Category: Sports News

Most of the time when we run these SB Nation Reacts polls at Canis Hoopus, I have a pretty good idea where the results are headed before the votes even start rolling in. It is a product of spending time in the comments section, and understanding the mood of Wolves Nation. There are certain questions where the answer feels almost preordained.

This week, though, I was caught a little off guard. Not necessarily by the winner, because the answer makes a painful amount of sense. What surprised me was the margin. We asked the Canis Hoopus faithful what the biggest thing standing between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the 2027 NBA title is, and the options were legitimate. We listed real, championship-level threats.

There was Oklahoma City, sitting there like the league’s fully weaponized basketball laboratory. The Thunder have the two-time league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a championship already tucked into their belt, a roster that plays with relentless intensity, and more assets than just about anyone else in the league to keep tinkering, adjusting, and improving. They are young, loaded, battle-tested, and somehow still positioned to get better.

There was San Antonio, the team that ended Minnesota’s season in the second round and then kept right on moving. The Spurs are the reigning Western Conference champions, led by Victor Wembanyama. He headlines a young core that is still learning, still growing, and already ahead of schedule. That is the scary part. The Spurs were not supposed to be this far along this quickly, and yet there they were, sending the Wolves home and announcing that their timeline may not care about anyone else’s plans.

And then there were the newly crowned NBA champion New York Knicks, who now stand at the top of the league with Minnesota’s former franchise star Karl-Anthony Towns and the impossible-to-rattle Jalen Brunson leading the way. The Knicks did what the Timberwolves could not do. They took down San Antonio convincingly in the NBA Finals, winning the title and putting an end to one of the longest droughts in professional sports. That team is not going anywhere either. They have toughness, identity, star power, and the kind of championship validation that turns confidence into something more dangerous. If the Wolves can claw their way through the Western Conference gauntlet, there is every chance New York could be waiting on the other side.

Those are three extremely legitimate answers. Any one of them would have made sense. You could have voted Thunder, Spurs, or Knicks and defended the choice without breaking a sweat. But according to Wolves fans, none of those teams represented the biggest threat to Minnesota’s title hopes.

Neither did injuries, which is a little remarkable considering injuries absolutely helped cripple the Wolves this past postseason. Anthony Edwards was dealing with two bad knees. Naz Reid had the shoulder issue. Ayo Dosunmu was slowed by the calf. And most significantly for next season, Donte DiVincenzo will be recovering from a ruptured Achilles, leaving a major question mark hanging over Minnesota’s rotation before the 2026-27 season even begins. Ant, Naz, and Ayo’s issues should theoretically improve with an offseason of rest and recovery. DiVincenzo’s injury is different. Donte is not walking through that door in October ready to pick up where he left off. Whether Wolves fans see him at all next season remains very much up in the air, and even if he does return, it is fair to wonder when he will look anything like the version of himself this team expected to have.

For those who have watched DiVincenzo closely over the last two seasons, his absence cannot simply be waved away. It is easy to look at his role statistically and convince yourself that Minnesota can paper over the loss with Dosunmu, more minutes for others, or some clever reshuffling from Chris Finch. But Donte’s value was never just the box score. It was the toughness. It was the willingness to dive across the floor for a loose ball in January. It was the hustle plays, the defensive pressure, the edge, the three-point shooting, and the little bursts of energy that helped raise the team’s temperature when things started to drift. Anyone who thinks losing that will not matter does not fully understand what he brought to this roster. Going to war without the Big Ragu puts the Wolves behind the eight ball before the first game has even tipped.

And still, even with all of that, the injury bug was not the top answer.

No, Canis Hoopus voters overwhelmingly declared that the biggest thing standing between the Timberwolves and the 2027 NBA title is the Timberwolves themselves. When I put that option in the poll, I will admit, it was at least partially tongue-in-cheek. But the more you sit with it, the more obvious it becomes that the answer was not a joke at all. It was probably the most accurate option on the board.

If you understand this roster, if you have watched the Wolves at their best, you know there is enough talent here to compete with anyone. That is what makes the frustration so intense. This is not a team trying to convince itself it belongs in the conversation. This is not a scrappy overachiever hoping to steal a round. The Timberwolves have a top-tier superstar, elite defenders, versatile bigs, real depth, and enough shot-making to run with the best teams in the league when everything is connected. They have already proven they can beat Denver. They have shown they can hang with Oklahoma City. They took games from San Antonio despite being compromised. The ceiling is not imaginary. We have seen it. That is why the floor stings so much.

It starts, of course, with Anthony Edwards. He will be 25 when next season tips off, right on the doorstep of his prime, and at some point the conversation has to shift from what Ant might become to what Ant is willing to demand from himself and everyone around him. He has been through multiple NBA seasons now. He has played in multiple long postseason runs. He has seen what happens when a team tries to flip the switch too late. He has felt the physical toll of getting to the Conference Finals and the emotional toll of coming up short when the path is sitting right there in front of you.

A fully mature, fully locked-in Anthony Edwards may very well be the most dangerous weapon the NBA has to offer. That is not hyperbole. When he combines his athleticism, shot-making, defensive force, playmaking growth, and competitive fire, there are very few players in the league who can match the total package. The question is whether that version shows up consistently over 82 games and four playoff rounds. Is next season the year Ant stops saving his highest engagement level for the biggest opponents and starts setting the tone every night? Is this the year he stops drifting into hero-ball possessions when the offense bogs down and instead learns how to manipulate the entire floor like the best postseason performers do? Has the pain of the last few playoff exits burned into him what it actually takes to win a championship, not just in moments, but as a daily standard?

That is the next step. Not another highlight. Not another fourth-quarter explosion that makes everyone remember why he is special. The next step is leadership through consistency. It is setting the temperature in November so the team is not scrambling to rediscover its identity in April. It is understanding that the regular season is not a chore to endure, but the place where habits are built. It is realizing that the great ones do not simply rise to the moment; they prepare so relentlessly that the moment has no choice but to meet them.

Then there is Julius Randle, assuming he remains on the roster. There may not be a more fascinating, maddening, and important swing piece on this team. When Randle is right, he gives Minnesota something it desperately needs: a second offensive force who can create his own shot, bully smaller defenders, punish mismatches, and draw attention that opens the floor for everyone else. Peak Julius is not some theoretical concept. We have seen it. There are nights when he looks like exactly the kind of co-star Edwards needs, a bruising, playmaking, downhill force who makes the Wolves more physical and more difficult to guard.

But the issue has never been whether Randle can reach that level. The issue is whether he can live there often enough. Can he get out of his own way? Can he avoid the moodiness, the inconsistency, the possessions where the ball sticks and the offense turns into a wrestling match against five defenders? Can he be the reliable second option this team needs rather than a nightly mystery box? The Wolves do not need Randle to be perfect. They need him to be dependable. They need the version that wears opponents down, rebounds with force, defends with engagement, and understands that his greatest value comes when he is not trying to prove everything on one possession.

Jaden McDaniels faces a different kind of challenge. We saw against Denver what it looks like when Jaden turns defense into a personal vendetta. There were stretches where he looked like he was trying to remove Jamal Murray from the concept of basketball. That version of McDaniels is terrifying. The question is whether he can bring that edge night after night over the long grind of the regular season. Can he turn that playoff defensive intensity into an 82-game reign of terror on opposing offenses? Can he pair it with enough offensive aggression to punish teams that ignore him, get to his spots, and avoid becoming a corner statue waiting for the occasional kick-out three?

That matters because the Wolves are not at their best when Jaden is simply a defensive specialist. They are at their best when he is a two-way problem. When he is defending the other team’s best perimeter player on one end and then attacking with confidence on the other, Minnesota’s ceiling rises dramatically. He does not need to become a 22-point-per-game scorer. He needs to be assertive enough that opponents cannot treat him like a passenger.

The broader question is whether the entire team can finally get off the roller coaster. That was the theme of last season, and frankly, of too many stretches before it. The Wolves would look like a championship team one night and then spend the next game wandering around aimlessly. They would build a lead, then act personally offended by the idea of maintaining it. They would put an opponent on the ropes and then inexplicably step back, allowing the other team to breathe, regroup, and punch back.

That cannot be who this team is if it wants to win a championship. The small plays have to become non-negotiable. Rebounds. Rotations. Closeouts. Free throws. Taking care of the ball. Not letting a 14-point lead become a two-point game because everyone decided to chuck threes and stop defending. Not treating lower-tier opponents like optional homework. If the Wolves want a top seed, and they should, it cannot be because someone tells them home court is important. It has to come from pride, from competitiveness, from the desire to build habits that survive the playoffs.

Because yes, the Wolves have proven they do not need a top seed to win a series. They have won on the road, they have won as underdogs, and they have survived hostile environments. But that does not mean seeding does not matter. It does not mean habits do not matter. It does not mean you can sleepwalk through half the regular season and assume the best version of yourself will magically appear when the lights get brighter. The postseason exposes whatever you have been all year. If you have spent six months cutting corners, eventually the bill comes due.

That is why the poll result hit harder than expected. Wolves fans are not saying Oklahoma City is not dangerous or that San Antonio is not terrifying. They are saying that the Timberwolves already have enough to make the fight real. They are saying this team’s greatest obstacle is not talent. It is execution. It is maturity. It is consistency. It is whether the Wolves can finally stop being their own worst enemy long enough to become the team they have teased us with for the last three years.

Tim Connelly can and should make tweaks. The point guard situation still needs attention. DiVincenzo’s absence creates a real hole. The roster can be sharpened. There are moves that could matter enormously. But this is not a team that needs to be saved from itself by one massive transaction. The bones of a contender are already here. The superstar is here. The defensive infrastructure is here. The playoff experience is here. The question is whether the lessons have actually sunk in.

So when the summer ends, when the standings reset, when the new uniforms are hanging in the locker room and the Wolves get another crack at this thing, we will find out what kind of team they want to be. Are they going to sleepwalk through the regular season again, bide their time, flip the switch when they feel like it, and hope April adrenaline can cover up six months of bad habits? Or are they going to show up from the opening tip and announce that something has changed? That they have grown up. That they have had enough of almost.

In the end, that is what stands between the Timberwolves and true title contention. Not SGA. Not Wembanyama. Not Brunson. Not even the injury gods, cruel as they can be. The biggest obstacle is the man in the mirror, the nightly choice between discipline and drift, between maturity and excuses, between being a team that talks about championship standards and one that actually lives them.

The Wolves have the talent to win the title.

Now they have to decide if they are willing to become the team that does.

The NBA season may be over, but FanDuel Sportsbook has you covered for all of your betting needs, including the NBA draft and 2026-27 season futures. Wolves +3300 for the title, anyone?

Remember when the Los Angeles Lakers hired former Duke star JJ Redick? There were a lot of people who predicted failure, that he had no experience, that they should have gone after a more established coach, say, Sam Cassell, or Kenny Atkinson, or UConn’s Dan Hurley, for whom they were ready to open the vault.

In the end, despite the controversy, they hired Redick, and he’s panned out pretty well.

In his first season, Redick won 50 games, and this past season, he won 53. In both seasons, the Lakers finished first in the Pacific Division.

His career record now stands at 164-103.

That’s all very impressive, but even more so when you consider that this team is in a long and slow transition. LeBron James is still an amazingly effective player at 41, and he works hard to maintain his presence, but he’s not the player he was a few years ago. He doesn’t work as hard on defense as he used to, and he’s not feared in the way he once was.

Ideally, this should be Luka Doncic’s team now, but Doncic has historically been poorly conditioned, and there are those who believe that, at 27, he may have already peaked.

When you get past those two, 29-year-old Austin Reaves is getting 34.5 minutes per game, then it’s Marcus Smart, who is 32, with 28.5 mpg. Rui Hachimura pulled 28.3, De’Andre Ayton is pulling 27.2, from former Demon Deacon Jake LaRavia handled 25.2 and former Blue Devil Luke Kennard, got 32.6 minutes.

Redick has done a tremendous job with a team handling what could be a difficult transition, and an uncertain future for both stars (James for age and Doncic, essentially for durability).

In one sense, the best thing for L.A. would be if James finished his career elsewhere. He’s making $52.6 million, while Doncic is getting $54.1. Additionally, Reaves will be a free agent, and while the Lakers would like to keep him, it will be difficult to keep three guys who all want big money. Who do you let go?

We’d argue for the guy who will be 42 next year. James has had a great career, but he’s going to be a free agent as well, and at this point in his career, the math is inexorable. They simply can’t pay him what they have. We could imagine him going to Dallas for a year to mentor Cooper Flagg, or perhaps the San Antonio Spurs for similar reasons, but to stay with L.A., he’d likely have to take a big pay cut.

The Lakers won’t pick in next week’s NBA Draft until the 25th pick, which could mean a shooter like Duke’s Isaiah Evans, or a risky pick like Jayden Quaintance or Koa Peat.

If James left, they would have a good bit of money to pursue free agents, like possibly Detroit’s Jalen Duren or former Blue Devil Gary Trent.

L.A. has always been a magnet for great players, and they could pull that off again via free agency. It’s just a question of the fit.

In other words, while Redick has done a tremendous job with the players he’s had, improvement for L.A. is going to be more on GM Rob Pelinka, who, to be kind, has a reputation for not being entirely straightforward.

It’s possible he could find some talent that slips through the draft, which could happen to former Blue Devil Maliq Brown, but L.A. has just one draft pick and not that many assets they could get a good return on. And given Pelinka’s reputation, that is even more complicated.

• Lakers News: JJ Redick Discusses Importance Of Adding Depth
• Lakers feel defensive concerns of Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves backcourt are overstated
• Lakers get major Dalton Knecht trade news after disappointing season
• Austin Reaves’ return to Los Angeles in jeopardy as multiple teams expected to take big swings
• JJ Redick’s successful second season leaves no doubt about his Lakers’ future
• Luka Doncic In Constant Contact With Rob Pelinka JJ Redick As Lakers Face Promised Summer Of 26 Roster Plan
• Austin Reaves’ Next Contract Could Have Massive Implications for LeBron James’ Future in Los Angeles
• Luka Dončić Tells The Los Angeles Lakers He Needs Shooters And A Rim-Protecting Center

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The 2026 NBA Draft will be immortalized for the four standout talents available at the top of the class. A.J. Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson are reportedly battling for the No. 1 overall pick until the very last second. For as good as those two players are, Cameron Boozer is the best player in the class in my view, and it isn’t really that close. Caleb Wilson’s statistical dominance and jaw-dropping athleticism turned this big three into a big four, and he appears to have the mentality required to reach his full potential.

The talent keeps coming after the first four picks, though there seems to be little consensus in the rest of the board. The draft really starts when the Los Angeles Clippers come on the clock with the No. 5 overall pick. The biggest points of curiosity will be in what order a loaded class of lead guards come off the board, and if Michigan can put three players in the lottery after winning the men’s college basketball national championship.

There are big changes from last week’s mock draft throughout the lottery with first-round just around the corner on Tuesday, June 23. Let’s dive into the movement from our previous projection after the table.

Here’s what’s changed since our last mock.

The Wizards go with A.J. Dybantsa over Darryn Peterson

It’s starting to feel like the public won’t know what the Washington Wizards are doing with the No. 1 overall pick until Adam Silver announces it. I had Darryn Peterson going first overall last week, but I’m flipping back to Dybantsa for a couple reasons. It feels like the Wizards would try to leverage Utah to trade up if they really wanted Peterson. There’s still time for that to happen, but there hasn’t been much smoke on a No. 1 for No. 2 trade the last few weeks. Dybantsa also feels like a cleaner fit in Washington’s projected lineup with Trae Young potentially signing a long-term deal this summer, plus last year’s No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson already installed at the two. Dybantsa also has fewer questions about his mental makeup than Peterson does after a bizarre freshman season at Kansas.

I’d take Cam Boozer with the first pick, and I lean Peterson over Dybantsa on my personal board, but it still feels like A.J. is the slight front-runner to go No. 1.

The Clippers select Keaton Wagler over Mikel Brown Jr.

Brown’s got a little bit of LaMelo Ball in him, and while that’s a compliment coming from me, it also carries some serious risk. The Louisville guard battled a bad back throughout his freshman year at just 19 years old, and his shot selection might make a head coach’s skin crawl early in his career. Brown also just isn’t a very good fit next to Darius Garland, because that backcourt would be too small and too vulnerable defensively. Wagler has a little more height on him after measuring 1.5 inches taller at the combine, and he also feels far less ball dominant than Brown entering the league, two factors that make him a better fit with Garland.

I like Brown a lot as a prospect for his pull-up three-point shooting ability, passing creativity, and dynamism going to the basket. He still feels a little too risky to be a top-5 pick.

The Thunder change their mind on Michigan big men

The Thunder need to try to find a Victor Wembanyama stopper in this draft, but they can go about a few different ways. Last week, I had Michigan center Aday Mara in this spot as a 7’3 center with a 9’9 standing reach who could be one of the few humans alive able to match Wemby’s length. After watching the NBA Finals, though, I’m more convinced that the best type of matchup for the Spurs superstar is a stronger and more athletic big man who wrestle him away from his spots and keep pressure on him by rolling hard to the rim and hitting the glass. Johnson checks those boxes even if he lacks ideal height for the matchup at 6’9 barefoot. I might be wrong, but I have a gut feeling the Thunder are going to prefer Johnson to Mara if both are on the board at No. 12 overall.

In this projection, Mara falls out of the lottery and into the waiting arms of the Chicago Bulls at No. 15 overall. New head coach Tiago Splitter could really use a young big man to help mold, and Mara would be ideal with a special intersection of size, passing, and footwork as he starts his tenure in Chicago.

Labaron Philon and Hannes Steinbach sneak into the lottery

I had Steinbach going No. 17 to Charlotte and Philon going No. 19 to Toronto last week, but that just feels a little low for both players. Steinbach is a pretty clear lottery-level talent in my eyes: his offensive rebounding is the sharpest skill in the draft after Cam Boozer’s processing, and soft hands and coordination on the move are also rare traits for someone with his size. I don’t see Steinbach as a defensive anchor, but he should thrive in the two-big looks that are back to the norm around the league.

Philon goes No. 13 to Miami in this projection, but it’s possible that pick ends up belonging to Milwaukee. The Bucks had Philon in for a workout, and he’d give them an element of shot creation they need after reaching for Nate Ament at No. 10 overall. The Bama also just feels like a lottery talent, so it’s hard to see him falling all the way to Toronto.

Leave your NBA Draft comments and questions below

I’ll respond to any inquiries in the comments. This draft is going to be a blast.

The news of Collin Gillespie signing a contract extension with the Phoenix Suns adds more to weeks of action in the NBA surrounding Villanova.

The New York Knicks are NBA champions with a trio of former Wildcats on the roster and now, Gillespie adds to the pot of money made from former Villanova greats.

The news broke on Saturday night of Gillespie’s new deal and it made one think, what are the contract situations of former Villanova players currently in the NBA?

Wildcats in the NBA

• Jalen Brunson: 4 years, $156.5 million with New York Knicks
• Mikal Bridges: 4 years, $150 million with New York Knicks
• Josh Hart: 4 years, $81 million with New York Knicks
• Collin Gillespie: 4 years, $48 million with Phoenix Suns
• Donte DiVincenzo: 4 years, $46.8 million with Minnesota Timberwolves
• Saddiq Bey: 3 years, $20 million with New Orleans Pelicans
• Cam Whitmore: 4 years, $15.6 million rookie deal with Washington Wizards

NOT MENTIONED: Kyle Lowry spent the last two plus years with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was rostered this past season but, while not official, shared his plans to sign a one-day deal to retire as a member of the Toronto Raptors. Lowry spent 20 years in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, and 76ers. According to Spotrac, Lowry earned $281.6 million during his career.

Jalen Brunson left $113 million on the table when he signed his extension in 2024. He wanted to give the Knicks flexiblity to keep the core together in hopes of winning championship. With that goal accomplished, Brunson is set up for a well-earned payday after the 2027-28 season. This extension could be upwards of $400 million over five years.

Brunson’s move allowed the Knicks to sign Mikal Bridges to a new four-year deal after he was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets. Donte DiVincenzo was another signing of the Knicks in free agency and made an impact for the team before being dealt to Minnesota in a deal that landed the Knicks Karl-Anthony Towns. He will enter the final year of his deal in 2026-27 and become a free agent at the end of the year.

Both Saddiq Bey and Cam Whitmore are also in the final years of their contracts. For Whitmore, it is the fourth year of his rookie deal. He was selected 20th overall in 2023. Bey is in the third year of his deal with the Pelicans.

Bey and Whitmore were part of the same trade that involved getting CJ McCollum out of New Orleans. In a three-team deal, Bey was sent to New Orleans from Washington while the Wizards brought in Whitmore.