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New York Knicks champion Landry Shamet is staying in the Big Apple after the threat of free agency came with his team option declined earlier in the month. ESPN insider Shams Charania was the first to report the news.

“Just in: Free agent guard Landry Shamet intends to sign a new four-year, $24 million deal to return to the New York Knicks, sources tell ESPN. Shamet’s agent, George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group, worked with Knicks executives on Monday to land the long-term commitment,” Charania tweeted.

Shamet, 29, averaged 9.3 points per game in 51 appearances with the Knicks this season. He emerged in the postseason, appearing in all 19 games for the Knicks as a key reserve. He proved that he belonged with stellar play on both ends of the floor, especially on defense.

“I’m talking about his whole career because he’s been a journeyman, but he probably deserved more of an opportunity because what he does out on the floor on both ends is very hard to find in this league, especially at his size, with is mental and physical toughness. We gave him an opportunity and showed him we loved him. He embraced it and he ran with it,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said during the NBA Finals.

Posting and Toasting community, what do you make of Shamet’s new contract with the Knicks? How do you feel about him returning to the team for the next four years? Let us know in the comments section.

Ja Morant’s name has been in NBA trade rumors for at least a year. Finally, the Memphis Grizzlies pulled the trigger on a deal no one could have seen coming.

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Morant from Memphis for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, according to Shams Charania. The Blazers are reportedly set to start Morant and Damian Lillard in the backcourt next to Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan, with Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, and Toumani Camara filling out the rotation. The Grizzlies start fresh for the Cam Boozer era by unloading Morant, who had been the troubled face of the franchise since he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Morant reportedly didn’t garner much trade interest, but the Blazers made a bold move to acquire him without giving up any draft capital or key rotation pieces. Let’s grade this trade for both sides.

Trail Blazers grade for Ja Morant trade

Morant’s star has fallen significantly after making back-to-back All-Star teams in 2022 and 2023, as well as Second-Team All-NBA in 2022. Morant was once one of the brightest young stars in the league, but injuries, off-court issues, and a significant drop-off in two-point scoring efficiency have diminished his production.

This feels like an odd fit. Portland already has Lillard coming back from a torn Achilles next season at age-36, and he was a terrible defender even before the injury. Morant is another small and weak defender. How are the Blazers going to be able to stop anyone in the backcourt if the plan is for Lillard and Morant to start together? While this lineup could suddenly have a lot of ball handling and playmaking, it’s worth noting that Avdija’s All-Star leap last season only happened in a heavy on-ball role. I don’t like taking the ball out of Avdija’s hands, and hate the defensive pairing of Lillard and Morant even with Clingan at the rim and Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday on the wings.

Credit the Blazers for not really giving up anything. Grant was a bad contract, and his touches needed to go to other players this season. Grant had two years, $70.6 million remaining on his deal. Murray will be more enticing for Memphis, but he was only a depth wing in Portland. The Blazers got a former star in Morant who is still young at 26 years old. There’s upside in the deal for Portland if Morant can approach getting back to his old self.

Morant has two years, $87 million left on his deal. Even if this doesn’t work out, Portland could always trade him as an expiring contract next season.

It really feels like there’s another shoe to drop with the Blazers after this deal. I had Portland on my list of Jaylen Brown trade suitors, and they could make some sense as a Kawhi Leonard destination, too.

I can’t ding Portland too much for this trade because they didn’t really give anything up, and they also unloaded a bad asset in the process. I just don’t love the on-court fit here, and I see no world in which a Lillard and Morant backcourt is viable even in the short-term. Let’s see what Portland has up its sleeve next.

Grade: C+

Grizzlies grade for Ja Morant trade

Memphis is Cam Boozer’s team now. I thought the No. 3 overall pick was by far the best prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft, and he’s going to be the face of the franchise with Morant out of the way. This return shows just how little interest there was in Morant. Memphis probably didn’t want to take back Grant, but they didn’t have any other options without giving up assets in the deal. My guess is Grant is immediately available to anyone who wants him, otherwise he will be a buyout candidate a year from now. Murray projects as a backup wing if he can fix his three-point shot. He’s only shot 25 percent from deep for his career.

This move is really all about addition by subtraction for Memphis. The Grizzlies have plenty of guards on the roster with Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Walter Clayton Jr., Cam Spencer, and Javon Small. Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells can hold down the wing, while Boozer, Santi Aldama, Isaiah Stewart, and Zach Edey fortify the front court. If Boozer is as good as I think he’s going to be, Memphis will have a great young core in place. It didn’t need Morant messing with that.

Morant’s fall from grace in Memphis is just sad. The Grizzlies should have traded him sooner, but just getting off him at all right now is good work.

Grade: B-

The Memphis Grizzliesare trading Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers, which may be just the start of future moves for the Blazers, if you believe some of the trade reactions.

As first reported by ESPN, the Grizzlies are sending the two-time All-Star guard and No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to Portland for a swap that includes forward Jerami Grant and forward Kris Murray.

Morant is still on a contract he signed in July 2022, a five-year, $197.2 million deal. The 26-year-old is set to make $42 million and $44 million over the next two seasons and will be a free agent in the summer of 2028.

The trade comes just before the flurry of NBA free agency, which opens its negotiation period on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

Here are the latest reactions to the Ja Morant trade and what it could mean going forward:

Landry Shamet will be back on Broadway. 

Shamet is planning on signing a four-year, $24 million deal to remain with the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. 

The deal was hammered out on Monday, according to the report, and keeps Shamet in the Big Apple after being a key part of the first Knicks squad to win an NBA championship in 53 years. 

Shamet averaged 9.3 points per game during the regular season and 6.0 points per game during the playoffs, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 47.5 percent from 3-point range.

The soap opera meta drama that is the NBA offseason has already begun in one sense with the draft, and the trades of big name players like Giannis and Lamelo. (You are a big name if people just know you by one name.)

Tonight at 7pm CST, though, we’ll see the start of the real drama. Who will sign where? Who will get traded as part of this? What sort of redundant player will the Rockets sign (currently suggestions are Marcus Smart, as clearly the Rockets main issue is what they’re best at, defense, and not what they’re worst at, offense). Smart looked good in the series against the Rockets, and had a better season that you might think. I’d really rather not watch him for a full season (or whatever he manages to play) as a Rocket, though. Doubling down on grit, rather than “can get his own shot” will surely be the best path forward, though.

There’s some talk the Rockets might exchange Smart for DFS to the Lakers, which, if it happens, is fine I guess. Fine in a “free continental buffet” of gummy bagels sort of way.

There are a few interesting unrestricted free agents out there, though the Rockets ability to sign one is very limited in high dollar ranges barring a trade. I don’t really bother listing unrestricted free agents, as there’s really no reason to do so until the situation heads towards “qualifying offer” territory, or they get an offer from another team for their current team to match.

The two biggest names who are unrestricted free agents will be familiar – LeBron James, and James Harden. Most people think that the Cavs will bring Harden back on some sort of deal. Where LeBron takes his talents could be interesting. Though he was still a very good player at 41, just not the best player in the NBA, as he spent much of his career being. This will mark the first time I’m aware of in James’ 20+ year career that he has hit free agency without a new deal obviously in place.

There are still some players who seem likely to be traded around too. Jalen Brown is the most notable, rumors with the Rockets and Brown have been hot and cold, but are currently cold.

The NBA, in its wisdom, decided to start the action not at the stroke of midnight on the East Coast, but at 7pm. This is much more reasonable, and respectful of Brian Windhorst’s bedtime.

Anyhow, I’ll probably add things to this story as significant NBA, or relatively insignificant Rockets events break.

Discussion Question: Socrates once asked “Can virtue be taught?”* Tonight, for our symposium, I’ll ask, “Can shooting be taught?”

Let me leave you with a trade to ponder. (Ducks.)

Memphis wouldn’t do this? Are you sure? There’s no more toxic asset in the NBA right now than Ja Morant. But what if…

BREAKING! UPDATE! BREAKING! BROKE! BROKEN!

Portland has, of their own free will, apparently, traded for Ja Morant. He went for the low, low, price of Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. No other terms are known just now. So we’re safe from that trade.

Of the Grizzlies “Team of The Future, Look Out Western Conference” no one remains. Kind of an Ozymandias type thing for the Rockets, maybe.

*Not according to the dialog.

Thomas Bryant is expected to sign a one-year deal to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Cavs are thin in the frontcourt. Finding talent behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen has been an issue for years. Bryant is arguably the most successful backup big that they have tried in this era, providing some quality minutes in the regular season before showing diminishing returns in the playoffs.

Bryant averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds last season. He’s a strong rebounder who occasionally spaced the floor and made double-big lineups with Mobley viable. Bryant shot 35.9% from deep last season.

Still, his lack of mobility was on display in the playoffs as he struggled to keep up with more athletic teams like the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.

There’s value in retaining talent. The Cavs understand that frontcourt depth is a weakness, and they don’t want to make it worse by losing a viable backup big. Bryant also deserves credit for being a strong locker room presence. He’s worthy of a one-year deal to return.

Nonetheless, an argument can be made that Cleveland has taken the wrong approach with fleshing out their rotation. The lack of athleticism and versatility on the wing is impossible to ignore. Continuing to sign players who don’t address that area of weakness can lead to someone like Bryant unfairly receiving the blame.

It’s not Bryant’s fault that the Cavs haven’t found other options to play in the frontcourt. But I can understand why some fans were surprised and even disappointed to see the Cavaliers commit to Bryant before free agency even officially begins.

Fans are clamoring for change, even after a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. There’s a sense of uneasiness that has crept into online discourse about the Cavs. That’s why signing a reliable backup option like Bryant can be met with anguish. He’s a solid veteran to have on your bench. But he’s not what this team needs. And until the Cavs find some true depth on the wing, signings like this will be met with complaints.

Leonard adds something the Raptors have only had when they won the title in 2019

Yes, you’ve heard that right — the Toronto Raptors have been in dire need of a true number one option on offense since they won the Larry ‘O Brien trophy seven years ago. In the midst of the ongoing talks on bringing back 2x Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to ‘The 6ix,” a question begs itself — will Kawhi be the same solution the Raptors find after all these seasons? The answer boils down to how willing GM Bobby Webster is to pull the trigger on a deal that reunites the Raptors with the Klaw.

Best Scorer on the Floor

Leonard is fresh off arguably his best regular season in the NBA thus far, putting up a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals on a consistent 50.5/38.7/89.2 shooting splits. He also managed to silence the doubts regarding his durability after suiting up for 65 appearances, which was good enough to qualify him for the In-Season Awards. Leonard finished seventh in Regular Season MVP voting while bagging his seventh All-NBA selection after being included in the second All-NBA team. Although many may know him as a bona fide playoff riser, recency bias might suggest that he’s past his prime — especially after the play-in game against the Golden State Warriors last April.

In a disappointing season-ender for the Clippers, Leonard tallied 21 points on 8-17 from the field, coupled with an abysmal 1-6 shooting from downtown. He also grabbed 7 boards and dished 3 assists, but turned the ball over five times, committing all of them in the second half. Leonard also managed to put up just six field goals in the last 24 minutes of play and scored just 7 points in the process. Based on this performance, it’s easy to say that his best years as a playoff performer are already behind him, but to declare that means not seeing the whole picture. Two-time Best Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green, held Leonard to 0 points in the second half when they were matched up against each other, according to a report by Dean Oliver. 

Oliver also notes that Kawhi was a non-factor in the second half. “Kawhi Leonard was worth -8.3 net points in the second half, a half they lost by 13. He was worth -6.9 in a game they lost by 5, a threshold loss,” said Oliver. While stats like these suggest that Leonard’s load was carried by his teammates after the second-half collapse that saw them give up a double-digit lead, neglecting Green’s factor in his underwhelming production discredits the long-time Warrior’s match-up mastery and also the defensive schemes they ran against him.

With all of these factors in consideration, Leonard presents himself as a sort of “mystery box” just like he did seven years ago when questions surrounding his commitment as well as injury recovery were all up in the air. But just as the gamble that former president of Basketball Operations, Masai Ujiri, took on paid off with a Larry O’Brien trophy, so will a deal that ships Leonard back to Toronto elevate the team’s ceiling, and I think that’s a wager worth betting on.

Unlocking Scottie, Offloading Pressure

When Scottie Barnes was drafted 4th overall by the Raptors, many were skeptical of his choice since they thought a point guard would have been a better fit, considering Kyle Lowry’s recent departure back then. Now, Barnes operates as a point guard himself, but has the length and two-way ability that makes him a threat not just on playmaking but also guarding the other team’s best player. With Kawhi, I think he becomes just that, a two-way playmaker wing who orchestrates the offense and gets crucial stops on the other end without being relied heavily on producing buckets.

With Brandon Ingram off the floor for the series-clincher, offense was expected to revolve around Barnes. The former Florida State Seminole went off to a hot start, contributing to each of the Raptors’ first 16 points in the opening period. The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, remained in striking distance, lunging in when Barnes was off the floor to deliver their blows. The game started to swing towards the Wine and Gold after Donovan Mitchell’s superb scoring in the early phases of the third quarter. While Barnes finished with efficient numbers after going 8-14 on the field and a perfect 7-7 shooting on the charity stripe, his teammates weren’t nearly as effective as he was as they ended up losing the game, 102-114.

The majority of shots for Toronto came from RJ Barrett, Jamal Shead, and Barnes, with only Barnes having produced at a high clip. While Ingram’s absence could have negatively affected their chances on offense as a go-to crunch-time scorer, he was likewise inconsistent from the field throughout the series. The Raptors’ success hinges on Barnes’ growth as a player, and therefore, management should surround him with pieces that enable him to reach that potential. Having a more consistent number one option on offense, like Leonard, would definitely help him prosper.

What’s the price to pay?

ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that if Leonard were to sign a long-term extension after a trade, it would be with the Raptors. Although Leonard’s preference is to stay in Los Angeles, the Clippers are leaning towards “moving in a younger direction,” as per Charania.

Speculations have been swirling all week that the package would center around either Ingram or Barrett. With none of those players being 25 and under, the Raptors would have to give up young players and draft assets for the 34-year-old All-Star.

Whichever package GM Bobby Webster might put together for a swap that would bring Leonard back to the north side will not only have implications for the directions of both the Raptors and the Clippers, but this offseason will certainly have repercussions for the Klaw’s legacy in whichever city he decides to suit up for next as he nears the twilight of his career.

The Celtics have picked up team options for Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, and Dalano Banton ahead of next season, as first reported by The Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. Queta is due to make $2.7 million next season, Walsh will make $2.4 million, and Banton $2.8 million.

Both Walsh and Banton’s options are non-guaranteed (last year, the Celtics picked up JD Davison’s non-guaranteed option, but waived him later in the summer before he signed with the Houston Rockets).

The Celtics also declined team options for Max Shulga and Amari Williams, both of last year’s second-round picks. They did not extend a qualifying offer to John Tonje, who is an unrestricted free agent. Both players are eligible to return to the Celtics on two-way contracts, which they began the season on.

Neemias Queta remains a likely candidate for an extension

Neemias Queta could very well sign an extension with the Celtics in the coming days after establishing himself as the team’s starting center last season.

Queta, who is 26 years old, has had a long journey to get to this point; he was the 39th overall pick in 2021 but was waived by the Sacramento Kings two years later. He joined the Celtics on a two-way contract shortly after and began his tenure with the organization in Maine.

Queta was fourth in the team’s frontcourt depth chart during his first two seasons in Boston. But he became the starting center after the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and saw Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk away in free agency.

Last season, Queta averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 65.3% from the field. He averaged 25.3 minutes across 76 games, both career-highs.

But, playing postseason minutes for the first time, Queta struggled in the playoffs. Due to foul trouble, he was limited to just 21.7 minutes per game. He put together his best performance in Game 7, tallying 17 points (on 7-8 FG) and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes, all playoff career highs.

What is his market value after a career season? That remains to be seen.

Jordan Walsh is also eligible for an extension with the team

Walsh is also coming off a career year; in his third season, he averaged 5.4 points and 4 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game, shooting 50.9% from the field and 38.4% from three. Walsh started 25 games, oftentimes matching up against opposing teams’ best players, and recorded career-highs across the board. Walsh, who is 22 years old, was drafted 38th overall in 2023.

The Celtics agreed to a 3-year, $9 million extension with Ron Harper Jr on Saturday. Harper Jr. averaged 3.2 points in 11 minutes per game last season, after beginning the season on a training camp contract.

Jaylen Brown (July) and Payton Pritchard (October) are also both eligible for contract extensions in the coming months.