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Celtics' 2025 NBA Cup opponents: C's get tough draw in Group B originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The new-look Boston Celtics will have their work cut out for them in the 2025 NBA Cup.

The NBA’s annual in-season tournament is back for its third season, with this year’s competition beginning on Oct. 31 and running through Nov. 28.

The “Emirates NBA Cup” begins with the Group Stage, in which the NBA’s 30 teams are divided into six groups (three in each conference) with five teams per group.

Each team plays four Group Stage games — one against each opponent in their group. The winner in each group advances to the knockout stage along with one wild card team, the runner-up from each conference. The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament.

The groups for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup were unveiled Wednesday, and the Celtics will be in Group B with the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.

This would have been an easy draw for the Celtics a few years ago, but times have changed in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

The Magic have the third-best odds to win the Eastern Conference (+550) after adding Desmond Bane to a core that includes Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, and they’ll be out for revenge after Boston eliminated them from the first round of the 2025 playoffs. The Sixers are right behind Orlando with the fourth-best odds to win the East (+1000) and are always dangerous when Joel Embiid is healthy.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are a dark-horse playoff contender after finishing sixth in the East last season and added more scoring in free agency by picking up Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert.

In essence, the Nets are the only “easy” matchup in this group for a Celtics team that will be without Jayson Tatum as he recovers from Achilles surgery and lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and (likely) Al Horford this offseason.

As Boston is well aware, though, anything can happen in NBA Cup play: The Celtics entered last season as the reigning NBA champions, yet dropped their first NBA Cup game to the Atlanta Hawks and failed to advance out of their group.

If the C’s can reverse their fortunes in 2025 and earn a spot in the knockout round, that’d be a nice boost for a team looking to exceed expectations this season.

Sixers reportedly changing up 2-way contract picture, signing Dominick Barlow  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers are reportedly changing up their two-way contract picture. 

The team is signing Dominick Barlow to a two-way deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported the Sixers are waiving Alex Reese. 

Barlow is a 22-year-old New Jersey native who played a high school season at Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. At the 2022 NBA draft combine, Barlow measured at 6-foot-8.75 without shoes and 221 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. 

After going undrafted, Barlow spent two seasons with the Spurs and one with the Hawks. He had a strong game against the woefully undermanned Sixers last year, posting 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting and 10 rebounds in Atlanta’s March 23 win.

Barlow’s made 96 career NBA appearances, averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. He’s been very productive in the G League and recorded 21.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest last regular season for the College Park Skyhawks. 

Fourteen of Reese’s 15 NBA games came last season as a Sixer. The 26-year old stretch four averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. 

The Sixers will now have two frontcourt players on two-way contracts in Barlow and Jabari Walker. Rookie shooting guard Hunter Sallis is their other two-way deal.

What's next for Anfernee Simons? Exploring two paths for new Celtics guard originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics announced the acquisition of guard Anfernee Simons on Monday when the Jrue Holiday trade with the Portland Trail Blazers became official.

The final trade ended up being a one-for-one swap of Simons for Holiday — a move that saved the Celtics some money in their mission to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Holiday has three years and around $100 million left on his contract.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens praised Simons at a press conference Tuesday.

“Anfernee is a guy people out here probably don’t see as much because of the time (of Blazers games on the West Coast),” Stevens told reporters. “But his ability to score, his ability to shoot the ball, make really hard shots, is pretty elite. And you look at a guy who’s 26 years old and averaged 20 points a game for three straight years.

“I think he’s a really good player, and I think he can get better. That’s a big part of it.”

Simons’ future with the Celtics is uncertain. He is entering the final year of his contract and has a salary of $27.7 million for the 2025-26 season. If he continues to play at a high level offensively, signing him to an extension could be pretty expensive.

And if the Celtics really want to get under the first apron, or the entire luxury tax altogether, moving Simons before the trade deadline next February could make sense, too.

Let’s evaluate the case for keeping Simons and the case for trading him.

Case for keeping Simons

The Celtics might not have Jayson Tatum for all of next season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles suffered in May. It’s obviously a huge blow in all facets of the game for Boston, but it’s going to be especially difficult to replace Tatum’s impact offensively.

Tatum has led the Celtics in scoring each of the last six seasons. He became the first player in team history to average 30-plus points in a season in 2022-23. He is a three-level scorer capable of completely taking over games offensively.

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Replacing Tatum’s scoring will be a group effort for the Celtics, and Simons could play a key role in that. Simons averaged 19.3 points per game for the Blazers last season. It was his fourth straight season averaging 17-plus points per game.

The Celtics have taken and made a record-breaking amount of 3-pointers under head coach Joe Mazzulla, and Simons shouldn’t have a problem transitioning to that kind of system.

Simons has hit 38.1 percent of his 3-point attempts in his career. He was one of 23 players to average three or more made 3-pointers per game last season. He’s also one of the league’s best free throw shooters, having made more than 90 percent of his attempts each of the previous two seasons. Simons also is capable of beating defenders off the dribble and finishing at the rim.

Simons is a legit scorer, and he could take some of the offensive burden from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White next season. He’s not a bad playmaker, either.

There are valid concerns about Simons’ defense. He’s not a good perimeter defender, and that was evident on March 5 in Boston when he gave up 27 points on 11-for-25 shooting as the primary defender in a loss to the Celtics at TD Garden. That was the game where both Payton Pritchard and Derrick White scored above 40 points.

But the Celtics will need offense next season, and Simons can be trusted to provide that. He could even play a sixth man role if Payton Pritchard moves to the starting lineup after Holiday’s departure.

Case for trading Simons

What are the chances the Celtics try to trade Simons?

Here’s what ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday’s episode of The Hoop Collective podcast:

“I have talked to other teams who have said the Celtics are actively trying to trade Anfernee Simons. Whether they can or not is another [thing].”

The main reason to consider a Simons trade is that, depending on what the C’s get in return, this kind of move could shed a lot of salary and help Boston get below the aprons.

The Celtics are barely above the second apron right now and about $13 million over the first apron. Moving Simons and clearing at least half of his $27.7 million salary could be enough to get Boston under the first apron. Getting under the luxury tax for two consecutive seasons would reset the harsh repeater tax penalties.

A Simons trade also could be a way for the Celtics to acquire more frontcourt depth.

The C’s are pretty thin at power forward and center. They’ve already lost veteran centers Kristaps Porzingis (trade) and Luke Kornet (free agency) this offseason, and Stevens said Tuesday that center Al Horford is “unlikely” to return.

Right now, it’s looking like Neemias Queta or Xavier Tillman Sr. will be Boston’s starting center, which is less than ideal. Trading Simons in a deal that sends a starting-caliber center to the Celtics would be something worth exploring.

The Celtics don’t have to make a decision on Simons’ future in the near term. They can go into the regular season, see how well he fits, and then determine how to proceed.

Three takeaways from Warriors' three California Classic summer league games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

As the Warriors remain the only team yet to make a single move in NBA free agency, summer league already is underway. The Warriors on Tuesday concluded their three California Classic games at Chase Center, going 1-2 under Lainn Wilson, who will begin his first season as the head coach of their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz this year. 

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ three games on their home court. Their Las Vegas Summer League schedule starts Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at 8 p.m. PT. 

The draft picks

Disclaimer: Overreacting to one, two or any summer league game is a federal offense in the Court of NBC Sports Bay Area. 

Now that we have that taken care of, let’s break down the first impressions of Alex Toohey and Will Richard. Both of the Warriors’ draft picks had to sit out the team’s first game because their separate draft day trades hadn’t been made official by the league. The plan then was for Toohey and Richard to sit the second game and play the third, but Richard forced his way in after the trade was finalized. 

Richard, in two games, flashed the two-way know-how he showcased throughout his four-year college career. On the first possession of his summer league debut, Richard took a swipe-down steal the other way for a layup. He scored 16 points in that first game and had two steals. Richard then dropped 12 points in his second game, but his overall shooting numbers were shaky. 

Between the two games he played, Richard went 9 of 25 from the field (36 percent) and only made two of the 11 threes he attempted (18.2 percent). Richard’s shot, however, looks smooth and he scored in a variety of ways Tuesday by making a long two with his foot on the line, two mid-range jumpers, a little hook shot and a reverse layup. He also was a perfect 8 of 8 on free throws in the first game.

Though Toohey was taken four spots higher than Richard, he might need more time to develop. Richard will turn 23 years old in December, and Toohey just turned 21 in May. The game looked too fast for Toohey on Tuesday in the one game he played, and he didn’t hold back in his self-assessment after the Warriors’ loss to the Miami Heat. 

In 24 minutes, Toohey was a minus-34, a number that feels made up. Toohey struggled to finish inside, scoring six points on 1-of-5 shooting while missing all three of his shots beyond the arc. He did make all four free throws. 

Toohey added six rebounds and showed a clear concept of team basketball. He’s versatile defensively, but will need time adjusting to the size and speed of the NBA.

The two-way contract

Jackson Rowe is the only player signed to a two-way contract for the Warriors right now, and he clearly was their best player during these three games. He also is the oldest at 28.

Players can lean on Rowe’s leadership, who is bought into doing all the small things to make an impact, should Steve Kerr call his number this season. Rowe was one of two Warriors to play all three games, averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. He shot 55 percent (11 of 20) and went 3 of 8 on threes (37.5 percent). 

Kerr hasn’t shied from using his two-way players in the past, and Rowe continues to grow into a player the Warriors should be able to trust when they need him.

After getting his first taste of the NBA last season in six games, Rowe is focused on his defense and rebounding to get on the court. He showed strength in the post and wasn’t hesitant in his decision-making. Rowe represented the Warriors in the first-ever All-California Classic Team. 

My ballot: Rowe (Warriors), David Jones-Garcia (Spurs), Cole Swider (Lakers), Keshad Johnson (Heat), LJ Cryer (Warriors)

The others

Cryer: Like Rowe, the former college star played in each of the Warriors’ three games and had a solid showing. He’s a smaller guard listed at 6-foot-1 but a sturdy 200 pounds and will have to either prove himself as a knock-down shooter or defensive pest. Well, he can shoot the hell out of it. 

Over his five-year college career – three at Baylor and two at Houston – Cryer averaged 13.5 points with a 41.3 3-point percentage. The threat he presents letting it fly from deep has translated thus far, going 7 of 15 (46.7 percent) on threes. The Warriors signed Cryer to an Exhibit 10 contract after going undrafted.

Taran Armstrong: Signed out of Australia’s NBL last season, Armstrong’s development continues to be intriguing. The 23-year-old says he has gained 17 pounds of muscle since joining the Warriors in late February, and it’s quite obvious. He has great vision as a 6-foot-6 point guard and had 13 assists with just two turnovers in two games. 

The next step for Armstrong is his outside shot. Armstrong went 3-of-12 shooting (25 percent) and 2 of 7 on threes (28.6 percent). He was given a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent and is expected to begin the season on a two-way contract. 

Isaiah Mobley: The older but smaller brother of Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley was the Warriors’ leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points in the two games he played. Mobley was efficient around the rim, going 10 of 17 (58.8 percent) and making eight of his nine free throws. 

Standing three inches shorter than his younger brother, the 25-year-old is a 6-foot-8 big man who is comfortable playing the four and five. Since being drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft, Mobley has played 23 games in the NBA but averaged 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the G League last season.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has compiled a few accolades the last few months.

He finished the 2024-25 regular season as the NBA scoring champion. He was named the Western Conference finals MVP in May and then the NBA Finals MVP after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a league championship last month. His first signature shoe with Converse will be released this fall, and last week, he agreed to a four-year supermax contract extension worth $285 million.

Gilgeous-Alexander can add “video game cover athlete” to that growing list of accomplishments.

Wednesday morning, NBA 2K announced Gilgeous-Alexander, WNBA forward Angel Reese and NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony as the cover athletes for NBA 2K26, which will be released in September. Gilgeous-Alexander will be on the cover of the video game’s Standard Edition, and Reese will be the cover for the WNBA Edition. Anthony will be the cover for the for the Superstar Edition, an exclusive that includes 100,000 virtual currency (VC), which is a digital form of currency used to purchase upgrades within the game.

To add, the trio of athletes will share a cover for the game’s “Leave No Doubt” Edition, a special release that includes everything in the Superstar Edition plus an additional 35,000 VC.

Weeks after leading the Thunder to a hard-fought, seven-game championship series win against the Indiana Pacers, Gilgeous-Alexander is now starting to appreciate his historic season. He joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to win the scoring title, league MVP and NBA Finals MVP in the same season.

“When you look back, you realize it,” Gilgeous-Alexander told in a one-on-one interview. “Being in the midst of it and getting lost in the process and getting lost in competing, I didn’t really realize it. I didn’t feel like I was doing something extraordinary. I was just going out there trying to be the best version of myself playing the game that I love.

“But it’ll for sure be a season that I never forget.”

Since the Thunder’s championship parade, Gilgeous-Alexander said he’d kept a low profile to spend time with family after a draining season. He said the game being released around the same time as his signature shoe is an added bonus.

“It’s a childhood dream come true,” he said of the video game cover. “Those feelings are the best feelings in the world, and it’s hard to wrap your head around, really. It feels amazing.”

Gilgeous-Alexander said signing the extension was an easy decision. The Thunder are champions and have the nucleus of the team under contract for next season. The Canadian guard, a three-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team selection, added that Thunder fans “never wavered” in their support through the years and have helped him make Oklahoma City a home away from home.

“You feel the love, and you feel the appreciation,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.  “(The extension) was a no-brainer, obviously, but to know that I have a little bit more of a run in Oklahoma City is a great thing.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished the 2024-25 season averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game during the regular season, all while shooting 52 percent from the field. Being on the video game cover is special for a league MVP who, as a teen, enjoyed playing 2K using Andre Iguodala when he played for the Denver Nuggets during the 2012-13 season. Gilgeous-Alexander said he also used J.R. Smith when he played for the New York Knicks. Both were among Gilgeous-Alexander’s favorites, two athletes he watched throughout their careers.

Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Reese has fond memories of the video game growing up. She recalled her first times playing 2K in the early 2010s, back when LeBron James was with the Miami Heat. The game, she said, helped build a stronger bond with her younger brother.

It’s a different vibe, however, being one of the faces of the game.

“I’m just really happy to be a part of something that’s legendary, something that two other great players are on,” Reese said.

Additionally, Reese finds herself on the cover of the game and hopes to be an inspiration for girls looking to follow in her footsteps. On July 1, she was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 19.7 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and two steals in three games between June 23-29. This past Sunday, Reese was named a reserve for the WNBA All-Star Game, which will be played July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“If you can see it, you can believe it,” Reese said. “Hopefully, that gives them the opportunity to know that they can do these same things.”

As of Tuesday, Reese is averaging 13.2 points, a WNBA-best 12.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals through 18 games. No other player in the league is averaging 10 rebounds per contest.

“You don’t win championships without rebounds and without defense,” Reese said. “The greatest players play both sides of the ball.

“I’m only in my second year, and I’m just reaching to where my potential can actually go. I think I’ve done a great job so far, just giving myself grace and just continuing to get better every single day.”

Reese specializes in rebounding. Anthony, like Gilgeous-Alexander, can put the ball in the basket. A 10-time NBA All-Star and the league scoring champion in 2013, Anthony scored 28,289 points — which ranks 10th all-time on the NBA career scoring list — and averaged 22.5 points per game in 19 seasons.

To add, Anthony is a four-time Olympic medalist in men’s basketball, three of them gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016. His résumé was good enough to earn a spot in the 2025 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class — for his individual play and for his contributions on “The Redeem Team” in 2008 after the United States finished the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece with a disappointing bronze medal.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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