweepstakes, per Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, “It has been stressed to The Stein Line in recent days that neither the Hornets nor the Rockets, despite speculation to the contrary, are actively pursuing Jaylen Brown.” Again, to me, this reads as the market trying to bully the Celtics into a corner. Jaylen Brown would be a great fit in Houston. I don’t buy the reported lack of interest. 

This raises the question of whether the Celtics are actually in a desperate position. Do they need to trade Jaylen Brown? At the end of the day, Jaylen Brown is being paid $57 million next season to play basketball for the Boston Celtics. While Brown may feel slighted by the Celtics for being thrown into trade discussions for Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s hard to make the case that the Celtics have been anything great for Brown’s career. With the Celtics, Jaylen has become an NBA champion and Finals MVP, been selected to multiple All-NBA teams, and signed over $360 million in contracts with the iconic franchise. Brown could do a lot worse and would likely find himself in a worse situation wherever he ends up.

A return to the Celtics should not be not out of the question. 

Whether or not Celtics fans think the team needs to or does not need to trade Jaylen Brown, the reality is that Brad Stevens is trying to trade the All-Star wing. Since Brad Stevens has taken over the Celtics front office, any reporting on Celtics transactions has been hard to come by. Over the last week, the Celtics’ business has been out there which likely means the Celtics want their business out there.

In Brad’s most recent press conference after the first night of the NBA Draft, Brad was asked about whether or not Jaylen would be traded or return to the Celtics. Brad could have said anything, and what he didn’t say was loud. He did not say that Jaylen Brown would be back on the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are trying to trade Brown. We don’t know exactly why. It could be fall out from being included in the Giannis negotiations, Brown could have asked for a trade because he’s ready to move on, or the Celtics front office may have decided it will be easier to build a championship contender without Brown’s supermax contract on the cap sheet. All we can do is look at the front office’s actions. Which indicate they want to trade the 2024 Finals MVP. 

If we assume the Celtics feel as though it’s time to move on from Brown, the potential return could make or break this era of Celtics basketball. At the present moment, I think the return is going to disappoint Celtics fans. The only team that is reported to have a significant interest right now is the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have some intriguing pieces; Donovan Clingan would fill the need at the big man spot, Toumani Camara could replace some of what Brown provided the Celtics, and the Blazers own a slew of valuable draft picks.

However, reports indicate the Blazers would be unwilling to part with either of Deni Avdija or Donovan Clingan, but that their draft picks would be on the table. At first glance, this might make many Celtics fans vomit in their mouths. However, I may be able to sell you on what a draft pick-centric package could look like. Firstly, the Blazers should not make a Brown trade if they have to give up Clingan or Avdija; that’s just shuffling the deck chairs and leaves them without a big man. A potential package would be the defensive stopper Toumani Camara, former third overall pick Scoot Henderson, and a young semi-disappointing wing on a somewhat bloated contract, Shaedon Sharpe, plus two unprotected Milwaukee Bucks picks (2028 & 2030), and the Celtics get their own 2029 pick back from the Blazers, allowing them more flexibility for the moves that would follow a Brown deal.

I think most Celtics fans would view this as a disappointing return, but I believe the Celtics could help Henderson unlock his potential, giving the Celtics a much-needed boost in backcourt athleticism. Camara would be a great pairing with Jayson Tatum, and Sharpe could be used in trades, along with the newly acquired draft capital, to upgrade the roster. Whether that is a Trey Murphy package or an unknown package, it provides the Celtics with the flexibility to go out and make more moves.

Something to keep in mind is the reality of trading Brown’s $57 million contract. It’s hard for teams to patch that amount of salary without gutting their roster, and there’s no point in making the trade if you have to do that to acquire the five-time All-Star.  That being said, I think this return is workable. The Celtics would essentially run it back from last season with Jayson Tatum in the Jaylen Brown spot, with a supercharged version of last season’s roster. The Celtics add a big man in free agency, hopefully flip the assets acquired in the Jaylen trade for an impact player, and experience internal development from their young players like Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr, and Baylor Scheierman. The floor to me for next season would be 55 wins and a first round exit. I would project them to exceed those expectations. And now the roster is flush with tradeable contracts and high value picks for the front office to take big game hunting in the 2026-2027 offseason.

If there is a better trade out there, Brad Stevens and the front office will make it. I’m just skeptical that deal is out there. 

A week ago, I felt a lot better about what Jaylen Brown would return on the open market. It’s easy to say that if the right offer isn’t there, then the Celtics can simply bring back the All-NBA forward. That’s not typically how the NBA works. On the other hand, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum being on the same team for nine years, through all the ups and downs, is already atypical. We might look back and laugh at the ridiculousness of the past couple of weeks when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown find themselves in their sixth conference finals appearance come next May. However, I view a split between the Celtics and Brown as imminent, and the return to be one that still allows the team to position themselves for another title run, even if it initially disappoints a large portion of the fan base. 

The Atlanta Hawks have already made a series of moves this offseason, and they’ve all been key to ensuring the team stays competitive. One of the first moves Onsi Saleh made was re-signing CJ McCollum to a one-year deal, which gives the Hawks a trusted veteran at the guard position who helped them have a strong second half of the season.

Later that day, Saleh made another value move to improve along the margins, acquiring Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for two second-round picks. From a cap sheet perspective, it was a perfect move for the Hawks, as they received a serviceable wing on a good contract, and only had to give up second-round picks.

On the court, this isn’t a move that turns them into contenders overnight, but Wiggins plays the game the right way and has helped a team win a championship in the past few years. Wiggins was one of the many contributors who came off the bench for the Thunder, and he averaged 9.4 points per game last season. A lot of things that he does are what the Hawks value, and his fit on the team should be seamless. The first thing that stands out when watching Wiggins is his shooting.

For most of Wiggins’ career, he’s been a reliable 3-point shooter, and it helped the Thunder when their second unit came in. Wiggins shot 36% from the perimeter last season, and he knocked most of them down in catch-and-shoot situations. When you have a player on your team like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who attracts so much attention on the court, somebody is going to be open. When it was Wiggins, it almost felt like a guarantee the shot was going in.

If the pass wasn’t directly from Gilgeous-Alexander, it was from the extra pass, which is why the Thunder have been so successful over the years. For Wiggins, he didn’t have to create most of his shots from the perimeter, but he showed the skills to do so if he needed to.

If Wiggins didn’t have a shot, he was able to attack on closeouts and finish at the rim. At 6’5 with a 6’10 wingspan, he found a way to finish over taller defenders when making his way to the rim, which led him to be efficient in those spots at well. He’s not the most athletic that’s going to jump out the gym, but he has just enough to make plays in transition or when attacking the lane.

Not only did Wiggins get most of his playing time because he could shoot the ball, but he was a solid defender as well. He can defend multiple positions and even played the four at times for the Thunder when they went small. Wiggins isn’t considered an all-world defender, but he gets the job done, whether that’s at the point of attack, playing helpside or rotating. He should fit right in with what Quin Snyder wants from the group on that side of the ball.

Playing on a team like the Thunder, having a good IQ is key, and it’s safe to say that Wiggins is a good processor of the game. He makes the right decisions on both sides of the ball, and he’s the connector that will help the Hawks’ second unit. It honestly wouldn’t be a surprise if he closed games at times next season if the Hawks need more offense in certain situations.

This was another good move for Saleh, and it will be interesting to see if he has more up his sleeve as the offseason continues.

The Detroit Pistons feel incomplete, but they are running out of avenues to improve. That’s not to say something can’t get done or that Trajan Langdon hasn’t worked hard trying to swing a deal that takes his team to the next level. Still, as we sit here a day before the beginning of free agency, the Pistons have swapped one of the league’s fiercest interior defenders in Isaiah Stewart for one of the league’s more dangerous 3-point threats in Isaiah Joe.

The team’s No. 1 priority this offseason was to add shooting and spacing to a lineup that found both in short supply through two series of the playoffs. But what if that is all there is?

The Pistons have reportedly been working hard on an extension for Jalen Duren and are interested in retaining veteran Tobias Harris. If both of those come to pass, that would mean a potential return of last year’s entire starting lineup, give or take, swapping Duncan Robinson for Joe if that moves you.

Is that going to take Detroit beyond the first-round struggle and second-round exit they experienced last season? Will they be able to run with the defending champion New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, or healthier versions of the Celtics and Pacers? Of a Giannis-led Miami Heat or an upstart Charlotte Hornets? And that is just the East.

Detroit still has avenues to improve. They could operate easily as an under-the-cap team if they saw a big free agent worth chasing. They could operate on an over-the-cap team if they were able to find a trade that was worth their while.

They’ve already reportedly been putting out feelers for “big game.” There were credible reports about interest in Austin Reaves (given a max by the Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (rebuffed by Leonard), Coby White (re-signed by Charlotte), and Tyler Herro (so far, he is pegged to land in Milwaukee).

The team’s biggest need is a power forward, or perhaps a big switchable forward who could play either spot. Detroit could easily slot Ausar Thompson into a power forward role, but they love to use Thompson as a point-of-attack and help defender on the perimeter, which would force any other starting forward to be big enough to hold up down low.

Who has the girth and the talent to potentially replace or displace Tobias Harris in the starting lineup? The crop of free agents isn’t super inspiring. Rui Hachimura is available. He is a 42% 3-point shooter the past three seasons, and made a career-high from deep last season with the Lakers. John Collins is another reliable enough perimeter threat who can play up and down the lineup depending on how funky you want your defense to be. Dean Wade is the boring man’s free agent signing that you’d probably never regret.

If you’re still thinking about the trade route, of names not already mentioned would be led by Trey Murphy III, Michael Porter Jr., Jerami Grant, Cam Johnson, PJ Washington, and Nikola Jovic.

This has always felt like the last offseason they could make a huge move without blowing up their core. Cade is already on a max, Duren is about to get a huge payday, and this season or next, Ausar Thompson’s will likely be even bigger than Duren’s.

The time is now, the war chest feels full enough. Langdon seems prudent, but he also seems to know he’s been building to this moment. We will see if he is able to take advantage.

Dusty May, Indiana men’s basketball’s latest prodigal son that wasn’t, is out of college basketball and off to the NBA, having been hired as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

May was born in Terre Haute and raised in Greene County before attending Indiana University and becoming a student manager under Bob Knight. His coaching star rose as fast as any other, going from the mid-major level in 2023 to Michigan in 2024 and now onto the NBA in 2026 after just two years in Ann Arbor, the latter concluding with a national championship in Indianapolis, of all places.

May’s return to Indiana would have been something out of an Indiana fan’s dreams but it, for several reasons, wasn’t meant to be. He, like Brad Stevens before him, led a different program to greatness before moving onto the NBA.

So, how do Indiana fans feel about May’s departure? We asked them.

The results aren’t surprising at all. May spent all of one game on the Assembly Hall sideline as an opposing head coach and it was probably enough. His presence then was already a reminder of what could have been, imagine if he spent years there with a national title or more to his name, the thing Indiana fans have craved for decades.

Indiana faces decently long odds in 2027, sitting at +6500 to win it all, per FanDuel Sportsbook.