Worldwide Sports News

There's never a right time to say goodbye because it's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

After eight seasons, one NBA title and countless of memories, the Los Angeles Lakers are saying farewell to LeBron James, who opted to gauge interest in the free agency market.

ESPN insider Shams Charania reported the Lakers had interest in bringing him back, but James did not reciprocate that sentiment. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told Charania that James informed the Lakers that the organization can move on without him, deciding to play his 24th season elsewhere.

Lakers president and governor Jeannie Buss released a farewell statement in a tribute to James and his tenure in Los Angeles.

"LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history. We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers – including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold. We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Laker family," Buss wrote.

NBA superstar LeBron James is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and will continue his career with another team.

James, 41, has spent the past eight seasons with the Lakers and helped the franchise win the 2020 NBA title.

He has played alongside his son Bronny, 21, since 2024.

Media reports suggest the league's all-time leading scorer is a target for the Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers said: "LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history.

"We will always be grateful for his eight years with the Lakers - including the title he led us to in 2020, under the most difficult circumstances imaginable, and the countless records he broke in purple and gold.

"We wish him the best in his future, both on and off the court. He will always be a cherished member of the Lakers family."

James responded on social media, writing, "No, THANK YOU!"

He said it was "truly a honor" to wear the purple and gold while trying to continue "the greatness & legacies that came before me!"

"Hope I made a few proud during my stint," he added.

James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds this season with the Lakers. The 22-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion is the all-time leader in games (1,622) and points (43,440).

He was selected with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft ⁠by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, where he spent seven seasons before announcing during a live TV special titled 'The Decision' that he was leaving for the Miami Heat.

James then ​returned to Cleveland and in 2016 rallied the team from a ‌3-1 series deficit in the NBA ⁠Finals to stun Golden State and make good on his promise ⁠to deliver the Cavaliers their first championship.

He helped the Lakers win the NBA title in 2020, nine months after legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash.

According to team sources who spoke to The Athletic on Monday, Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has activated his $25 million player option for the 2026–27 campaign. He signed a three-year, $130 million contract to join the Rockets in 2023, then in the summer of 2025, he signed a two-year, $50 million extension.

The seasoned point guard could have become an unrestricted free agent by rejecting his option. Vanvleet decided to stay for one more season and continue to play a significant role in Houston, both on and off the court. Before the previous season, the Rockets already held VanVleet, 32, in high regard. But after he missed the 2025–26 season due to a torn right ACL sustained at a team minicamp in the Bahamas shortly before the preseason began, his significance became more apparent. Despite adding Kevin Durant last summer, the Rockets had trouble with guard play throughout the season and fell in the first round of the playoffs.

VanVleet established himself as a big-shot creator and dependable on-ball presence by playing in at least 50 games in eight of his first nine NBA seasons before his ACL injury. Houston had lost at least 55 games in the preceding three seasons; thus, VanVleet’s arrival in 2023 signaled a shift in course. After helping the Rockets finish 41-41 in his rookie campaign, VanVleet was a key member of a team that won 52 games and went into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals during the 2024–25 campaign. He also shot 37.8 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three. As Houston and the Golden State Warriors engaged in an intense series that ultimately resulted in Houston losing Game 7 at home, he assumed an even greater role throughout the playoffs. VanVleet averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists during that series.

Last season, the Rockets had to rely more on second-year guard Reed Sheppard and third-year guard Amen Thompson to play point guard in the absence of VanVleet. Because Thompson and Sheppard found it difficult to handle the demands of managing a team, the outcomes were frequently unequal. When the game slows down, having a healthy VanVleet back could help the Rockets stay among the top contenders in the West and will probably make things easier for Alperen Şengün and Durant.

The Rockets will also benefit greatly from VanVleet’s return from the 3-point line, which will give some much-needed spacing for an offense that was occasionally difficult to watch last season, particularly in late-game situations. VanVleet has made 386 3-pointers in his two seasons with the Rockets.

Almost all of Houston’s key rotation players have contracts for the 2026–2027 season, including VanVleet. Fourth-year forward Tari Eason’s restricted free agency is currently the Rockets’ biggest problem.

After VanVleet’s $25 million contract expires, Houston will have roughly $20 million to re-sign Eason and complete the roster before the first apron. There will be a severe financial crisis, yet fans and front office alike are optimistic about a Tari Eason return.

With all that said, what do you all think? Do you like Fred deciding to stick around for the future? Why or why not? Let us know, and as always, be sure to check back at The Dream Shake for all your Houston Rockets news!

Remember when I said Dub Nation didn’t need to gloat back in February, that we could just quietly nod and smile as Memphis flew too close to the sun? Well, the wax just hit the ocean. Ja Morant is a Portland Trail Blazer now, traded for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, and the last remaining pillar of that 2021-23 Grizzlies core is gone.

Memphis wasn’t some plucky upstart back then. This was the No. 2 seed in the West and a 56-win team. A franchise that genuinely believed it had stopped chasing Golden State and started replacing them. Four years later, the final cornerstone of that era just got shipped out for a wing on the decline and a prospect who, per Blazer’s Edge’s own breakdown of the return, “seemed to run from the ball.” Call it what it actually is: an estate sale.

I wrote in June of 2018 that the Warriors’ dynasty operated as a “Path of Destruction,” a running tally of franchises that crumbled simply from existing in proximity to Golden State’s gravity. Memphis wasn’t on that list back then because they hadn’t earned it yet. But go back and look at what Draymond Green told GQ in 2017, the swagger, the certainty that the league knew it didn’t stand a chance. That’s the energy the 2021-22 Grizzlies tried to step to. Morant talked like someone who believed the future had already arrived. And after that 2021 play-in win, the “Whoop That Trick” celebrations from Memphis fans weren’t just noise. That was a fanbase genuinely convinced the torch had passed.

Golden State answered the old-fashioned way by beating Memphis in six games during the 2022 playoffs and winning the championship. Order restored. They then knocked them out of the play-in tournament in 2025. But here’s the part that should actually sting for Grizzlies fans: those losses weren’t the death blow. The franchise just gave up on their guys. Jaren Jackson Jr., a Defensive Player of the Year, shipped to Utah. Desmond Bane, gone to Orlando. Marcus Smart, gone. Taylor Jenkins, the coach who actually built something real in that locker room, fired with nine games left in a season. Nine games!

Twelve first-round picks over the next seven seasons sound impressive until you remember Memphis already hit on Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane. Draft picks aren’t the goal. They’re what you hope eventually becomes another Ja Morant. Memphis just traded the real thing for the hope of finding a copy.

Does this graduate Memphis to the Path of Destruction? The case is stronger than Cleveland’s or Oklahoma City’s ever was, and those teams only made my “Imminent Implosion” tier back in 2018. The Grizzlies get the full treatment now, the same shelf as the Spurs and the Clippers in my original Maximum Destruction tier. The difference is the Spurs and Clippers got there losing to Golden State on the floor. Memphis got there by trying to become the anti-Warriors and detonating themselves in the process.

The Warriors didn’t pull the trigger folks, they just kept raising the standard until other franchises started pulling it on themselves. Memphis wanted the dynasty before it had built one. Four years later, the dynasty is gone and the estate sale is complete. Dub Nation doesn’t need to clap; the auctioneer already did.

LeBron James isn’t expected to be back in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey after informing the team that they can move on without him,

A person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to USA TODAY Sports what was first reported by ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Now all of a sudden, those rumors you heard about James potentially taking his talents to the Bay Area seem more and more believable.

But hold your horses. It's not a clear cut path, just yet.

I don’t think there’s a more difficult Knick to evaluate than Karl-Anthony Towns. It’s not just the fact that the big man’s season looked completely different from game four of the Hawks series onwards. It’s also the fact that for much of the season, Towns’ impact on the team was hard to gauge. Even when Towns’ counting stats didn’t look the way most fans wanted it to, and even when the team wasn’t piling up results that people had expected, Towns was still analytically better than many believed. But as we learned throughout the playoffs, analytics can’t be the end-all, be-all. So how good was Towns this season as a whole? Incredibly good.

Is that an overreaction considering some of his regular-season shortcomings? Maybe. Is there recency bias? You bet. But if you were to ask me to choose between a player who dominates in the regular season but has a drop off in the playoffs and a player who disappoints a bit during the regular season but dominates in the playoffs, I’m taking the latter. And I do so every single time. I get that the playoff riser is performing higher for a mere fraction of the games as the regular-season guy. But in sports, you take care of business in the postseason, and those performances will do the heavy lifting. As many have said before, “winning cures all”, and that’s exactly what Towns did. 

I do want to clarify, though, that Towns’ regular season wasn’t bad. Or at least, again, not as bad as many thought. By a lot of metrics, he was playing some of the best defense in his career. And on the other end of the floor, he still put up solid numbers despite changing roles, having a new coach, and seeing limited opportunities at times. I do believe that players, for the most part, have agency. And Towns does deserve some blame for his offensive shortcomings and lack of aggression at times. But some of that blame needs to be placed on Mike Brown, Jalen Brunson, and the rest of the team. 

Sure, Towns could’ve, and arguably should’ve, taken it upon himself to get the ball more. And when he did, Towns should’ve been more intentional in looking for his own shot. There absolutely were times when Towns was too passive and nonexistent in the offense. He did take himself out of some games. But there were also a lot of times when Brunson ignored him for his own shot. And other times when OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart just missed him, or couldn’t make the requisite pass. There were also plenty of times when Brown saw the offense going away from Towns and refused to find ways to make him the focal point. 

Yet Towns persevered. He responded. Maybe not in the way fans wanted. But the big man continued to look for ways to best serve his team, even when the going got tough. He revealed late in the regular season that he still wasn’t sure what his role was in the offense. And you could tell that Towns wasn’t necessarily enjoying his new roles as an offensive Swiss Army Knife, whose only, or at least primary, role wasn’t to score. It didn’t matter, though. Thankfully for the Knicks and their fans, the transparency never came at the cost of effort or passion. Even with the discomfort and unease of the situation, he didn’t waver. And then destiny came knocking and rewarded him and the Knicks for their mutual perseverance and trust. 

When the fate of the season was hanging in the balance and when the Knicks needed him the most, he showed up. In game 4 of the first round, the Knicks found themselves down 2-1. Two more losses and the core of the eventual champions very well could’ve been disbanded. But Towns didn’t allow it to happen. Brunson, Brown, and Towns’ teammates deserve credit for entrusting their season and potentially their future to Towns. And Towns delivered performances that will live on in Knicks lore for decades. 

Newly appointed as the offensive hub and point center of a system that emphasized his passing skills and the other players’ basketball IQ and cutting abilities, Towns shone like he never had in a Knicks jersey. And neither Towns nor the Knicks looked back. They rattled off 13 straight postseason wins and won 15 of their next 16 games thanks in large part to Towns’ new game. He was no longer a scoring first center. He wasn’t confined to the paint. And he wasn’t relegated to being a spot-up shooter. 

For the first time in Towns’ career, he really put it all together. He was still an elite rebounder who was stretching defenses with his shooting threat like he always had. But now, he had become a smart, patient, and deadly passer. And he was now also playing not just passable, or average defense, but legitimately great defense. 

And yes, he got in foul trouble against Joel Embiid and Victor Wembanyama. And yes, he struggled to have an offensive impact in games three and five of the Finals. But on defense, he legitimately made Wembanyama work more than maybe any other player in the league. Meanwhile, on the other end of the floor, his offensive impact far outweighed his counting stats. He continued to perfectly balance scoring and passing and routinely came up clutch. Brunson and Anunoby may have had the biggest moments, but a lot of those comebacks don’t happen without Towns on the floor.

Towns’ early season struggled were frustrating. He still struggles at times with foul trouble, silly turnovers, and a lack of aggression. But you really can’t ask for much more. Towns reinvented himself deep into his career for the betterment of his team. He adjusted to coach Brown’s system. He bought in defensively. Most importantly, he was arguably the best overall Knick during a dominant championship run that saw them go 16-3. The 2026 championship did a lot for multiple players’ legacies. Outside of Brunson, no other player and their legacy benefited more from that trophy than Towns.

–

(P&T will be doing player-by-player article tributes over the next few weeks to commemorate the special team that ended our long, half-century nightmare)

The worst-kept secret in the NBA this offseason has been the Golden State Warriors’ desire to bolster their roster with a LeBron James acquisition. Golden State has been chasing James for years, and while it was initially a pipe dream, this offseason it’s felt different.

While still being considered a long shot, the Warriors entered the offseason with more realistic dreams of adding the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. It was easy to see the appeal of James, in the twilight of his spectacular career, joining Steph Curry (whom he’s always had extreme admiration for), Draymond Green (one of his close friends), and Steve Kerr (whom he played for in the Olympics). But it was unclear if James would actually consider such a move.

On Tuesday, it became a distinct possibility, when news broke that James had informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would be playing elsewhere. After spending eight years in the purple and gold, it was widely assumed that that James’ most likely choice would be to stay on the Lakers. With that off the table, the doors to all the other options opened wide.

And with that, the Warriors are not just in the running, but arguably the favorites for James’ services. Given the reports that James prefers an ideal situation to the largest check, the Warriors check a lot of boxes. They would be a competitive team, they employ a lot of his friends (and fellow Klutch Sports athletes), they’re coached be someone he deeply respects, and he would remain close to Los Angeles, where his family is firmly entrenched.

The betting odds may favor the Dubs, but nothing is set. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors “have been given no indication” that James intends to sign with them. That doesn’t mean James is against signing with Golden State, just that nothing was been predetermined.

As Slater notes, the Warriors will need to do some recruiting … but it’s hard to imagine a better trio of recruiters for James than Curry, Green, and Kerr. The Warriors have to be thrilled with the position that they’re in, but there’s still work to do.

With Landry Shamet signed, the biggest question for the Knicks entering free agency is about Mitchell Robinson.

If New York wants to stay under the second apron, the franchise would need to shed existing salary to make Robinson a competitive offer.

As things currently stand, the Knicks’ team salary is at roughly $213 million. They have 11 players under contract. The NBA’s second apron in team salary is $221.7 million. Knicks owner James Dolan said in an interview with WFAN earlier this month that he did not want to exceed the second apron. It is unclear if that decision was made in concert with his front office or if it was purely a financial decision. Dolan did reiterate his stance on the second apron internally prior to the NBA Draft.

If Dolan and the Knicks don’t change their stance on the second apron, they would need to shed salary – presumably by trading trading Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek or Miles McBride – in order to make Robinson a solid offer.

What is the market for Robinson?

That’s unknown. The Lakers were oft-mentioned as a Robinson team. DeAndre Ayton picked up his player option for 2026-27. But that wouldn’t automatically take them out of the running for Robinson. As of Tuesday morning, Los Angeles was still active in the center market. The Lakers were among several teams who would have interest in Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili during the free agency period, per sources. As of Tuesday morning, Los Angeles was comfortable offering Mamukelashvili a deal worth $10 million-plus annually.

What about the Nets? They were reportedly interested in Robinson but the Nets also are expected to show strong interest in Orlando’s Mo Wagner in free agency, per sources. Brooklyn obviously wouldn’t sign both Robinson and Wagner.

Portland reportedly agreed to a deal with Robert Williams III for $13+ million per season. Jock Landale reportedly agreed to a deal with Atlanta for a $14 million annual salary.

The Knicks would need to shed significant salary to offer Robinson a deal that approaches $14 million in annual value (Another team salary note: the plan entering free agency for second-round pick Jack Kayil is that he play next season overseas with his current club in Germany).

But maybe Dolan is willing to go into the second apron for Robinson this season if he can get out of it next year? WFAN’s Craig Carton said that Robinson’s return to New York depends on Karl-Anthony Towns’ extension. Towns is extension eligible on July 10. If he accepts a lower salary than his 2027-28 player option of $61 million, perhaps the Knicks can exceed the second apron in 2026-27 to re-sign Robinson and then dip under it in 2027-28.

Why would the Knicks want to avoid the second apron? ESPN’s Bobby Marks offers a great breakdown here.