Category: Sports News

Over the past 48 hours, the Sixers have been linked to both John Collins and Dean Wade as possible free-agent targets. That strongly suggests they’re considering using the $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which does not bode well for Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr.’s chances of returning to Philadelphia next season.

If the Sixers use the non-taxpayer MLE, they’d be hard-capped at the roughly $209 million first apron through next June. With more than $172 million in guaranteed salary already on their books, they’d have a tough time spending the full non-taxpayer MLE and re-signing either Grimes or Oubre while staying under the hard cap, much less both.

If they strike out on Collins, Wade and their other non-taxpayer MLE targets, the Sixers could always pivot toward using the smaller $6.1 million taxpayer MLE instead. That would hard-cap them at the $222 million second apron, but they might be able to re-sign Oubre, Grimes and/or Andre Drummond while still adding an impact free agent.

With that in mind, let’s run through a handful of free agents whom the Sixers could potentially target with the taxpayer MLE.

Based on the current $165 million projection for the 2026-27 salary cap, the taxpayer MLE is projected to start at $6.065 million. Teams can only offer one- or two-year contracts with the taxpayer MLE, so the most that the Sixers could offer is a two-year, $12.4 million deal.

Jock Landale, C

The Sixers could have acquired Jock Landale essentially for free ahead of the February trade deadline. Two days after the Memphis Grizzlies shipped him to the Utah Jazz, the Jazz sent him to the Atlanta Hawks for cash considerations.

The Sixers didn’t pursue him at the deadline because doing so would have pushed them back into luxury-tax territory. It’s not too late for them to rectify that mistake, but it’ll be more costly now.

Between Memphis and Atlanta this past season, Landale averaged a career-high 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in only 22.1 minutes per game. He also shot 38.3 percent on a career-high 2.8 three-point attempts per game (193 in total). While Landale might not be as prolific of a rebounder as Drummond, he’d still be an upgrade at backup center behind Joel Embiid.

The Sixers are reportedly interested in Landale, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, although he’s “expected to have a strong market” with interest from at least a half-dozen teams. Scotto warned that Landale is expected to “command offer north of the bi-annual exception in free agency” as well.

The good news is that the $6.1 million taxpayer MLE is slightly north of the $5.5 million bi-annual exception. But with this many suitors after him—Scotto specifically mentioned the Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers—the Sixers might have a tough time outbidding all of them.

Ziaire Williams, SF

To maximize their financial flexibility this offseason, the Brooklyn Nets declined their $6.25 million team option on Ziaire Williams on Sunday, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old averaged 10.2 points and shot a career-best 34.3 percent from deep this past season with Brooklyn, although he hasn’t shot above 43.0 percent from the floor since his rookie campaign in 2021-22. The Grizzlies originally traded up to the No. 10 pick to select him, but he has yet to live up to his predraft hype.

Williams is the exact type of reclamation project that the Sixers should be willing to gamble on. He doesn’t turn 25 until September, so he could become a part of their long-term future if he popped in Philly. However, the Sixers could face competition from the Los Angeles Lakers if they do decide to pursue Williams, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.

“The bet for the Lakers would be that at 6-9 with a nearly 40-inch vertical leap, that Williams could be an impact defensive player with room for growth on the offensive side of the ball. He has fans inside the Lakers’ facility.

“There are local connections too — Williams was a teammate of Bronny James at Sierra Canyon.”

The Sixers took swings on a bunch of recent former first-round picks as “second-draft” candidates under former team president Daryl Morey, including Dalen Terry and MarJon Beauchamp last year alone. Could new team president Mike Gansey pursue the same strategy with Williams?

Tim Hardaway Jr., SG

The Denver Nuggets appear to be in cost-cutting mode as they look to reorient around Nikola Jokić. Tim Hardaway Jr. could wind up being a cap casualty for them.

Hardaway finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year race this past season after averaging 13.5 points while shooting 44.7 percent overall and a career-best 40.7 percent from three-point range in only 26.6 minutes per game. He played in 80 games this season but started only six of them, making him a very worthy 6MOY candidate.

More than half of Hardaway’s field-goal attempts have come from long range in each of the past seven seasons, and he’s shot above 38 percent from deep four times in that span. The Maxey + Embiid + shooters formula has historically worked wonders for the Sixers, and Hardaway is among the best available shooters on the free-agent market this offseason.

According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Miami Heat are expected to “have strong interest” in both Hardaway and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, as they look to corner the market on over-the-hill veterans to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. However, the Heat are hard-capped at the first apron and could have a tough time filling out their roster as is without clearing additional salary.

The 34-year-old Hardaway might not be a long-term piece of the puzzle for the Sixers, but he’d be a welcome addition to maximize their win-now chances.

Khris Middleton, SF

In honor of Morey, we had to include one washed veteran here, right?

Middleton played in 63 games this past season split between the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, and he averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in only 22.8 minutes per game. He shot a respectable 36.0 percent from three-point range, too. However, the days of him threatening to join the 50-40-90 club are long gone.

Injuries have hampered Middleton in recent years, which is why the Milwaukee Bucks traded him to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma at the 2025 trade deadline. The Wizards kept his minutes in check because they had zero interest in winning games this past season, but the Sixers presumably wouldn’t ask Middleton to play more than 20-25 minutes per game off the bench, either.

Given his age (34) and recent injury history, Middleton would be a risky signing even with the taxpayer MLE. But in terms of pure talent, the three-time All-Star might be the best player available in this price range.

Unfortunately, he’s already been “strongly linked” to Antetokounmpo and the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. At this point, it’d be surprising if Middleton didn’t end up reuniting with Antetokounmpo on South Beach, but one can dream for now.

Moe Wagner, C

Although Franz Wagner still has four years left on his max contract with the Orlando Magic, his older brother, Moe, might be moving on from Orlando this summer.

Moe has been with the Magic since he signed a rest-of-season contract with them in April 2021. He averaged 11.1 points on 56.0 percent shooting in only 18.5 minutes per game with them between the 2022-23 and 2024-25 campaigns, but he suffered a torn ACL in late December 2024 that caused him to miss the remainder of that season and the beginning of the 2025-26 season as well.

With both Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze under contract for next season, Wagner may be a luxury that the Magic can no longer afford. Stein and Fischer reported Saturday that he’s projected “to have multiple suitors in free agency” and has “a willingness to play elsewhere” even though his brother doesn’t seem likely to leave Orlando anytime soon.

If the Sixers whiff on Landale, Wagner would also be a solid backup-center addition to compete with Adem Bona for minutes behind Embiid.

Marvin Bagley III PF/C

Marvin Bagley III will always be known as the player whom the Sacramento Kings chose instead of Luka Dončić or Trae Young, which is a reputation that’s tough to shake.

While Bagley will never become an MVP candidate like Dončić or a multi-time All-Star like Young, he quietly resurrected his NBA career last season after looking like he might be in danger of falling out of the league entirely.

Bagley split 60 games between the Wizards and Dallas Mavericks last season and averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in only 20.0 minutes per game. He also shot a scorching 61.8 percent overall and 46.2 percent from deep, albeit on only 52 total three-point attempts.

The 6’10”, 235-pound Bagley logged a majority of his time at power forward earlier in his career, but he’s largely slid over to center over the past few seasons. His teams’ net rating has largely been abysmal with him on the floor over that span, but he’s also largely played for abysmal teams in recent years.

Landale and Wagner should be higher on the Sixers’ free-agent big board than Bagley, but he’d be a reasonable backup plan in case they strike out on their top frontcourt targets.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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In the final hours of the Bucks’ self-imposed deadline to deal Giannis, Jon Horst and Milwaukee’s entire brass had to make a franchise-altering decision—the ramifications of which would span the next decade. After weeks of scouring the marketplace and listening to offers, Miami and Boston emerged as the two leading horses in the race, with Antetokounmpo reportedly happy to join either team.

It had seemed like GA-to-Miami was a foregone conclusion for weeks. After all, their offer of picks, young pieces, and established players was what Jon Horst was looking for. They are also in the East, so that got Giannis’ tick of approval, as he reportedly wanted to remain in the conference on his next team. So, what was the hold-up? Well, while the Heat’s offer was good, it definitely wasn’t great. Horst had his bird in hand, and he knew it wasn’t going to fly away.

But although Miami’s offer was never going to be completely off the table, the Bucks GM ran the risk of biting off more than he could chew by waiting. What if Miami got intel that other teams had dropped out, leaving them as the only dog in the fight? They could have begun to pull assets, and although Horst would have been pissed off, that’s the game he played by banking on shaky leverage.

In any event, the initial offer from Miami in the weeks leading up to the draft sounded something like Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., pick 13, and two future firsts. Now, that’s a solid offer, but the Heat were still holding back on some of their assets. What Horst needed was a way to place more pressure on Pat Riley to squeeze those final assets. He needed another suitor.

Enter, the Boston Celtics.

After weeks of sources from inside Boston insisting to every and any reporter that—while they would love to get their hands on Giannis—there was no way they would ever (ever!) consider trading Jaylen Brown to do so, the façade fell by the wayside. Two days before the draft, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst appeared on Get Up to declare that the Celtics were indeed offering Brown for Antetokounmpo. Checkmate, Pat Riley.

As those final 48 hours wound down, various insiders began reporting that Boston had, in the 11^th hour, taken the lead in the two-horse race for Giannis, an absolute gut punch for the front office down in South Beach, I presume, who probably thought they had this, him, in the bag. Now, who knows if that was ever true: that the Celtics had “taken the lead.” Who knows where that reporting came from. What I do know is that the Bucks greatly benefited from that information getting out there…

Regardless, at that moment, Horst had masterfully engineered exactly what he needed: a bidding war. The Celtics—who reportedly intended to only offer Brown for Antetokounmpo in a one-for-one swap originally—added two firsts on top of the five-time All-Star, but apparently stopped short of including young guns Hugo Gonzales and/or Baylor Scheierman. The Heat responded by all but emptying their cupboard, relenting on Kasparas Jakucionis, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and a 2033 second-round pick.

So that was that. The final two offers were on the table, both improved and as good as they were going to get. There was smoke that the Bucks’ owners wanted a bona fide star back in the trade, which meant the Celtics were their preferred deal. It’s my stance that accepting such a deal—keeping a possibly (probably) disgruntled Brown in Milwaukee against his will just to sell tickets and stay relevant—would have been a bad choice, so I’m glad they chose the Heat deal. They made the correct, smart decision, in my opinion.  

That said, my personal preference was going with the Celtics’ offer, but not keeping Brown. Instead, I wanted to to send him to Portland in a three-way trade that would have sent Milwaukee’s picks (that they traded for Dame) back, along with more players and draft capital; who knows if that was truly an option (recent reporting of the Blazers’ continued interest in Brown indicates that it probably would have been).

Nevertheless, it’s really “six of one, half a dozen of the other” between that sort of theoretical transaction and the deal they accepted from the Heat. Given the circumstances, the Bucks got a solid return for a 31-year-old who, while certainly a generational superstar when he’s on the court, has dealt with mounting injury concerns.

This is where I need to give Jon Horst his flowers. All the flowers. As Zac so eloquently outlined in his own experience, the days leading up to the transaction were hell for me too (and, I can only assume, many other fans). My anxiety was through the roof as I woke up every day only to find out that they still had not struck a deal. I just wanted it all to be over. But Horst had a plan and executed it to a tee, remaining patient until he got what he wanted. Salute.

And not for nothing, but the Bucks GM also deserves major kudos for keeping Giannis off the court amid his pressure campaign to play late in the season. As I wrote about back in March, this trade package would have been significantly reduced if Horst had given in to Antetokounmpo and the two-time MVP had sustained a long-term injury.

I’ve also written about the other packages Milwaukee could have taken—from the trade deadline, and even what would have happened if Horst initiated talks last offseason—but I’ll leave that for a separate story.

The start of free agency is just hours away. While teams won’t be able to actually sign contracts until July 6th, they can start negotiating on June 30th, and there are a lot of interesting names both in the free agency pool and on the trade block. We’ve already had the massive Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami move, and there could be more coming.

The Spurs, coming off a Finals appearance in their return to the playoffs, might not go for a big splash, but they do have some roster spots to fill and some roles where they could use an upgrade or more experience. So let’s see what San Antonio needs, how it can get it, and what would make for a successful offseason.

Do the Spurs have cap space? How can they sign free agents?

The Spurs could technically carve up some minimal cap space, but in reality, they’ll act as an over-the-cap team. So what does that mean? Well, they’ll have the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception worth around $15 million at their disposal, as well as the bi-annual exception worth around $5.5 million since they didn’t use it last year. It should be enough to add some talent.

They will also be able to re-sign their own free agents if they have Bird rights to them without much concern, since they are well below the second apron. Whether they’ll have an interest in bringing most of them back is a different story, but there have been reports that they might try to keep Harrison Barnes. Currently, they have nine players under standard contracts, but that number will move to 11 once they sign their two first-round draft picks.

What about trades? Can the Spurs make something big happen?

The Spurs have young players, draft picks, and contracts large and small to make a big trade, but not without losing key contributors in the process. They had expendable expiring contracts last season, like Kelly Olynyk’s and Harrison Barnes’, to match salaries easily, but now to make a big move for an expensive player, they would have to include guys like Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and/or Luke Kornet, all of whom were in the rotation last year.

Does that mean there’s no chance a trade happens? Not really. Johnson and Kornet struggled in the playoffs, and despite their contributions in the regular season, the front office might consider them expendable. De’Aaron Fox also wasn’t at his best in the postseason, but Brian Wright has said the team remains committed to him. He’s also said he expects most of this group to be back, which likely means that while possible, a big move is unlikely.

What are the Spurs’ needs?

The Spurs have a strong foundation, but there’s one type of player that they are missing: a big forward who can shoot and also spend time as a small-ball center. Now, that type of player is extremely hard to find, and every team that doesn’t have one wants one, so there are not many available. Especially not proven playoff performers who could be had with the mid-level exception.

That said, San Antonio could still use someone who can fill one of the two roles. Among the available big forwards who can shoot, there are names like Tobias Harris, Sandro Mamukelashvili, John Collins, Saddiq Bey, and Rui Hachimura, among others, who will likely sign for mid-level exception money. The Spurs could also retain Barnes to fill that role or rely on the development of Carter Bryant.

Are there any Spurs-related rumors out there?

Unsurprisingly, the Spurs have been linked to a bunch of forwards, but there’s nothing concrete. They are reportedly “expected” to be interested in John Collins and Dean Wade, according to The Stein Line Mark Stein($) and HoopsHype Michael Scotto, respectively. Now, expected to be doesn’t mean they are, but they could be. Stein did say the Spurs are interested in Rui Hachimura, so that seems more of a report than speculation.

The Spurs were also linked to Kawhi Leonard by ESPN’s Bobby Marks and are reportedly one of the two franchises with which Leonard would sign an extension, with the other being the Raptors, according to Stein($). But while Toronto is reportedly interested in a reunion, there has been no news about whether San Antonio is. The answer, considering how badly things ended between franchise and player, is likely “no” even before considering the Clippers’ potentially high asking price.

What’s a realistic scenario for the Spurs in free agency?

Anything can happen in the NBA. We’ve seen signings and trades no one was expecting. But considering how good the Spurs were last season, the tools they have at their disposal to add talent and the few holes on the roster, it wouldn’t be surprising if this offseason is a quiet one for San Antonio.

As mentioned, getting a forward with size who can shoot is the biggest need for the Spurs. They will likely try to find someone using part of the entirety of the mid-level exception. Before the draft, getting a quality third big man seemed like a need, but after selecting two centers, including a seemingly NBA-ready big man in Tarris Reed Jr., it now seems like more of a luxury. Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to secure the services of either a shooting big man or a rim protector. If someone who can play is available, either with part of the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception, it would be smart to secure their services.

It’s hard to name the targets when there haven’t been many reports about who the Spurs want, but a successful offseason would be to get, say, Rui Hachimura and Larry Nance Jr., or John Collins and Simone Fontecchio, for example. While those specific players might not be available, as long as the Spurs add some shooting and size, the offseason would be a success. If they retain Barnes, adding a big man or a guard for cheap to round out their roster would likely be the play.

When does free agency start again? And how can I remain informed?

Teams can start negotiating with free agents on Tuesday, June 30th, at 5 p.m. CT. Make sure to visit Pounding the Rock for all your Spurs-related news and discussion.

Lately I have had several ideas about what piece I wanted to write next. For instance, is Ime Udoka this current Rockets’ version of Don Cheaney, Del Harris, Mark Jackson, or Tom Thibodeau? All guys who changed the trajectory of teams that would eventually become champions under the next head coach that took their place. Or is he Rudy Tomjanovich, Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, or Mike Brown… the coach who will see the Rockets through to the promised land? While I’d still love to debate that with you all in the comment section, I am saddened by the fact that this will be a different type of article. I am bidding you all farewell as a staff writer.

Two years ago, when former staff writer Lachard Binkley called me and asked if I would be interested in writing for The Dream Shake, I couldn’t believe it. At that time, I had been hosting my own Houston sports podcast for less than a year, and I had invited Lachard onto my show very early on and to my surprise he accepted. I had reached out to so many writers, radio hosts, podcasters, and content creators who all said no if they didn’t just flat put ignore me. Lachard however, responded to the very first message I sent him and was happy to come talk Rockets basketball with anyone who loves this team as much as he does. It felt so amazing for someone I had been looking up to and admiring his work from afar, to see me as his equal.

In my wildest dream I figured that Lachard would just become a regular guest on my show up until the point he moved on to bigger and better things. One day in July 2024 he called me and told me that he had gotten a gig writing for SI.com. Here is where I figured he’d be telling me that he no longer had time to make guest appearances on my show. But no… instead he asked me if I would be interested in replacing him on the writing staff at TDS. There was no way he was serious, not in my mind. Of all the people this man knows and has come across in the course of his career, he’s asking me? Why?

I’ll be honest. I’ve never actually asked Lachard that question. I did however thank him profusely and said, “Hell yeah I wanna write for The Dream Shake!” He encouraged me to slow my roll and informed me I’d still have to apply and get accepted, but he gave me Darren Yuvan’s number and said to give him a call. I immediately hung up and did just that. I left Darren a voicemail and told him that Lachard Binkley gave me his number. In my opinion other than perhaps Kelly Iko respectively… there is no bigger name drop for TDS. I was still in shock. Honestly, I wasn’t convinced that I would hear back from Darren for no other reason than as a show of respect for Lachard who contributed so much to this website. Perhaps Darren wasn’t too optimistic himself. After all, I had zero experience nor any formal training in writing. However, he did call me back and asked that I’d write something Rockets related and send it to him so he could better gauge my ability.

Earlier that month, the great Gene Peterson had just passed, and for my submission to Darren I chose to write a tribute to the man who helped me fall in love with Rockets basketball. I told the story of how when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to watch West Coast games because my bedtime was 9:00 pm. So, I would go in my room and hide under my bed with my clock radio turned down very low with my ear to the speaker and listen to Gene and Jim Foley call the games. From that little boy who would literally cry himself to sleep whenever the Rockets lost, to potentially writing for the iconic website named after my favorite players signature move. Talk about full circle.

You can guess the rest… but for the Spurs and Mavs fans who may stumble across this and have a hard time putting two and two together… I got the gig.

It has been a blast covering the Rockets these past two years, and even more fun to engage with my fellow Rockets fans and TDS faithful. Even the ones who think my takes suck and that I have no clue what I’m talking about. Those are actually my favorite! I wish I could continue but due to some health complications I’m dealing with I’ve decided that if I cannot give my all to make sure every piece of work I put out is the absolute best I can do, then I’d be cheating myself and more importantly it would be cheating all of you. Instead, I’m going to revert to being a part of this community as a fan, but I want to thank every one of you who took the time out of your day to give me a voice.

To Lachard Binkley, thank you so much for presenting me with the opportunity of a lifetime and thank you for always being just one of the guys despite your success. To my colleagues Xiane, Holly, Armin, Anthony, and James, you are all so very talented and your love for this team and this website jumps off of every piece you write. It’s been an honor to be in your company. Last but certainly not least to Darren Yuvan… sending you the message of my resignation is one of the toughest things I’ve done in some time. I hope you understand that I love this team and this website too much to let my pride get in the way. You, this site, and the fans deserve my best and I just haven’t been able to give that lately. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity of a lifetime. This isn’t goodbye, just farewell.

If this is how it ends — the shock over its suddenness and the divisiveness already emerging between fans ahead of the seemingly inevitable Jaylen Brown trade this summer could spark decades of debate.

Some of that could become resolved with answers in the near and long-term. But for now we’re left with: why?

A Jaylen Brown-for-Giannis Antetokounmpo swap, while itself an agonizing decision, would’ve at least garnered some understanding and patience from fans. Let’s see how it goes. For the die-hard Celtics fans, no Brown departure would come without enormous pain. For those more focused on the team’s success and appreciating Antetokounmpo’s all-time credentials, a trade would’ve symbolized new hope after a disappointing playoff loss.

But Giannis never came and, by most accounts, Brown will still leave this offseason. Brad Stevens, at times, spoke in the past tense about his gratitude toward the superstar he coached and helped develop from 2016-2021. When asked if Brown will be on the team next fall, Stevens left the door open to anything happening. And since, reports of the Celtics and numerous teams engaging in trade talks followed with limited push-back from the team. Brian Windhorst went as far as to state it plainly: the Celtics will trade Brown this offs.

“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens said last week. “The one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate. Great person to be around. Whether that run ends 10 years from now when he retires or before, there’s a lot to celebrate. We have a great relationship and an open relationship where we talk about everything. But I don’t want to predict the future.”

It’s unclear for what, exactly. As of Sunday, Michael Scotto cited the Nets, Blazers, Nuggets, Clippers, Hornets, Hornets and Hawks as teams that expressed interest. Many moved on. The Timberwolves and Celtics reportedly discussed a deal that would’ve sent Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert to Boston. Minnesota went with LaMelo Ball. Shams Charania pointed toward a Portland team I’ve also heard has had interest in Brown going back to the first Damian Lillard era there. Yet MassLive indicated Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan are off the table, to varying degrees. The Cavs haven’t shown interest in the Evan Mobley swap that Chris Mannix proposed.

Really? Jaylen’s available and the Celtics can’t dream of Clingan, Reid, or a Jalen Duren sign-and-trade? And Boston, given that market, hasn’t settled on simply retaining Brown with three years left on his contract?

We don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, and it’s clear the Antetokounmpo letdown and the perception of a disgruntled Brown following his near-ousting opened the floodgates of suitors hoping to land him for a minimal price. The Celtics counteracted that with their demand of four first-rounders, conveyed by Charania. Even if they land that, however, it’s hard to imagine the Celtics standing in a better position today with the players discussed and attainable in all these hypothetical deals. I thought someone put it well last week — Brown and Tatum have at least a punter’s chance at a title in this parity era. The returns we’re talking about would give Boston no chance.

Yet, again, we haven’t heard strong indication that Boston could simply settle to reuniting Brown and Tatum for 2026-27, a combination Stevens has long believed gives the Celtics a shot. Beyond that, Brown’s efficiency scoring inside the arc and getting to the free throw line more often would fit into Stevens’ desire to see more rim pressure from his offense.

The roster around them certainly deteriorated in recent years, to the point where Brown and Derrick White are the only paths to upgrading, or acquiring the assets to do so in the near future. That’s where the team deserves some criticism for a string of roster moves aimed at recovering the maximum salary and luxury tax relief, rather than the best basketball return. The Celtics have nothing to show for Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and Anfernee Simons, while Al Horford and Luke Kornet left in free agency.

Brown becoming the best option left to upgrade isn’t a good reason to trade him.

That’s where the Celtics stand, in a bad position of leverage despite Brown’s heroics in 2025-26. His MVP-caliber season should have positioned him at the peak of his value, whether to Boston or others. Nobody appears fixated on building around him. His exorbitant contract and new restrictive cap penalties certainly play a role in that. Even Antetokounmpo didn’t return one of the league’s most promising young players, depending on your feelings about Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis. Teams don’t want to move cost-controlled ascending players who could become stars in the near future. Especially with extension talks opening for Brown on July 26, potentially worth two-years and more than $140 million beginning in his mid-30s.

That’s a possible factor here, especially if the Celtics want to get ahead of that. ClutchPoints reported last week that Brown did not ask out of Boston, and Brown’s made no indication as much through limited-to-no commentary throughout the saga. In fact, shortly after the Celtics lost in the playoffs, Brown expressed a desire to play in Boston for the next decade. He’s made his love for the city known. Though, it’s certainly possible that all sides, through the candid talks between Brown, his agent and Boston last week, reached the conclusion of a break-up as the best path forward. That would tie together some of the questions we have regarding how this unfolded.

Many still wonder why, according to reports, Hugo González, Baylor Scheierman and more first-round picks became the hang-up in an Antetokounmpo deal. That headline put all of the team’s young players in a difficult position following promising steps in their careers. Could Boston at least have parted with some of them, especially knowing what uncertainty would follow with Brown? They also could’ve never entered Antetokounmpo talks knowing that Milwaukee could ask for that much.

If the Celtics simply pursued Antetokounmpo as one of numerous outlets to just move on from Brown, not additional players, that outcome becomes more understandable. It’s unclear, in that case, how they didn’t have alternative Brown trades prepared.

The Celtics might have misjudged Brown’s market, at least relative to their perceived value of him. And thus the increasingly toxic conversation surrounding him reached a new high following Bobby Marks’ note of where one analytics guy ranked Brown. Perhaps that debate yesterday, and the struggle to find value for Brown, serves as some reminder that Brown’s skillset, however flawed, might fit the Boston Celtics best. Through his ability to share responsibilities with Tatum, the knowledge of Boston’s staff to get the best out of him and his own motivation that he’s admitted has stemmed, in part, from slights he’s felt right within the building.

This could be the next one in an everlasting cycle if no trade pans out this offseason, certainly a possibility if low-ball offers continue. Still, this feels different from past Brown trade sagas. The Celtics, at least according to the reporting, have moved with more urgency to find the next possible destination than they have to indicate that they’re focused on moving forward in tandem with Brown. Of course, they might’ve already decided they’re past that point, which would leave a Brown departure all the more hard to swallow. And difficult to understand.

The question we’ll all ask, regardless of the outcome into July: how did it get to this point with one of the greatest players in franchise history? From Finals MVP to proof of performance as a top option to the centerpiece of an Antetokounmpo trade to … bring back whatever the best combination of future assets is?

I’ve never been more perplexed across my years covering this franchise.

“I’ll always keep our conversations private,” Stevens said. “Regardless of what the content of those conversations are like. I don’t love the fact anytime it’s a big public thing. As you know, we try to keep things as close the vest and quiet as possible, at the same time, knowing that the rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there is going to be a lot of noise out there. That’s why you also try to meet and be as upfront as possible. I can’t say enough good things about Jaylen, but I certainly am empathetic toward what that’s probably felt like.”

Sixers exercise team options for Barlow and Terry originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Monday exercised the team options for Dominick Barlow and Dalen Terry, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. 

The Athletic’s Tony Jones first reported the news. 

According to Spotrac, Barlow’s 2026-27 salary is approximately $3.4 million and Terry’s is approximately $2.6 million. 

Initially signed to a two-way contract last summer, Barlow inked a standard NBA deal in February. He appeared in 71 games, started 59, and averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 23.8 minutes per contest. 

“Super impactful,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Barlow after his team’s April 1 win over the Wizards. “Again, just tremendous effort at all times. Just doesn’t really make many mistakes. … You just don’t see him blowing too many switches. You don’t see him missing block-outs. He’s really reliable with the ball. … Just hard play and high IQ.”

Barlow shifted to the bench for his first NBA playoffs and played in nine of the Sixers’ 11 postseason games. The 23-year-old’s best personal moment was a good small-ball center stint in Game 2 of the Sixers’ second-round series with the Knicks. Over 16 minutes, Barlow posted six points on 3-for-3 shooting, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a tight loss without Joel Embiid at Madison Square Garden. 

The Sixers signed Terry to a two-way deal in February and converted him to a standard NBA contract in April.

The 23-year-old wing played 14 times for the Sixers in the regular season and averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. He was not part of the Sixers’ playoff rotation. 

The Sixers have declined Trendon Watford’s team option of $2.8 million, a source confirmed. The Athletic first reported the news.

That means the 25-year-old forward is set to hit unrestricted free agency. Teams can officially begin negotiations with all free agents starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.