The Detroit Pistons are either one of the most aggressive teams in the NBA right now or they simply have so many options in how to reshape their team that rival agents and execs are dropping their name everywhere.

The latest bit of news/speculation/rumor-mongering involves the team’s chase for a second star to put alongside Cade Cunningham. The latest name to enter the fray — Jaylen Brown.

That news comes as reporting has trickled out of Boston that the Celtics might be aggressive in trying to relocate a potentially disgruntled star, and news out of Detroit that Detroit and big man Jalen Duren are at an impasse on sealing a new long-term deal.

In the past few days, Detroit has been linked to Kawhi Leonard. The team’s interest in Leonard dates back many months, but it has never been clear whether Leonard or his incumbent team was interested in relocating.

The idea picked up steam after some NBA insiders mentioned it during the NBA Draft broadcast on ESPN, but as early as the rumor lived, it shall die. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer write on Substack that Leonard has made it clear that he would have no interest in signing an extension if traded to Detroit, and the clarity of that message has made it clear to Detroit’s brass that they should move on.

The Pistons were also interested in Austin Reeves (agreed to new deal with the Lakers) and Coby White (agreed to new deal with the Hornets). The two report that Detroit remains interested in Tyler Herro, who Milwaukee is willing to move after obtaining him in the Giannis trade. They are also reportedly eyeing impending Heat free agent Norm Powell.

Earlier Friday, it was reported that the Pistons traded for Oklahoma City Thunder sharpshooter Isaiah Joe in exchange for two second-round picks. That move effectively makes the long arc of Detroit’s transactions look like this:

Pistons send:

Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart, Pick 28 (Joshua Jefferson)

Pistons receive:

Kevin Huerter, Pick 17 (Ebuka Okorie), Isaiah Joe, future second-round pick

Not bad business.

Anyway, with the addition of Joe, it is unclear if Detroit still feels a pressing need to add a player of the caliber of Norm Powell or even Tyler Herro. Stein and Fischer say interest remains.

Back to Brown.

Brown would be a huge addition to the Pistons, comparable to Leonard. He would also be quite expensive. The conversation surely starts with Jalen Duren in a sign-and-trade deal and continues on to include players like Duncan Robinson, probably Ron Holland as a defensive addition and young prospect, and one or two future first-round picks.

Is that palatable when it would also mean paying the $180 million over the ages 30-32 seasons for Brown? Your mileage may vary. And that doesn’t even take into full account the fact that Brown’s displeasure in Boston may begin and end with it not being his team. Would he be any more of “the guy” when trading Jayson Tatum for Cade Cunningham?

I would speculate that Cunningham would be much more apt to distribute to Brown than to make sure he’s leading the team in shots, but there is no confusion — this is and will be Cade Cunningham’s team.

It might all be moot as it should be noted that other reports with other sources are telling an entirely different story. Chris Haynes reports that the Pistons “are conveying that Jalen Duren will not be moved and are solely focused on coming to terms on an agreement to keep their All-Star center, league sources tell me.”

It looks like the battle lines are being drawn by both sides as the negotiations reach the 11th hour.

As we patiently wait to know more about Jose Alvarado’s decision, it looks like Mitchell Robinson we’ll be gone within a week.

Sad day in this crib.

On the bright side of things, here are a bunch of quotes from and about the two newest Knickerbockers.

Tyler Nickel

On the toughest pre-draft question an NBA team asked him:

“Somebody asked me, three people I would want to have dinner with, dead or alive, and that was tough; I didn’t expect that one. I think I ended up saying Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and LeBron.”

On being drafted by the Knicks:

“I feel crazy right now, just working my whole life to be in this position and obviously ultimately being drafted, it’s a dream. I feel like I’m in a dream right now.”

On going from Rockingham County to New York:

“It doesn’t even sound real. It doesn’t even sound like it would happen. It’s been a minute since it happened to anybody even in the area.”

On his mentality:

“[I’m] just fearless. Like, extremely fearless. It doesn’t matter who’s on the court, what’s going on, I’m never going to fear another man that walks this earth ever in any regard.”

On his confidence:

“Where I kind of like grew up, dude, if you didn’t believe in yourself to get to a certain level, it wasn’t gonna happen. You kind of have to have almost, to other people, a delusional sense of confidence. I trust myself so much just because of my work.”

On being himself:

“I’m never going to apologize for being myself or stop being myself just because people assume certain things or feel a type of way about it. People are going to feel some type of way about you regardless of what you do. So you might as well just be yourself in the process.”

Pedro Calles (Alba Berlin Coach)

On Jack Kayil’s mature game:

“We are talking about a 19-year-old guy, but his mind and body aren’t those of a 19-year-old. This is the first thing that got my attention.”

Alan Ibrahimagic (Germany U19 Coach)

On Jack Kayil’s unselfishness:

“Sometimes he’s a little bit too unselfish: he always tries to find another teammate before looking at himself. He could be a much better scorer than he is right now. But with that said, he’s one of the best two-way guards in Germany.”

Martin Hermannsson (Alba Berlin Player)

On Jack Kayil’s work ethic:

“He’s not taking his talent for granted, and he’s not just thinking that everything will fall in his place. He’s really working for everything he has, and that will take him a long way.”

On Kayil’s development as a point guard:

“He needs to get into the point guard mindset of running the team, controlling the next play, thinking always one step ahead: getting the ball to the ones who need it and getting others to the right spots, reading the game earlier and better.”

Fran Fraschilla

On trusting the Knicks’ scouting department:

“I trust the Knicks — they have a great scouting department. They hit on guys like this. … Let’s put it this way, I’ll say this — Walt Perrin and Brock Aller, they know what they’re doing. It’s not a given that either of these guys is gonna be a home run, but I would trust their judgment given their recent track record.”

On Jack Kayil:

“He’s a big, strong but young point guard who gained a lot of experience in a relatively high-level European league. It’s to his credit that he just led his Alba Berlin to an unexpected championship. That’s in his favor. Skillwise, he’s still a work in progress, but his athleticism and toughness give him a chance someday soon to be an NBA player. I’m guessing that the Knicks think he needs a little bit more seasoning. I would be surprised if he was on the roster, but he wouldn’t embarrass himself. But he’s not ready to be a contributor on an NBA championship team.”

On Kayil’s long-term outlook:

“He’s improving. He’s headed toward being an NBA player. I don’t know that he’s there yet, but he certainly made a big step this year, winning a championship. He was a focal point as a 20-year-old on a team with men, grown-ups.”

On Kayil’s strengths and weaknesses:

“He’s a point guard. He’s a creative playmaker who has the ability to create his own shot, but his shooting needs to improve. Having said that, he takes a lot of tough shots, because his team gets low in the shot clock. His shooting definitely needs to improve for him to be viable at some point in the future. I’m sure he’ll work on it.”

On Tyler Nickel:

“I like his size, his toughness and his shooting. He’s got the toughness to be an NBA player, and he certainly shoots it well. And I think that’s why they drafted him. He’s not a skinny, 170-pound kid. He’s well put together, very experienced, been to three schools, and was really a good player this year in the SEC. He’s got a quick release, deep range, and he’s fearless. The toughness and the fearlessness, off the bat, give him a chance to make an NBA roster.”

On Nickel’s NBA translation:

“He’s got a quick release and he is fearless. Fearlessly tough with it. He has amnesia after every shot — make or miss. …. Right off the bat, his outside shooting is very translatable. I would say lateral quickness, defensively, in the best league in the world will be his primary adjustment. But if you watch YouTube, you’ll see some sneaky athletic dunks.”

The Washington Wizards now know when fans will get their first look at No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa.

The NBA released the 2026 Summer League schedule on Friday, with Washington set to play four games in Las Vegas beginning July 9. The Wizards will face the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers as Dybantsa makes his pre-season NBA debut.

Washington opens Summer League against the Utah Jazz on July 9 in one of the event’s marquee matchups.

The game will feature the top two selections in the 2026 NBA Draft, as Dybantsa squares off against No. 2 overall pick Darryn Petersen for the first time since both entered the league. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 20.2 points per game as a freshman at Kansas this past season while shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc.

The Wizards will then face the Brooklyn Nets on July 12, where Dybantsa could match up against former Louisville standout and No. 6 overall draft pick Mikel Brown Jr., another highly touted member of the 2026 rookie class. Brown Jr. missed 14 total games with the Cardinals as a freshman due to lingering lower back pain, but averaged 18.2 points per game when healthy.

Washington returns to the court two days later against the Chicago Bulls on July 14. The Bulls are expected to feature former North Carolina forward, and No. 3 overall draft pick, Caleb Wilson, giving Dybantsa another opportunity to test himself against one of the draft’s top prospects. Wilson is another draft pick returning from injury, after two hand/finger fractures ended his rookie campaign with Carolina before post-season play.

The Wizards wrap up their scheduled Summer League slate on July 15 against the Los Angeles Clippers, who added former Illinois guard and No. 5 overall draft pick Keaton Wagler in this year’s draft. Wagler led the Fighting Illini to the 2026 Final Four in Indianapolis this past March.

While Summer League results are secondary, the event provides an important first glimpse at Washington’s future.

After selecting Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick, the Wizards have made the 19-year-old the centerpiece of their rebuild alongside Trae Young, who signed a four-year extension earlier this week.

Summer League will offer the first chance to see how Dybantsa’s size, athleticism and shot creation translate against NBA competition, while also giving the Wizards an opportunity to evaluate the rest of their young roster.

Kendrick Perkins implores Warriors to ‘make a move' with Jaylen Brown trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Are the Warriors one move away from giving Steph Curry one last NBA championship run?

Kendrick Perkins thinks the answer is yes — and he has a very specific move in mind.

The former NBA champion and ESPN analyst made his case on Friday’s episode of First Take, urging Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. to pursue Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown before Curry’s window closes.

Perkins pointed out that five of the NBA’s 25 oldest players currently reside on Golden State’s roster — a “senior citizen group,” in his words — and argued that the Warriors need to respond the same way they did after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, when then-GM Bob Myers aggressively pursued and landed Kevin Durant.

“You go out, you make a move, it may not be the perfect piece, but you add Jaylen Brown to this roster,” Perkins said. “We don’t know when Jimmy Butler is going to come back, and when he does, we don’t know what he’s going to look like. That’s why you go get a young 29-year-old Jaylen Brown, who is playing at his highest level right now.”

"You go out, YOU MAKE A MOVE!" @KendrickPerkins calls for the Warriors to trade for Jaylen Brown 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Bq3ZaTdq8i

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 26, 2026

Perkins was equally blunt about the Warriors’ current supporting cast. He acknowledged Draymond Green can still be an elite defender, but questioned whether Butler — returning from a significant knee injury — still is capable of being the second star this team needs alongside Curry.

“Jimmy Butler — I don’t know if he’s still that dude at this stage of his career,” Perkins said. “If I’m Mike Dunleavy, if I’m [owner] Joe Lacob, I’m definitely picking up the phone and calling Brad Stevens and saying, ‘What the hell do I need to do to get Jaylen Brown over here?’ Because also you get Jaylen Brown for now and the near future, after Steph Curry.”

The idea is provocative for a reason. Boston is not rebuilding; the Celtics were the 2023-24 NBA champions, with Brown locked into a supermax deal through the 2028-29 season. Any package that would move him almost certainly would require a significant haul of first-round picks, and Golden State’s draft capital is not exactly overflowing after years of contention-mode roster building.

But Perkins’ underlying point is hard to dismiss. The Warriors are running out of time, Curry is running out of prime years and the current supporting cast has done little to inspire confidence that Golden State can compete for a title as currently constructed.

Whether Dunleavy Jr. agrees is another question entirely. The call, according to Perkins, is long overdue.

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The New York Knicks’ 2026 NBA Summer League schedule in Las Vegas features four preliminary matchups starting July 10. All 30 NBA teams participate in the 11-day showcase.

The Knicks’ preliminary Las Vegas schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

• July 10: vs. Brooklyn Nets (6:00 PM)
• July 11: vs. San Antonio Spurs (6:00 PM)
• July 13: vs. Detroit Pistons (4:00 PM)
• July 16: vs. Golden State Warriors (7:00 PM)

Following these games, teams will advance to the Summer League playoffs. Semifinals will take place on July 18, and the Championship game is scheduled for July 19.

The Knicks’ roster is likely to feature newly drafted rookies Jack Kayil and Tyler Nickel alongside several familiar young players. Pacôme Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara, and Kevin McCullar Jr. are all expected to see significant minutes as New York evaluates its young talent ahead of free agency. Take a break from the pool to watch the Summer Knicks, why dontcha?!

Go Knicks