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If it feels as if the Lakers have had multiple offseasons this summer, it’s because of how eventful the last two months have been.

There’s been LeBron James, one of the greatest players in NBA history and the player who led the Lakers to their last NBA title in 2020, leaving the team in free agency for the 76ers after eight years with the franchise. 

There was a roster retooling around superstar guard Luka Doncic, which as of Friday, includes nine new players.

There will be another majority ownership change after Mark Walter agreed to sell his shares of the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a historic valuation of $12.5 billion, less than a year after Walter bought the team from the Buss family. All while Walter’s business empire is facing a federal investigation into potential loan fraud and business wrongdoings.

As for the Buss family, it is set for another date in court as current Lakers governor Jeanie Buss attempts to block her five siblings (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) from selling the family’s 17.8% share of the Lakers.

Disorienting, to say the least. 

The ramifications of the Lakers’ offseason won’t be immediately known. 

At least not off the court. 

It’ll take at least another few weeks — and possibly months — for Kushner and Iger to officially purchase the Lakers from Walter and become the franchise’s new majority owners.

With the Buss family not having a court hearing until Nov. 5, it’ll probably be a while before its latest family infighting — and its ownership stake of the Lakers — is resolved. 

On the court, it’ll take even longer to know whether the roster changes since the beginning of July were worth it in the form of deep playoff runs, title contention and championships.

But despite the roster turnover and off-the-court turmoil, the Lakers’ offseason has still been successful, earning a B grade with a month before training camp starts in late September. 

Even with the Lakers coming up empty-handed in their pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga, who is signing with the Timberwolves, and still having a role on the roster for a potential starting-level, two-way wing/forward. 

Even with them losing James, along with the entire starting lineup (James, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton) that essentially led them to a first-round playoff series over the Rockets in the spring. 

Even with many things factoring into the Lakers’ grade still being determined: Once Kushner and Iger get the keys to the franchise, which direction will they take it? Will Jeanie Buss remain the franchise’s governor depending on the result of her litigation with her siblings? Will there be more changes to the organization’s basketball and business structures once the ownership details are finalized? 

The noise around the Lakers doesn’t take away from the fact they accomplished many of the goals they entered the offseason with. 

They brought back 28-year-old homegrown star Austin Reaves on a lucrative long-term contract (four years, $180 million) that’ll keep Reaves signed with the Lakers for what should be the prime of his career. 

The Lakers filled their biggest need by landing Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Jazz to pair the 7-foot-2, 245-pound big man alongside Doncic and Reaves — ending a multiyear saga of attempting to bring Kessler to Los Angeles and finally giving Doncic the type of big man he typically thrives alongside. 

Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million), Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million), Ziaire Williams (one year, $2.8 million) and Matisse Thybulle (one year, $3.3 million) were among the complementary signings who have the upside to outperform their deals. 

They also added a high-upside first-round pick in Cameron Carr, who could factor into the Lakers’ rotation for 2026-27.

The Lakers got younger and more athletic. They improved their collective perimeter defense and added more bench scoring. 

Did the moves come at a cost? 

Absolutely. 

It came at the cost of experience. Proven production. And in the case of acquiring Kessler, significant draft capital. 

But the Lakers firmly established themselves in the Doncic era by surrounding him with a better-fitting roster that has room for growth and improvement, rather than year-to-year retooling and rentals. 

Yes, rival teams will continue to monitor the status of Doncic, who could opt out of his contract and become a free agent during the 2028 offseason.

But it’s important to remember Doncic has been involved and influential in the Lakers’ roster moves. 

And, at least publicly, has made positive comments of the state of the franchise — even without being prompted. 

Doncic’s seal of approval won’t quiet the noise, a lot of which is out of his control. 

But a content Doncic was an important part of the Lakers’ offseason decision-making, with the franchise looking to steady itself in the coming months. 

Deja Kelly wasn’t sure what to expect when she signed with the Charlotte Crown back in May.

After playing her college ball at Oregon and North Carolina, Kelly spent some time in training camp with the Las Vegas Aces in 2025, played in Athletes Unlimited last winter, and also worked in television for the Big Ten Network. As summer approached, she wanted to keep playing basketball, but knew options were limited - especially if she wanted to play in the U.S. where her friends and family could watch her.

Then the Upshot League started, of which the Crown are one of four teams in its inaugural season. Founded by former WNBA president Donna Orender and backed by Zawyer Sports and Entertainment, the Upshot League sought to fill a gap in the U.S. women’s basketball ecosystem by providing an environment in which the players squeezed out by the WNBA's limited roster sizes could still play team basketball, develop their skills and get paid for it.

While not affiliated with the WNBA, a simple way of thinking about the Upshot League is that it's the women’s basketball equivalent of the NBA’s G League.

“Whenever you're part of something for the first time, it's kind of nerve-wracking because it could be all over the place. It could go either way,” Kelly told USA TODAY Sports. “I think overall, once we ironed out all the wrinkles, this is really high-level basketball. The talent level is there, so it's really good competition every single night. That's something that definitely exceeded my expectations.

“And organizationally, everything has fallen into place. There’s a really good structure. That’s how I know the league is going to continue to grow. I’m just really blessed that this opportunity found me.”

More: Dallas Wings sign former UConn guard from Upshot League to play in WNBA

The Upshot League will wrap up its first season on Saturday, Aug. 29 when Kelly’s Charlotte Crown face the Jacksonville Waves at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET and the game can be streamed live, for free, on the league’s YouTube channel.

“I never doubted that we would have fantastic players. I didn't worry about that. I wouldn't say that I'm surprised they're even better than I thought, but they are,” Orender told USA TODAY Sports. “The quality of the competition, of the athletes, all of that is just superior to what I think we had envisioned.”

Coached by Jessica Bogia, the Waves wrapped up a spot in the championship weeks ago and own the league’s best record at 25-9. Jacksonville’s roster features former college stars like Ariel Hearn of Memphis, Shyanne Sellers of Maryland and Tennessee’s Rennia Davis.

Eight of Bogia’s players have previous experience in the WNBA.

“That was the sell: ‘Come be seen right now. Come show the W that you're playing, that you're active. These are games that they can watch,’” Bogia told USA TODAY Sports. “For us, our strength is our depth. They’ve been able to put their egos aside. You know, the W isn't looking for them to go drop 20 (points), right? What else can you do? What else are you bringing to the table? Can you play defense? I think that's been how we've been able to find our most success.”

A former three-time All-ACC selection at North Carolina while playing for Courtney Banghart’s Tar Heels, Kelly leads the Upshot League this season in scoring and passing, averaging 17.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. The Crown are coached by Trisha Stafford-Odom, a former standout player at Cal in the early 1990s and most recently the head coach at NC Central who has guided them on a recent surge where they’ve won 14 of their last 15 games entering the championship.

With the Crown, Kelly believes she’s improved as a passer and has set herself up for future opportunities playing professional basketball. When the Upshot season is over, she’ll head abroad for the first time after signing with Panthers WBC, a team in Greece’s top pro division.

“I know I can score," Kelly said. "That’s kind of been my thing my whole career is being able to go get a bucket, but I really wanted to grow at being a true point guard, balancing the scoring and elevating my teammates around me.”

Kelly’s opportunity in Greece is part of the proof-of-concept that the Upshot League has realized in its first season. Throughout the summer, the league has seen two of its players sign contracts with WNBA playoff teams, with Michelle Onyiah joining the Indiana Fever and Christyn Williams jumping onboard with the Dallas Wings.

Filling this hole in the women’s basketball ecosystem - providing a U.S.-based developmental league that runs concurrently alongside the WNBA - was all part of the vision that Orender and Upshot vice president Taj McWilliams-Franklin had for the league.

“It’s definitely a validation,” Orender said of Upshot players earning WNBA contracts. “That proved a key premise of who we are, where we are and why we are. Not every one of our players is going to be a WNBA player - maybe every one of them could be - but if they weren't playing in our league in this timeframe, where would they be? They’d be training with a trainer or coach, and that’s not bad, but you need to be game-ready. You can step off the court from one of our games and walk right into a WNBA game.

“That's why we call ourselves an opportunity league. We create opportunities for players, for coaches, for people in the front office, and also opportunities for communities to have world-class athletic entertainment and female role models. I think it's special and important.”

In addition to the teams in Charlotte and Jacksonville, Upshot also had squads based in Greensboro, North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia this season. Next year, the league will expand its footprint with teams in Baltimore, Maryland and Nashville, Tennessee.

And still, Orender says there is “potential” for more teams to be announced before the start of next season.

“We want to get through the championship and then we'll figure out what the timing is,” Orender said. “But there's a tremendous amount of positive activity and there will probably be another team or two. … Now, we can capitalize on the fact that we have a record of elite competition, of entertaining and exciting basketball in great arenas, of community engagement. I think that will help in every market we go to.”

Perhaps the question that Orender fields most often is what the Upshot League’s relationship is like with the WNBA. Could the two women’s basketball leagues be partners down the road? Will WNBA teams have affiliates in the Upshot similar to the system between the NBA and G League?

For now, the Upshot is independent of the WNBA and focusing on growing and improving, but there is a line of communication between the two leagues.

“They know who we are. They know what we do. They're watching us,” Orender said. “And in good time, I think that conversations will continue to evolve in a way that could help define a more formal relationship.”

What’s clear is that the Upshot League has filled a void in the landscape of women’s basketball. More players are getting paid to play in a team environment, and they’re parlaying their performances in the Upshot to opportunities with the WNBA and overseas. That’s a win for the fledgling league.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Donna Orender's Upshot League filled a gap in women's basketball

Delaware — yes, Delaware — made a massive splash on the recruiting trail on Friday afternoon as Amarillo (Texas) Palo Duro four-star quarterback Julian Reese II announced his commitment to the Blue Hens.

The CUSA program was able to beat out UNLV, UTEP, Houston and others for the coveted athlete who’s got his sights set on being a signal-caller at the next level. It’s one of the bigger recruiting victories for the entire Group of Six in the 2027 cycle.

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Reese is the No. 399 overall prospect and No. 28 QB in the cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s the third blue-chip senior to commit to a G6 program.

There have been some intriguing recruitments this cycle that have gone the way of the “little guy.” Rivals breaks down the 10 highest-ranked prospects who are currently committed to a G6 school, as of Aug. 28:

ATH Justin Murphy — Georgia State

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 287 NATL. (No. 8 ATH)
School:North Clayton (Ga.)

About: Murphy is quite the dual-threat playmaker who wants to play quarterback at the college level. As a junior, he rushed for over 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns and also threw for more than 1,500 yards and 11 scores to just five interceptions. The 6-foot, 200-pounder committed to Georgia State at the end of official visit season. West Virginia and Vanderbilt were among some of the bigger names giving him a look.

OT Rashaun Lavata’i — Washington State

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 354 NATL. (No. 30 OT)
School:Curtis Senior (Wash.)

About: The 6-foot-6, 270-pounder opted for new head coach Kirby Moore and the Cougars over Washington, Utah and Oregon State. Lavata’i credited his relationships with the staff in Pullman when discussing his commitment with Rivals’ Brandon Huffman. Rivals ranks the four-star higher than other recruiting services; he checks in as the No. 118 recruit and No. 9 OT in the updated Rivals300.

QB Julian Reese II — Delaware

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 399 NATL. (No. 28 QB)
School:Palo Duro (Texas)

About: Programs like Houston and Wake Forest were after Reese, but Delaware emerged as a finalist as the Blue Hens targeted him as a QB rather than an athlete who would likely slot in elsewhere. Reese accounted for more than 3,000 yards passing with 31 passing touchdowns and 12 more rushing scores in 12 games last fall. He’s dynamic with the football and will begin his senior season on Friday. Reese discussed his commitment with Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman — that can be seen here.

RB Daylon Gordon — Texas State

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 431 NATL. (No. 32 RB)
School:Wylie (Texas)

About: Gordon is another Swiss-Army knife playmaker in the Lone Star State. He’s coming off a junior season that witnessed 11 rushing touchdowns, four receiving touchdowns and over 1,500 total yards. The likes of Houston and Rice got him in for official visits, but he’s headed for San Marcos in a big-time win for Texas State as it embarks on competing in the new Pac-12.

EDGE Andrew Rogers — East Carolina

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 500 NATL. (No. 47 EDGE)
School:Grimsley (N.C.)

About: Originally committed to the old staff at Virginia Tech, Rogers flirted with reclassification and putting his name back on the board throughout the fall. He eventually did weigh his options once more and the in-state East Carolina Pirates emerged as a realistic option, leading him to a late-June commitment. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder plays for one of the top HSFB programs in North Carolina and is coming off a 50-tackle, eight-sack junior year.

WR Jordan Christie — Liberty

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 528 NATL. (No. 73 WR)
School:Southwest DeKalb (Ga.)

About: Christie is someone who’s impressed many in the Peach State for years and his recruitment was previously down to Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech and UCF. Things were quiet over the summer for The Opening Finals invitee, however, and on June 18, Liberty swiped his commitment. As a junior for Southwest DeKalb, he hauled in 48 catches and turned them into 927 yards and 11 touchdowns.

QB Kevin Verpaele — USF

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 537 NATL. (No. 32 QB)
School:Merritt Island (Fla.)

About: In the middle of his junior year at Merritt Island, Verpaele made an early commitment to the Pitt Panthers. That pledge held strong for over seven months, but after taking some visits and hitting a reset button of sorts, the passer decommitted. It was USF and new head coach Brian Hartline that immediately began to trend and he locked in his commitment to the Bulls one day later on June 10. A Rivals300 four-star, Verpaele threw for over 2,700 yards and had 31 total touchdowns last season.

WR Demaje Riley — Fresno State

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 599 NATL. (No. 80 WR)
School:Tulare Union (Calif.)

About: Riley has been on the California HSFB radar for a while now. As a freshman, he broke out with 67 catches, over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. He hauled in 12 receiving TDs as a sophomore, then took it up a notch with over 1,500 yards and 13 more scores last fall, averaging over 126 yards per game. He also had four interceptions last fall and doubles as a great basketball player. Fresno State is right down the road and it landed Riley’s commitment on April 9.

RB Victor Scott — North Texas

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 641 NATL. (No. 48 RB)
School:Lancaster (Texas)

About: Playing for a prominent Texas HSFB program, Scott made the most of his opportunities as a junior last fall, turning less than 50 carries into 275 yards while also hauling in 10 receptions. He’ll get to lead the Lancaster backfield as a senior this fall. The 6-foot, 190-pounder toted his fair share of Power Four scholarship offers — including SMU, Baylor and Georgia Tech — but North Texas prioritized him and he committed on May 12.

WR Sheldon Isaac — USF

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 646 NATL. (No. 85 WR)
School:McComb (Miss.)

About: Isaac is a top-20 senior prospect in the Magnolia State and he’s also headed for South Florida after committing on June 24. As a junior for McComb, he caught 56 passes and had 1,158 yards and 14 touchdowns. That followed a breakout 50-catch, 11-score sophomore campaign. He’s also got 70 total tackles to his name across the last two seasons. Isaac chose the Bulls despite possessing offers from in-state Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others.

It’s time for our next category of Spurs villains. This time, we’re looking for your votes on “dirty” players. These are the players who committed aggressive plays against the Spurs, injuring (or attempting to injure) a player, or altering a playoff match-up. Readers will vote for the biggest villain in a poll, and the winner of each match-up will advance to the next round, with the eventual winner crowned as the Biggest Spurs Villain of all time. Let’s get to the voting!

1. Zaza Pachulia (The Slide) vs. 8. Lu Dort (West Finals shenanigans, Barnes trip in regular season)

The play so famous the NBA literally had to change its rules. It’s not a stretch to say that Zaza Pachulia taking out Kawhi Leonard on that jump shot completely altered the direction of the Spurs franchise. San Antonio was swept in the series after winning 60+ games that year, and Leonard forced his way out of town very shortly afterwards. The slide is one of the most negatively impactful plays in franchise history and literally changed the league.

Lu Dort, on the other hand, is an annoying, scrappy player who, from time to time, has some egregious moments. The sheer volume of incidents from Dort against the Spurs could make a case for him here. Let’s count them:

1. Sticks out his leg to trip Victor Wembanyama AND Harrison Barnes on separate three-point shots
2. Seemingly dives into De’Aaron Fox’s injured ankle in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals
3. Nearly smacks Wembanyama in the face after he’s already on the ground in Game Two of the WCF
4. Flying knee kick into Barnes’ side jumping on a pump fake (I don’t think this one is dirty per se, but it’s physical

Dort is the 8th seed here because his antics didn’t ultimately add up to anything. San Antonio still defeated the Thunder and advanced to the Finals. His impact on the franchise isn’t anywhere close to Pachulia’s dirty play.

2. Karl Malone (The Elbow) vs. 7. Raja Bell (battles with Manu)

Sometimes a dirty play has some gray area. There is no gray area when a player is knocked unconscious. Karl Malone’s elbow is one of clear frustration that knocked out Robinson. It is somehow not the worst thing that Malone has ever done in his life!

Raja Bell and Manu Ginobili had some battles during their time. The most famous play between the two is probably the double flop. There are a few hard fouls here and there, but nothing that is overtly dirty. Malone is the clear winner here.

3. Eduardo Najera (Mavs enforcer, hurt Rose in 03, Manu in 10) vs. 6. DeJuan Blair (Tiago kick)

Eduardo Najera mentioned in 2026? Only in a Spurs dirty player draft. Najera’s most famous play is probably when he used both of his arms to throw Ginobili to the ground in the 2010 playoffs (this is while Manu had a broken nose). But he also smacked Tony Parker in the face in the playoffs, and collided with Malik Rose in the 2003 playoffs. There is enough volume and severity of dirty plays here to make him a top-three seed.

We also have the rare former-Spur make the list! DeJuan Blair’s full-on donkey kick to Tiago Splitter’s head is an insane play. It’s a move you’d see in the UFC octagon, not on the basketball court. It’s bad enough to potentially upset Najera in the first round.

4. Juwan Howard (Derek Anderson karate chop) vs. 5. Kevin Garnett (trash talker)

I was initially surprised to see Kevin Garnett on this list. Yes, I know he has the reputation as one of the NBA’s finest trash talkers, but I never considered him to be overly dirty toward the Spurs. That was until I read this alleged story about Garnett telling Tim Duncan “happy Mother’s Day” during a game on the holiday, nine years after Duncan’s mother had passed away from breast cancer. There is no way to corroborate if that story is true, but if it is, he more than deserves the five seed on this list.

The Juwan Howard play does not look good 25 years later, but in this interview he seems genuinely remorseful, and even went as far as to visit the Spurs’ locker room to apologize for the play. Plus, San Antonio did go on to win the series against the Mavericks 4-1. Would Anderson have helped San Antonio defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals? He was only averaging 7.7 points in the playoffs prior to the injury, and the Spurs did get swept. We will never know.

The Garnett story is a legitimate low blow, vs. a seemingly innocent, but overaggressive play from Howard. I know which way I would lean here.

With the addition of Missouri transfer forward Mark Mitchell (pending his eligibility case), Kentucky Basketball’s 2026-27 roster is now finalized.

After an offseason filled with roster movement, Mark Pope and his staff have assembled a team that combines proven college production, size, shooting, and versatility.

With the roster set, here is a look at Kentucky’s projected starting five and several key players who could play important roles off the bench.

Kentucky Basketball Projected Starting Five

PG: Zoom Diallo

Diallo enters his third collegiate season after taking a significant step forward at Washington in 2025-26.

He started 29 of 33 games and averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. He scored in double figures 23 times and recorded three double-doubles.

Diallo showed he can take over games, including a 26-point performance against USC and a 22-point, 11-assist effort against the Trojans in an overtime victory. He also recorded a career-high 12 assists against Iowa.

After averaging 11.1 points and 2.7 assists as a sophomore, Diallo appears ready to take on an even larger role at Kentucky.

One interesting storyline will be whether Diallo can help Kentucky reverse his college winning fortunes. Despite his individual production, he has yet to play on a winning college team. With this roster around him, that could change in Lexington.

SG: Alex Wilkins

Wilkins comes to Kentucky after an outstanding freshman season at Furman.

The 6-foot-6 guard started all 35 games he played and averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. He earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors, NABC All-South Atlantic District First Team recognition and SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.

Wilkins averaged 21.7 points per game during the SoCon Tournament, including a career-high 34 points against UNC Greensboro.

He finished the season with 622 points, the most ever by a Furman freshman, while shooting 45.8% from the field, 32.1% from 3 and 83.5% from the free-throw line.

Wilkins also came close to helping Furman pull off a massive NCAA Tournament upset. As a No. 15 seed, Furman led No. 2 seed UConn at one point before eventually falling 82-71. Wilkins scored 21 points and knocked down four 3-pointers.

His combination of size, scoring ability, and playmaking should give Pope another versatile option in the backcourt.

SF: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic is arguably one of the most dangerous shooters on Kentucky’s roster.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game at Iowa State, while shooting an incredible 50.6% from the field, 48.7% from 3 and 87.8% from the free-throw line.

He started all 37 games and set an Iowa State single-season record with 136 made 3-pointers.

Momcilovic also showed that he can perform against elite competition. He scored 20 points and knocked down four 3-pointers against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.

His ability to stretch the floor from the forward position could be extremely valuable alongside Kentucky’s bigger players.

PF: Mark Mitchell

Mitchell is the newest addition to Kentucky’s roster and arguably the most intriguing.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward was a five-star recruit in the 2022 class and originally chose Duke over Kansas, UCLA, and Missouri.

After two seasons at Duke, Mitchell transferred to Missouri, where his production continued to rise.

As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 55% from the field and 38.8% from 3. He led Missouri in scoring, rebounding and assists while earning second-team All-SEC honors.

Kentucky has already seen firsthand what Mitchell can do.

He scored 21 points in Missouri’s 73-68 upset of Kentucky at Rupp Arena during the regular season. Kentucky eventually got revenge in the SEC Tournament with a 78-72 victory, but Mitchell exploded for 32 points and seven rebounds while shooting 13-of-21 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3.

Mitchell brings size, physicality, scoring, passing, and improved shooting to the Kentucky frontcourt. His ability to attack the basket while also spacing the floor makes him a fascinating fit alongside Momcilovic and Moreno.

C: Malachi Moreno

Moreno enters his sophomore season as the anchor of Kentucky’s frontcourt.

The 7-foot, 245-pound Georgetown native appeared in all 36 games as a freshman and started 30. He averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.47 blocks per game, while shooting 58.2% from the field.

Moreno recorded three double-doubles and led Kentucky in rebounding 18 times and blocks 17 times.

With another year of experience and an offseason to develop, Moreno could take a significant step forward.

Key Bench Players

Kam Williams

Williams could be one of Kentucky’s most important reserves if he can enter the season fully healthy.

The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 6.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 24 games last season, missing 12 games because of a broken foot.

Before his injury, Williams showed plenty of potential, including a career-high 26 points and eight 3-pointers against Bellarmine.

He also returned in time to contribute during the NCAA Tournament, but now he is coming off another foot surgery; his health will be something to monitor heading into the season.

Justin McBride

McBride arrives at Kentucky after an impressive season at James Madison.

The 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward averaged 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting 49.4% from the field, 40% from 3 and 78.2% from the free-throw line.

He scored at least 20 points in 10 games and recorded two 30-point performances, including a 33-point outing against Norfolk State.

McBride’s combination of size and shooting ability gives Kentucky another experienced forward who can provide offense off the bench.

Ousmane N’Diaye

Before Kentucky added Mitchell, N’Diaye was viewed by many as a potential starting option.

The 7-foot forward brings international experience after playing in Germany, Spain and Italy. Most recently, he averaged 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 0.9 steals for Vanoli Cremona in Italy’s top division.

N’Diaye also recorded four double-doubles and posted a season-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in one game.

His size, experience, and ability to stretch the floor could make him an important piece of Kentucky’s frontcourt rotation, even if he does not ultimately start.

Franck Kepnang

While Malachi Moreno will be getting most of the minutes at the 5 spot, Kepnang will be a quality backup if he can stay healthy. Durability has been an issue throughout his career, but he’ll have more limited minutes in Lexington so long as Moreno is healthy.

You won’t find many backup centers with the talent Kepnang possesses. If he can stay healthy and give Kentucky a good 10-15 minutes per game, that would be a massive boost for a roster that doesn’t really have another true center after Moreno and Kepnang.

Mason Williams

Williams was the first commitment of Kentucky’s 2026 recruiting class under Pope.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound guard averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals as a high school senior while shooting 60% from the field, 41% from 3 and 89% from the free-throw line.

He also helped Tennessee Collegiate Academy pull off an upset of No. 1-ranked Prolific Prep.

Williams has already drawn attention for his college-ready frame. Now, the next step is translating that physical development into production against Division I competition.

Braydon Hawthorne

Hawthorne redshirted the 2025-26 season, giving him four seasons of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-8 forward was a consensus four-star prospect and ranked No. 33 nationally in the final 2025 247Sports rankings.

At Huntington Prep, he averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

Hawthorne enters the season having had additional time to develop physically and adjust to the college level. His size and skill set could make him an interesting option in Kentucky’s frontcourt rotation.

Plenty of Depth Behind Them

Kentucky’s depth does not stop there, as they have transfer guard Jerone Morton and returning forward Trent Noah, aka Mountain Mamba, which will give Pope additional options as he determines how deep he wants to go into his rotation.

The biggest question may not be whether Kentucky has enough talent, but how Pope distributes the minutes among a roster with so many players capable of contributing.

Now, the focus shifts from building the roster to figuring out how all those pieces fit together and how to advance deep in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.

What if there’s no Mark Mitchell?

With Mitchell facing eligibility scrutiny from the SEC and the NCAA, there’s still a chance we won’t see him suit up for the entire 2026-27 season, if at all.

If Mitchell ends up sidelined, here’s what the starting lineup could look like:

PG: Zoom Diallo

SG: Alex Wilkins

SF: Milan Momcilovic

PF: Justin McBride

C: Malachi Moreno

Key bench rotation: Kam Williams, Ousmane N’Diaye, Franck Kepnang, Mason Williams, Braydon Hawthorne, Trent Noah

What do you think the starting lineup and primary bench rotation should look like? Let us know in the comments section!

The most consequential outcome of the NBA’s Kawhi Leonard investigation may not be the punishment. It may be the road map the league leaves behind.

After nearly a year examining whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap through Leonard’s endorsement relationships with team sponsors, the investigation reportedly appears to be moving away from its most serious possibility.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said discussions between the league and Steve Ballmer’s lawyers have focused more on a potential “failure to supervise” and the Clippers’ introductions of Leonard’s representatives to sponsors than on direct evidence that Ballmer funneled money to his star.

Shelburne called direct cap circumvention the investigation’s “murder charge”—the most serious allegation and the hardest to prove.

The NBA has cautioned that the investigation remains unfinished and accused ESPN’s previous account of containing “numerous and significant inaccuracies.” Ballmer, Leonard and the Clippers have denied circumventing the cap.

That uncertainty matters. So does the direction of the reported investigation.

If the league concludes that an owner can introduce a player to team business partners, benefit from the resulting arrangement and avoid the harshest accountability unless investigators uncover a direct order or payment, it will create a dangerous blueprint.

Future teams would not need a secret contract. They would only need some distance.

An owner could connect a superstar with a sponsor, allow intermediaries to handle the terms and later claim no knowledge of what occurred. Plausible deniability would become a roster-building strategy.

That would undermine the salary cap’s purpose. Competitive balance becomes impossible if the wealthiest owners can use their commercial networks to arrange outside compensation that smaller-market or less-connected rivals cannot match.

The scrutiny has already expanded beyond Leonard’s deal with Aspiration to another sponsorship involving Clippers partner Daktronics.

Draymond Green identified the incentive created by weak enforcement.

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“If the punishments aren’t steep, everybody should do it,” Green said while discussing the Leonard allegations.

The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement permits fines, lost draft picks, contract voidance and suspensions for proven circumvention. Those deterrents mean little, however, if the evidentiary standard effectively requires a billionaire owner to leave written instructions explaining the scheme.

None of this means the NBA should punish Ballmer without sufficient evidence. It means “failure to supervise” cannot become a convenient safe harbor for owners who benefit from arrangements they claim not to understand.

If the league cannot prove this so-called murder charge, it must still establish clear disclosure rules for sponsor introductions, owner investments and endorsement agreements—and impose meaningful consequences when those safeguards are ignored.

Otherwise, the lesson will not be that cap circumvention is forbidden.

It will be that it is permissible when structured carefully enough.

The non-conference portion of the Gopher Men’s team is reportedly set. Ryan James of Gopher Gazette was the first to report it and it has now been released. Last season, Minnesota played two teams from power conferences in their non-conference portion of the schedule (Stanford and Missouri) and their non-conference strength of schedule ranked 355th out of 365 teams.

I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that the Gophers are playing a much more challenging non-conference schedule.

The bad news is that the Gophers are playing a much more challenging non-conference schedule.

The opinion here is that Nike Medved has intentionally chosen to amp up his non-conference schedule because he believes he has a more talented team that has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. There are likely five Power Five teams on this schedule and the resume should be strong for the Gophers…if they can win the games.

11/2 – North Dakota
KenPom: 279
Record: 18-17

The first official game of the year is hosting the Fighting Hawks out of the Summit. Last season the Hawks finished 3rd in the Summit and were runner-ups to North Dakota State in the conference tournament. I saw UND play when they came to play St. Thomas and had a dramatic win in the final seconds. They were led by Greyson Uelmen and Eli King…both are gone. Uelmen has transferred to Northern Iowa and King has graduated. A couple of promising younger players also hit the portal in Anthony Smith and George Natsvlishvili.

There are three guys who Minnesota should be most concerned with. Zach Kraft, a junior guard who is likely to be their primary scorer. Josh Jones, a 6’9” center/forward. And transfer Tyler Wagner, a sophomore coming from Austin Peay and a former Champlin Park Rebel.

The losses of Uelmen, King and Smith are significant and it doesn’t appear that Paul Sather is bringing in the necessary pieces to make them competitive this year.

Prediction: Gophers start the season 1-0

11/6 – St. Thomas
KenPom: 115
Record: 24-10

The only benefit to the Gophers in this matchup is if the Tommies can find their way to 75th in the NET rankings and this becomes a Quad 2 win for Minnesota. The problem is that the Tommies are losing five of their top six leading scorers. Nolan Minessale was one of the top mid-major players in the country last year, averaging 19.8 points per game and he is headed to Marquette. Nick Janowski (16.1 ppg) is transferring to Davidson. Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (10.5) is heading to Northern Iowa. Ben Oosterbaan (7.6) wants to be a Don in San Francisco. And Waseca’s Ryan Dufaul (5.7) no longer has any eligibility.

The top returners will be Carter Bjerke, a 6’9” senior from Wayzata who averaged 9.4 ppg last season. And Austin Herro, brother to Tyler Herro. Herro originally began his career at South Carolina before transferring to the Tommies, where he started 24 games last year as a sophomore.

A couple of transfers are expected to make an impact. Jeremy Lorenz is a forward transferring down from DePaul. And Brogan Madson is a high-scoring guard, transferring up from D2 Sioux Falls. And it is always important to note that Johnny Tauer always has a team that executes and can do more with less.

I have strong opinions on scheduling this game, but too late to change anybody’s mind about this season. The Tommy fans will fill the barn; they’ll be very proud of themselves and Roll Tom back home with a loss.

Prediction: A Gopher win, but it’ll be too close for comfort.

11/9 – Cincinnati
KenPom: 43
Record: 18-15

Side Note: Utah State has not had the same coach for more than three seasons since 2015. Craig Smith was there for three years and left for Utah. Ryan Odom was there for two years before leaving for VCU and now Virginia. He was succeeded by Danny Sprinkle for 1 year before he left for Washington. His successor was Jerrod Calhoun for two years and he now leads the Cincinnati Bearcats. Whoever the Utah State coach is…I want him to make my next basketball hire.

This is the first season for Calhoun with Cincy and he has a fully rebuilt roster. Every major contributor from last season is gone. But what makes this team interesting is that Calhoun has four players from Utah State coming with him. Most notably, MJ Collins led the Aggies with 17.5 points per game and will likely be a key player for Calhoun and the Bearcats. And transfer Tylen Riley averaged 15 points for Tulsa last year and he will likely pair with Wake Forest transfer Myles Colvin on the perimeter, and Riley Allenspach is a 6’11” center from George Mason who could pose a problem inside.

It is a roster rebuild, but there are some nice pieces that Calhoun has added, along with four former Aggies to help implement his system and culture.

Prediction: If this were at the Barn, I’d be tempted to take the Gophers. But I think Cincy wins this one at home.

11/12 – Southern
KenPom: 277
Record: 17-17

After a decently challenging first three games, Minnesota gives themselves a couple of games to get right. The Jaguars finished 2nd in the SWAC last season, but they are losing several seniors. I would not expect their 2026-27 KenPom rank to be as high 277 this year.

Prediction: A comfortable Gopher win.

11/16 – Western Illinois
KenPom: 364
Record: 5-26

This is one of the toughest jobs in D1 basketball and the Leathernecks bottomed out last year as the 2nd worst team in basketball, according to KenPom. They somehow managed to beat North Dakota last season and they earned one conference win. But their three other wins were against a D3 school and two NAIA teams.

Another team that is losing a bevy of seniors, and this team was terrible last year.

Prediction: Don’t play with your food. Put this one away early and

11/20 – Charleston Classic – Dayton/VaTech/Utah/Ok State
11/22 – Charleston Classic – Dayton/VaTech/Utah/Ok State

Three more teams are yet to be added and then there will be two 4-team brackets played over those two days. We don’t really know who we will be playing, but here is a quick blurb about the four potential teams we know.

Dayton – Anthony Grant’s Flyers are looking to replace a couple of scoring guards to pair with their 7’1” big man from France, Amaël L’Etang. Travis Perry is a former Kentucky recruit who is coming to Dayton after a year at Ole Miss. He looks like their potential starting point guard.

Virginia Tech – Weirdly, a team that is returning its top two scorers from last year. Amani Hansberry and Ben Hammond combined for 27.5 ppg last year and will be back for the Hokies. They have added a few younger forwards to the team and this team should be pretty good.

Utah – After four seasons, Craig Smith was let go at Utah and Alex Jensen takes over. With a typical roster makeover, Jensen has added a couple of dangerous transfer guards in Taison Chatman from Ohio State and Jackson Holcombe, a 6’7” wing from Utah Valley.

Oklahoma State – The Cowboys have a monster recruiting class coming in, with four 4-star kids, two of them ranked in the top 35 in the nation. And in the transfer portal, they added a starter from UNC, a seven-footer who started 28 games at Georgetown, a scoring wing from UCF, and a 6’11” kid who started 27 games for Arizona State. This team is going to have some talent.

11/28 – Cal @ Sioux Falls – Sat
KenPom: 75
Record: 22-12

Mark Madsen’s Cal Bears are traveling to Sioux Falls to face the Gophers at the Sanford Pentagon. Last season, they finished in the middle of the ACC pack and ended up going 1-1 in the NIT to finish their season. Their top two leading scorers both decided to transfer and their next two leading scorers have no more eligibility.

So they hit the portal, like everybody else. Michael Cooper was Wright State’s leading scorer and he should be a significant contributor. Jordan Ross started 25 games for Georgia last season, he also is a likely starter for Madsen. Maden’s top returner is 6’10”, Lee Dort who I expect to be a handful for the Gophers.

It is easy to overvalue the transfers coming into the Gopher program without knowing much about the Cal incoming transfer or how they will fit. But this game feels fairly winable for Minnesota, especially with three returning starters and adding a transfer like Kyan Evans.

Prediction: Gophers with a win and potentially a Quad 1 win (though more likely a Quad 2).

12/12 – SMU – neutral site in Texas
KenPom: 48
Record: 20-14

Moving on to another program where most of the team’s returning starters and leading scorers need to be replaced. Andy Enfield loses his top four returning scorers to graduation and Samet Yigitoglu, who started all 34 games for the Ponies, is transferring to Indiana.

Enfield’s top two returning players, forward Jermaine O’Neil Jr and big man Jaden Toombs, will both be sophomores, and yes, his father was THAT Jermaine O’Neil. And he has a couple of guards who are transferring in, looking for the opportunity to make an impact in the ACC. Guards Rowan Brumbaugh averaged 19.2 ppg for Tulane last year and David Terrel Jr averaged 13.5 for North Texas last year.

Prediction: This is a tough one to predict. SMU was pretty good last year. On paper, the Mustangs lost more than the Gophers did and it will all come down to who incorporates the transfer. But I’ll go with SMU for this one.

12/16 – Texas Southern
KenPom: 314
Record: 12-18

Last year’s roster for the Tigers was senior-laden and they leveraged that experience to finish 10-8 in the SWAC. Following the season, their head coach, Johnny Jones, took an assistant coach role at LSU, his alma mater, and Shyrone Chatman took the interim title for this season.

Prediction: This will be a win for the Gophers.

12/20 – Alcorn State
KenPom: 346
Record: 9-23

Up next is another SWAC opponent. The Braves finished 7-11 and 11th in the league in coach Jake Morton’s first season. But to be fair, 10 teams finished between 11-7 and 7-11, so it was a highly competitive league.

Unlike Texas Southern, Alcorn could have returned a number of their top players. But they all decided to transfer, so they are also tasked with rebuilding their roster.

Prediction: This will be a win for the Gophers.

12/29 – UT-San Antonio
KenPom: 338
Record: 5-25

It was a rough season for the Road Runners last year as they finished 1-17 in the American and just five winsj (one of those being over something called Biblical Studies). And of course, they had six players transfer out and six players transfer in.

I am not expecting a 5-25 team to bounce back and beat a Big Ten team on the road.

Prediction: This will be a win for the Gophers.