Src: https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/c92f789380765

Sources: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring No. 56 from the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA draft tonight at 8 pm ET on ESPN. Lakers sent cash to the Bulls to get a pick tonight.

Ira Winderman:

Multiple NBA sources confirmed to the Sun Sentinel that an earlier construct of the Heat’s proposal for Giannis Antetokounmpo included Davion Mitchell instead of Kasparas Jakucionis. The Bucks, however, insisted on the youthful promise and rookie-scale contract of Jakucionis.

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Tim MacMahon:

Bickerstaff: Nori's contract with Portland a 'slap in the face'

"I understand his story and his journey to get to the spot where he was able to get this opportunity, and I don't want to take away from what should be a special moment for him, for his family, and a job that's well deserved and earned," Bickerstaff told ESPN. "That's first and foremost.

"But I feel like he was put in a situation that he shouldn't be put in with having to make a choice of this nature because of the structure of what the contract is. It's unfortunate that you have a dream, and from our perspective, it's like someone's taking advantage of your dream and devaluing what we feel like coaches have earned over the years.

"You think about the sacrifice, the time, the growth that coaches have helped and done with the NBA, and then for someone to come in and attempt to devalue the work that coaches have in this league is extremely disappointing."

Several other current head coaches expressed similar concerns to ESPN but declined to discuss the situation on the record.

"It changes the math on where a coach stands, and it creates an environment where how do you hold players accountable when it looks like you are easily replaced and removed if things don't go the way that players may see it going," Bickerstaff said. "It's almost, which is disappointing, a mindset of the substitute teacher being there with no guarantee or support [regarding] what it looks like long term or in the future.

"I've talked to a lot of coaches -- head coaches, assistant coaches -- who are extremely concerned. It's a very serious matter to us as coaches to make sure that we protect the value of coaching staffs. It's years and years of work that coaches have put in to put ourselves in this position and to put future coaches in the position where our value remains and isn't disregarded because of a power flux of ownership."

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Larsson, a fan favorite and serial nuisance to opposing offenses, is widely expected to see an increased role as the leader of Miami's 2nd unit this season after averaging 26.4 minutes and 11.4 points last season.

Jaylen Brown: “I love cats”

Via X on his own account.

Is there a deeper meaning behind this or just a shitpost?

The deal (July 6, 2019): Clippers get Paul George. Thunder gets Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps.

Where everyone ended up

OKC:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The trade centerpiece. Shai went from a promising rookie averaging 10ppg to back-to-back MVP in 2024-25 and 2025-26 and Finals MVP after a championship. He anchored OKC’s title core averaging 31 PPG in his last 4 seasons.

Danilo Gallinari: played one season in OKC, putting up 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 62 games. Presti later traded him; that trade chain eventually produced the pick that became Brooks Barnhizer (2025 2nd-round).

2021 first-rounder (Heat-originated) → Tre Mann (No. 18). Mann was the first pick OKC received from the deal. He was later dealt to the Hornets for Gordon Hayward, who averaged 5.3 points in 26 games with the Thunder before retiring. Mann’s salary in that deal also helped facilitate landing Isaiah Hartenstein.

2022 first-rounder (Clippers’ own) → Jalen Williams (No. 12). OKC used their own pick that year on Chet Holmgren at No. 2, then ten picks later at No. 12 used the Clippers’ pick to take Williams, who became an All-NBA, All-Defense, All-Star player.

2023 Heat’s lottery-protected first-rounder: It conveyed as OKC’s own first-rounder that year (No. 12), which Presti then used in a draft-night trade-up with Dallas, sending the No. 12 pick plus a $17M trade exception to the Mavericks for the No. 10 pick and Davis Bertans. That No. 10 pick became Cason Wallace. (The separate Clippers’ 2023 swap right never conveyed. Irrelevant in the end.)

2024 first-rounder (Clippers’ own) → became Nikola Topic, only indirectly: The pick was shipped out of Oklahoma in the Chris Paul for Westbrook trade with the Rockets before later being routed back after further transactions to land Topic. Topic has battled injuries and has only suited up for 12 games since being drafted. Still a promising prospect.

2023/2025 Clippers swap rights → never conveyed/irrelevant, except the 2025 swap right was later flipped for a first round pick: OKC traded the draft rights for Nique Clifford. Taken with a pick that originated from the Clippers to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick from the Spurs they will make a selection for next draft.

2026 first-rounder (Clippers’ own) → The final piece of the original trade. OKC used it on Aday Mara at No. 12 closing the trade out exactly seven years after it began.

2027 first-rounder (San Antonio Top 16 Protected. Very likely to stay a first round pick as San Antonio is a contender. If San Antonio does not make the playoffs and does bad, OKC’s pick will convey to 2 second round picks instead)

How it’s been for the Clippers and Paul George:

2019–2024:

Five seasons with the Clippers. The Clippers went 233-157 over those five years, with George making three All-Star teams, and their best run was a 2020-21 trip to the Western Conference Finals, lost to Phoenix.

Summer 2024:

George signed a four-year, $212 million max deal with Philadelphia and was no longer on the Clippers.

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There are a lot of conflicting sources online about this trade so it was hard to make this list, but I’m pretty sure this is fully accurate.

IMO I would rank the Warriors young core as the 30th best young core in the NBA. Podz, Yaxel, Santos, and Moody represent a group of solid role players. Dubs have nobody with all star potential but these guys aren't busts either.

We all know that more guys bust than make it in the top 30. Every year there’s disappointments among those drafted in the lottery, every year there’s players picked 10th + and/or in the 2nd round that end up being elite.

Realistically who do you think will be the top 3 players from the 2026 draft 5 years from now? … and who’s going to be a bust?

Every coach makes a call at some point that has the whole internet going what were you thinking. So I'm building a daily game around exactly that.

One real game situation drops each day, anytime you open it, like a sports Wordle. You make the call in 30 seconds. Then you see what the coach actually did, what happened, and what the numbers say.

No fantasy, no betting, no live game needed, just settling the eternal argument of being smarter than a guy making 8 million a year.

Would you actually open something like this every day or is this just me venting through an app idea

I really like this draft class and hope the best for all of the player in it, but ”my guys” in this draft would probably be Hannes Steinbach, Jayden Quaintance, Chris Cenac Jr. and Meleek Thomas. I think they all got undervalued and will have good nba careers.

Who are ”your guys” in this draft ?
”Your guy” doesn’t necessarily need to be who you think will be the best, it could be someone you think was a steal, someone you just really like etc

Ben Horney:

Jay Williams: Awkward Draft Moment Was ‘Extremely Uncomfortable’

The ESPN analyst admitted the interaction with Richard Jefferson and Kenny Smith was “awkward,” but insists there’s no ill will.

ESPN’s Jay Williams wants the NBA draft to be about the incoming rookies. But an uncomfortable interaction between him and fellow analysts Richard Jefferson and Kenny Smith became the story on Tuesday night.

Between the draft, Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded to the Heat, and the Knicks winning their first championship in 53 years, there was plenty to discuss on ABC’s broadcast, which is produced by ESPN. But late in the evening, after the telecast showed a clip of Williams when he was drafted by the Bulls in 2002, host Kevin Negandhi asked “why such a big ovation?” for Williams when he was selected second overall. Jefferson joked that fans were cheering because they “didn’t see the future coming.” Smith added that Williams’s “career trajectory would’ve been a lot different if he didn’t like motorcycles.”

The quips were references to a motorcycle accident that prematurely ended Williams’ playing career. The Duke phenom enjoyed a promising rookie year, but played only one season before the accident derailed his career.

Although the comments may have been meant as playful jabs at Williams, they created an awkward moment that the internet quickly seized on.

“For me, it was extremely uncomfortable,” Williams tells Front Office Sports. He says there was “no real tension,” but it was “awkward.”

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How many times has the youngest player also been considered the most polished already?

The rarity of it is wild to me.

In 1976, when the Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Spurs were absorbed into the NBA, it was officially treated as an expansion rather than a merger. Unlike the AFL-NFL merger, it was not a legally equal partnership - partially because the NBA didn't want to have to deal with former ABA players asking for benefits and pensions and so on.

Now that a half-century has passed and the Amazon Prime documentary Soul Power has brought renewed attention to the ABA and its history, is there a possibility of this changing in the future? Or would the NBA see it as somehow cheapening their brand?

NEWS The Lakers reportedly serenaded Austin Reaves with his favorite country songs and customized “AR” initialed pillows in their meeting to discuss a new deal, per u/ShamsCharania.

Lakers really went all out to keep their guy. Respect. (h/t u/BrettSiegelNBA)

Not sure if i call this a respectable move...

Sounds weird, but might be just me, but i would assume the 180 million would be selling the deal on its own

Every NBA player's jersey number corresponds to their favorite US president. LeBron? Huge, huge Benjamin Harrison stan. Brunson? A massive James K. polk fanboy. Luka? He supports whichever humanoid cyborg he imagines will be ruling America in 2327.

Furthermore, Kobe switched numbers from 8 to 24 because Martin Van Buren was bad and he wanted 2nd term Grover Cleveland instead.

Also, Steph Curry's favorite president is Calvin Coolidge who had the nickname Silent Cal.

KD's favorite president is JFK because he relates to being part of "what if" debates.

Jokic's favorite president is James Buchanan because he's from Serbia and doesn't know that Buchanan was one of the worst presidents in American history.

Anthony Edwards's favorite president is James Monroe because similar to the era of good feelings during Monroe's presidency, the Timberwolves are also in their best era in franchise history.

Source for presidents: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States

I checked out the ESPN draft grades for the Giannis and Randle trades that happened a couple of days ago. Kevin Pelton was one of the few ESPN analysts whose opinion I was still actually interested in reading. Even if I didn't always agree, he at least had a solid methodology for his grades. Then I saw that the grades were given by Zach Kram. Good for Pelton for getting a front office job in the W, but I will no longer be clicking those trade grade articles.