Category: Sports News

According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, the Brooklyn Nets have cut guard Malachi Smith from the team. The former Gonzaga Bulldog signed a two-year, non-guaranteed deal back in April after two 10-day contracts with the organization. Brooklyn exercised Smith’s minimum salary team option in June.

In 15 games (four starts) played with the Nets to close out this past season, Smith averaged 8.3 points on a shooting split of 48.5 percent from the field/43.5 percent on three-pointers/100.0 percent at the free throw line, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

The 26-year-old will most likely have to return to the NBA G League with another franchise. He’s had stops with the Portland Trail Blazers’ Rip City Remix, Milwaukee Bucks’ Wisconsin Herd, Memphis Grizzlies’ Memphis Hustle, and the Brooklyn Nets’ Long Island Nets over the last three seasons.

Smith started his collegiate career with the Wright State Raiders from 2018-19, transferred to the Chattanooga Mocs from 2020-22, before making his way to Spokane, Washington. He was named the West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 before entering his name into the 2023 NBA Draft, bypassing his final season of college eligibility. Smith would go undrafted.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

If you’re the fan who refuses to get too high on Summer League, but also the kind who’s keen to see the crown knocked off the recently-anointed New York Knicks, Brooklyn’s fourth game this summer likely put your spirit in a pretzel.

The Nets met their cross-town rival a couple of thousands of miles away this afternoon to kick off their run in the Las Vegas Summer League. New York, the team without any game action yet this month, looked the part throughout the entire contest, needing every minute and more to find their groove. The Nets needed the first half and about three minutes of the third quarter, but no more.

And in the end, it was another eye-opening performance for Brooklyn’s Backcourt as Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. scored 20 points each and dominated New York, 91-65.

While Brooklyn entered this one already with three games under their belt, this was our first look at sophomore Danny Wolf. The Yale x Michigan product did not play at all in Sacramento but started this afternoon alongside Mikel Brown Jr., Egor Dëmin, Drake Powell, and Chaney Johnson. However, Brown Jr., fresh off a fine first game himself on Monday night, got the mic with Chris Haynes pregame.

“I feel like I hold myself to an expectation that’s higher than what other people are saying,” he said when asked about the hype around him as a prospect. “Obviously, you know, I feel like if you have expectation on you, that means you’re expected to be a great player. So just, you know, embracing it.”

For a second straight game, Brooklyn’s first points came from Brown Jr. on a fadeaway jumper along the baseline, yet this time from within the three-point arc. Points of all kinds came at a premium to begin the game, however. Both teams began the contest shooting 3-of-18 from the field. And although it was a collective brick-building effort in the first, the Knicks did the heavier lifting, going without a made field goal until the 3:07 mark of the period. While the Nets weren’t much better, Wolf and Dëmin did connect during this slick ATO…

Shots momentarily started falling for the champs as the first crossed over into the second where the Knicks enjoyed a 12-0 run which gave them the lead. While Brooklyn caught no such breaks, they did snag a handful of offensive boards to stick around. Johnson and Dain Dainja tapped the team into way to a few extra possessions and points. Dainja, a force off the bench for a second straight game, finished with six points, six boards, and a rejection.

Meanwhile, Egor Dëmin continued to laugh in the face of discouragement. After missing his first three shots of the game, the sophomore guard just kept on pulling deep into the second. His darts started hitting the board down the stretch of the period as well. His two makes from beyond the arc in the final two minutes of the frame were enough to give Brooklyn a 38-33 lead at half.

Dëmin led the Nets there with 15 points on 6-13 shooting and 2-8 from deep. Johnson followed with a 9/6/2 line along with two steals. Brown Jr. (4), Wolf (0), and Powell (1) collectively had just five points on 1-8 shooting, but did their best to make up for it on the other side of the ball.

In the third, Brooklyn continued to lean on their defense, forcing four turnovers in the subsequent period’s first five minutes. Johnson picked Dillon Jones’s pocket before going coast to coast for a jam roughly four minutes deep. Brown Jr. stole one before flying and flushing less than a minute later…

And while up there, the sixth overall pick ripped the saran off their rim. The Nets continued to push on the break after turnover and boards alike. After converting a number of transition points, they started to find their groove in the half court as well. In a flash, Brooklyn experienced a 15-0 jolt that gave them a 22-point lead. MBJ topped it off with one to help all the pre-draft Steph Curry comparison artists out…

While later in the game, that was only the start for Brown Jr. In the fourth, he turned a redemptive second half into a stellar outing and a comfortable win into a nasty blowout. Flashing his feel on the court and knack for finding space once again, he mixed in a flurry of threes put the game out of question. The rock fight we were watching an hour before suddenly felt like a foggy memory. MBJ had 16 points in just under 15 minutes of second half play before taking a seat with the Nets up 85-53 and a little under five minutes remaining. He finished with 20 points, three assists, and two steals while shooting 6-12 from the field and 3-6 from deep.

The Nets emptied their bench soon after that shuffle and splash before easily trotting to their third straight summer league victory, and their first part of this official tournament.

“I was just trying to find a rhythm, you know,” Brown Jr. said post game. “Coach just told me to stay aggressive, keep going and keep making plays, so that’s what I did.”

Julius Randle Speaks with Chris Haynes

Hours after the trade finally processed, Julius Randle made his first public appearance at this one. He spoke with Haynes during the second quarter.

“I’m great, man. You know, I’m excited,” he said. “Great opportunity ahead. Great organization. Made me really comfortable to start. So, you know, got a lot of young talent. Got some good vets. Excited to see what we can put together.”

Haynes asked specifically about Randle’s experience as a team leader and veteran locker room presence. In case you live under a rock, he was widely praised for his efforts while doing that now two stints ago with the Knicks.

“I mean, just ability to adjust and adapt, to be honest, ” he said. “I had one of the best best mentors there was that brought me in from day one in Kobe when I was a young player. I understood and saw how important that was for me at the start of my career, just seeing him and seeing him as an example for me as a player. So, I just try to pay the game back.”

On his role now with the Nets specifically, he restrained himself from making any bold predictions in terms of team success, but also acknowledged the opportunity to succeed.

“I mean, we just got to lean into each other, take it day by day, step by step, and just keep building,” he said. “I’m not gonna say what we’re gonna do or we’re not gonna do, but I know we’re gonna come in every day with the right mindset, right professionalism, and just get better every single day. I believe in a lot of these young guys, the talent that we have, and then some of the older guys, — MPJ, Keon, Terrence, and you got Day’Day [Day’Ron Sharpe]. You got a lot of guys, a lot of talent, so it’s really up to us, to build the chemistry and put it all together, and I feel like we will.”

He also spoke briefly on his relationship with Brown Jr.

“Yeah, I talked to him. I try to talk to him a lot. I joked with him that I don’t really watch a lot of college basketball, but the one game of his that I did watch was versus my Kentucky Wildcats, and he did us dirty. So, I gave him a little hell about that. But you know, it seems like he’s got a great hand on his shoulders, very poised, calm, and confident. I like what I’m seeing out here, as far as his pace of play. He plays at his own pace and can see the floor really well, so it’s gonna be up to us vets to pick him up to speed and really get him going. But he’s gonna be great. He’s gonna have a great career.”

Brown Jr. also shared postgame that the Nets had a team dinner last night with Randle and Michael Porter Jr.

“Got to talk to them for a little bit,” he said. “You know, just to be able to pick their brains means a lot.”

Next Up

Brooklyn is back in action tomorrow vs the Atlanta Hawks. The game will be on ESPN and is scheduled for tipoff at 8:00 p.m. EST. It will be the first game from the 28th pick, Joshua Jefferson, who couldn’t even train with Brooklyn until the big trade involving Julius Randle and Nic Claxton was finalized earlier in the day.

Since it’s the back end of a back-to-back, don’t expect the Nets’ two backcourt mates to play.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 91, New York Knicks 65 – NBA
• Highlights: Mikel Brown Jr. scores 20 points (Video) – NBA
• Highlights: Egor Demin scores 20 points (Video) – NBA
• Julius Randle speaks on trade to Brooklyn (Video) – NBA
• Nets first-round pick to make Summer League debut on Saturday – Erik Slater – Clutch Points
• Pacome Dadiet’s Year 3 leap could give Knicks another player — or asset ($) – Kristin Winfield – New York Daily News
• Pacome Dadiet scores 20 but Knicks fall to Nets in 91-65 Summer League rout – Phillip Martinez – SNY

The man behind one of the strangest LeBron James scoops is trying his hand at another one.

Jonathan Gotschall, the former Caroline’s Cupcakes owner whose bakery drew national attention in 2014 for calling James’ return to Cleveland, is now floating another wild rumor.

In a post from POKÉ Fresh Ohio, which he now owns, Gotschall claimed James is not only coming back to Cleveland but also bringing son Bronny James and Draymond Green with him.

“Hey guys. I’ve got it on good authority that not only is LeBron coming back to Cleveland, but he’s bringing Bronny and Draymond with him!” Gotschall wrote. “If you don’t believe me, you can Google ‘Caroline’s Cupcakes + LeBron’ to check my credentials. This ain’t my first rodeo. IYKYK.”

Gotschall told The Post that it’s “still a rumor,” but still posted the rumor publicly.

More than a decade ago, Gotschall scooped the entire NBA world days before James penned a letter announcing his return to Cleveland after four seasons with the Miami Heat.

“Just texting with a friend who is directly tied in with LeBron and his camp, and he swears on his life #TheReturn to Cleveland is a done deal,” Gotschall wrote on Facebook on July 5, 2014, five days before the official announcement. “Per his sources, calls have already been made to other current Cavaliers to spread the news. If this is true, and like anything on the internet, take that with a grain of salt … are you ready to get out your old jersey and welcome LeBron home?!?”

The Washington Post picked up on the rumor two days later, joking that while ice cream wasn’t on the menu at the sweet shop, “scoops are.”

Now, Gotschall is laying his reputation on the line once again, hoping lightning can strike twice.

The latest claim comes as James’ Lakers future has all but come to an end, with the four-time NBA champion reportedly informing the franchise that he plans to play elsewhere next season.

A return to Cleveland would mark James’ third stint with the Cavaliers, the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003 and the franchise he led to its first NBA championship in 2016.

It would also place him on a far different Cleveland roster than the one he rejoined in 2014, with the Cavaliers now built around Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and likely returnee James Harden.

The Bronny and Draymond elements would make the rumor even more complicated.

Bronny played with his father in Los Angeles the last two seasons, marking the first father-son duo to appear together in an NBA game. 

Green, meanwhile, has spent his entire career with the Warriors, but he has long been close with James.

The NBA Summer League is currently taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, where rookies and NBA stars are taking in the action around town. Former Kentucky Wildcats are sprinkled in the rosters, while some are in town for the weekend, and a couple of them got into an altercation.

According to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro got into a physical altercation on Friday morning, during which Adebayo struck Herro.

The incident occurred on a practice court at a Las Vegas hotel this morning, beginning when Adebayo approached Herro about comments on social media in which the former Wildcats guard criticized Adebayo’s play.

Here’s more on the incident from The Athletic:

According to multiple sources who witnessed the incident and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, Adebayo walked onto the courts and Herro said something to him. Adebayo approached Herro and, without hesitation, punched him. Herro’s AAU coach confronted Adebayo, and Herro yelled at his former teammate while being escorted out by security personnel. Both players left the scene on their own.

The two former Wildcats and Heat teammates had a solid friendship and chemistry in Miami.

In a past interview, Herro asked Adebayo which teammate would always have his back in a fight, and his response was:

“I’m going to say Tyler (Herro) just because we got the longest relationship,” Adebayo said.

Here’s to hoping these former Cats can get back to being on good terms.

The Knicks played their 2026 NBA Summer League opener against the Nets on Friday night in Las Vegas, but aside from Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Nickel, many of New York's players did not play up to snuff.

Dadiet, who is entering his third year in the league, finished the night with 20 points on 6 of 16 shooting, seven rebounds and one steal in 21 minutes on the floor. But it was his first half performance that kept the score close. The Frenchman scored nine of his points on 3 of 7 shooting through the first two quarters.

As for Nickel, the forward scored nine points on 3 of 6 shooting in 12 minutes on the floor. He also came down with four rebounds in the first half. Nickel finished with 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting, including 6-for-10 from three.

Mohamed Diawara, the other notable Knick participating in this year’s summer league, and entering his second season with the Knicks, scored just five points on 1 of 7 shooting in his 13 minutes on the floor. He was a minus-19 at halftime, and it didn't get much better.

For the game, Diawara scored just seven points on 1 of 9 shooting with six rebounds. He was a minus-39 on the floor in his 23 minutes. 

Liam Robbins (four points, four rebounds, one assist in 16 minutes), Dillon Jones (six points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals in 23 minutes) and Jaden Akins (two points, two assists in 21 minutes) round up what the starting five did on Friday. 

On the Nets side, it was much better. 

Brooklyn's star rookie from last season, Egor Demin, dominated the first half, scoring 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting. Danny Wolf, entering his second season, did not score a point, but came down with five rebounds in his 12 minutes on the floor, for a plus-12. 

Nets 2026 first-round pick Mikel Brown Jr., scored four points on 1 of 4 shooting, but the No. 6 overall pick would have a monster second half. The rookie guard finished with 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting, three assists, one rebound, and two steals in his 22 minutes. 

Demin finished with 20 points, thre rebounds, two assists in 22 minutes while Wolf (nine points, eight rebounds, three assists in 21 minutes), Chaney Johnson (11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, four steals in 23 minutes) and Drake Powell (one point, three rebounds in 21 minutes) round out Brooklyn's starting five. 

"55 got a chop" - Josh Hart

Six threes for Tyler Nickel in his first Summer League game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SfbBCLvaAg

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) July 10, 2026

20 and counting for Pacome Dadiet in his Summer League debut pic.twitter.com/gO4wwZ18r0

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) July 10, 2026

LeBron James’ free agency may come down to something much simpler than cap math, roster gymnastics or the loudest recruiting pitch.

Familiarity.

According to NBA insider Evan Sidery, familiarity is expected to play a major role in James’ upcoming decision, with many around the league now viewing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat as the two teams to watch.

That tracks with where the betting market’s are moving, too.

At the time of this article’s publication, Polymarket’s latest list Cleveland as the favorite at 45%, with Miami right behind at 31%, surging12 points, Golden State has fallen to 15%, down 11 points, while Philadelphia has climbed to 11%. Minnesota sits well behind at 2%.

In other words, the LeBron sweepstakes may be turning into a race between the two places that know him best.

Cleveland is obvious. James could return home for a third stint with the Cavaliers, close his career where it all began and join a team where his history with the city, franchise and ownership still carries enormous weight. Donovan Mitchell’s presence also gives Cleveland a ready-made star, not just a nostalgia pitch.

Miami offers a different kind of familiarity. James won two championships with the Heat, has long praised the franchise’s structure and culture under Pat Riley. It is also reported that the Heat are willing to bring Bronny James into the picture on a two-way contract, which would add another layer to an already emotion-filled decision.

James’s agent, Rich Paul framed the decision around “complete happiness,” not money, market size or even loyalty to Los Angeles.

That may explain why Cleveland and Miami appear to be separating from the pack.

Golden State still has a dream-team appeal, albeit a geriatric version. Paul has even acknowledged how dangerous the Warriors could be in a playoff series because of their experience, intelligence and production.

And connections Curry and Green have developed into two important off-the-court relationships for James. The rumor mill was kicked into high gear when Green and James were seen golfing together this week

That is what makes this decision different from James’ earlier free agency choices.

This is not 2010, when he was chasing his first title. It is not 2014, when he was returning home to fulfill a promise. It is not 2018, when Los Angeles offered a blend of basketball, business and family life.

This is Year 24.

James is 41, still productive and still capable of helping a contender, but the decision now seems less about conquering a new market and more about finding the right emotional landing spot.

That word was happiness.

Sidery’s report suggests familiarity may be how James defines it.

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Victor Wembanyama is staying in San Antonio, and he left money on the table to do it.

The Spurs announced Friday, July 10 that they signed the reigning Defensive Player of the Year to a multiyear contract extension. The team didn't disclose terms, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wembanyama chose the standard 25% maximum, projected at roughly $252 million over five years, and passed on supermax escalator language that would have pushed the deal to about $303 million had he made an All-NBA team or won MVP or Defensive Player of the Year next season.

He almost certainly would have.

According to Charania, the Spurs offered the full supermax and worked through multiple frameworks with Wembanyama's camp before he settled on the smaller structure, a sacrifice meant to give San Antonio room to build a sustained contender around him.

Wembanyama clearly learned something from the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson, the Knicks star who beat the Spurs to win the 2026 NBA championship, has been celebrated for signing below his max in 2024. That allowed New York to keep a deep roster that went on to win the franchise's first title in 53 years.