Worldwide Sports News

Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs
Date: May 12th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CDT
Location: Frost Bank Center
Television Coverage: NBC, Peacock

After four games of chaos, blood pressure spikes, blown opportunities, sudden reversals, superstar theater, and at least one officiating decision that will be discussed in San Antonio like it was the Zapruder film, the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs are tied 2-2, staring down a Game 5 that feels like the hinge point of the entire Western Conference Semifinals.

This series has already been a full-blown emotional obstacle course. Game 1 gave us Anthony Edwards’ miraculous return and a Wolves team that had found just enough offense and defense to steal home court. Game 2 gave us the complete Minnesota meltdown, the kind of performance you bury in a field. Game 3 gave us Victor Wembanyama’s masterpiece. And then Game 4 gave us something even stranger: Wembanyama’s ejection, Anthony Edwards’ Michael Jordan-esque fourth quarter, and a Wolves win that was both exhilarating and wildly uncomfortable, which is the most Timberwolves way possible to tie a playoff series.

Game 4 was the kind of game that takes years off your life but somehow makes you feel more alive. For the first quarter and a half, up until Wembanyama’s exit, it was shaping up to be a classic. The Wolves had clearly responded to their Game 3 disappointment with more energy, more defensive discipline, and the kind of edge they needed with their season hovering dangerously close to the ledge. This looked like it was going to be a long, tense, physical fight with Wemby on the floor.

Then Wembanyama’s elbow flew through space, caught Naz Reid in the head and neck area, and changed everything.

Spurs fans are going to be salty about that Flagrant 2 for the next decade, and honestly, if the roles were reversed and Anthony Edwards had been tossed from that kind of game, Wolves Nation likely would have reacted similarly. It was a tricky situation. By the letter of the law, the ejection made sense. It was high contact, reckless, and dangerous. At the same time, Wembanyama is not exactly known as some dirty enforcer out there trying to collect heads like he’s in an old NHL rivalry series. He was being hounded aggressively by Naz and Jaden McDaniels, the stakes were enormous, emotions were high, and one bad swing of the arm suddenly became the defining moment of the night.

But once the call was made, Wemby was gone, and every Wolves fan had the same two thoughts hit at the exact same time.

The first: “We’re going to win this game.”

The second: “We’re absolutely going to screw this up.”

Because if you know this team, you know nothing is ever that simple. If this were some Tuesday night in February and the opponent’s best player got sent to the locker room, you could practically set your watch to the Wolves mentally relaxing, letting the intensity drop, and turning a golden opportunity into a maddeningly preventable loss. The fear wasn’t irrational. It was historical conditioning. Minnesota has trained its fans to treat good fortune like it might be a trap door.

What followed was a little bit of both. The Wolves did not fully coast, but they were not crisp either. They got sloppy. Turnovers squandered opportunities. Missed bunnies around the rim kept San Antonio alive. Defensive rotations arrived a half-beat late, and those half-beats became good looks for the Spurs. Rudy Gobert got outworked by Luke Kornet on a few possessions. Julius Randle had too many moments where he tried to bully his way through traffic and got his pocket picked. Pretty much everyone not named Anthony Edwards had stretches where they could have been cleaner, sharper, and more ruthless.

The monkey’s paw had curled. Minnesota got its wish and Wembanyama vanished from the game. But in his place came an unconscious De’Aaron Fox, who suddenly looked like he was playing mid-range basketball with a cheat code activated. He penetrated at will, pulled up in rhythm, and kept splashing shot after shot as the Wolves defense tried to find its footing. With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, San Antonio held an eight-point lead, and the game had become less about matchups and more about will. Who was going to blink first? Who was going to seize the moment? Who was going to decide that this game mattered too much to let it slip away?

That answer, finally and emphatically, was the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Terrence Shannon Jr. hit back-to-back clutch corner threes that changed the shape of the game. Those shots mattered not just because they put points on the board, but because they punished San Antonio for loading up on Edwards. For most of the night, the Spurs were determined to meet Ant with resistance the moment he crossed half court, throwing bodies at him, shrinking the floor, and daring someone else to beat them. Shannon made them pay. Suddenly, the Spurs could not treat every Edwards touch like a five-alarm fire without leaving themselves vulnerable elsewhere.

Jaden McDaniels kept hounding Fox until those clean mid-range looks started clanging off the rim. The Wolves bigs finally grabbed the boards that had to be grabbed. And Anthony Edwards, with Wembanyama sidelined and the season threatening to slip into a 3-1 hole, left absolutely no doubt about who the best player on the floor was.

That fourth quarter was signature Ant. It was the kind of forceful, assassin-like stretch that makes you understand why this franchise lives and dies with him. He put the team on his back. He attacked. He created. He bent the game around his presence. He did not have the advantage of being 7-foot-6 with a wingspan that looks like it requires FAA clearance, but he had something else: the competitive stubbornness to stare down the moment and refuse to let the Wolves lose.

Minnesota flipped an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead, which should have been enough to let everyone breathe. Naturally, it wasn’t. Because this is Wolves basketball, they still had to turn the final seconds into a stress test. The late inbounds turnover gave San Antonio life. Jaden McDaniels then had to uncork a Culpepper—to-Moss full-court pass, leaving Ayo Dosunmu and Fox fighting for possession like a wide receiver and cornerback on the final play of an NFC playoff game. The somehow ball nicked Ayo’s heel to stay inbounds, the clock bled down, and eventually the Wolves escaped with the win by the skin of their teeth.

If you left those 48 minutes feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, congratulations. You watched the same game the rest of us did. It was a heart attack and an aneurysm disguised as a basketball game.

And now comes Game 5 in San Antonio, where one team will seize control of this series and force the other to win two straight to survive. It is not technically a must-win for Minnesota, but let’s not deny the stakes. The winner of Game 5 will have a massive advantage. If the Wolves steal this one on the road, they come home to Target Center with a chance to end the series and crush a young Spurs team under the weight of its first true playoff crisis. If they lose, they are suddenly one defeat from elimination, needing to win Game 6 at home and then return to San Antonio for a Game 7 against Wembanyama, Fox, and a Spurs team that would be growing more confident by the hour.

So yes, this is a big one.

And with that, here are the keys to Game 5.

1. Keep Pushing Wembanyama to the Brink

The Wolves finally ratcheted up their physicality on Wembanyama in Game 4 after getting a bit too timid in Games 2 and 3, and it paid dividends in ways nobody could have predicted. No one was expecting McDaniels and Reid swarming him like gnats to eventually lead to a swinging elbow and an ejection, but the larger point remains: Minnesota made him uncomfortable. They put bodies on him. They crowded his space. They made him feel the game instead of letting him float through it.

The Wolves cannot allow Wembanyama to cruise into another stat-stuffing night like he did in Game 3. He is too good, too long, too disruptive, and too capable of reshaping the entire game on both ends if he gets comfortable. Minnesota needs to body him up, push him off his spots, fight him on the glass, and make every possession feel like work. This is not about being reckless or dirty. It is about making the series physically expensive.

Randle, Gobert, Naz, McDaniels all need to contribute to that effort. Every catch should come with pressure. Every rebound should come with contact. Every drive should come with bodies. The Spurs want Wembanyama to be the calm center of their universe. The Wolves need to make him play in traffic, make him absorb hits, and make him feel that this is a playoff war against a team that has been through too many battles to be intimidated by height alone.

Wembanyama is going to respond. Great players do. But the Wolves cannot let him dictate the terms. They need to impose their physical will and leave an unmistakable mark on Game 5.

2. Make San Antonio Pay for Loading Up on Edwards

San Antonio’s game plan is clear: Anthony Edwards must see bodies at all times. The Spurs are picking him up near half court, shading extra defenders toward him, and forcing him to operate in crowds. They understand that Edwards is the one player on Minnesota’s roster who can consistently flip a playoff game through sheer force of will, so they are doing everything they can to make his life miserable.

The Wolves need to punish that strategy with quick decisions and trust.

Game 4 gave them the template. When Shannon hit those back-to-back corner threes in the fourth quarter, it was a release valve. It forced San Antonio to pay a tax for overcommitting to Edwards. Suddenly, loading up on Ant was not cost-free. Suddenly, the Spurs had to think twice before collapsing three defenders into his driving lane. That is how Minnesota creates room for its superstar without asking him to play one-on-four.

Edwards has shown a Wolverine-like ability to heal and an almost supernatural capacity to make impossible athletic plays, but even he cannot simply bulldoze through a defense that is selling out to stop him. The smarter move is to use his gravity. Make the early pass. Trust the corner shooter. Reward the cutter. Keep the ball moving until San Antonio’s defense has to rotate, recover, and eventually break. Edwards has to play as the hub of the offense, not the entire offense. If the Spurs want to overload on him, his teammates need to make them regret it.

3. Win the Battle on the Boards

In a series this tight, the math matters. Rebounds are possessions. Possessions are chances. Chances are survival.

Minnesota has generally done a solid job contesting shots and securing boards, even with Wembanyama’s absurd height advantage lurking over everything. The Wolves do not have one player who can match Wemby’s size, but they do have more big bodies they can throw into the fight. This has to be a full-team rebounding effort.

The Wolves need to use that collective size and strength to clean the glass, deny San Antonio second-chance opportunities, and create high-percentage putbacks of their own. They cannot allow the Spurs to miss, recover, reset, and take another swing. San Antonio is already hard enough to guard the first time through. Giving them second and third looks is asking to get buried.

The defensive glass is especially critical because it also fuels Minnesota’s transition opportunities. When the Wolves rebound cleanly, they can run before Wembanyama gets set. They can get Edwards downhill. They can let Shannon use his first step. They can put pressure on San Antonio before the Spurs defense becomes a full Wemby-centered fortress.

Rebound, run, and make the Spurs defend before they are comfortable. That is how Minnesota tilts the possession battle in its favor.

4. Don’t Let the Spurs Kill You in Transition

When Minnesota gets its defense set, it can pressure San Antonio. The Wolves can rotate, wall off lanes, send help, and make the Spurs grind through possessions. But when San Antonio gets out and runs, the Wolves suddenly look much more vulnerable.

That has been one of the clearest swing factors in the series.

The Spurs want to turn misses and turnovers into speed. Fox is lethal when he can attack before the defense is organized. San Antonio’s young legs become a real weapon when Minnesota is retreating, cross-matched, and scrambling. Wembanyama running into unsettled possessions is a completely different problem than Wembanyama working against a set defense. Sprint back. Communicate. Match up. Do not admire missed shots. Do not complain to the refs while the Spurs are racing the other way.

A huge part of it is ball security. Careless turnovers are gasoline for San Antonio’s transition game, and Julius Randle, in particular, has to be better. He cannot keep getting his pocket picked while trying to post up and bully his way toward the rim. That happened too many times in Game 4, and if not for Edwards’ fourth-quarter heroics, it may have cost Minnesota the game.

Sloppiness has no place in Game 5. Not with the series hanging in the balance. Take care of the ball, get back on defense, and force San Antonio to beat you in the half court.

5. Anthony Edwards Needs to Elevate Again

It is a lot to ask of a player dealing with runner’s knee on one side and a hyperextension and bone bruise on the other, but the Wolves need apex Edwards as this series moves into Game 5.

This postseason has featured different Wolves stepping up at different moments. Jaden McDaniels dominated defensively and attacked the rim against Denver. Ayo Dosunmu delivered his 43-point masterpiece. Mike Conley entered the time machine and gave Minnesota critical stretches. Terrence Shannon Jr. has used his first step to create easy offense. Rudy Gobert has shouldered the massive burden of guarding Nikola Jokic and then Victor Wembanyama. Those performances have kept the Wolves alive while Edwards has battled through injury.

But Game 4’s fourth quarter reminded everyone where this team’s ceiling truly lives.

With Ant.

When things are going sideways, Edwards is the one player on the roster who can consistently grab control of the game and bend it back toward Minnesota. His shot has to ring true. His burst toward the rim has to be aggressive. He needs to draw contact, facilitate, and make the game revolve around him without devolving into stagnant isolation ball. The Wolves need surgical Ant who reads the defense, punishes the double, attacks the mismatch, trusts the open teammate, and then turns into a closer when the game demands it.

This series was billed as Wembanyama’s coming-out party. He was the Defensive Player of the Year and future MVP ushering the Spurs into a new era. But looming in the shadow of that giant is an Ant, smaller in stature but enormous in competitive force. He may not have Wemby’s physical dimensions, but he has the heart, the aggression, the determination, and the will to win that showed up when Minnesota needed it most in Game 4.

If the Wolves are going to win two of the next three and move on to another Western Conference Finals, Edwards has to keep elevating.

The Hinge Game

It is hard to overstate the importance of Game 5.

No, it is not technically a must-win, but in practical terms, it is the game that will decide the shape of the rest of the series. Whoever wins will hold a tremendous advantage. If San Antonio wins, Minnesota comes home facing elimination, needing to win two straight to save its season and keep alive the dream of a third consecutive Western Conference Finals. If the Wolves win, the pressure flips violently onto the Spurs, who would have to walk into Target Center and survive a Game 6 with their season on the line.

That is the difference between control and desperation.

San Antonio will be angry. They will be motivated. Wembanyama will almost certainly come out with something to prove after the ejection. Fox will believe he has found something after his heater. The Spurs will be at home, energized, and fully aware that this is their chance to reclaim the series. Minnesota has to match that intensity from the opening tip.

This has been a long, difficult hunt. Both teams have taken their swipes. Both have drawn blood. Both have shown they can hurt the other. Now one of them gets the chance to step on the other’s neck and set up a kill shot in Game 6.

The Wolves need to make sure that shot belongs to them.

That means physicality on Wembanyama. Trust and ball movement. Dominance on the glass. Discipline in transition. And, when the moment gets tight, Ant-Man rising again to remind everyone that this team’s title dreams still run through him.

Game 5 is where the series swings.

The Wolves survived Game 4.

Now they need to seize control.

After going 13-15 across December and January, the Mavs completely spun out in February, all but spelling the end of their season. Losing felt like it would bring longer term value than winning and there was little to get excited about night-to-night. Then, as he had done many times throughout his rookie campaign, Cooper Flagg came to the rescue with a Rookie of the Year effort that kept things interesting through the final day of the Mavs’ season.

March/April Record: 5-18 (26-56 overall)

March began with a single home game, followed by one of the longest road trips in recent memory. Once again, the Mavs came into the month on a losing streak and tacked on six more losses to bring the overall skid to eight. Not quite as bad as the 10-game slide bridging January to February, but a combined 18 losses across those two streaks was devastating. For perspective, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost 18 games across the entire season. Dallas lost four-of-six contests in April, but walked away with a win in game 82 against the Chicago Bulls. This outcome pulled them into a tie with the New Orleans Pelicans, to whom they subsequently lost a coin flip for worse draft standing.

Six game road trip

Beginning March 3, the Mavs embarked on a six-game trek. Dallas was not a good road team (10-30 record) so six road games in 10 nights was not what they needed. Dallas finished the trip going 1-5, with the sole victory coming in the final game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The final two months of the season saw Dallas play 23 road games to only nine at home. The early home cooking had to give way at some point, and this was the time.

Cooper Flagg pours in 51

Flagg sat out eight-straight games from February 12 to March 3, and when he returned, his previously tight grip on the Rookie of the Year award had loosened in the eyes of many media pundits. Kon Knueppel, Flagg’s former college teammate, had made a push while the spotlight was solely focused on him, so Flagg needed to lock in to finish strong. He turned it on at just the right time. In Dallas’ first game of April, he dropped 51 points on the Orlando Magic. This outstanding performance came on 19-for-30 shooting overall, including 6-for-9 from downtown and 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Flagg also had six boards, three assists, three steals, and a block. As an encore, he scored 45 points in the very next game.

Rookie of the Year

By April 27, the Mavericks’ season was already over. 82 games were in the books and Dallas would be watching the Playoffs instead of participating in them. Still, there was one outcome yet to be determined – Rookie of the Year. Flagg added a silver lining for Mavs’ fans by netting 56 first place votes to Knueppel’s 44, winning the award with 412 points which was good for a 26 point margin of victory. Flagg put together an amazing rookie year and left the 2025-2026 season with a reminder that he is only going to get better as the face of the franchise going forward.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a season of genuine highs and lows. On one hand, the franchise made the postseason just a year after winning only 24 games and pulled off an upset of the rival Boston Celtics. The highs didn’t last long, though. They flamed out in four games to the New York Knicks, and yet again, several key players missed long stretches of the season.

Now, fresh off another early exit, the franchise will likely look to this summer to reshuffle the deck. Their financial flexibility hinges on what they do with several key free agents, but they also enter the draft armed with the 22nd pick. The Sixers have miscalculated on several fronts over the years, but the draft has been the most consistent bright spot of the Daryl Morey era.

This draft offers real opportunities to land a player who can not only develop long-term, but contribute immediately. So what exactly do the Sixers need after such an aggressive flameout?

First and foremost, this team simply needs players. Guys who can be on the floor when it matters and hang on both ends. Every prospect is different, and while draft discourse often centers on some version of Fit vs. Talent, especially in the back half of the first round, fit isn’t the priority here. Whoever the Sixers select at 22, whether they trade up, down or stay put, will likely come down to best available. Their lack of depth showed up in the worst ways during their biggest moments, and there’s no shortage of talent they need to add.

The Sixers struggled most in two areas: shooting and rebounding. In the regular season, Philadelphia ranked a measly 23rd in three-point percentage at 34.9 percent. Only two playoff teams shot worse, with Orlando at 27th and Portland at 28th, both at 34.3 percent. Volume wasn’t much better, as the Sixers ranked 22nd in three-point makes. Their rebounding sat firmly middle of the pack at 17th in the league, a problem that compounded in the postseason when they faced the Celtics and Knicks, who ranked third and seventh in rebounding, respectively.

Fortunately, several names in this draft fit the bill on both fronts and can fill either or possibly both needs at once.

If the Sixers were to trade up into the late lottery, players such as Yaxel Lendeborg, Hannes Steinbach and Aday Mara would likely be available and present intriguing options to varying degrees. All three boast a legitimate frame over 6-foot-9 and are capable rebounders with complementary skills.

Lendeborg, despite being considerably older than most prospects, brings a real level of NBA readiness and might be this draft’s best connector, a Swiss army knife who can slot in between talent. Steinbach might be this draft’s best rebounder, and pairs serious post skills and efficient interior work with a high-IQ feel for the game. Mara, meanwhile, has serious skill for a big, with a soft touch, an advanced passing game, and the kind of post-centric offensive game teams can never seem to get enough of. He’s also 7-foot-3, and you simply cannot teach size.

All three bigs should be available anywhere from the 10th pick into the teens. This draft has real depth, however, and there are plenty of other names, and specifically positions, that the Sixers should weigh at 22 and the picks leading up to it.

Karim Lopez, a Mexican forward from the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL, is a high-upside name with a legitimate frame at 6-foot-8 with a 7-1 wingspan to go along with it. Lopez fits the bill as a high-motor, versatile player capable of not only feasting on the glass but pushing the ball up the floor in grab-and-go situations. There is no shortage of refined forwards leading into the 20s either, with names such as Allen Graves, Isaiah Evans, Morez Johnson Jr. and Dailyn Swain all presenting intriguing options with varying skillsets.

Graves in particular gives off shades of Naz Reid or former Sixer Nic Batum. He is a skilled forward who has proven he can stretch the floor, pass effectively, and rebound well as a connective piece. Evans has shown an ability as a microwave scorer, with a quick release and the capability to knock down shots from range. If the Sixers are looking for offensive upside at the forward position, he is a name that could grow in popularity for a team with a longer-view type of selection in mind.

Johnson is a physically imposing forward who can even run some small-ball five, boasting a high motor, elite rebounding ability, and defensive switchability. If the Sixers are looking for a plug-and-play forward to put next to Embiid and shore up their rebounding problem, it is hard to find a better Day 1 name than Johnson, especially if you believe in his ability to grow his offense. Swain presents athleticism and wing versatility, making his mark as an elite slasher with potentially untapped playmaking ability that could slot in well next to Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

Every draft cycle brings the same chorus of calls for teams to prioritize shooting from day one, and this one will be no different. Despite being a personal skeptic, nobody can doubt Chris Cenac Jr.’s ability to knock down shots from range, especially considering his legitimate big man frame at 6-foot-11.

Stepping away from forwards and bigs, a handful of guards are projected to go in the late lottery and into the teens. One name widely expected to be available heading into the late teens is Baylor’s Cameron Carr, who brings legitimate athleticism alongside his 6-foot-5 frame and 7-2 wingspan. He has shown scoring and shooting growth, presenting a solid foundation as a coveted 3-and-D wing with legitimate rim protection skills at the guard spot. Carr and Edgecombe could form an excellent Baylor Bear duo, giving the Sixers two guards who are above-average rim protectors, a genuine rarity in the NBA.

It’s hard to predict what will happen or who will be available more than a month out, but there is no shortage of names who would help the Sixers and bolster their growing youth movement. Whether they trade up, trade down or stay put at 22, the Sixers will have options.

Stick a fork in them, the Lakers are finally done. 

The reigning champion Thunder held off a late rally to sweep the Western Conference semifinals series on Monday night, 115-110. 

Anybody with two functioning pairs of eyes could see the gap between these two teams. The Thunder are the epitome of modern basketball. They are young, athletic, and deep. 

The Lakers, well, they were held together by a 41-year-old and still elite LeBron James, adrenaline and duct tape. 

Now that it’s over, uncertainty hangs over the Lakers like a dark cloud.

In a few short weeks it will be the offseason, and with it, comes decisions that could define the next decade of Lakers basketball.

So without further ado here are the five most important questions the Lakers will have to face this offseason:

1.) What is LeBron James going to do?

This isn’t just the biggest Lakers question. It’s the biggest in the NBA universe.

James is a free agent and can sign with any team. At 41 years old, he could also decide to retire.

After the game, James was asked about his future, and he reflected on his 23rd season as a whole.

He talked about missing the first six weeks of the season. He talked about the process, early practices, and pregame routines. He talked about becoming the third option. The preparation. The sacrifice. His family. His daughter. His wife. His sons.

His comments didn’t sound like a retirement announcement. But it also didn’t sound like a player who was fully convinced he wanted to keep doing this. 

“I don’t know,” James said when asked if he was going to retire or keep playing. 

That means the Lakers are stuck in limbo until he decides. 

If LeBron does retire, the Lakers can begin to plan his jersey retirement as they build a roster around Luka Doncic. 

If he decides to return for a 24th season, the question becomes whether the Lakers and LeBron can compete for a title together in the brutal Western Conference. Does he return to LA? Or take his talents to another team?

2.) What do you do with Austin Reaves?

This is where emotion and business collide. 

Since signing as an undrafted free agent, Reaves has become one of the best development stories in Lakers franchise history. 

Reaves has a player option for around $14.5 million next season that he will almost certainly decline. He is eligible for a five-year, $241 to $246 million max deal.

But do the Lakers give it to him?

That kind of money is allotted for superstars and franchise cornerstones. Reaves hasn’t even made an All-Star team. Investing in Reaves means you’re investing in a tag-team partnership between him and Doncic.

Is Reaves really the best player to pair with Doncic?

Both players need the ball and neither is an elite defender. But the Lakers could get sentimental.

Maybe another team like the Jazz, Bulls, or Nets fall in love with Reaves and force the Lakers’ hand. Or maybe there’s other teams that could be involved in sign-and-trade scenarios.

Either way, the negotiations with Reaves will quietly shape the next five years of the franchise. 

3.) Should the Lakers chase another superstar?

This one is more fascinating because this is what the Lakers do. They collect stars like Thanos collects infinity stones. 

There’s going to be plenty of names floating through NBA circles like smoke: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kevin Durant. Zion Williamson. Ja Morant. Donovan Mitchell. Or maybe a reunion with Anthony Davis.

But the question for the Lakers shouldn’t just be about whether or not to chase another star, it should be about whether or not that’s the right way to build a roster to beat the Thunder. 

OKC didn’t sweep the Lakers because they have a handful of transcendent superstars. They overwhelmed the Lakers because they had waves upon waves of depth. 

Unfortunately, the era of simply stacking names and printing championships feels increasingly outdated. The Lakers don’t necessarily need another superstar. They need a roster to compete with OKC.

4.) What do you do with the rest of your free agents?

This is where the offseason becomes complicated fast.

Rui Hachimura played himself into serious money. Luke Kennard can still shoot the leather off the basketball. Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart have player options. Jaxson Hayes remains intriguing despite inconsistency.

The Lakers will have a lot of cap flexibility once free agency starts, but many of the best players available will be their own free agents. Do you bring back Kennard? Hachimura? Let them walk?

There will be a lot of smaller roster decisions the Lakers will have to make soon.

5.) What does new ownership want this franchise to become?

Mark Walter did not buy the Lakers to maintain the status quo.

Owners who spend billions arrive with ambition, vision, and ego. 

Walter already transformed the Dodgers into the gold standard of modern sports ownership. Data-driven. Aggressive. Ruthless when necessary.

So what does he do to the Lakers this offseason?

Does he empower Rob Pelinka? Does he replace him? Does he bring a president of basketball operations of his own choosing? He’s already started to restructure the front office and more moves seem inevitable. 

The Lakers aren’t just entering an offseason. They’re entering a new era under Walter’s ownership. 

And how they answer these five questions will determine whether or not Luka Doncic spends the prime of his career competing for championships or being the star of a lackluster version of the Lake Show.

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If there’s one question that has captured the attention of Celtics fans and the greater NBA this month, it has been this one (see title). So I thought I’d pose it to the writers of your favorite Celtics site. Here’s what the staff came up with.

Ian Inangelo

I don’t think I would trade Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo and I don’t think it happens. Brown is at the peak of his value right now after having a First-Team All-NBA level season and it could be smart for the Celtics to sell high on him right now. Giannis is one of the few players in the NBA that I would be willing to trade Jaylen Brown for just because of how talented he is and I think a lineup of Tatum at the 4 and Giannis at the 5 would be an incredibly overpowered duo.

However, for as much as I love the idea of Tatum and Giannis on the floor together, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Brown and Tatum have built in chemistry with years of playing together that could take time to develop with Giannis. Giannis is also on a 1-year deal so Boston would have to give him an extension and the Celtics could be in the same place they are now cap wise with two max contracts and not a lot of depth.

In my mind though, I just don’t think this move happens unless Brown comes out and requests a trade on his own accord. I feel like he’s so intertwined with the city of Boston and the culture of the Celtics that Brad Stevens would only move him if it was a mutual decision. But maybe I’m wrong, Stevens has shown in the past he doesn’t make deals off of emotion (i.e. Marcus Smart) so if its the right decision to improve this Celtics team I think they would trade Brown.

Mark Aboyoun

No. I think we’re being a little too emotional after the elimination. Jaylen hasn’t helped his standing with some poorly timed streams, but trading Brown isn’t the answer, even if it’s for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
When Brown and Tatum are both healthy, they’ve proven they’re good enough to win a lot of games together, including a championship. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and I don’t think this situation is dead enough to justify moving on from him.

Grant Burfeind

Why does this feel like I’m being asked whether I’d trade my childhood home for a mansion? You’ve made fun of the mansion for years. Scoffed at it as you walked by. A saltwater pool and a hot tub? Tacky much? But then a real estate agent comes knocking and says, with your childhood home and a few other assets, the mansion could be yours. You’d be ridiculous not to consider it, but the childhood home has brought you memories and joy to last a lifetime. You don’t just shrug that off because the other place has a nicer kitchen.

Okay, I’ve taken this analogy as far as it can go. Back to basketball. I love Jaylen, and there are maybe nine or ten players in the world I’d even consider moving him for. Giannis is one of them. My general trade philosophy is a popular one: in a superstar deal, I want to walk away with the best player. At his best, Giannis is the best player in any realistic version of this conversation.

It would hurt. Brown was the Finals MVP of Banner 18, just had an MVP-caliber season and has become part of the fabric of this era of Celtics basketball. But if Brad Stevens is serious about finding more rim pressure like he said in his end-of-season presser, Giannis is the final boss version of that idea. I tried to rearrange the letters in “we need a gosh darn rim attacker” into Giannis Antetokounmpo and got nowhere, but spiritually, it checks out. Pairing Giannis’ rim-pulverizing, transition-wrecking force with Tatum’s smoother, jazz-like offensive skillset would give Boston a different ceiling than the Tatum-Brown pairing, as painful as that is to admit.

So yes, I’d do it if the framework is Brown plus a couple first rounders (I’m not trying to lose any other pieces this summer if JB is leaving in this hypothetical), especially if the alternative is watching Giannis land with another East contender. The injury concerns are fair, but fear of what might go wrong can’t outweigh the chance to add one of the 75 greatest players ever while Tatum is still in his prime. I wouldn’t trade Jaylen just because the playoffs ended badly. I wouldn’t trade him for a collection of solid role players. But I’d trade him for Giannis.

And for those wondering what you can spell with all the letters of the Greek Freak’s name: “To tie a sunk moon: no gain.” Let that sink in.

Rich Jensen

We’re herd animals, and once there’s a sufficient level of buzz around, say, buying a pet rock, people stop talking about how stupid the idea is, and start talking about what they’ve named their pet rock.

But that doesn’t change the fact that buying a pet rock is stupid.

So it goes with the sudden flood of Jaylen-Giannis trade speculation. Talk of various trade packages has saturated the air so much so that people have seemingly stopped looking closely at where Giannis is at this point in his career, and are exclusively focused on what trade packages for him should look like. The unspoken assumption is ‘well of course, you’d trade for Giannis.’

There are real concerns with Giannis. He missed 46 games last season with a variety of injuries, he seems to have developed a bit of an attitude problem, and I have questions about how well he’d fit on the Celtics.

That’s what I’m focused on, and for that reason, I don’t think dealing for Giannis is the right move for Boston.

Mike Dynon 

No, I wouldn’t make that trade. There are the obvious reasons: Giannis’ age (31, vs. Jaylen, 29); his many injuries in recent years; and the fact that even with Giannis on the roster, the Bucks haven’t won a single playoff series in the past four seasons.

So let’s focus on a different reason: How the Celtics are perceived across the league. It wasn’t too long ago that Isaiah Thomas had that heroic season in which he was top-five in MVP voting, persevered through the death of his sister just as the playoffs began, and led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals. At that point, a hip injury ended his season – and then he was traded to Cleveland during the summer.

The Celtics franchise was widely criticized as being untrustworthy, doing wrong to a player who had given his all for Boston. Soon after, the father of superstar Anthony Davis used that episode as the reason his son – who then was trying to force a trade out of New Orleans – would not consider Boston as a potential destination. It was a bad look for a franchise that honestly has never been a magnet for available talent.

Now, after the All-NBA season of leadership that Jaylen just delivered, trading him could harm the “Different Here” Celtics’ culture. Critics (logical or not, there are always critics) could again question the loyalty of the franchise. Some might say that’s superficial, but the Davis episode demonstrated the real consequences. Plus, the actual splitting up of the Jays would let all the hot-takers win, and I’m too stubborn to accept that. Jaylen says he wants to play in Boston for another 10 years, and I believe him. Let’s make that happen. 

Jack Anderson

I would trade Jaylen for Giannis. I think what the Sixers series and then Knicks sweep of the Sixers showed us is that the Celtics aren’t good enough as it. Brad Stevens even said so in his press conference.

This is Giannis Antetokounmpo, man. He makes you better than Jaylen Brown makes you. I love JB, he is an awesome player and he and Tatum have had awesome results.

However, the Celtics have to get better, the window is open as long as Jayson Tatum is Jayson Tatum. You have to strike when given the chance.

Trading Jaylen would be sad and I wouldn’t deal him if Antetokounmpo isn’t an option. Yet, if Giannis is an option, I think Boston needs to strike.

Nirav Barman

If I had it my way, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would be Celtics for the entirety of their careers. At this point, I don’t see any realistic trades that would make me change my mind on that, including trading JB for Giannis. Giannis is the better player – you won’t find any argument from me on that. That being said, big swings like this don’t always yield the expected results.

Giannis, as exceptional as he is, hasn’t had a fully healthy playoff run since 2022. In fact, he’s only played 8 total playoff games since then, 3 in ’23 and 5 in ’25. Playing as physical of a game as Giannis does, and that too as a freak athlete of a near 7-footer, is bound to have some harsh wear and tear over the course of a season, and over the course of a career. He will be 32 next year, He will also be expecting a contract extension while making $58.5M in 26-27 and holding a $62.8M player option in 27-28. The extension would probably be in the range of $65M-70M per year going into his year 36 season. That’s a hell of a gamble to take.

More than Giannis, I think Jaylen’s value on the Celtics is severely understated. We’re talking about trading the longest-tenured player on the team. The guy who has made enormous efforts to take his team to new heights, while also making his mark on the city of Boston off the court. He studied his teammates’ birth signs to learn how to better communicate with them. He takes accountability after each loss, and takes every opportunity to uplift his teammates, whether that be praise or direct coaching. He has made his commitment to the team and its success very clear.

We already know Jaylen fits into the Celtics, including right next to Tatum, who Boston is most definitely focused on building around. Why break up a good thing when you don’t need to? The Celtics over-achieved this season, and fell due to some inefficiency and a lack of experienced depth, or at least a lack of willingness to use it. They can get back to serious contention by tinkering around the edges instead of making drastic changes.

I say no JB for Giannis trade. 

Robby Fletcher

As tempting as the prospect of a Giannis-Tatum pairing is, I still don’t see a reason for Boston to break up the Jays. Maybe there’s a time to consider a trade as seismic as that, but I definitely don’t think we’re there yet.

The play of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum this postseason was not my primary concern after the 3-1 collapse to the 76ers, and I don’t think it’s Brad Stevens’ either. We’ve seen a range of extreme highs and stunning lows with Brown and Tatum leading the way, but we know the right supporting cast automatically makes them a contender together in the East.

True, the needs of this current roster align with what Giannis presents: a stronger two-way presence inside the paint. But I don’t anticipate Boston taking that big of a swing to address it. With some wiggle room to evade the repeater tax, along with draft assets and tradeable contracts to work with, the Celtics can still be active this offseason to improve what’s already a pretty promising roster.

I’m mostly expecting a similar core outside of a few new additions in the middle of the rotation. Pair that with a healthy Tatum ready for opening night, and Boston still looks like a legitimate contender entering next season.

A trade notification involving Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo would immediately enter the conversation as one of the most franchise-shifting deals in Celtics history. Do I expect this offseason to produce that reality? Probably not. But it’s intriguing to think about. We’ve seen plenty of summer trade rumors surrounding JB over the years. I’m ready to add this one to the file.

Ryan Paice

As much as it would hurt, I would trade JB for Giannis — if there is some kind of guarantee that he signs an extension to stay in Boston long term. The Greek Freak’s current contract is only guaranteed through the 2026-27 season, as he has a player option for 2027-28 that he will likely decline to seek what could be his last max contract. If the Lakers or Heat play it right, they could have max slots open to sign him when that happens and — no matter how much I think Giannis would like playing in Boston — the pull of LA and Miami on free agents is too strong to ignore when considering moves like this. So, if the Celtics are going to part with their 2024 Finals MVP to get Giannis, Brad better make sure that he’s staying in Boston when his current contract expires.

Cost-wise, I think the C’s can and should do whatever it takes to facilitate a JB for Giannis swap as long as the deal does not exhaust the team’s flexibility moving forward. JB, Max Shulga and a pair of first round picks would work for me. Boston would be able to maintain its shooting depth (as opposed to the White/Hauser/Pritchard idea) and keep a FRP to potentially add onto the newly souped-up core. Despite the fact that Giannis would definitely see time as a 5 under Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics may still need another center — hopefully one who can wrestle with trees like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic — so maintaining assets for such a deal is important.

Overall, the potential in trading for Giannis is just too high to pass up on, even if that means trading one of my favorite players of the last decade. He’d add a much needed interior scoring dynamic, bolster Boston’s defense and make the team an instant title favorite. What more could you ask for?

Jeff Clark

Admittedly, I go back and forth on this topic daily. I would like to say that my final stance is that I would not do it because I want Jaylen to retire a Celtic (but if it happened I would talk myself into it in about .034 seconds). But I don’t think it is that simple.

Sure, we’ve seen Jayson and Jaylen win a title together, so we know that formula can and does work. We’ve also seen them get bounced pretty early in 3 of the last 4 playoffs. So maybe the formula is a little more unstable than we’d like to believe. I very much trust Joe Mazzulla and his system, but also recognize that he’s not flawless and has some work to do on his own game. I think Brad Stevens has a good feel for what this team needs and he thinks we need to put more pressure on the rim. Perhaps that can be accomplished with a focus on play style and a few interchanged pieces. However, it is hard to deny that adding Giannis to a roster with Tatum (who can play with anyone) would unlock a lot of what Brad is trying to accomplish.

The freak sized caveat is “if he’s healthy.” The leg injuries should scare anyone considering this investment. Are we just signing up for the death rattle of his career? Or are the next few years of his prime worth the risk? Can we count on a KG type of impact? Or is it more of a Kemba Walker situation?

Ultimately if I had to choose, I would say I do want to trade for Giannis (but if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be perfectly happy keeping Jaylen). It is a gamble, but fortune favors the bold. Unless it doesn’t. You can see now why I’m a blogger, flip flopping my opinion even in the course of writing one down, and not the GM of our favorite team.

So now the question goes to you fine folks. Would you trade Jaylen for Giannis?