NBA News

Multiple, very obvious reasons made it clear it was time for the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard to part ways, but one kind of flew under the radar: Los Angeles wasn’t about to give Leonard, 35, the kind of extension he wanted. The Toronto Raptors will. Advertisement In a deal that was expected, Leonard and the Raptors have agreed to a …

The Atlanta Hawks are trading Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for forward Dorian Finney-Smith, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The Hawks make the move to fortify their frontcourt a day after they announced that backup rookie center Henri Veesaar suffered a torn ACL. Advertisement Finney-Smith, 32, is a veteran 3-and-D forward who could earn …

Warriors draft pick Lajae Jones signs with Italian team Pallacanestro Trieste originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area After filling their final NBA roster spot with forward Graham Ike on a two-way contract, the Warriors have agreed to let their second-round draft selection develop overseas. Advertisement Lajae Jones, selected by Golden State with the No. 54 pick in the 2026 …

Last summer, the Golden State Warriors had the most noteworthy restricted free agency standoff with Jonathan Kuminga. This year, the Dubs appear to be done with their offseason roster moves, but the Detroit Pistons and restricted free agent Jalen Duren remain in a staring contest of their own. In a previous era of the NBA, the Warriors would be in …

Kawhi Leonard is staying put. The Toronto Raptors decided to keep the 35-year-old around for multiple seasons, reportedly signing him to a two-year, $115 million extension Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The move comes as Leonard was set to enter the final year of the three-year, $149 million extension he signed with the Clippers in 2024. Under his previous …

In the immediate aftermath of winning a championship, there’s utter jubilation. Once that initial high wears off after the ceremony and you start truly grasping what you just witnessed, the human mind naturally goes in a completely different direction. You begin to think of those who were proven wrong. Advertisement Athletes always say after they win it all, “They didn’t …

After the Golden State Warriors decided to sign undrafted free agent big man Graham Ike to fill the final two-way spot on the squad, news shortly followed of Dubs second-round pick Lajae Jones opting to start his post-college career internationally. Jones has agreed to a one-year deal with Pallacanestro Trieste of Lega Basket Serie A (the most prestigious basketball league …

Several rotational decisions warrant extensive conversations. For the Washington Wizards, starting point guard isn’t one of them. In June, the Wizards signed Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million contract extension to serve as their starting PG for the 2026-27 season and beyond. He’s the team’s best distributor since Russell Westbrook. And they paid him like it. Advertisement Who backs …

It felt like time. Trae Young was in his eighth season in Atlanta and things felt stagnant. This was a team — and Young was a player — in need of a change, and while it wasn’t always smooth, the team worked with Young and he was traded to the Washington Wizards. At least, that was how it looked from …

It takes a big man to admit when they are wrong about something. Hand up, I was wrong about the Cleveland Cavaliers after the James Harden trade of last year. Now, in fairness to me, the Cavs drew perhaps the softest possible playoff draw that they could. But even then, a very flawed Raptors team took them the distance, and …

The Atlanta Hawks announced on Monday that former Tar Heel Henri Veesaar tore his right ACL during a workout on Sept. 15 and will miss the entire NBA season. The 22-year-old Estonian was an all-ACC performer for Carolina last season, averaging 17 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 42.6% from 3-point range. He declared for the …

If this offseason for the Detroit Pistons was a plane ride, you’d call it an eventful one. There has been turbulence, with the front office missing out on players they thought could fit the team’s present and future. They’ve also moved on from two players who were foundational pieces of their identity in Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart. Advertisement Above …

It did not take long for LeBron James to make his imprint on the Sixers’ roster construction. The last player Philadelphia signed to a standard contract this offseason was 13-year veteran and two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Most known for his stops with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, KCP made his name as a prototypical 3-and-D wing that’s …

Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports and change the course of every NBA season. However, last season seemed more severe than most — a rash of top players missed considerable time, if not the entire season. It changed the complexion of teams and playoff races (not to mention the tanking). All those injuries a year ago open the door …

It’s not that he’s the winningest coach in NBA history. It’s not how he created a culture in San Antonio that continues to grow as the next generation of enter the fold. It’s not who he is at his core. It’s all of that and then some. From time to time, we have to remind ourselves just how remarkable a …

You and a buddy are watching the Knicks game at home when the refs make an egregiously erroneous call. The two of you hurl obscenities and whatever’s handy at the TV. Meanwhile, on the sideline, coach Mike Brown flaps his arms as if trying to fly, but he’s unsure of whether to call a challenge. He cranes his neck toward …

The Toronto Raptors have had a history of success with European centres: Jonas Valanciunas, Marc Gasol, and now, Jakob Poeltl. But, can the Austrian big man reach the same heights as those that came before him, or will his inability to stay on the floor condemn the Raptors to another season of mediocrity? Big man in the middle Starting with …

Kasparas Jakučionis—still just 20 years old—arrives in the Cream City via the Giannis trade as a young, intriguing guard prospect. Jakučionis is a 6’5″ second-year guard who averaged 6.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG in just under 18 minutes per contest for Miami. Except for his three-point percentage (42%), most of his stats don’t jump off the page. That …

Training camp is here, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have reported. The starting lineup looks to be locked up with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and Jonathan Kuminga. Level of play, injuries, and selective rest will shift that lineup as the season goes on, but those starters are more vital than ever. In past seasons, Coach Chris Finch …

Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason. Shooting Guard, 6’4″, 190 lbs., 30 years old, 9 years of experience Advertisement Luke Kennard signed with Phoenix …

The Wizards spent the past few years trying to lose. Now they’re trying to win and develop players at the same time. Half the roster is young, the other half is old. But all of them are trying to figure out who they are. Washington is running a two-timeline experiment that features veterans Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Khris Middleton and …

Julian Phillips Phillips is a 6’6″ small forward who signed with the Rockets in the offseason after going to the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent two and a half seasons with the Bulls before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves at last year’s deadline. He then joineed the Rockets as a free …

Nicolas Batum announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons on Monday, Sept. 21. In a nearly 10-minute-long video posted to his Instagram account, the 37-year-old wing walked into Gym Even in Pont-l’Évêque, France – the same one where he started playing basketball exactly 35 years ago to the day on Sept. 21, 1991, when he was two-and a …

The Indiana Pacers are poised to return as NBA championship contenders after a one-year hiatus following the Achilles injury suffered by star Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. But Haliburton is set to make his long-awaited comeback to start the 2026-27 season, and the Pacers are a leading candidate to make a dramatic jump in the …

The Washington Wizards had an interesting way of building toward this season. Trae Young played just 15 games last season, a career low, and only five of them for Washington. He called it “a blessing in disguise,” the deal that sent him out of Atlanta after the Hawks never offered him an extension. The Wizards then gave him four years …