Halfway through the 2020s, we're unveiling our top 15 NBA players of the half-decade thus far. We...

<p>Halfway through the 2020s, we're unveiling our top 15 NBA players of the half-decade thus far. We already shared our All-Half-Decade <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3314810" href="https://thescore.com/news/3314810">third team</a>. Today, we bring you the All-Half-Decade second team, comprised of players ranked sixth through 10th over the last five years.</p><p>As a reminder, we're sticking with positionless teams, in accordance with modern All-NBA squads. All stats and accolades are from the 2020-21 season through the 2024-25 campaign.</p><h2>All-Half-Decade second team</h2><h3>Luka Doncic</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/783452/cropped_GettyImages-2207391097.jpg?ts=1753301947" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/783452/w220xh124_GettyImages-2207391097.jpg?ts=1753301947 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/783452/w320xh180_GettyImages-2207391097.jpg?ts=1753301947 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/783452/w640xh360_GettyImages-2207391097.jpg?ts=1753301947 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/783452/w768xh432_GettyImages-2207391097.jpg?ts=1753301947 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/783452/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2207391097.jpg?ts=1753301947 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 30.3 PPG, 59.6% TS, 8.7 RPG, 8.6 APG, 1.8 Stl+Blk<br>4x All-NBA, 4x All-Star, 2024 WCF MVP, 2024 PPG leader</em></p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Doncic has been a top-five-caliber player for the majority of his career thanks to some generational offensive talents. He's a three-level scorer who moves at his own pace, carving up defenses while holding the ball and the game on a string. He can create and shoot from anywhere, he uses crafty footwork when operating inside the arc, and he's nearly impossible to keep off the free-throw line. His playmaking vision is somehow even more impressive.</p><p>That exquisite skill set and his breathtaking numbers put Doncic in line for an All-Half-Decade first-team selection. However, his defensive shortcomings and conditioning issues came to a head this year, when the Mavericks made the shocking decision to trade him just as he enters what should be his prime. That decision, and the way it was handled, was a bush-league <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">mistake</a> by Mavs general manager Nico Harrison, but that doesn't invalidate all of Harrison's concerns. The fact we had to have this <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3279428" href="https://thescore.com/news/3279428">conversation</a> at all bumped Doncic from first team to second, with a worthy veteran taking his place among the top five (to be revealed tomorrow).</p><h3>Jayson Tatum</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785326/cropped_GettyImages-2214203822.jpg?ts=1753298750" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785326/w220xh124_GettyImages-2214203822.jpg?ts=1753298750 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785326/w320xh180_GettyImages-2214203822.jpg?ts=1753298750 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785326/w640xh360_GettyImages-2214203822.jpg?ts=1753298750 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785326/w768xh432_GettyImages-2214203822.jpg?ts=1753298750 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785326/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2214203822.jpg?ts=1753298750 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Nathaniel S. Butler / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 27.5 PPG, 59% TS, 8.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.7 Stl+Blk<br>4x All-NBA, 5x All-Star, 2022 ECF MVP, 2023 ASG MVP</em></p><p>The devastating Achilles injury Tatum suffered during the 2025 playoffs was particularly jarring because the Celtics superstar had seemed inevitable up to that point. Tatum missed just 40 games total over the last five years, suiting up for 72-76 contests in each of the last four seasons. He's been the best player on the NBA's most consistent team of the decade, racking up four top-six MVP finishes and four All-NBA first-team selections for a Celtics club that won the 2024 championship, made two Finals appearances, and advanced to three straight East finals between 2022-24. Tatum had plenty of help as Boston masterfully built its championship squad, but his two-way excellence was the biggest driver of that success.</p><h3>LeBron James</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772720/cropped_GettyImages-2201733020.jpg?ts=1753305138" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772720/w220xh124_GettyImages-2201733020.jpg?ts=1753305138 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772720/w320xh180_GettyImages-2201733020.jpg?ts=1753305138 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772720/w640xh360_GettyImages-2201733020.jpg?ts=1753305138 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772720/w768xh432_GettyImages-2201733020.jpg?ts=1753305138 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772720/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2201733020.jpg?ts=1753305138 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Nathaniel S. Butler / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 26.7 PPG, 60.8% TS, 7.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.7 Stl+Blk<br>5x All-NBA, 5x All-Star</em></p><p>What's left to say about King James? LeBron's age 36-40 seasons look like prime years for most Hall of Famers. The NBA's all-time leading scorer continued to fill the basket and the stat sheet over the last five years while shooting the ball better than he had in a decade. James knocked down 39.3% of his 5.4 3-point attempts per game over the last two years, adding a reliable jumper to his almost flawless all-around game while suiting up for 70-plus contests in each of those two seasons.</p><p>He's not quite in the conversation for best player alive anymore - the defense has fallen off, and he didn't make an All-NBA first team in the five-year period we're examining - but James was easily still a top-10 player at a time in his life when most of the other greats were spending more time on the golf course than the court. And when he needs to dial it up, he still strikes fear in the heart of just about every opponent.</p><h3>Kevin Durant</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790771/cropped_GettyImages-2207247174.jpg?ts=1753306323" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790771/w220xh124_GettyImages-2207247174.jpg?ts=1753306323 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790771/w320xh180_GettyImages-2207247174.jpg?ts=1753306323 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790771/w640xh360_GettyImages-2207247174.jpg?ts=1753306323 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790771/w768xh432_GettyImages-2207247174.jpg?ts=1753306323 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790771/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2207247174.jpg?ts=1753306323 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Kate Frese / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 27.9 PPG, 64.5% TS, 6.7 RPG, 5.2 APG, 2.0 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 5x All-Star</em></p><p>The timeframe in question covers the post-Achilles injury chapter of Durant's career, which also includes multiple knee injuries, lengthy absences, two trades, and a ton of locker-room turmoil. Yet KD still earned a place in the top 10. That goes to show how deadly the Slim Reaper remains.</p><p>Durant ranks fifth in per-game scoring over the last five years, a period that spans his age 32-36 seasons. The rest of the top six had age ranges from 21-25 and 26-30. His ability to shoot and create for himself at his size makes him a timeless scorer, as evidenced by the fact he shot roughly 58% inside the arc, 42% from deep, and 88% from the free-throw line in what was supposed to be the twilight of his career. And though he's only averaged about 55 games per season, Durant ranks second in minutes per game (36.2). Had it not been for one famous toe on the 3-point line in the spring of 2021, he also might've had another championship to show for this chapter.</p><h3>Jimmy Butler</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/578542/cropped_GettyImages-1491625260.jpg?ts=1753306772" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/578542/w220xh124_GettyImages-1491625260.jpg?ts=1753306772 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/578542/w320xh180_GettyImages-1491625260.jpg?ts=1753306772 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/578542/w640xh360_GettyImages-1491625260.jpg?ts=1753306772 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/578542/w768xh432_GettyImages-1491625260.jpg?ts=1753306772 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/578542/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1491625260.jpg?ts=1753306772 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Adam Glanzman / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 20.9 PPG, 62% TS, 5.8 RPG, 5.6 APG, 2.0 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 1x All-Star, 1x All-Defense, 2023 ECF MVP, 2021 SPG leader</em></p><p>Butler's numbers are the least impressive of any selection on the 15-player All-Half-Decade team, but they don't capture his overall value - just like his inconsistent jumper and regular-season durability concerns couldn't knock him out of contention.</p><p>Few players in modern history have been able to turn it up for big games like Butler. His tireless two-way work consistently helps his teams become something far greater than the sum of their parts in the spring. The postseason may only comprise a quarter of the NBA schedule, but it's what separates the superstars from the mortals - the iconic from the forgettable. And perhaps no one deserves a playoff bump for the period in question like Butler, who ranks fourth in <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=player_season_combined&amp;order_by=vorp&amp;year_min=2021&amp;comp_type=post">playoff VORP</a> since 2020-21 (and 10th in the regular season).</p><p>He's not a top-10 player at the moment, but if you were trying to win a championship over the last five years, you can't tell me there are 10 players you would rather have had.</p><p>Check back for our All-Half-Decade first team Thursday!</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31920710/related

theScore's NBA All-Half-Decade second team

Time flies when you're having fun - or, in the NBA's case, when you're making money hand over fis...

<p>Time flies when you're having fun - or, in the NBA's case, when you're making money hand over fist.</p><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder's 2025 championship marked the halfway point of the 2020s, giving us a chance to reflect on the last five years. Over the next three days, we'll unveil our All-Half-Decade team: the best 15 players of the 2020s so far, broken down into three positionless teams in accordance with modern All-NBA squads.</p><p>Before we get to the All-Half-Decade third team, there are a few honorable mentions. We'll begin with <strong>Kawhi Leonard</strong>. When healthy, he remained a top-five-caliber superstar over the first half of this decade. However, Leonard's litany of injuries has limited him to an average of 41.8 games per season since 2020-21. <strong>Anthony Davis</strong> hasn't been quite as injury-prone as Leonard, but given the narrow gap between his performance and the performance of the last few entires on our list, AD's 141 missed games over the last five years came back to bite him.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p><strong>Karl-Anthony Towns</strong>' sparkling offensive talent and production put him on the fringes of this team, but his defensive shortcomings, big-game inconsistency, and a general feeling that he leaves us wanting more made him one of the final cuts. Finally, <strong>Jalen Brunson</strong>'s admirable ability to squeeze every ounce out of his undersized frame - and his proven resume as a postseason performer - have helped lead the Knicks to legitimate contention for the first time in decades, but like Towns, Davis, and Leonard, the star guard fell just short.</p><p>All stats and accolades listed are from the 2020-21 season through the 2024-25 campaign.</p><h2>All-Half-Decade third team</h2><h3>Anthony Edwards</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787900/cropped_GettyImages-2216188056.jpg?ts=1753292234" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787900/w220xh124_GettyImages-2216188056.jpg?ts=1753292234 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787900/w320xh180_GettyImages-2216188056.jpg?ts=1753292234 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787900/w640xh360_GettyImages-2216188056.jpg?ts=1753292234 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787900/w768xh432_GettyImages-2216188056.jpg?ts=1753292234 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787900/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2216188056.jpg?ts=1753292234 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 23.9 PPG, 56.6% TS, 5.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.9 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 3x All-Star</em></p><p>The timeframe in question covers Edwards' entire five-year career, making his inclusion on this prestigious list quite remarkable. Not many players could hold the first chapter of their career up to the primes of other legends, but Ant Man has earned this selection.</p><p>Edwards overcame some predictable efficiency issues as a rookie to emerge as one of the great scorers in the modern game and was a near-40% 3-point shooter on 10 attempts per game last season. His continued growth as an offensive engine and processor have been rapid, he's taken his defensive responsibilities more seriously, and he embraces the spotlight and pressure of big games like few others. That explains how he's led the Timberwolves to two straight Western Conference finals appearances after Minnesota had advanced that far only once in its previous 34 years of existence.</p><h3>Devin Booker</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793774/cropped_GettyImages-2209665662.jpg?ts=1753293029" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793774/w220xh124_GettyImages-2209665662.jpg?ts=1753293029 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793774/w320xh180_GettyImages-2209665662.jpg?ts=1753293029 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793774/w640xh360_GettyImages-2209665662.jpg?ts=1753293029 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793774/w768xh432_GettyImages-2209665662.jpg?ts=1753293029 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793774/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2209665662.jpg?ts=1753293029 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Christian Petersen / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 26.5 PPG, 59.2% TS, 4.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 3x All-Star</em></p><p>Booker endured some grotesque seasons in Phoenix before the Suns finally got him help. Once they did, his impact on winning could no longer be denied. Booker blends volume and efficiency - he's a three-level scorer who's averaged as many as 27.8 points per game in a season and an underrated playmaker who averaged a career-high 7.1 assists last season. He began the decade as the best player on a Finals team and followed that up with a top-four finish in MVP voting in 2022. He's kept going about his business as a franchise star even as the Suns have collapsed into chaos around him.</p><h3>Donovan Mitchell</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/784928/cropped_GettyImages-2213661382.jpg?ts=1753294408" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/784928/w220xh124_GettyImages-2213661382.jpg?ts=1753294408 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/784928/w320xh180_GettyImages-2213661382.jpg?ts=1753294408 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/784928/w640xh360_GettyImages-2213661382.jpg?ts=1753294408 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/784928/w768xh432_GettyImages-2213661382.jpg?ts=1753294408 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/784928/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2213661382.jpg?ts=1753294408 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Ron Hoskins / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 26.2 PPG, 58.6% TS, 4.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.7 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 5x All-Star</em></p><p>Don't let his postseason flameouts prevent you from appreciating Mitchell's excellence. He's been a driver of elite offenses for almost his entire career; his combination of shooting, driving, and shot-creation is a devastating mix, whether in Utah or Cleveland. Quibble about his defensive shortcomings if you must, but Mitchell's teams have won 68.5% of games when he's in the lineup over the last five years (a 56-win pace), during which he's one of only seven players to make five straight All-Star Games. His Jazz and Cavs teams finished atop their respective conferences twice this decade and top five all five years, while those same squads finished first in offensive efficiency twice and top four three times.</p><h3>Tyrese Haliburton</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790016/cropped_GettyImages-2219089037.jpg?ts=1753294564" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790016/w220xh124_GettyImages-2219089037.jpg?ts=1753294564 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790016/w320xh180_GettyImages-2219089037.jpg?ts=1753294564 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790016/w640xh360_GettyImages-2219089037.jpg?ts=1753294564 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790016/w768xh432_GettyImages-2219089037.jpg?ts=1753294564 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790016/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2219089037.jpg?ts=1753294564 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Stephen Gosling / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 17.5 PPG, 60.6% TS, 3.7 RPG, 8.8 APG, 2.1 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 2x All-Star, 2024 APG leader</em></p><p>Speaking of drivers of elite offense, Haliburton's combination of shooting and playmaking resuscitated Indiana, giving the Pacers the closest thing to prime Steve Nash the game has seen since the two-time MVP.</p><p>Haliburton's style of play transformed the Pacers; their brand of basketball is completely tied to his identity and unique skill set. He's a deadeye shooter from everywhere on the court but also a generational playmaker who's racked up the fourth-most assists of the 2020s. His ability to push the pace with hit-ahead passes and perfectly balance his scoring and table-setting made the Pacers one of the must-watch teams of the last few years and one of the toughest to beat, as evidenced by a 2025 Finals appearance after a 2024 conference finals berth (and 2023 NBA Cup final). His clutch heroics and flair for the dramatic during that 2025 Finals run before his heartbreaking Achilles injury in Game 7 cemented his place here.</p><h3>Domantas Sabonis</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780457/cropped_GettyImages-2209572565.jpg?ts=1753295540" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780457/w220xh124_GettyImages-2209572565.jpg?ts=1753295540 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780457/w320xh180_GettyImages-2209572565.jpg?ts=1753295540 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780457/w640xh360_GettyImages-2209572565.jpg?ts=1753295540 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780457/w768xh432_GettyImages-2209572565.jpg?ts=1753295540 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780457/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2209572565.jpg?ts=1753295540 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Rocky Widner / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>2020-2025 stats: 19.4 PPG, 64% TS, 12.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.4 Stl+Blk<br>2x All-NBA, 2x All-Star, 3x RPG leader</em></p><p>The player Haliburton was traded for similarly transformed the Kings, though Sacramento has since reverted to its dysfunctional ways. Sabonis' bruising interior game, dominance on the glass, and, most importantly, his ability to run the offense as a dribble-handoff hub made the big man Sacramento's north star.</p><p>I suspect a debate will ensue about whether Sabonis deserved this spot over Davis, with the Kings' single playoff appearance serving as an indictment of the former's true value. However, with such thin margins between the star big men, I rewarded Sabonis for playing 96 more games during this period. Sacramento's on-court performance and off-court structure is always volatile, but Sabonis remains inevitable in bullying his way to an efficient double-double that's both mesmerizing and forceful.</p><p>Check back Wednesday for our All-Half-Decade second team!</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31911234/related

theScore's All-Half-Decade team: Top 15 NBA players of the 2020s

The NBA's offseason dust has begun to settle, so let's dig into my five tiers of championship con...

<p>The NBA's offseason dust has begun to settle, so let's dig into my five tiers of championship contention, featuring more than half the league in this golden age of parity.</p><h2>Tier 1A: The undisputed champs</h2><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791563/cropped_GettyImages-2220888769.jpg?ts=1752765623" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791563/w220xh124_GettyImages-2220888769.jpg?ts=1752765623 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791563/w320xh180_GettyImages-2220888769.jpg?ts=1752765623 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791563/w640xh360_GettyImages-2220888769.jpg?ts=1752765623 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791563/w768xh432_GettyImages-2220888769.jpg?ts=1752765623 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791563/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2220888769.jpg?ts=1752765623 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Joe Murphy / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h3>Oklahoma City Thunder</h3><p>Fresh off one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history, the young Thunder will bring their entire championship rotation back in 2025-26, with additional depth provided by Nikola Topic and perhaps even 2025 draftee Thomas Sorber. Oklahoma City will enter next campaign as the overwhelming favorites, and deservedly so.</p><h2>Tier 1B: Legit contenders</h2><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/794668/cropped_GettyImages-2062391991.jpg?ts=1752765674" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/794668/w220xh124_GettyImages-2062391991.jpg?ts=1752765674 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/794668/w320xh180_GettyImages-2062391991.jpg?ts=1752765674 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/794668/w640xh360_GettyImages-2062391991.jpg?ts=1752765674 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/794668/w768xh432_GettyImages-2062391991.jpg?ts=1752765674 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/794668/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2062391991.jpg?ts=1752765674 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Chris Coduto / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h3>Houston Rockets</h3><p>The Rockets won 52 games last season behind an elite defense but were held back by a mediocre offense that relied too heavily on offensive rebounding and transition opportunities. That proved unsustainable in the postseason, with Houston entering the offseason in desperate need to address its half-court attack. The Rockets did that by trading for Kevin Durant, a playoff-proof half-court offense unto himself. The addition of Dorian Finney-Smith and the continued growth of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason should help cover the loss of Dillon Brooks on the other end.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>Denver Nuggets</h3><p>Employing the greatest player in the world gives Denver a head start in the race to a championship. That much was on display when Nikola Jokic dragged a wounded and overmatched version of the Nuggets to Game 7 against the eventual champion Thunder. Since then, Denver's front office has been busy. The club flipped Michael Porter Jr. for a better overall player who makes half as much money in Cam Johnson before addressing depth and shooting concerns with the additions of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. As long as Jonas Valanciunas stays put, the veteran big man gives the Nuggets their best backup center of the Jokic era.</p><h3>Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><p>The Cavs' latest postseason disappointment is fresh on everyone's mind, and they'll miss reserve scorer Ty Jerome (who signed with Memphis), but don't overthink this. Cleveland is coming off a 64-win season, added two-way minutes-winners like Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr., and appears to be bringing back the core four of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. Few teams can afford to rival that top-end talent, and head coach Kenny Atkinson has found the right formula for this group.</p><h3>New York Knicks</h3><p>New York may one day look back on the spring of 2025 and say the Knicks blew their best chance at a Finals trip, but this team is still well equipped to emerge victorious from a weak Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson has proven to be a playoff performer in ways guards of his size rarely are, Karl-Anthony Towns is an All-Star sidekick (albeit a frustrating one come spring), and OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are among the best role players in basketball. New head coach Mike Brown should be able to diversify the offense in ways Tom Thibodeau never did. Also, don't overlook the low-cost additions of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to a bench that sorely lacked depth.</p><h2>Tier 2: On the fringes</h2><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/782927/cropped_GettyImages-2210932990.jpg?ts=1752765730" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/782927/w220xh124_GettyImages-2210932990.jpg?ts=1752765730 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/782927/w320xh180_GettyImages-2210932990.jpg?ts=1752765730 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/782927/w640xh360_GettyImages-2210932990.jpg?ts=1752765730 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/782927/w768xh432_GettyImages-2210932990.jpg?ts=1752765730 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/782927/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2210932990.jpg?ts=1752765730 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Adam Pantozzi / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h3>Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><p>Losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a blow to a club that already saw its win total decrease by seven games last campaign. Still, we've learned not to doubt Anthony Edwards' Timberwolves after back-to-back conference finals appearances. Edwards has grown tremendously as a shooter and offensive processor, while head coach Chris Finch always finds the right two-way approach. Julius Randle also seemed to finally find his role down the stretch. A lot is riding on how ready sophomores Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. are, but the early glimpses are encouraging. While the Wolves may not be surefire contenders, they're not far off, either.</p><h3>Los Angeles Clippers</h3><p>It's easy to dump on Bradley Beal, whose impact and fit in Phoenix never matched the value of his previous contract (which contained a no-trade clause). Beal's injury issues (he hasn't played more than 53 games in a season since 2020-21) are also the last thing a Kawhi Leonard-led squad needs. But don't let that distract you from the kind of offensive player Beal still is, especially on a $5.5 million salary. He's averaged roughly 18 points and four assists on 60% true shooting over the last two campaigns (including 41% from deep). He should slot in well either between Leonard and James Harden, off the bench, or in two-man actions with Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez. The Clippers essentially replaced Norman Powell with Beal, Lopez, John Collins, and likely Chris Paul. This team is arguably deeper and more balanced than it's been since acquiring Leonard six years ago.</p><h3>Los Angeles Lakers</h3><p>The Lakers' long-term trajectory will come into focus over the coming year, with LeBron James' future and a potential Luka Doncic extension both on the docket for Los Angeles' new ownership group. In the meantime, the current iteration of the squad still has questions. Can Jake LaRavia's 3-and-D upside replace what the team lost when Finney-Smith left for Houston? Can Deandre Ayton be the center Doncic and James need, or will he prove to be as poor a fit as he seems on the surface, given his lack of rim-running and rim protection? Can Doncic and James thrive together? Like the other squads in this tier, I could just as easily see L.A. struggling to emerge from the West play-in tournament as I could it hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Still, any club starring James and Doncic has at least a puncher's chance.</p><h3>Golden State Warriors</h3><p>The Warriors are having the league's quietest offseason, with the departure of Kevon Looney (Pelicans) the only transaction even loosely linked to Golden State. Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to surround RFA Jonathan Kuminga, whose future with the team remains uncertain. That inactivity and murkiness, coupled with the advanced ages of the Warriors' stars, keep Golden State from full-fledged contention. The Dubs need a center and more rotation-caliber talent, but a full season of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green would still be enough to keep this team on the fringes. Golden State went 23-7 with Butler in the lineup.</p><h2>Tier 3: If everything breaks right</h2><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/549222/cropped_GettyImages-1442675806.jpg?ts=1752765764" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/549222/w220xh124_GettyImages-1442675806.jpg?ts=1752765764 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/549222/w320xh180_GettyImages-1442675806.jpg?ts=1752765764 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/549222/w640xh360_GettyImages-1442675806.jpg?ts=1752765764 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/549222/w768xh432_GettyImages-1442675806.jpg?ts=1752765764 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/549222/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1442675806.jpg?ts=1752765764 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Mitchell Leff / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h3>Philadelphia 76ers</h3><p>It can be easy to forget after a 58-loss season, but this is still a squad featuring a recent MVP (Joel Embiid), a young secondary star (Tyrese Maxey), and a six-time All-NBAer who made two straight All-Star teams right before joining the Sixers (Paul George). That two-way trio is perfectly balanced, featuring a guard, a wing, and a big. Third overall pick VJ Edgecombe also adds some tantalizing upside. If Philadelphia's Big Three stays healthy and Edgecombe proves capable of filling a key role as a rookie, the Sixers can compete for a Finals berth, if not a title. The catch? Embiid's body and/or game always fail him when it matters most, Maxey isn't good enough to carry a contender, George just underwent <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3311850" href="https://thescore.com/news/3311850"><em>another</em></a> knee surgery, and Philly doesn't have the depth to survive the eight-month grind to a title.</p><h3>Milwaukee Bucks</h3><p>The glass-half-full outlook is that any team with Giannis Antetokounmpo on it has a chance to win, let alone one playing in this hodgepodge of a conference. The Bucks are here for that reason alone. The half-empty view is that the Greek Freak just enjoyed one of his greatest individual seasons - now featuring a mid-range game - for what was a better Bucks team than the one that'll take the floor next season, and Milwaukee still won just 48 games. The acquisition of Myles Turner made headlines, and if it sold Antetokounmpo on a future in Milwaukee, then perhaps it was worth it. But the team's current crop of guards is nowhere near good enough, and Turner and Antetokounmpo have lost a step defensively. Plus, when you factor in the price of Damian Lillard's buyout, the cap- and asset-strapped Bucks are effectively committing $50 million per year to roster Turner.</p><h3>Dallas Mavericks</h3><p>Dallas looks like a very deep two-way team boasting a nice blend of veteran know-how and youthful exuberance. If Anthony Davis is still healthy by the time Kyrie Irving returns from a torn ACL and Cooper Flagg is as NBA-ready as advertised, the Mavs will have the top-end talent and depth required to win in today's NBA. However, that still feels like a lot of "ifs." Davis has cracked the 65-game mark just once over the last seven years, Irving's track record of reliability is even worse, and Flagg is 18 years old. That's likely too much to overcome in the unforgiving West.</p><h3>Memphis Grizzlies</h3><p>The Grizzlies were an 8-seed before trading Desmond Bane, and Ja Morant still has plenty of work to do to regain the public's trust, so some will surely bristle at the notion Memphis is a contender of any sort. But Morant has consistently been a game-changer when healthy and available, while Jaren Jackson Jr. has emerged as one of the league's best two-way big men. Additionally, sophomore guard Jaylen Wells, Ty Jerome, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should be able to replace most of what Bane and sharpshooter Luke Kennard provided. Memphis also has an intriguing crop of youngsters in the mix, and the Bane deal left it with even more trade capital. If head coach Tuomas Iisalo's pick-and-roll-heavy system reignites Morant and the Grizzlies can leverage those assets wisely, look out.</p><h2>Tier 4: Hey, it's the East 🤷</h2><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780694/cropped_GettyImages-2209384181.jpg?ts=1752765847" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780694/w220xh124_GettyImages-2209384181.jpg?ts=1752765847 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780694/w320xh180_GettyImages-2209384181.jpg?ts=1752765847 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780694/w640xh360_GettyImages-2209384181.jpg?ts=1752765847 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780694/w768xh432_GettyImages-2209384181.jpg?ts=1752765847 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/780694/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2209384181.jpg?ts=1752765847 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Rich Storry / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h3>Orlando Magic</h3><p>The Magic are like the discount version of the Rockets but have the benefit of playing in the far inferior conference. Orlando already had a second-ranked defense buoyed by tremendous size in its frontcourt and Jalen Suggs in the backcourt, though the team lacked the shooting, self-creation, and pure point guard play necessary to succeed. Enter Bane, a borderline All-Star, and veteran caretaker Tyus Jones. If those two play up to their usual offensive standards while Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner continue to improve, Orlando can beat anyone in the wide-open East.</p><h3>Atlanta Hawks</h3><p>The Hawks have quietly been building a better defensive and off-ball infrastructure around Trae Young in recent years. They continued that trend this summer by adding Kristaps Porzingis, Alexander-Walker, and Kennard. If rising star Jalen Johnson can finally stay healthy, Atlanta has the pieces to compete with the likes of Cleveland, New York, and whoever else emerges as an Eastern threat. This supporting cast is the best Young has had, and we've already seen him do more with less in the playoffs.</p><h3>Detroit Pistons</h3><p>Cade Cunningham made a franchise-changing star leap last season, while the Pistons accrued some postseason battle scars. Detroit also did well to land Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert to replace the movement shooting and creation previously provided by Malik Beasley and Hardaway Jr. Meanwhile, Ausar Thompson has Most Improved Player potential, and Jaden Ivey should be good to go after recovering from a broken fibula. The Pistons won't catch anyone napping again this season, but they at least deserve a place on this list.</p><h2>Tier 5: The unicorn factor</h2><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791947/cropped_GettyImages-2199225251.jpg?ts=1752781181" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791947/w220xh124_GettyImages-2199225251.jpg?ts=1752781181 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791947/w320xh180_GettyImages-2199225251.jpg?ts=1752781181 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791947/w640xh360_GettyImages-2199225251.jpg?ts=1752781181 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791947/w768xh432_GettyImages-2199225251.jpg?ts=1752781181 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791947/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2199225251.jpg?ts=1752781181 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">G Fiume / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h3>San Antonio Spurs</h3><p>The Spurs are unlikely to contend this year, even with a full season of De'Aaron Fox and contributions from rookies Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant. But Victor Wembanyama's time is coming. If the 7-foot-3 Frenchman makes the MVP-level leap he's capable of, San Antonio will ascend along with him.</p><p><strong>Honorable mentions</strong>: The Celtics and Pacers won't have championship upside without Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, but both teams still have the talent, resilience, and coaching to make things interesting if they want to (rather than chasing lottery odds). I wouldn't be shocked if a career year from Jaylen Brown keeps Joe Mazzulla's Celtics competitive. As for Indiana, the combination of Pascal Siakam, a group of scrappy two-way players, and Rick Carlisle won't be a pushover.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA and Raptors reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31818134/related

The NBA's new tiers of contention

We've already covered the biggest transactions from the first couple days of NBA free agency and ...

<p>We've already covered the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3306103" href="https://thescore.com/news/3306103">biggest</a> transactions from the first couple days of NBA free agency and explored the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3309827" href="https://thescore.com/news/3309827">underrated</a> deals you may have overlooked, but summer is just heating up. Here are a few thoughts on the biggest deals of the offseason's second week.</p><h3>Thunder extend J-Dub, Holmgren</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/777582/cropped_GettyImages-2202648938.jpg?ts=1752180797" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/777582/w220xh124_GettyImages-2202648938.jpg?ts=1752180797 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/777582/w320xh180_GettyImages-2202648938.jpg?ts=1752180797 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/777582/w640xh360_GettyImages-2202648938.jpg?ts=1752180797 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/777582/w768xh432_GettyImages-2202648938.jpg?ts=1752180797 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/777582/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2202648938.jpg?ts=1752180797 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Martin McGrew / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Thunder sign Jalen Williams to 5-year extension worth up to $287M<br>Thunder sign Chet Holmgren to 5-year extension worth up to $250M</em></p><p>Thirteen years ago, the Thunder haggled over whether to give James Harden, the third member of their original Big Three, a max contract following Oklahoma City's first Finals berth. That financial conflict led to Harden's departure, and a Thunder team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook never got back to the Finals. Thirteen years later, there was no such haggling; the defending champion Thunder signed all three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren to maximum extensions over the last week. Those deals could be worth a combined $822 million in salary alone, with additional costs related to the NBA's luxury-tax system.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>It should be well worth it, with the Thunder better positioned to reign atop the Association than any team since the Durant-era Warriors. Williams is already perhaps the league's best second option, a ruthlessly efficient three-level scorer and All-Defensive team selection. Meanwhile, Holmgren's been hampered by injury issues, making his extension the riskiest of the three, but the lithe 7-footer has been incredibly impactful when healthy. He is one of the best rim-protectors and floor-spacers among big men, an extremely sought-after combination in the modern game.</p><p>The Thunder will feel the tax and apron implications beginning in 2026-27, when extensions for Williams and Holmgren kick in (SGA's extension kicks in the following year). The team can try to skirt those punitive restrictions by declining a number of team options on important role players like Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort. In addition, OKC can use its bevy of draft picks to restock the roster with cost-controlled rotation players on rookie-scale contracts.</p><p>It will be difficult to replicate the type of championship-level depth the Thunder enjoyed in 2024-25 and will enjoy again in 2025-26, but retaining their three stars for the foreseeable future was the most important thing. They can worry about the rest later.</p><h3>Suns add 2 years to Booker's deal</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785925/cropped_GettyImages-2208229786.jpg?ts=1752180909" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785925/w220xh124_GettyImages-2208229786.jpg?ts=1752180909 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785925/w320xh180_GettyImages-2208229786.jpg?ts=1752180909 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785925/w640xh360_GettyImages-2208229786.jpg?ts=1752180909 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785925/w768xh432_GettyImages-2208229786.jpg?ts=1752180909 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/785925/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2208229786.jpg?ts=1752180909 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Stacy Revere / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Suns sign Devin Booker to 2-year, $145M extension</em></p><p>Usually, I'd tell anyone complaining about an NBA star's new contract that they're overreacting and they should think about the deal in terms of a percentage of the salary cap rather than as a raw dollar figure. However, that perspective doesn't quell my own concerns about this particular extension.</p><p>The Suns are in asset hell and NBA purgatory - not good enough to contend in the short term and lacking the draft capital required to tank or plan for the long term (they don't control their own first-round pick until 2032). That desperation clearly played a part in this decision, as Phoenix felt a need to lock up its franchise star for as long as possible. By extending Booker, the Suns ensured the four-time All-Star will be under team control for all but one of the seasons in which they owe their pick to a rival club. But Booker is also the fading Suns' only blue-chip trade asset, and they've severely diminished the value of that asset.</p><p>Booker still had three years left on what was a manageable contract for his age and stature. He's now owed a record average salary of $72.5 million in his age-32 and age-33 seasons. Other than the Suns themselves, who's going to want that deal on their books?</p><p>Kudos to Booker for cashing in and likely ensuring he'll spend the rest of the decade in the only NBA home he's ever known, but from a team perspective, this unnecessary extension seems like the definition of the sunk-cost fallacy.</p><h3>Pelicans extend Jones</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/592235/cropped_GettyImages-1480699911.jpg?ts=1752194748" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/592235/w220xh124_GettyImages-1480699911.jpg?ts=1752194748 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/592235/w320xh180_GettyImages-1480699911.jpg?ts=1752194748 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/592235/w640xh360_GettyImages-1480699911.jpg?ts=1752194748 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/592235/w768xh432_GettyImages-1480699911.jpg?ts=1752194748 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/592235/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1480699911.jpg?ts=1752194748 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Sean Gardner / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Pelicans sign Herb Jones to 3-year, $68M extension</em></p><p>While New Orleans' offseason has been puzzling thus far - from acquiring Jordan Poole to trading an unprotected 2026 first-rounder so the team could draft Derik Queen - extending Jones makes plenty of sense. The 26-year-old forward is coming off a down year that was derailed by a serious shoulder injury, but when healthy, Jones is one of league's best 3-and-D role players. In 2023-24, his third season, he finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and shot 41.8% from deep. Even if his shooting hovers around league average (his career mark is 36.6%), his all-world defense should make him a valuable starter for years to come.</p><p>The Pelicans now have him under contract through at least 2029 (Jones holds a player option for 2029-30). This was the maximum extension Jones and the Pelicans could've agreed to, and he should prove well worth it for New Orleans; his salaries in the tacked-on years account for only 12% of the cap.</p><h3>3-team trade lands Powell in Miami</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781781/cropped_GettyImages-2210802637.jpg?ts=1752180961" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781781/w220xh124_GettyImages-2210802637.jpg?ts=1752180961 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781781/w320xh180_GettyImages-2210802637.jpg?ts=1752180961 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781781/w640xh360_GettyImages-2210802637.jpg?ts=1752180961 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781781/w768xh432_GettyImages-2210802637.jpg?ts=1752180961 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781781/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2210802637.jpg?ts=1752180961 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Garrett Ellwood / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Heat acquire Norman Powell<br>Clippers acquire John Collins<br>Jazz acquire Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, 2nd-round pick</em></p><p>The Heat are the clear winners here, having acquired the best player in the deal for very little (the 2027 second-round pick is from the Clippers). Powell is one of the league's best shooters, can play on or off the ball, and can start or lead Miami's bench unit. He's much more useful and impactful than either of Love or Anderson in the short term, and he'll be on an expiring contract in 2025-26, so there's no long-term risk attached to him either.</p><p>Though Collins fills the Clippers' years-long need for a power forward, it feels like Los Angeles has downgraded for the time being. Powell's departure makes the team's offense much more reliant on the aging duo of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. That said, if this move clears the way for a cheap signing of Bradley Beal (in the event Phoenix buys him out), you could convince me that the Clippers are a more complete squad, especially after last week's signing of Brook Lopez.</p><h3>Magic max out Banchero</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793397/cropped_GettyImages-2212808052.jpg?ts=1752181010" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793397/w220xh124_GettyImages-2212808052.jpg?ts=1752181010 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793397/w320xh180_GettyImages-2212808052.jpg?ts=1752181010 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793397/w640xh360_GettyImages-2212808052.jpg?ts=1752181010 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793397/w768xh432_GettyImages-2212808052.jpg?ts=1752181010 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793397/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2212808052.jpg?ts=1752181010 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Maddie Meyer / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Magic sign Paolo Banchero to 5-year extenstion worth up to $287M</em></p><p>This extension came as no surprise. Banchero's emerged as a franchise-changing All-Star for the Magic (along with Franz Wagner) despite some credible shooting concerns. Banchero's combination of size and creation skills allows him to bully whoever's guarding him, rise up over them, and draw fouls at an elite rate. In addition, his sheer strength has helped him become a better defender than he was projected to be out of college. Banchero's 3-point shooting and overall efficiency may leave something to be desired, but the 22-year-old already has an All-Star selection to his name and averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his three seasons. The former No. 1 overall pick was never getting less than the max with that kind of resume.</p><p>Now the big questions are whether he can live up to the expectations that come with this new deal and whether he can play his way into the most lucrative version of this contract. If the last few years are any indication, I wouldn't doubt him.</p><h3>Spurs add Olynyk</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793550/cropped_GettyImages-2203850351.jpg?ts=1752181159" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793550/w220xh124_GettyImages-2203850351.jpg?ts=1752181159 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793550/w320xh180_GettyImages-2203850351.jpg?ts=1752181159 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793550/w640xh360_GettyImages-2203850351.jpg?ts=1752181159 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793550/w768xh432_GettyImages-2203850351.jpg?ts=1752181159 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793550/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2203850351.jpg?ts=1752181159 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Derick E. Hingle / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Wizards trade Kelly Olynyk to Spurs for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, 2nd-round pick</em></p><p>Olynyk won't garner the attention of lottery picks like Dylan Harper or Carter Bryant, and the veteran center isn't even the best reserve San Antonio acquired in July (<a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3309827" href="https://thescore.com/news/3309827">see Luke Kornet</a>), but he's a nice buy-low addition to the Spurs' bench behind Victor Wembanyama. A career 37.1% 3-point shooter, Olynyk managed a 41.8% clip from deep between stops in Toronto and New Orleans last season. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25 minutes per game as a Pelican, overcoming back issues that slowed him earlier in the 2024-25 campaign. The 34-year-old will provide spacing, playmaking, and offensive connectivity off the Spurs' bench, teaming with Kornet to form one of the NBA's best reserve frontcourt duos.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA and Raptors reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31760794/related

Offseason analysis: Thunder spend big, Suns extend Booker, Heat land Powell

In the shadow of star acquisitions and big-name moves, a handful of smaller summer transactions a...

<p>In the shadow of star acquisitions and big-name moves, a handful of smaller summer transactions always end up paying surprising dividends once the NBA's new season tips off. Here are five deals from this offseason that you may have missed or ignored that will make a real impact for their respective teams.</p><h3>Spurs sign Luke Kornet</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793400/cropped_GettyImages-2223417617.jpg?ts=1752079836" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793400/w220xh124_GettyImages-2223417617.jpg?ts=1752079836 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793400/w320xh180_GettyImages-2223417617.jpg?ts=1752079836 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793400/w640xh360_GettyImages-2223417617.jpg?ts=1752079836 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793400/w768xh432_GettyImages-2223417617.jpg?ts=1752079836 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793400/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2223417617.jpg?ts=1752079836 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Michael Gonzales / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Since some observers expected the Spurs to go big-game hunting in an effort to expedite their timeline, Kornet might seem like an underwhelming addition. He shouldn't. The former Celtics big man has been one of the league's best per-minute reserves, doing all the little things that help good teams win.</p><p>Kornet's development story is the inverse of the game's overall 3-point revolution. The 29-year-old began his career as a floor-spacing center before moving inside, with less than 1% of his field-goal attempts coming from 3-point territory over the last two years. Kornet is a solid rebounder and interior scorer with playmaking smarts and a knack for screening, but he brings the bulk of his value on defense. The 7-footer posted the 10th-best defensive field-goal percentage among the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*100&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;TeamID=0&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RIM_FG_PCT">273 players</a> who defended at least 100 shots at the rim in 2024-25, ranking just behind Rudy Gobert and Jarrett Allen.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Kornet will serve as a great backup for Victor Wembanyama, but he can also play beside the Spurs prodigy in giant two-big lineups, providing plenty of surplus value along the way. Kornet's new <a href="https://x.com/spotrac/status/1942611211104727157">contract</a> is only guaranteed for $24 million, with the fourth year of the deal a team option.</p><h3>Lakers sign Jake LaRavia</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793544/cropped_GettyImages-2207109922.jpg?ts=1752079889" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793544/w220xh124_GettyImages-2207109922.jpg?ts=1752079889 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793544/w320xh180_GettyImages-2207109922.jpg?ts=1752079889 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793544/w640xh360_GettyImages-2207109922.jpg?ts=1752079889 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793544/w768xh432_GettyImages-2207109922.jpg?ts=1752079889 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793544/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2207109922.jpg?ts=1752079889 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Much of the discourse surrounding the Lakers' offseason has focused on LeBron James' impatience, the loss of Dorian Finney-Smith, and the team being forced to settle for the ill-fitting Deandre Ayton to fill its glaring need at center. But don't sleep on LaRavia, who signed a two-year, $12-million contract with the Lakers.</p><p>The 19th overall selection in the 2022 draft, LaRavia is only 23 years old, three years into his pro career, and has flashed some promising two-way potential. He'll mostly serve as a stretch-four on the offensive end, where he quietly shot a sparkling 42.3% from deep on a small but respectable sample (142 attempts) this past season. LaRavia's unlikely to sustain that kind of success rate as his volume of long-range attempts grows, but with Luka Doncic (and James) driving and kicking, he should get enough clean looks to make them count.</p><p>LaRavia is also a defensive workhorse, strong enough to guard fours and mobile enough to guard smaller forwards. He's got great hands and can be very disruptive, though he can sometimes be too aggressive, leading to foul trouble. Still, expect him to be a fan favorite in L.A. by Christmas.</p><h3>Pacers trade for Jay Huff</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/cropped_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w220xh124_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w320xh180_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w640xh360_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w768xh432_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Joe Murphy / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Indiana's offseason has been downright depressing, from Tyrese Haliburton being ruled out until the 2026-27 season to Myles Turner departing for a conference rival, but there's reason to be excited about Huff, who made my 2024-25 <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3241470" href="https://thescore.com/news/3241470">All-Nobody Team</a>.</p><p>Stats per-36 minutes can often be misleading because there's a reason reserves don't play starters' minutes: They usually aren't good enough, and their production would fall off if they tried. That caveat aside, how many of you were aware that Huff matched, if not outperformed, Turner on a per-minute basis last season?</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-L4S9T" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/L4S9T/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="148" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}();
</script></figure><p>Among <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=fg3_pct&amp;year_min=2025&amp;year_max=2025&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=80&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=fg3">180 players</a> who made at least 80 3-pointers, Huff's conversion rate ranked 35th. The only other centers who shot better than 40% from deep on as many attempts as Huff were Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, and Nikola Vucevic, a quartet with a combined 15 All-Star selections. He also finished <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=blk_pct&amp;year_min=2025&amp;year_max=2025&amp;qual=blk_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=6&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=blk_pct">fifth</a> in block percentage among qualified players, with a slightly better defensive field-goal percentage than Turner. Huff's not the most mobile defender, but he gets the job done as a rim-protector. The combined ability to pull opposing centers away from the rim on the offensive end while protecting it on the defensive end remains highly coveted in the modern game, making Huff an extremely valuable player on his current contract ($2.7 million average annual value over the next three years).</p><p>Huff won't help a Haliburton-less version of the Pacers make another deep playoff run, and there probably aren't any nine-figure contracts in his future, but don't be surprised if Indiana misses Turner less than previously expected. </p><h3>Magic sign Tyus Jones</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792779/cropped_GettyImages-2208361909.jpg?ts=1752079969" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792779/w220xh124_GettyImages-2208361909.jpg?ts=1752079969 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792779/w320xh180_GettyImages-2208361909.jpg?ts=1752079969 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792779/w640xh360_GettyImages-2208361909.jpg?ts=1752079969 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792779/w768xh432_GettyImages-2208361909.jpg?ts=1752079969 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792779/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2208361909.jpg?ts=1752079969 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Nathaniel S. Butler / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Jones' one-year, $7-million deal should prove to be one of the bargains of the summer, putting the veteran in a perfect situation after a disappointing season in Phoenix.</p><p>He didn't impact the Suns the way most had hoped, but he's still a steady ball-handler who can help a more stable organization like the Magic - especially one that can use a pure point guard.</p><p>Jones can back up Jalen Suggs and share the court with either Suggs or the newly acquired Desmond Bane. His size limits him defensively, but he's joining an elite defensive team that can benefit from his combination of shooting and caretaking. Remember, Orlando hasn't finished higher than 22nd in offensive efficiency since 2012 and just finished last in 3-point shooting. Meanwhile, Jones has shot 41.4% from deep in each of the last two seasons and owns a remarkable 5.4-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.</p><h3>76ers sign Jabari Walker to 2-way contract</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793647/cropped_GettyImages-2209577007.jpg?ts=1752080035" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793647/w220xh124_GettyImages-2209577007.jpg?ts=1752080035 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793647/w320xh180_GettyImages-2209577007.jpg?ts=1752080035 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793647/w640xh360_GettyImages-2209577007.jpg?ts=1752080035 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793647/w768xh432_GettyImages-2209577007.jpg?ts=1752080035 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/793647/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2209577007.jpg?ts=1752080035 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Cameron Browne / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Walker having to settle for a two-way contract was one of the most stunning results of the offseason for those who've paid attention to the 22-year-old forward. A 2022 second-round pick, Walker carved out a decent role off the bench for a vastly improved Trail Blazers team down the stretch. He's a good rebounder with a great motor and a willingness to do the dirty work, and his shooting has also started to pop. He shot 45.5% on corner threes and 38.9% overall from deep in 2024-25, albeit in a small sample. Don't be surprised if Walker spends more time as a 3-and-D role player off the Sixers' bench than he does in the G League.</p><p><strong>Honorable mention</strong>: Raptors sign Sandro Mamukelashvili</p><p>The Raptors needed a backup center and more 3-point shooting. They may have found both in Mamukelashvili, a 26-year-old who just shot 37.3% from deep in 11 minutes per game off the Spurs' bench. He's an efficient offensive player but subpar defender. If the Raptors can get 10-15 serviceable minutes per night from Mamukelashvili - who can play behind or beside newly extended starter Jakob Poeltl - his two-year, $5.5-million contract will look like a tidy piece of business.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA and Raptors reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31747740/related

The 5 most underrated moves of the NBA offseason

NBA free agency officially opened June 30, and teams can start (legally) negotiating with players...

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31683565/related

NBA free agency: Analysis of the biggest moves

The bombshell of the Toronto Raptors' offseason wasn't a superstar acquisition but rather a seism...

<p>The bombshell of the Toronto Raptors' offseason wasn't a superstar acquisition but rather a seismic loss, as Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment announced Friday that it had parted ways with team president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri.</p><p>The news was met with shock north of the border, where Ujiri's 12-year run transformed the Raptors brand and Canadian basketball.</p><p>The timing is curious. While Ujiri would've been entering the final year of his contract - a deal that made him one of the highest-paid executives in North American sports - the announcement comes days after the NBA draft, during which the Raptors shared footage of a beaming Ujiri on the phone with first-round selection Collin Murray-Boyles. MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley later added that discussions surrounding Ujiri's exit began earlier this month, with Ujiri requesting that any changes wait until the draft was complete.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Meanwhile, free agency is just days away. The Raptors don't figure to be major players in an underwhelming market, but the biggest impact of Ujiri's departure might be how Toronto is perceived in that market going forward (and whether this derails any future pursuits of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has a <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3296281">history</a> with Ujiri).</p><p>Ujiri brought a swagger and legitimacy to the Raptors that the franchise could never have dreamed of before him and will be hard-pressed to find again without him.</p><p>Ujiri also brought tangible and unprecedented success. The Raptors made eight trips to the postseason in his first nine years on the job, winning nine playoff series and the 2019 NBA championship in the process (after a gutsy trade for a disgruntled Kawhi Leonard in the final year of his contract). In the 18 years preceding Ujiri's takeover, the Raptors made five playoff appearances and won one series.</p><p>However, the immaculate vibes faded over the last five years, beginning with a displaced season in Tampa Bay during the COVID-19 pandemic. At least that delivered lottery luck and franchise star Scottie Barnes, with the Raptors returning to the postseason in Barnes' Rookie of the Year campaign. It seemed Ujiri's Raptors would seamlessly transition from one successful era to another, but it wasn't to be, and his front office has to own that.</p><p>Reported internal friction between Barnes and the old guard initially disrupted the plan. Since then, an inability to find the right mix of talent to surround the 23-year-old has foiled things further. Along the way, Toronto moved or lost the last remnants of its championship core, punctuated by a pennies-on-the-dollar trade of Pascal Siakam to Indiana. There's no debating that the Raptors <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2824403">botched</a> the handling and timing of Siakam's final days in Toronto, a fact underscored by the three-time All-Star's significant role in the Pacers' run to the 2025 Finals and the 2024 Eastern Conference finals.</p><p>As the dust settles on that transaction, the Raptors can essentially say they turned an expiring Siakam into Ja'Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, and Brandon Ingram, the latter of whom Toronto traded for and extended at this year's deadline. The deal for Ingram felt <a href="https://youtu.be/OXRy9FAe9lY?si=M3WNSNapOW6QDBFp">defensible</a> but equally baffling, emblematic of the murkiness that came to define the final years of Ujiri's tenure. There's also the <a href="https://x.com/PelsFilmRoom/status/1938080522548232248">possibility</a> the Raptors may have turned down an extremely valuable 2026 first-round pick and failed to capitalize on New Orleans' draft-night desperation, but we can't be certain the Pelicans offered Toronto the same package that Atlanta ultimately pried from them.</p><p>It's fair to question Toronto's current direction and Ujiri's recent track record, but it appears MLSE was the only one who didn't believe he'd eventually figure things out. The Raptors' rabid fan base had an almost unwavering faith in the man who told them to believe in themselves, their city, and their country despite the inferiority complex that comes with being the NBA's lone team outside the U.S.</p><p>Who could blame fans for their devotion after he delivered on his promises time and time again, rallying Canadians around a "We The North" battle cry?</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792113/cropped_GettyImages-1150405121.jpg?ts=1751050580" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792113/w220xh124_GettyImages-1150405121.jpg?ts=1751050580 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792113/w320xh180_GettyImages-1150405121.jpg?ts=1751050580 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792113/w640xh360_GettyImages-1150405121.jpg?ts=1751050580 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792113/w768xh432_GettyImages-1150405121.jpg?ts=1751050580 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792113/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1150405121.jpg?ts=1751050580 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps it's no coincidence that MLSE's crisis of faith coincides with Rogers Communications and Ed Rogers Jr. gaining more control of the enterprise. It was Rogers who <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/edward-rogers-fought-plans-to-keep-raptors-masai-ujiri-but-was-thwarted-by-mlse-head/article_2abb5319-c18e-583b-9924-7da418c9680a.html">reportedly</a> scoffed at meeting Ujiri's price to retain the coveted executive four years ago, only to have team governor Larry Tanenbaum overrule him. However, after a $4.7-billion deal to acquire Bell Media's 37.5% stake in the company, Rogers now holds a controlling 75% share in MLSE, with the option to buy out Tanenbaum's remaining 25% in 2026.</p><p>Pelley, former CEO of Rogers and past president of the DP World Tour, assumed his role with the company last year. He made waves in May when the Maple Leafs parted ways with Brendan Shanahan, who took over as president of Toronto's historic hockey club a year after Ujiri landed the Raptors job. However, the Leafs are progressing without a president for the time being, whereas the Raptors' search for a new president will commence immediately (with general manager Bobby Webster and other front-office personnel retained and extended).</p><p>That means it's not necessarily the role of team president that Pelley and Rogers found dispensible, but Ujiri himself.</p><p>"Let's give Masai tremendous accolades for creating a brand and a culture, but the testament to that brand and the testament to a culture is how it lives once that individual is gone," Pelley told theScore during a Friday news conference. "I believe that the culture and the brand that (Ujiri's) created will flourish, because that's the way he would've wanted it. When you create a brand, when you create a culture, if it is mitigated when that individual is no longer involved, then the culture and brand has not been created in the right way."</p><p>Pelley and the team's fans will have to agree to disagree on how invaluable Ujiri remained. What can't be disputed is how badly he wanted to bring another title to town, both personally and professionally.</p><p>Ujiri guaranteed the Raptors would win again every time he found himself in front of a microphone. In April, he spoke candidly about how he couldn't truly savor his first triumph due to Leonard's impending free agency and an altercation with a sheriff's deputy that led to both sides filing lawsuits (which were dropped in 2021).</p><p>It feels surreal that Ujiri's quest for that second trophy could now be of competing interest to Toronto, but that's the course Rogers, Pelley, and MLSE have charted. Whatever their next move is, they better hope it's the type of home run only Ujiri has ever consistently hit for this franchise.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31655188/related

Ujiri's Raptors had lost some luster, but good luck finding someone better

Collin Murray-Boyles' first few moments as a Raptor didn't inspire much confidence north of the b...

<p>Collin Murray-Boyles' first few moments as a Raptor didn't inspire much confidence north of the border. And it had nothing to do with the fact that most Raptors fans had hoped the team would select a higher-ceiling prospect like Khaman Maluach or Noa Essengue with the ninth overall pick.</p><p>Many viewed the South Carolina big man's four-letter <a href="https://x.com/msmcb02/status/1938043734974992414">reaction</a> to hearing his name attached to Toronto as a clear sign of his disappointment. Murray-Boyles spent parts of Wednesday night clearing up any confusion. "Being with this organization means so much," he <a href="https://x.com/NBATV/status/1938057215039955201">told</a> NBA TV minutes after being drafted.</p><p>"It was just disbelief. Toronto was probably the first team I worked out for," he told Raptors reporters via a remote interview later in the evening. "What I said was not a bad thing by any means. I'm just really thankful. That was a surreal moment."</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>With that sorted out, Murray-Boyles can begin to clear up similar misconceptions about his game.</p><p>Doubters surely see an undersized big man who can't shoot. The dreaded tweener forward. But look beyond that shortsighted label, and you'll find an analytics darling - a versatile, high-floor big man who should be able to hang in the NBA immediately and stick around for a while.</p><p>What Murray-Boyles lacks in traditional size (6-foot-6.5), he makes up for with a nearly 7-foot-1 wingspan. His length, mobility, and great hands allow him to be highly disruptive on the defensive end, where he plays with an intensity that should make him a fan favorite. Murray-Boyles can defend every frontcourt position, with his 239-pound frame holding up against centers in the post and smaller players on switches. He's also a great rebounder.</p><p>The shooting concerns are legitimate, particularly on a team built around Scottie Barnes (and one that finished 29th in 3-point attempt rate this past season). Murray-Boyles attempted only 39 3-pointers over his two years at South Carolina and made nine of them, good for 23.1%. His range and jumper will be the swing skill, as it is for most prospects these days, but there's enough offensive utility here for Murray-Boyles to provide two-way value regardless.</p><p>For one, he's a great interior finisher (62% on 2-pointers, 67% at the<a href="https://x.com/CotyWilesSports/status/1938049899766993026"> rim</a>) with some impressive playmaking chops and a desire to <a href="https://youtu.be/qBeM5OhAWq8?si=n_jtRKUzvR0mZkw3&amp;t=11">tear</a> the rim down. A point-forward role in college gave the lefty plenty of reps with the ball in his hands, and he's shown the ability to put it on the floor and get to the basket. Still, he's self-aware enough to know that might not be his offensive role at the pro level, as he's mentioned a willingness to do the dirty work if needed. The ball can also go through him as a connector from the elbows in head coach Darko Rajakovic's offense.</p><p>Murray-Boyles' combination of defensive ability and playmaking upside at his size will draw the usual comparisons to Draymond Green. But if we're on the topic of four-time All-Stars, there's some Paul Millsap in there, too.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/cropped_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w220xh124_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w320xh180_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w640xh360_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w768xh432_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Murray-Boyles is essentially a more polished version of what the Raptors' front office saw in second-round pick Jonathan Mogbo a year ago. That might be a problem for Mogbo in his quest to crack Toronto's rotation, but Mogbo's also not a good enough prospect for his development to be dictating what the Raptors do with their draft picks. As general manager Bobby Webster told reporters Wednesday, this club is still in talent acquisition mode. "We're not so worried about position as we try to find these players," said Webster. "Teams change a lot, you can trade, there's a lot of different movement there. For us, it was more, who do we think is the best player?"</p><p>With Maluach, Essengue, and others still on the board, Webster and the Raptors clearly felt Murray-Boyles was the best player available, and not just in the short term. "'Best player available' is you're assuming the guy's going to stay on your team for a long time, so you want him to be great," Webster said.</p><p>Great is a lofty expectation and a statistically improbable one for any prospect, let alone the ninth pick. At worst, Murray-Boyles looks like a solid yet unspectacular pro with a terrific defensive baseline to work from.</p><p>The Raptors may not need more of those types as presently constructed, and there's no question they need more shooting. But more than anything, Toronto needs talent. Murray-Boyles probably has more than he's been given credit for.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31644761/related

What are the Raptors getting in Collin Murray-Boyles?

The trade that sent Jrue Holiday from Boston to Portland won't dominate headlines like Kevin Dura...

<p>The trade that sent Jrue Holiday from Boston to Portland won't dominate headlines like Kevin Durant's <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3303136" href="https://thescore.com/news/3303136">move</a> to Houston, but it's arguably more fascinating and certainly more surprising.</p><p><strong>Trail Blazers receive</strong>: Jrue Holiday</p><p><strong>Celtics receive</strong>: Anfernee Simons, two 2nd-round picks</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>What are the Blazers doing?</h3><p>Holiday remains one of the best defensive players of his generation and is among the most <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940258" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940258">respected</a> people in the league, so it's not inconceivable that a rebuilding team would want him around its youngsters. What's hard to square is the price Portland paid for him.</p><p>With Holiday having lost a step on the defensive end and his offensive impact limited at this stage of his career, many assumed the Celtics would need to attach draft picks to find a team to take the three years and $104 million left on the 35-year-old's contract. Had Portland acquired Holiday along with some future-minded assets, no one would've batted an eye. But that's not what happened. Instead, the Blazers surrendered those future-minded assets in the form of multiple picks and a 26-year-old 20-point scorer (Simons).</p><p>Simons was clearly the odd man out as a one-way player on an expiring contract in the same backcourt as Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, and he's the <a href="https://x.com/highkin/status/1937366450122990021">last</a> holdover from former GM Neil Olshey's regime. Still, it's a strange transaction for a club in Portland's position. While the Blazers likely didn't want to watch Simons leave for nothing as a 2026 free agent, they had ample time to figure out an exit plan congruent with their timeline.</p><p>Perhaps Portland's 23-18 record in the second half of the season convinced the front office that the team's ready to make a leap. But the Western Conference is stacked, and the Blazers will be hard-pressed to make the play-in tournament. Plus, a vastly improved defense spurred that second-half charge, and this group still desperately needs more offensive juice. That makes Simons' departure in this particular deal even more confounding.</p><h3>Celtics get cap relief, flier on Simons</h3><p>The Celtics' 2025-26 season became a bridge year the moment Jayson Tatum crumpled to the Madison Square Garden court with an Achilles injury during the second-round playoff series with the New York Knicks in May.</p><p>Boston's short-term mission was clear: unload Holiday's contract without taking back any long-term salary. That move would allow the Celtics to duck both aprons beginning in 2026-27 without breaking up their $620-million championship duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Mission accomplished.</p><p>The fact that Boston managed to do that (and shave <a href="https://x.com/YossiGozlan/status/1937356058554442222">$41 million</a> off their tax bill) while acquiring a couple of second-rounders and taking a flier on Simons was a stroke of genius by team president Brad Stevens.</p><p>Simons has defensive warts, but he's averaged nearly 21 points and five assists over the last three years while shooting 50% inside the arc, 37% from deep, and 90% from the free-throw line. He's a professional scorer and improving playmaker who should thrive with more talent around him, even if it's in a reduced role.</p><p>No one's expecting Simons to suddenly become a two-way force. However, there's enough upside for this to be an extremely intriguing acquisition for a quality organization like the Celtics.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA and Raptors reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31625420/related

Celtics maximize Holiday return, Blazers leave us confused

The latest Kevin Durant saga finally ended just hours before Game 7 of the NBA Finals, with the H...

<p>The latest Kevin Durant saga finally ended just hours before Game 7 of the NBA Finals, with the Houston Rockets meeting Phoenix's discounted price for the future Hall of Famer.</p><p><strong>Rockets receive</strong>: Kevin Durant</p><p><strong>Suns receive</strong>: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 2025 No. 10 pick, five 2nd-round picks</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>Rockets ready to win</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791477/cropped_GettyImages-2207247222.jpg?ts=1750629168" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791477/w220xh124_GettyImages-2207247222.jpg?ts=1750629168 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791477/w320xh180_GettyImages-2207247222.jpg?ts=1750629168 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791477/w640xh360_GettyImages-2207247222.jpg?ts=1750629168 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791477/w768xh432_GettyImages-2207247222.jpg?ts=1750629168 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/791477/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2207247222.jpg?ts=1750629168 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Kate Frese / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>There was perhaps no better trade target for the Rockets than Durant. He instantly fills their need for a game-changing shot-creator at a fraction of the price they would've paid for younger options. As one of Durant's preferred destinations, Houston likely doesn't view this as a one-year rental, either.</p><p>The Rockets will feel Brooks' departure on the defensive end, where the veteran forward helped forge Houston's identity upon his 2023 arrival. But between budding star Amen Thompson, who's ready to step into a bigger role, and defensive menace Tari Eason, this team is well-equipped to withstand that blow.</p><p>The Rockets managed to keep Thompson, Eason, 22-year-old All-Star Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard while adding the type of star who can solve the club's offensive issues.</p><p>Durant may no longer be in his MVP-caliber prime, but there are few better shot-creators, tough shot-makers, or overall scorers. The 36-year-old averaged 26.6 points on 64.2% true shooting in 2024-25, converting at a 57% clip inside the arc and 43% from deep. He'll command defensive attention in ways no other Rocket can, and he still has the length and smarts to be a plus defender on the other end.</p><p>All that should be music to the ears of a Houston team whose 12th-ranked offense was fool's gold. The Rockets' offensive success relied too heavily on offensive rebounding and transition opportunities, while their half-court efficiency ranked 22nd. Durant's presence should immediately result in a more playoff-proof attack (especially if Houston retains starting point guard Fred VanVleet).</p><p>The aging star isn't without his warts. He's not as durable as he was before Achilles and knee injuries took their toll. And his shot diet can skew too much to the mid-range while locker-room and coaching turmoil follow him wherever he goes. But he's still a superstar scorer who gives the Rockets so much of what they've been missing over the last couple of years when feisty defensive teams didn't have enough firepower to truly contend.</p><p>They do now, and they didn't have to sell the farm to get it.</p><h3>Suns did what they had to, but it's still ugly</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774320/cropped_GettyImages-2203676571.jpg?ts=1750629218" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774320/w220xh124_GettyImages-2203676571.jpg?ts=1750629218 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774320/w320xh180_GettyImages-2203676571.jpg?ts=1750629218 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774320/w640xh360_GettyImages-2203676571.jpg?ts=1750629218 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774320/w768xh432_GettyImages-2203676571.jpg?ts=1750629218 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774320/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2203676571.jpg?ts=1750629218 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Glenn James / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Phoenix was never going to come close to recouping the value traded away for Durant two years ago. Still, the Suns made out OK, given the circumstances.</p><p>Brooks will help defensively if Phoenix still wants to field a club featuring Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Meanwhile, Green, all of those extra second-rounders, and this year's 10th pick - originally Phoenix's - can lay some groundwork for the future. However, the Suns will have plenty of work to do on that front, considering they don't control their own first-rounders between 2026 and 2031 (Houston controls Phoenix's first-rounders in 2027 and 2029).</p><p>Under normal circumstances, such a transaction would signal the beginning of a teardown. However, the Suns are facing anything but normal circumstances. They aren't good enough to compete in the Western Conference, they don't have the draft capital required to bottom out and trade Devin Booker, and their most toxic asset - Bradley Beal's contract - has a no-trade clause attached. Unless Beal waives that clause, or until Booker becomes fed up having to share the court with Beal and Green, the Suns will remain stuck in no-man's-land.</p><p>Looking at this trade in a vacuum, the Suns did well enough to extract some value from Durant a year before his free agency. The big picture is still <a href="https://x.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1936828873234157573">horrific</a>, though.</p><h3>How valuable is Jalen Green?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764180/cropped_GettyImages-2192890436.jpg?ts=1750629282" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764180/w220xh124_GettyImages-2192890436.jpg?ts=1750629282 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764180/w320xh180_GettyImages-2192890436.jpg?ts=1750629282 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764180/w640xh360_GettyImages-2192890436.jpg?ts=1750629282 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764180/w768xh432_GettyImages-2192890436.jpg?ts=1750629282 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764180/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2192890436.jpg?ts=1750629282 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Patrick Smith / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Green has plenty of fans among those who want to watch an athletic youngster dribble the ball, take tough shots, and provide the occasional highlight. But he's yet to prove his worth as a winner.</p><p>The 23-year-old has flashed moments of brilliance and even weeks-long stretches of solid two-way play, but his potential has thus far been more hypothetical than practical. Green isn't consistent enough off the ball or on the defensive end, and he's nowhere near efficient enough to have the ball on a serious team. In addition to his penchant for head-scratching turnovers, Green has been a below-average finisher from almost every area of the court in each of his four seasons, according to <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4865#tab-shooting_accuracy">Cleaning the Glass</a>. He'll also carry an average salary of $35.1 million over the next three years (2027-28 is a player option).</p><p>It feels like Phoenix did the Rockets a favor by taking Green's contract off their hands instead of acquiring a promising youngster who can serve as a building block.</p><p>Can Green live up to his hype and salary in Phoenix? Does he still have enough league-wide value for the Suns to reroute him elsewhere for more than pennies on the dollar? I'm not convinced.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31614855/related

Durant fills Rockets' biggest need, leaves Suns with more questions

The first big move of the NBA offseason - well, near-offseason - didn't feature Giannis Antetokou...

<p>The first big move of the NBA offseason - well, near-offseason - didn't feature Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant, but rather Desmond Bane, with the Orlando Magic taking a big swing to vault themselves up the Eastern Conference hierarchy.</p><p>Here's how the trade breaks down for both sides.</p><p><strong>Magic receive</strong>: Desmond Bane</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p><strong>Grizzlies receive</strong>: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, 2025 No. 16 pick, 2026 1st-round swap, 2028 1st-round pick, 2029 1st-round swap, 2030 1st-round pick</p><h3>A risk worth taking for Orlando</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790574/cropped_GettyImages-2211559669.jpg?ts=1750021842" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790574/w220xh124_GettyImages-2211559669.jpg?ts=1750021842 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790574/w320xh180_GettyImages-2211559669.jpg?ts=1750021842 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790574/w640xh360_GettyImages-2211559669.jpg?ts=1750021842 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790574/w768xh432_GettyImages-2211559669.jpg?ts=1750021842 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790574/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2211559669.jpg?ts=1750021842 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Adam Hagy / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>At first glance, this is an incredibly steep price to pay for a zero-time All-Star. But that undersells the caliber of player Bane has become, how well he fits the Magic, and where Orlando finds itself in the competitive cycle, which is suddenly the fringes of contention. (In addition, one of the first-rounders was likely the cost of dumping Caldwell-Pope's contract).</p><p>Bane isn't a top-tier creator, but he's underrated in that regard and far more than just a play-finisher or catch-and-shoot specialist. The 26-year-old is a legitimate three-level scorer who brings the shooting, spacing, and movement desperately needed to unlock a Magic offense that hasn't finished higher than <em>22nd</em> in efficiency since 2012.</p><p>A career 41% 3-point shooter on more than six attempts per game, Bane can punish teams on or off the ball. He's averaged 20 points per game over the last four years while flirting with 50-40-90 shooting splits, and he's grown considerably as a playmaker.</p><p>One of the most impressive aspects of Bane's offense has been his ability to maintain efficiency while creating more of his own looks. As a rookie during the 2020-21 season, only 29.1% of Bane's 2-pointers were unassisted and just 6.8% of his 3-pointers were self-created. In 2024-25, Bane created 57.4% of his 2-pointers and 36.6% of his long-range buckets while posting the exact same 60% true shooting mark in Years 1 and 5 of his career.</p><p>Bane's negative wingspan has often been cited as a defensive concern, but he puts forth an honest effort on that end of the court, and he'll be well insulated as part of an elite - and sizable - defense in Orlando.</p><p>The Magic are a more complete team today, with an offense that should be much tougher to shut down. Bane's arrival will feel like manna from heaven for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, whose jobs are going to get a lot easier with the former Grizzly running routes around them. That's a scary thought for opponents considering what Banchero and Wagner have already been able to accomplish with so little spacing to work with.</p><p>Bane's contract will be a point of contention, with more than $163 million owed to him over the next four years. But the league's salary cap should grow by 10% year over year thanks to a massive influx of new media rights money. In that context, Bane's salaries will be worth 23.7%, 23.2%, 22.5%, and then 21.8% of the cap by season. That's fine for a player of his ilk.</p><p>Surrendering control of five first-round picks is stomach-turning, but the Magic projected to be a middling East team, at worst, before this deal was consummated. The chance any of those picks would've turned into a Bane-level player was slim. Could that draft capital have been stashed and eventually spent on a bigger star? Perhaps, but it's unlikely the Magic were going to win any of the upcoming superstar sweepstakes. In the meantime, they've added a borderline All-Star just entering his prime, who fills a team need and is under contract through 2029.</p><p>Bane himself is an attractive asset, just like Banchero, Wagner, and starting point guard Jalen Suggs. Orlando still has plenty of maneuverability if needed.</p><p>The Magic also have a dynamite two-way core - all 26 and younger - under long-term team control, which gives them a real chance in a wide-open conference. Not every team would've taken this shot, but kudos to Orlando for doing so.</p><h3>What's next for Grizzlies?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781813/cropped_GettyImages-2186163066.jpg?ts=1750021868" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781813/w220xh124_GettyImages-2186163066.jpg?ts=1750021868 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781813/w320xh180_GettyImages-2186163066.jpg?ts=1750021868 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781813/w640xh360_GettyImages-2186163066.jpg?ts=1750021868 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781813/w768xh432_GettyImages-2186163066.jpg?ts=1750021868 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/781813/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2186163066.jpg?ts=1750021868 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Joe Murphy / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Bane's departure marks the end of the road for a star trio that was supposed to be the Western Conference's next big thing. That core - which also featured Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. - peaked too soon and fell <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3274683" href="https://thescore.com/news/3274683">well short</a> of early expectations. That's no fault of Bane's, who quietly added to his game while taking on more offensive responsibility for a banged-up squad that too often went to battle without Morant.</p><p>Still, as much as this trade was a bet worth making for Orlando, who landed the deal's best player by a country mile, it's also tremendous value for Memphis, no matter which direction the Grizzlies are headed. </p><p>If a rebuild is on the horizon, there are certainly worse ways to launch one than with control of an extra five first-rounders. And if the Grizzlies still plan on competing with Morant and Jackson leading the charge, they've created some longer-term cap flexibility, which could come in handy given Jackson is extension-eligible this summer. They also added a 3-and-D veteran in Caldwell-Pope, who should be due for a bounce back of some sort after a down year in Orlando, and a young combo guard in Anthony.</p><p>The extra draft capital and sheer volume of assets could help Memphis land an impact player one day to pair with Morant and Jackson.</p><p>If the Grizzlies are lucky, that player might even be as good as Desmond Bane. </p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31562250/related

Desmond Bane will be worth the price Magic paid for him

The Toronto Raptors are still feeling the sting of only landing the ninth pick in this year's dra...

<p>The Toronto Raptors are still feeling the sting of only landing the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3285006" href="https://thescore.com/news/3285006">ninth</a> pick in this year's draft after a rebuilding season was meant to deliver a higher selection. However, there will still be plenty of talent and upside on the board when the Raptors find themselves on the clock (assuming they don't trade back).</p><p>The consensus seems to be that the first five players selected will be Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, and Tre Johnson, with Kon Knueppel and Jeremiah Fears often projected somewhere in the top seven. With that, let's take a look at seven other lottery-caliber prospects who could be on the board when it's time for Toronto's selection.</p><h3>Khaman Maluach, Duke, C</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790321/cropped_GettyImages-2214939831.jpg?ts=1749838969" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790321/w220xh124_GettyImages-2214939831.jpg?ts=1749838969 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790321/w320xh180_GettyImages-2214939831.jpg?ts=1749838969 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790321/w640xh360_GettyImages-2214939831.jpg?ts=1749838969 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790321/w768xh432_GettyImages-2214939831.jpg?ts=1749838969 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790321/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2214939831.jpg?ts=1749838969 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Michael Reaves / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Maluach falling to nine may be wishful thinking, as the South Sudanese big man has future Defensive Player of the Year potential.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>His measureables are off the charts. Maluach stands just under 7-foot-1 with a 9-foot-6 standing reach and a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine-anthro?sort=WINGSPAN&amp;dir=1&amp;SeasonYear=2025-26">combine-topping</a> wingspan of nearly 7-foot-7. His sheer size and impressive mobility will make him an immediate rim-deterrent in the Association, while his rim-<em>running</em> and catch radius, along with the vertical spacing he creates, should make him a contributing factor on the offensive end.</p><p>That's a pretty safe professional floor for a center who's still 18 years old. If Maluach eventually adds to his limited offensive tool kit, look out.</p><h3>Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina, PF</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/cropped_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w220xh124_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w320xh180_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w640xh360_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w768xh432_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761202/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2189931586.jpg?ts=1749839013 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Murray-Boyles is another high-floor big man, though an undersized one at under 6-foot-7. He has the length to make up for what he lacks in raw height and can play and defend multiple positions in the frontcourt.</p><p>Murray-Boyles brings a defensive tenacity NBA teams (and fans) will love, and he's a great interior finisher with some playmaking chops on the offensive end. Like many prospects, whether he expands his shooting range or not might ultimately determine his professional ceiling, but his paint touch should make him an efficient scorer regardless. Murray-Boyles shot roughly 62% inside the arc during his two-year collegiate career.</p><p>As for how he'd feel about joining Toronto's young core, Murray-Boyles <a href="https://x.com/libaanstar1/status/1922716375614619910">said</a> the Raptors are "everything I feel like I can fit into."</p><h3>Derik Queen, Maryland, C</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790322/cropped_GettyImages-2209442877.jpg?ts=1749839093" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790322/w220xh124_GettyImages-2209442877.jpg?ts=1749839093 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790322/w320xh180_GettyImages-2209442877.jpg?ts=1749839093 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790322/w640xh360_GettyImages-2209442877.jpg?ts=1749839093 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790322/w768xh432_GettyImages-2209442877.jpg?ts=1749839093 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/790322/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2209442877.jpg?ts=1749839093 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Mitchell Layton / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Queen is probably the most talented offensive player on this list but also the most polarizing.</p><p>At 6-foot-9 and roughly 248 pounds, Queen has great footwork and touch for a player his size, which explains how he averaged 16.5 points while shooting 55.8% inside the arc as a freshman. Even that might be underselling him, as Queen's efficiency at the rim was stellar. But he sometimes had to play further from it when sharing the frontcourt with Julian Reese.</p><p>Queen also has tremendous passing skills for a big man and could produce gaudy numbers in points, rebounds, and assists at the next level if given the right opportunity. However, whether that opportunity ever comes is a legitimate question. Queen's defensive motor, conditioning, and general decision-making are all under the microscope - even the tantalizing playmaking potential is muted by the fact that he recorded more turnovers than assists at Maryland.</p><p>Queen can be very productive immediately, but if he gives it all back on the defensive end, no NBA coach will want to play him heavy minutes.</p><h3>Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois, G</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786991/cropped_GettyImages-2205165882.jpg?ts=1749839179" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786991/w220xh124_GettyImages-2205165882.jpg?ts=1749839179 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786991/w320xh180_GettyImages-2205165882.jpg?ts=1749839179 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786991/w640xh360_GettyImages-2205165882.jpg?ts=1749839179 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786991/w768xh432_GettyImages-2205165882.jpg?ts=1749839179 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786991/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2205165882.jpg?ts=1749839179 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Once projected as a top-five pick, Jakucionis' stock slipped over the course of his freshman season, but the Lithuanian can carve out a solid pro career.</p><p>As a big guard (6-foot-6) with good feel and comfort running pick-and-rolls, Jakucionis should be a good reserve, at the very least. There's certainly potential for much more if he improves his long-range shooting though. He shot 56% inside the arc and 85% from the free-throw line as a freshman, but his 3-point shot tailed off as the season progressed. Jakucionis shot just 23.7% from deep during the final 18 games of the season after opening his collegiate career at 41.6% over his first 15 games.</p><p>If the shooting stabilizes, Jakucionis could be a solid two-way guard - at either backcourt position - for a long time.</p><h3>Noa Essengue, France, F</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787008/cropped_GettyImages-2197319698.jpg?ts=1749839132" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787008/w220xh124_GettyImages-2197319698.jpg?ts=1749839132 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787008/w320xh180_GettyImages-2197319698.jpg?ts=1749839132 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787008/w640xh360_GettyImages-2197319698.jpg?ts=1749839132 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787008/w768xh432_GettyImages-2197319698.jpg?ts=1749839132 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787008/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2197319698.jpg?ts=1749839132 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">DeFodi Images / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Essengue has been soaring up draft boards while helping lead German club Ratiopharm Ulm to the Bundesliga finals.</p><p>Even for future NBA stars, finding consistent minutes as a teenager in Europe can be difficult, making Essengue's contributions all the more impressive. The 18-year-old ranks fourth on the team in minutes, fourth in scoring (10.5 points), and second in rebounds (5.1) while shooting 50% from the field, according to <a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/15/German-BBL/stats">RealGM</a>.</p><p>His offensive game is a work in progress, but it's looking more fluid as Ulm's playoff run continues.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Career-high 22 points and 14 rebounds for Noa Essengue exploded in Game 1 of the German playoff semis. The 18-year-old showcased his skill level, fluidity, defensive versatility, and feel for the game, knocking down a pair of 3s and bringing impressive intensity on both ends. <a href="https://t.co/JLMjHZGsF0">pic.twitter.com/JLMjHZGsF0</a></p>— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1929883395074527735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure><p>For now, Essengue can rely on his athleticism, explosiveness, and commitment to running the floor. Throw in the fact that the 6-foot-9 forward looks <a href="https://x.com/mcfNBA/status/1929279506826580200">comfortable</a> guarding multiple positions and covering a ton of defensive ground, and you'll understand the comparisons to Pascal Siakam.</p><h3>Carter Bryant, F, Arizona</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787191/cropped_GettyImages-2202821134.jpg?ts=1749839208" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787191/w220xh124_GettyImages-2202821134.jpg?ts=1749839208 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787191/w320xh180_GettyImages-2202821134.jpg?ts=1749839208 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787191/w640xh360_GettyImages-2202821134.jpg?ts=1749839208 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787191/w768xh432_GettyImages-2202821134.jpg?ts=1749839208 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787191/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2202821134.jpg?ts=1749839208 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">David K Purdy / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Bryant may never be the self-creator fans envision when they think of future stars, but he certainly has the tools to be an extremely valuable 3-and-D role player.</p><p>At 6-foot-6 with a nearly seven-foot wingspan, Bryant is a strong, lanky forward who offers great positional versatility on the defensive end - and All-Defense upside. He also shot 37% from deep in college with a smooth release that teases more, and he's an <a href="https://x.com/mcfNBA/status/1931108762817114200">electrifying</a> player in the open court.</p><p>Bryant has a great motor and should be a fan favorite wherever he lands, with the potential to grow beyond his 3-and-D reputation.</p><h3>Egor Demin, BYU, G</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/776276/cropped_GettyImages-2205423345.jpg?ts=1749839281" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/776276/w220xh124_GettyImages-2205423345.jpg?ts=1749839281 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/776276/w320xh180_GettyImages-2205423345.jpg?ts=1749839281 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/776276/w640xh360_GettyImages-2205423345.jpg?ts=1749839281 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/776276/w768xh432_GettyImages-2205423345.jpg?ts=1749839281 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/776276/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2205423345.jpg?ts=1749839281 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Standing at 6-foot-8, Demin has a combination of size and elite playmaking that will tempt lottery teams, but among the players in question, I'm least enthused about his NBA future.</p><p>His vision and smarts can pick opposing defenses apart, but there are too many holes in his game. The Russian guard isn't the smoothest on the move. His handling and creation skills leave much to be desired and limit his ability to put pressure on the defense, making him pass-first to a fault. His lack of mobility also hurts him on the defensive end.</p><p>Taking everything into account, it feels like Jakucionis is the more complete guard on both ends.</p><p><strong>Four more to keep an eye on:</strong> Asa Newell (Georgia, PF), Jase Richardson (Michigan State, G), Nolan Traore (France, PG), Thomas Sorber (Georgetown, C)</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31557046/related

Raptors prospect watch: 7 realistic targets for Toronto's No. 9 pick

The Toronto Raptors are entering yet another offseason at the center of superstar trade rumors.  ...

<p>The Toronto Raptors are entering yet another offseason at the center of superstar trade rumors.</p><p>Three years ago, it was Kevin Durant. Two years ago, Damian Lillard. This summer, it's Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Raptors - specifically team president Masai Ujiri - have kept their eyes on Antetokounmpo since he was a raw but tantalizing draft prospect more than a decade ago. Now, the entire league awaits word on the two-time MVP's desires.</p><p>If Antetokounmpo decides it's time for a change after 12 years in Milwaukee, the Raptors figure to get themselves in the mix. Ujiri's history with Antetokounmpo runs deep, tracing back to when the executive helped the NBA star's family secure Greek citizenship (Antetokounmpo was born in Greece, but his parents were born in Nigeria). Toronto also offers the type of large market and cosmopolitan city (plus a sizable Greek community) that Antetokounmpo reportedly prefers if he leaves Wisconsin.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>The potential partnership has gone from a total fantasy to slightly more plausible this week, with reports the Raptors might be in the market for a "<a href="https://youtu.be/O0pe4YsI8qY?si=qdlVZQACF5ajX2TA&amp;t=1323">big fish</a>" and that there could be <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3294767" href="https://thescore.com/news/3294767">mutual interest</a> between the two parties. It all makes sense when you factor in Ujiri's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/aoye9gqJmmg?si=2ZRcWYMp8UU856qi&amp;t=965">comments</a> about the NBA's international boom creating a unique opportunity for Toronto in the coming years and his long-standing commitment to pursue <a href="https://x.com/OwnedByToronto/status/1929382793512886356">top-five</a> talents.</p><p>Among fans, there seem to be two distinct groups. On one side, there are those so jaded by Toronto's failed superstar pursuits of the <a href="https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3150734">past</a> that they don't believe the Raptors have any business in these discussions. On the other side, those so blindly loyal to their favorite players that they think the Raptors can acquire Antetokounmpo without trading Scottie Barnes.</p><p>The chances Antetokounmpo lands in Toronto are slim because only one team can acquire him, and that's if he even hits the market. Still, it's no more of a pipe dream for the Raptors than for any other interested franchise.</p><p>That brings us to the cost of doing such seismic business. Raptors fans can fantasize about trading for Antetokounmpo, but if they're going to dare to dream, they must also be realistic about the price Toronto would have to pay.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752626/cropped_GettyImages-2181017739.jpg?ts=1749143286" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752626/w220xh124_GettyImages-2181017739.jpg?ts=1749143286 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752626/w320xh180_GettyImages-2181017739.jpg?ts=1749143286 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752626/w640xh360_GettyImages-2181017739.jpg?ts=1749143286 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752626/w768xh432_GettyImages-2181017739.jpg?ts=1749143286 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752626/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2181017739.jpg?ts=1749143286 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Mark Blinch / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether they want to hear it or not, the discussion likely begins with Barnes.</p><p>We're not talking about 36-year-old Kevin Durant with a history of Achilles and knee injuries (though Durant is still a tremendous player when healthy). The Bucks don't need to lower the price on Antetokounmpo the way the Suns <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3295238" href="https://thescore.com/news/3295238">reportedly</a> have on Durant. The Greek Freak is a top-three player on the planet, a perennial MVP candidate still in his prime at age 30, and under team control for multiple years.</p><p>Over the NBA's 79-year history, there have been <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=year_id&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=30&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=pts_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=10&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=trb_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B3%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B3%5D=5&amp;cstat%5B3%5D=ast_per_g">10 instances</a> in which a player has averaged at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Antetokounmpo accounts for three of those seasons over the last three years, during which time he's also averaged a steal and a block per game. He's a rim-rampaging offensive force and a versatile defensive terror - a point-center whose defensive impact may have slipped slightly, but who now boasts a legitimate midrange game.</p><p>Barnes is an impressive 23-year-old with an All-Star selection already under his belt and All-Defensive team potential. But to put things in perspective, his absolute ceiling would be something like a poor man's Giannis. That's less of a knock on Barnes than it is a testament to Antetokounmpo's greatness.</p><p>Employing The Greek Freak means enjoying the benefits that come with having the best player on the court 95% of the time. Even with Damian Lillard recovering from a torn Achilles and an aging roster full of question marks, the Bucks can still sniff the fringes of title contention in the wide-open Eastern Conference with Antetokounmpo in the fold. Plus, Milwaukee doesn't control its own first-round draft pick until 2031, so tanking appears to be off the table. The Bucks won't trade Antetokounmpo just for the sake of it - they'll demand an incredibly high asking price that meets his elite status.</p><p>From a salary-matching perspective, consider Toronto's big-money contracts outside of Barnes and ask yourself, would a deal built around one of Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, or RJ Barrett, along with a couple of young players and multiple picks, really be enough? If it somehow is, the Raptors should attach whatever draft equity is necessary and run off like bandits.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="The pipe dream" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-XUM5l" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/XUM5l/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="374" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure><p>Put some shooting and capable guard play around Antetokounmpo and Barnes (Quickley might be the ideal candidate), and you could be looking at the East favorites.</p><p>The more realistic scenario likely involves Barnes heading to Milwaukee. However, this is also where Bucks fans need a reality check, and where Toronto's front office must stay disciplined.</p><p>If Barnes is the deal's centerpiece, the Raptors can't send too many picks to Milwaukee with him. Doing so would leave Toronto in virtually the same position the Bucks are now, without the asset capital required to surround Antetokounmpo with a sustainable championship-caliber supporting cast.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="The real deal" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-AII9S" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/AII9S/4/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="293" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure><p>The reason teams that trade superstars hoard picks (and tank) is to increase their chances of landing another player worth building around. In Barnes, a two-way star under contract through 2030, the Raptors would already be giving Milwaukee that blue-chip pillar. Some salary filler and a pick or two would still be required, but it shouldn't take much more.</p><p>If the Bucks still aren't satisfied, Toronto should walk away, as hard as that would be for Ujiri to do.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31482784/related

Toronto can land Giannis, but Raptors fans must be realistic about the price

Tom Thibodeau's reward for leading the New York Knicks to their deepest playoff run in a quarter-...

<p>Tom Thibodeau's reward for leading the New York Knicks to their deepest playoff run in a quarter-century came in the form of his walking papers.</p><p>Thibodeau re-established a winning culture in The Mecca, but like many coaches before him, he was ultimately undone by the expectations he helped create. The Knicks averaged 46.3 wins per 82 games in Thibodeau's five seasons, making four playoff appearances and winning four postseason series. In the 19 years before Thibodeau's arrival, New York averaged 32 wins (per 82 contests) and made four playoff trips, winning one series.</p><p>Naturally, then, many will feel that New York did Thibs wrong. Critics will call this an overreaction to the team's six-game loss in the Eastern Conference finals, a classic Knicks move, and a sign the club is headed back to its worst impulses. After all, the organization still <a href="https://x.com/IanBegley/status/1929974500529189169">reportedly</a> owes Thibodeau $30 million. But I'd argue the opposite. This was the action of a title-starved franchise so close to the mountaintop that it can almost touch it - an all-in contender fully aware that even the smallest of boosts along the margins can be the difference between agony and euphoria.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>It's fair to point out that improving along those margins - or on the sidelines - might've been New York's only option, given the assets already spent constructing a flawed roster. Thibodeau can't make up for the challenges that come when a team's two best players (Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns) are porous defenders, nor can a head coach recoup all of the draft picks spent on Mikal Bridges. However, Thibodeau wasn't without fault for the Knicks running into a third-round wall.</p><p>As the deep playoff run unfolded - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6395011/2025/05/31/knicks-loss-pacers-nba-playoffs-brunson-towns/">reportedly</a> marked by multiple players-only meetings - it became painfully clear New York needed a more creative and modern offensive approach, in addition to requiring more depth. For all of Thibodeau's defensive strengths, no one would ever confuse him with the type of coach who will address those two core issues.</p><p>He likely wouldn't have trusted the depth pieces the Knicks add this summer anyway. Thibodeau's insistence on playing his starters heavy minutes has been a trademark throughout his career. Even Bridges, the NBA's ultimate ironman, <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3240580" href="https://thescore.com/news/3240580">thought</a> Thibs went too far. As for the offense, the Knicks should've maximized every ounce of Towns' offensive potential and his two-man game with Brunson to negate the duo's defensive flaws. They didn't. Instead, New York ranked 28th in 3-point attempt rate (38.2% of total shots), while Towns, the self-proclaimed greatest shooting big man of all time, posted his lowest 3-point attempt rate in six years.</p><p>If one thing did Thibodeau in, it was that rigidity. Look at the head coaches left standing in the NBA Finals. Pacers bench boss Rick Carlisle has adapted his coaching style and offensive philosophies over the years to suit the talent at his disposal. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault threw everything and the kitchen sink at Nikola Jokic on both ends of the floor in a second-round series win. The Knicks don't have the personnel to replicate what Oklahoma City did against Jokic or what Indiana does with Tyrese Haliburton leading the break. But you can bet the team's front office watched Carlisle, Daigneault, and other coaches this spring and were left wanting more from an adaptability standpoint.</p><p>The Knicks still have things to figure out before taking that last and toughest leap up the NBA mountain. Among them now, they need to find a head coach who can live up to the standard Thibodeau left behind and then some.</p><p>It feels unfair to a tirelessly working basketball lifer, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was wrong. These are the tough, sometimes cold decisions contenders need to make when their eyes are on <em>the</em> prize and nothing else. The Knicks are finally in that space. No one said it'd be easy.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31466586/related

Knicks firing Thibodeau feels cold, but that doesn't mean it was wrong

Every year, 29 teams fall short of the ultimate goal, and every year, those 29 teams ask themselv...

<p>Every year, 29 teams fall short of the ultimate goal, and every year, those 29 teams ask themselves how they can take the next step.</p><p>We previously looked at how the first-round outs in the <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3279346">East</a> and <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3281141">West</a> might go about answering that question, and then we examined the decisions on the horizon for the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3286936" href="https://thescore.com/news/3286936">four</a> <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3288433" href="https://thescore.com/news/3288433">teams</a> who lost in the conference semis. Now that the conference finals are complete, here's a look at how New York and Minnesota can move forward after being eliminated.</p><h3>New York Knicks</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788549/cropped_GettyImages-2213356237.jpg?ts=1748882654" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788549/w220xh124_GettyImages-2213356237.jpg?ts=1748882654 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788549/w320xh180_GettyImages-2213356237.jpg?ts=1748882654 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788549/w640xh360_GettyImages-2213356237.jpg?ts=1748882654 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788549/w768xh432_GettyImages-2213356237.jpg?ts=1748882654 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788549/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2213356237.jpg?ts=1748882654 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">David L. Nemec / NBA / Getty</span></figcaption></figure><p>However you feel about the long-term cost of all the moves Leon Rose and Co. made to put this roster together, and however dismayed fans might be about how the series against Indiana played out, it's hard to call the 2024-25 season anything but a smashing success for New York. </p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Great expectations came along with the pricey offseason transactions, but dethroning the defending champs en route to the franchise's first conference finals appearance in 25 years should qualify as exceeding those expectations. Until this year, no team had ever authored multiple 20-point comebacks in the same postseason. The Knicks did it three times. This was a very good and exceptionally resilient team. </p><p>They also were clearly flawed, in ways that led to serious struggles against elite competition during the regular season (they lost all 10 games they played against the league's top three teams by record) and ultimately prevented them from capitalizing on a golden opportunity to make the Finals. For as great as they were offensively, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns represented two defensive liabilities that the Pacers picked apart in the East finals. And their at-times dominant two-man game couldn't reach its full potential, in part because opposing defenses frequently cross-matched their centers onto the poor-shooting Josh Hart and put big, switchable wings on Towns.</p><p>Hart contributed in myriad other ways, and OG Anunoby slotted in perfectly as a defensive destroyer who could insulate Brunson and Towns on one end and capitalize on their gravity at the other by drilling spot-up threes and attacking ferociously off the catch. But the team's triple-wing vision didn't fully come to fruition, in large part because Mikal Bridges struggled to find consistency at either end of the floor after the front office forked over five first-round picks for him in the summer. </p><p>So, what should the Knicks do with all that information? What <em>can</em> they even do if they decide to shake things up? </p><p>They have the security of their top seven rotation players (the starters, plus Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride) being under contract for next season. They also have approximately $189 million committed to those seven guys, which already puts them slightly over the luxury tax and only gives them about $7 million of wiggle room beneath the first apron to backfill the roster. And that's before considering potential extensions for Bridges or Robinson, whose team-friendly contracts expire next summer. Towns, who's owed $110 million over the next two years and has a $61-million player option for 2027-28, is extension-eligible as well.</p><p>On the one hand, it's fair to wonder whether it makes sense to double down on a starting lineup that didn't entirely work. That quintet (the most used fivesome in the league) won its minutes by a modest 3.3 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, then got outscored by 6.2 points per 100 during the playoffs. Tom Thibodeau swapped Hart for Robinson after the Knicks dropped their first two games against Indiana, but that lineup didn't fare much better, getting outscored by 3.7 points per 100 despite sporting a monstrous 43% offensive rebound rate.</p><p>On the other hand, it's hard to imagine New York cutting bait on Bridges or Towns just a year after acquiring them, especially considering the success those guys helped engender and the fact that the team would surely be accepting a huge net asset loss in any Bridges deal. It's also hard to picture a scenario in which trading one or both of those guys makes the Knicks better. It might make them deeper or more financially flexible, but the front office will probably be wary of taking any kind of short-term step back when the Eastern Conference figures to be wide-open in 2025-26.</p><p>Bottom line: Even without a ton of upward mobility, New York's in a good spot. Each of the top seven players is 30 or younger, and this group has a chance to be better next season simply with a full campaign and lengthy playoff run under its belt. Even if no such gains are made, the Knicks will have a decent shot at coming out of the East. They might well have done so this year if not for the Pacers <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3289691" href="https://thescore.com/news/3289691">pulling off the impossible</a> in Game 1.</p><p>There's a real chance for sustained success here. The Knicks obviously have to be open-minded if the right opportunity comes along, but I'm not sure aggressively rocking the boat would be the right approach. - <em>Joe Wolfond</em></p><h3>Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787179/cropped_GettyImages-2216904297.jpg?ts=1748882757" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787179/w220xh124_GettyImages-2216904297.jpg?ts=1748882757 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787179/w320xh180_GettyImages-2216904297.jpg?ts=1748882757 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787179/w640xh360_GettyImages-2216904297.jpg?ts=1748882757 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787179/w768xh432_GettyImages-2216904297.jpg?ts=1748882757 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787179/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2216904297.jpg?ts=1748882757 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">David Berding / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>It's tough to get a read on which direction Minnesota is headed. On the one hand, the Timberwolves made back-to-back Western Conference finals after winning just two playoff series over their first 34 years of existence. On the other hand, they appear to have stalled out, while teams like Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Houston look poised to lead the conference into the second half of the decade.</p><p>Complicating matters further, Julius Randle, who represents half of the return from trading Karl-Anthony Towns, and key reserves Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker could all hit free agency. Retaining the trio would make Minnesota a second-apron team for the second straight year, which seems unfathomable under new ownership (or any ownership, for that matter). Trading Rudy Gobert would clear the team's currently blurry financial picture, but finding a team willing to take on the three years and $109.5 million owed to the big man isn't easy. Replacing one of the game's great defensive anchors would be even harder.</p><p>The good news is that in Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves already employ the type of game-changing young star who can serve as the backbone of a contender for the foreseeable future. He's a special player with an awesome presence about him, and he's already shown tremendous <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3293326" href="https://thescore.com/news/3293326">growth</a> beyond his (23) years.</p><p>Defensive stalwart Jaden McDaniels, plus young guards Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., are all promising players on Edwards' timeline, which gives Minnesota some options. The Wolves could look to clear their cap sheet by trading veterans like Gobert and Mike Conley for younger players who can grow with Edwards, which would result in something of a gap year next season.</p><p>Or, Minnesota could stay aggressive and look to turn some of its excess salary and promising youngsters into an established star like Kevin Durant, giving Edwards the type of help he needs to win now (though a lead guard might help more than another wing scorer). Given that the Wolves only control their own first-round pick once (2028) in the next seven drafts, the latter, more aggressive strategy seems more sensible. </p><p>The only thing we can say for certain is that whatever the Wolves do this summer, optimizing Edwards will be at the center of it all. That's a starting point most teams would die for. - <em>Joseph Casciaro</em></p>

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What's next: Where Knicks and Timberwolves go from here

This year's NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers will bring discussion...

<p>This year's NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers will bring discussions about the rise of small markets, unprecedented <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3288372">parity</a>, and roster construction in the new age. There will be hand-wringing over how few household names are featured and how that might impact TV ratings. All the while, a top-five point guard matchup in Finals history is staring us right in the face.</p><p>When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton meet in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, it will be the 17th time in 79 years that each Finals team boasts an All-Star and/or All-NBA point guard (and only the 10th time both are All-NBA). According to Basketball Reference's Win Shares metric, this year's matchup ranks third among those 17 clashes.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Point guard power plays" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-RUlwb" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/RUlwb/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure><p>What makes this generational matchup so fascinating is that the star guards go about their on-court business in such different ways. Although Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, is a plus defender for one of the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3293223" href="https://thescore.com/news/3293223">best</a> defensive teams in the modern era, this discussion focuses on both players' otherworldly offensive contributions.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>SGA is no free-throw merchant</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788384/cropped_GettyImages-2217097777.jpg?ts=1748880898" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788384/w220xh124_GettyImages-2217097777.jpg?ts=1748880898 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788384/w320xh180_GettyImages-2217097777.jpg?ts=1748880898 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788384/w640xh360_GettyImages-2217097777.jpg?ts=1748880898 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788384/w768xh432_GettyImages-2217097777.jpg?ts=1748880898 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/788384/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2217097777.jpg?ts=1748880898 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Zach Beeker / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2025 scoring title with a funky, herky-jerky game that's become his trademark. With the ball in his hands, he is somehow both frenetic and in complete control. His methods of attack are predictable, yet he flummoxes opponents with his change of speed and general movements. He's a relentless driver and an all-time killer from the mid-range.</p><p>It's nearly impossible for defenders to keep Gilgeous-Alexander in front of them or off the free-throw line because he's one of the craftiest scorers we've ever seen - not because he's the foul-baiting "free-throw merchant" his detractors suggest.</p><p>SGA isn't racking up free throws at an unfair rate. He ranked second in free-throw attempts this season (behind Giannis Antetokounmpo) and <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=fta_per_fga_pct&amp;year_min=2025&amp;year_max=2025&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=20&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=usg_pct">fifth</a> in free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt among high-usage players (behind Deni Avdija). Among point guards, Luka Doncic, James Harden, and Ja Morant all drew fouls on a higher percentage of their shot attempts, and five guards drew a higher percentage of non-shooting fouls, per Cleaning the Glass.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander has led the league in <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives?Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=DRIVES">drives per game</a> five years running (and is the playoff drives leader for the second straight year). The gap between his league-leading 20.6 drives per game this season and second-ranked Jalen Brunson (17.8) was bigger than the gap between Brunson and ninth-ranked LaMelo Ball (15.1).</p><p>That constant rim pressure collapses defenses, creating a gravitational pull that feeds Gilgeous-Alexander's underrated playmaking and opens the floor for his teammates. SGA is still a point guard, after all. </p><p>The most impressive aspect of Gilgeous-Alexander's playmaking is his ability to take care of the ball, especially considering how much he dominates it. Across NBA history, there have been <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by_asc=1&amp;order_by=tov_pct&amp;year_min=1968&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=30&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=usg_pct&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=29&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=ast_pct">93</a> instances of a player posting a usage rate of at least 30% and an assist rate of at least 29%. Among those 93, Gilgeous-Alexander's last two seasons rank first and third in turnover rate.</p><p>All the defensive attention doesn't seem to make a difference when he decides to keep it for himself, either. Gilgeous-Alexander just put together one of the greatest mid-range-shooting seasons of all time and shot 37.5% on nearly six 3-point attempts per game, including a respectable 35.4% on pull-up threes (placing him just ahead of Kyrie Irving). That's how you end up owning three of the 13 most efficient <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=ts_pct&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=30&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=pts_per_g">30-point-per-game seasons</a> in NBA history.</p><p>While the concept of a star as a "cheat code" can be overused in modern sports, it's totally appropriate for Gilgeous-Alexander's offensive presence. Opponents can never be sure what type of punch SGA is about to throw or where it's going to come from, but they can be certain it will be a haymaker.</p><h3>Haliburton is the new Point God</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787964/cropped_GettyImages-2217020271.jpg?ts=1748873873" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787964/w220xh124_GettyImages-2217020271.jpg?ts=1748873873 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787964/w320xh180_GettyImages-2217020271.jpg?ts=1748873873 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787964/w640xh360_GettyImages-2217020271.jpg?ts=1748873873 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787964/w768xh432_GettyImages-2217020271.jpg?ts=1748873873 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/787964/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2217020271.jpg?ts=1748873873 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Although Haliburton isn't nearly as forceful as Gilgeous-Alexander, he's equally devastating. He's not as fast, yet he pushes his Pacers to play at breakneck speed with his consistent and unfathomably accurate hit-ahead passes.</p><p>Haliburton is the ultimate conductor, and the Pacers' offense is his orchestra. He leads it by playing nearly mistake-free basketball every night, perfectly balancing his own scoring with the needs of his teammates while demonstrating a flair for the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3289563" href="https://thescore.com/news/3289563">dramatic</a>.</p><p>His league-leading assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.5 doesn't do him justice. Haliburton became the first player <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=year_id&amp;qual=ast_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=9&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=ast_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=lt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=2&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=tov_per_g">since</a> Muggsy Bogues 33 years ago - and just the second player ever - to average nine or more assists per game while committing fewer than two turnovers. It's not like he's playing a conservative, risk-free brand of basketball, either; Haliburton makes what would be a high-wire act for most guards look rather pedestrian.</p><p>Though he's taking the "Point God" moniker from Chris Paul, Haliburton's game harkens back to another Hall of Fame guard. We haven't seen a combination of playmaking, teammate optimization, and marksmanship like this since Steve Nash, as Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault recently <a href="https://x.com/Rylan_Stiles/status/1929255656449605635">noted</a>. The difference is that Haliburton is a more willing shooter than the two-time MVP was.</p><p>Longtime NBA executive David Griffin once <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/1973544">told me</a> that the difference between Nash and rival point guards like Jason Kidd was that Kidd could create any shot he wanted for someone else, but opponents could make Kidd take shots he couldn't make. On the other hand: "You couldn't make Steve Nash take a shot he couldn't make." The same can be said of Haliburton, who also happens to play in the most audacious shooting era in league history.</p><p>Haliburton's a legitimate three-level scorer with limitless range, striking fear into the hearts of opponents in ways his scoring average (18.6 points per game) can't convey.</p><p>He's as valuable to the Pacers as any bigger-name star is to their respective franchise. After a surprising, injury-aided run to the Eastern Conference final last year, Haliburton and the Pacers limped out of the gates this season. With lingering back and hamstring issues clearly limiting the star guard, Indiana owned a 10-15 record in mid-December, good for 10th in the East.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Pacers improvement" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-8Agrf" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/8Agrf/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure><p>As Haliburton found his legs (despite refusing to take time off) and began to look more like his All-NBA self, the Pacers - not coincidentally - found another gear.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Pacers improvement (Copy)" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-yyq9P" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yyq9P/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure><p>They're rarely on anyone's radar, but as long as they have a healthy Haliburton, the Pacers will be in the mix. As Pacers forward Obi Toppin <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2765998">said</a> a year-and-a-half ago, "We got Tyrese ... we good."</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31453584/related

SGA vs. Haliburton is a dream Finals matchup

The NBA's conference finals have produced some fantastic high-stakes basketball, perhaps none mor...

<p>The NBA's conference finals have produced some fantastic high-stakes basketball, perhaps none more so than Game 4 of the West final between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. That was until the final minute, when a thrilling affair devolved into a free-throw shooting contest.</p><p>The trailing Timberwolves hacked Thunder players in an attempt to extend the game at the charity stripe, while OKC is among the many teams that intentionally foul opponents when leading by three points in the dying seconds. That strategy <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3281423" href="https://thescore.com/news/3281423">burned the Thunder</a> in a Game 1 loss to Denver a couple of weeks ago - mostly because they deployed the gambit too early - but it's mathematically sound. The trailing team is less likely to make enough free throws to tie or win than it is to make a 3-pointer.</p><p>The final 35 seconds of Game 4 featured seven intentional fouls and 10 free throws. OKC committed three of those fouls, including one on Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards with 3.1 seconds remaining that prevented Minnesota from attempting a potential game-tying three. Instead, the take foul put Edwards on the free-throw line for two shots (the second of which he had to intentionally miss to keep the Wolves alive).</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>For years, I sat idly by while others bemoaned this late-game tactic. It didn't make for great TV, but I didn't like the idea of policing good strategy either. We've seen NFL teams allow opponents to score just to get the ball back late in games. We've watched soccer stars show off their core strength and ball-shielding skills by keeping the ball in the corners to kill time. Such gamesmanship exists in every sport on some level. If an NBA team earned a lead through 47-plus minutes, who was I to tell them how to protect it just for my entertainment?</p><p>However, watching a classic playoff game lose all of its steam was the final nudge I needed to join the chorus calling for an end to this scourge. The NBA should institute a new rule where an intentional foul by the leading team in the final 24 seconds results in free throws and possession. That will put an end to the practice.</p><p>Some will contend that such a rule rewards losers, since the trailing team is still free to hack away. The difference is that fouling while behind already carries risk, potentially allowing the leading team to pull further ahead by making its free throws.</p><p>Plus, eliminating intentional fouls from both sides would do more harm than good, as it would rob us of the type of late-game comebacks this year's Indiana Pacers are now <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3289563" href="https://thescore.com/news/3289563">famous for</a>. It can be exciting when trailing teams have to sell out on their ball pressure and defensive traps in an effort to turn their opponent over rather than relying on fouls, but there would also be plenty of occasions when the leading team could simply run out the clock knowing that a foul isn't coming.</p><p>If the only way to push through anti-take-foul legislation is policing it on both sides, that's a concession I'd be willing to make. It would also aid the league in its quest for two-hour games. But the best compromise for pace of play and entertainment would be to disincentivize teams leading by three from doing it.</p><p>The NBA has made TV-friendly business decisions before, like when the league penalized away-from-the-ball fouls in the last 2 minutes and transition take fouls (at any time). Eliminating the fouls that rob us of potential game-tying 3-point attempts needs to be the next change - just in time to guarantee the league's $76-billion media partners a purer product.</p><p>Make teams play basketball until the end. Give your stars a chance to make more plays with the game on the line, not just <em>from</em> the line.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31412430/related

It's time for the NBA to outlaw fouling while up 3

There are certain fundamental truths about playoff basketball. For example: Any matchup between t...

<p>There are certain fundamental truths about playoff basketball. For example: Any matchup between the Knicks and Pacers is sure to produce an extraordinary moment or improbable finish worth revisiting for generations.</p><p>If they're standing in each other's way come May, the Knicks and Pacers somehow always find a way to deliver. The same was true Wednesday in Manhattan, though Knicks fans will tell you whatever their team did down the stretch of Game 1 sure as hell wasn't "delivering."</p><p>New York was cruising to a 1-0 series lead in its first conference finals appearance in 25 years. The Knicks extended their lead to 17 midway through the fourth quarter, held a 14-point advantage with 2:40 remaining, and were still comfortably nursing a three-possession lead with 35 seconds left. The Knicks were the 1,435th team to hold a lead of nine-plus points entering the final minute of a playoff game and none of the previous 1,434 managed to lose.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>But this is <em>Knicks-Pacers</em>, so of course the clock couldn't run out like a run-of-the-mill playoff game. After a handful of Pacers 3-pointers and a couple of Knicks turnovers, Tyrese Haliburton had a chance to tie or win the game for Indiana. We should've known what was coming, as Haliburton's become as inevitable as this iconic postseason rivalry itself.</p><p>The fact Haliburton's <a href="https://x.com/Pacers/status/1925385100197241328">prayer</a> merely sent the game to overtime rather than resulting in a walk-off win dulled the excitement somewhat, but not before the Pacers superstar did his best Reggie Miller impression (with Miller a few feet away at the TNT broadcast table):</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE INDIANA PACERS TAKE GAME 1!!!!! 😱😱😱 <a href="https://t.co/ZylfaBcZRx">pic.twitter.com/ZylfaBcZRx</a></p>— theScore (@theScore) <a href="https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1925389700073721950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure><p>For the uninitiated, Haliburton's choke sign was a nod to Miller directing the <a href="https://youtu.be/yJerW4qe3HI?si=8dKv4R-EINeOZRzY&amp;t=104">same gesture</a> to the Madison Square Garden faithful (and Knicks superfan Spike Lee) during the 1994 East finals. Miller's Pacers overcame a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit - and constant heckling from Lee - to steal Game 5 of that series. However, New York got the last laugh with wins in Game 6 and 7, with Knicks legend Patrick Ewing recording the series-winning dunk with 26.9 seconds left in the do-or-die game.</p><p>That was the second of three straight playoff matchups between Ewing's Knicks and Miller's Pacers, with New York and Indiana meeting six times in eight postseasons between 1993 and 2000. The 1995 East semis saw Miller famously score eight points in nine seconds to stun the Garden again in Game 1, with Ewing <a href="https://youtu.be/w9hujyZyK7w?si=YnVElBXJmPjNTC1w">blowing</a> the potential game-tying layup in the final moments of Game 7.</p><p>There was Miller's <a href="https://youtu.be/ms9J2etJbDQ?si=PuPjdEpBMEaVg6oq&amp;t=705">shot</a> to force OT in Game 4 of the 1998 East semis (which the Pacers won) and Larry Johnson's unforgettable <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0CGK1MGI4E">four-point play</a> to help the Ewing-less Knicks past the heavily favored Pacers in the 1999 conference finals.</p><p>After briefly renewing hostilities in the second round of the 2013 playoffs, the rivalry entered the modern era last year, when Haliburton's Pacers got the best of Jalen Brunson's banged up squad. The lingering animosity from that matchup even led to flirtations with a professional <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3055093" href="https://thescore.com/news/3055093">wrestling feud</a>.</p><p>Though most of the combatants in this year's series weren't born yet when the rivalry took root, all of that baggage served as the backdrop for this year's Eastern Conference finals, which tipped off 30 years to the day after Ewing's blown layup.</p><p>Unfortunately for Knicks fans, a new generation is now all too familiar with the drama, angst, and heartbreak this matchup often provides. The Pacers outscored the Knicks 20-6 over the final 2:39 of regulation, with Indiana's 23 points over the final 3:14 the most scored by a playoff team in the play-by-play era (since 1997). Haliburton's pop-up buzzer-beater will headline highlight reels for years, but it was forward Aaron Nesmith who exploded for 20 points over the final 4:45 of regulation.</p><p>History will also forget that the Knicks scored the first four points of overtime, with Indiana ultimately recording one of the most unfathomable victories in postseason history for the <em><a href="https://x.com/keerthikau/status/1925401197449511223">third time</a></em> in the last three weeks.</p><p>New York had a 99.7% chance of winning Game 1 with under three minutes to play, according to ESPN's win probability meter. That fact and many others will leave Knicks fans absolutely gutted, but this series is far from over. The Thunder let Game 1 <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3281423" href="https://thescore.com/news/3281423">slip away</a> in their second-round series against Nikola Jokic's Nuggets, only for Oklahoma City to now find itself three wins from the Finals. Back in 1994, the Knicks rebounded after Miller labeled them chokers.</p><p>Whether the 2025 Knicks are made of the same mettle remains to be seen, but don't put anything past this matchup. There's something about these two teams coming together at this time of year that makes anything feel possible.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31358594/related

The most dramatic rivalry: Knicks-Pacers always delivers

<p>Every year, 29 teams fall short of the ultimate goal, and every year, those 29 teams ask themselves how they can take the next step.</p><p>We previously looked at how the first-round outs in the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3279346" href="https://thescore.com/news/3279346">East</a> and <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3281141" href="https://thescore.com/news/3281141">West</a> might go about answering that question and examined the decisions on the horizon for the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3286936" href="https://thescore.com/news/3286936">East's top two seeds</a> after their seasons ended in the second round. Now that the West semis are complete, here's a look at how two of the conference's last three champions can move forward after being eliminated.</p><h3>Golden State Warriors </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774471/cropped_GettyImages-2201403240.jpg?ts=1747692294" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774471/w220xh124_GettyImages-2201403240.jpg?ts=1747692294 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774471/w320xh180_GettyImages-2201403240.jpg?ts=1747692294 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774471/w640xh360_GettyImages-2201403240.jpg?ts=1747692294 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774471/w768xh432_GettyImages-2201403240.jpg?ts=1747692294 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/774471/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2201403240.jpg?ts=1747692294 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Noah Graham / NBA / Getty</span></figcaption></figure><p>The Warriors were bitterly disappointed by their five-game elimination at the Minnesota Timberwolves' hands, but few teams have as clear a vision as Golden State does right now. The mandate: Win another championship during the two-year window in which Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green are all under contract for a combined average of $143.4 million per season.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>The three future Hall of Famers are all 35-37 years old with justifiable questions about their durability. Curry's absence did the team in against the Timberwolves, Butler hasn't suited up for 65 games in a season since 2018-19, and Green has reached the 70-game mark once in the last seven years. Still, even with those age-related concerns and Butler's diminishing offensive game, I'd take a healthy Steph, Jimmy, and Draymond against most teams' top three. Golden State went 23-7 (a 62-win pace) with Curry and Butler in the lineup down the stretch.</p><p>If the Warriors can just get those legends to the spring in one piece, they'll have a legitimate chance to raise another banner before Curry retires. Accomplishing that starts with shoring up the rest of the rotation, preferably by adding some size and athleticism.</p><p>The biggest question is what to do with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, who has a big fan in team owner Joe Lacob but has often fallen out of favor with head coach Steve Kerr (though Kuminga did play well when he returned to the rotation during the second round). If he's retained at a reasonable price and can find some consistency, Kuminga can energize the aging core. But the best result for both parties seems to be Kuminga landing elsewhere in a sign-and-trade that delivers something of value for the Warriors too.</p><p>Golden State just doesn't have enough dependable rotation pieces, let alone game-changers. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield provide spacing; the former is younger, more defensively capable, and a better playmaker, but not necessarily more consistent. Moses Moody is probably the most underrated youngster on the roster, which leaves me wondering if the Warriors would be better served putting Podziemski on the trade market and Moody on the court.</p><p>Trayce Jackson-Davis is a decent depth piece further down the bench and Gui Santos and Quinten Post were nice finds, but none of those three will alter Golden State's trajectory.</p><p>If the Warriors can find a way to turn some of that middling talent into even a couple more playoff-proof rotation players, they'll be in good shape. They also have up to four first-round draft picks (plus swaps) to package with those players if they want to make a bigger splash. That seems unlikely, but never count the Warriors out of such discussions - they've got about $17.4 million worth of wiggle room under the luxury-tax threshold and roughly $25 million worth of space under the first apron. - <em>Joseph Casciaro </em></p><h3>Denver Nuggets </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786356/cropped_GettyImages-2215278228.jpg?ts=1747692490" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786356/w220xh124_GettyImages-2215278228.jpg?ts=1747692490 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786356/w320xh180_GettyImages-2215278228.jpg?ts=1747692490 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786356/w640xh360_GettyImages-2215278228.jpg?ts=1747692490 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786356/w768xh432_GettyImages-2215278228.jpg?ts=1747692490 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786356/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2215278228.jpg?ts=1747692490 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">AAron Ontiveroz / Denver Post / Getty</span></figcaption></figure><p>This is a hugely consequential offseason in Denver with a ton of important decisions to make at every level of the organization. First: Finding the person who will make the rest of the decisions. Whoever steps into Calvin Booth's vacant role as general manager will quickly have to figure out how to make the necessary personnel adjustments while also deciding whether to conduct an external coaching search or make David Adelman's interim position permanent. (Adelman's performance after taking over with a week remaining in the regular season was a pretty persuasive job application.)</p><p>In overcoming a very good LA Clippers team and then pushing the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink, the Nuggets proved they're still a threat to win any series with a Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray-Aaron Gordon nucleus. Jokic is a one-man offense who somehow got even better this year. Murray shook off a tough start to have a strong second half and a sporadically brilliant postseason. Gordon patched every defensive hole, bludgeoned his way to copious offensive rebounds and paint buckets, and hit some of the clutchest shots of the playoffs.</p><p>But it also became abundantly clear, if it wasn't already, that the Nuggets need to make changes around that core trio if their championship window is to remain open while the 30-year-old Jokic is still in his prime.</p><p>Outside of Gordon and Christian Braun, the roster distinctly lacks two-way players. This year's Nuggets had the best offense of the Jokic era teams despite ranking last in 3-point attempt rate, but that limiting factor became harder to overcome against playoff defenses that ignored about half the members of their eight-man rotation. Their bench was once again a complete disaster, with no reliable backup center or 3-and-D wing. That eight-man rotation was basically a 5.5-man rotation by postseason's end.</p><p>What's less clear is how feasible the necessary changes are. If Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric pick up their player options (the former would likely be fine with Denver, the latter will be as damaging as it is inevitable), the Nuggets will be about $15 million over the tax line, $7 million over the first apron, and $5 million below the second apron with 13 of 15 roster spots filled. As things stand, they won't have access to the mid-level or bi-annual exception, nor will they be able to take back more salary than they send out in a trade. Plus, the only first-rounder they can currently include in a deal is their 2031 pick.</p><p>Whether Michael Porter Jr. remains part of the aforementioned core might be the most pressing roster question. Porter's been a key piece of the Nuggets for the last six years. He played a vital role in the team's championship two years ago and brings the specific skill (shooting) that's in shortest supply in Denver. But his precarious health, shaky defense, and near-$40-million-a-year salary make him the most natural starter to trade. The problem is that those same factors would also depress his market. He might still be more valuable to the Nuggets than he is to anyone else.</p><p>Braun made a strong case in his third season (and especially these playoffs) to be part of the team's long-term plans. He's extension-eligible this summer, and the Nuggets will surely try hard to come to an agreement with him. You can say everyone else should be on the table, but guys like Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther are about as likely to develop into the players Denver needs as they are to bring back those players in trades. The Nuggets would probably have to attach an asset to get off Zeke Nnaji's deal, which is worth doing if they can get any kind of competent rotation player in return (and possibly even if they can't). Maybe DaRon Holmes II can finally provide some stability at the backup five spot.</p><p>For the Nuggets' next GM, the opportunity to retool around Jokic is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you can explore some unconventional possibilities knowing Jokic will find a way to elevate everyone around him and keep the team competitive. On the other hand, you'll be under immense pressure to meaningfully improve the roster while Jokic is still playing at this level, but you'll have limited pathways to do so.</p><p>Nothing less than the legacy of one of the greatest players of this or any generation may depend on how that incoming GM navigates these next few months. - <em>Joe Wolfond</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31340747/related

What's next: Where the Warriors and Nuggets go from here

After 79 years, the NBA is experiencing a level of championship parity never before seen in its h...

<p>After 79 years, the NBA is experiencing a level of championship parity never before seen in its history.</p><p>The new benchmark was set when the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal, ensuring that the 2025 postseason will crown a seventh different champion in as many years. To put that in perspective, seven franchises won <a href="https://x.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1924266450400993526">77%</a> of the previous 70 titles. In fact, the league had only seen six different champions in a six-year span just once before (1975-1980).</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">NBA final four teams and their last championship:<br><br>New York Knicks: 1973<br>Indiana Pacers: Never<br>Minnesota Timberwolves: Never<br>Oklahoma City Thunder: Never*<br><br>* won in 1979 as Seattle SuperSonics but Thunder do not hang a banner nor claim this title as their own.</p>— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1924219979269873926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure><p>There will always be a standard of excellence that championship teams <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3267849" href="https://thescore.com/news/3267849">must measure</a> up to. Last year's Celtics were a 64-win buzz saw, while this year's odds-on favorite, the Thunder, won 68 games, posted the best point differential ever, and are only <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3272746" href="https://thescore.com/news/3272746">getting started</a>. But beyond just the variety of champions, what's setting the modern Association apart from any time in recent memory is that it now feels like good teams, not just historically great ones, have a chance come playoff time.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>For the first time in many fans' lives, there's a genuine belief that a well-built squad just needs to get into the dance to have a shot at immortality. We've long come to accept that as a rite of spring in the NHL (and a rite of autumn in Major League Baseball), but it's a healthy change for the NBA, even if it devalues the regular season (and postseason seeding) on some level.</p><p>To truly appreciate how the playoffs have evolved in recent years, consider how our expectations of conference finalists have changed. Over the last five seasons (2021-2025), the 20 conference finalists have recorded win totals ranging from 43 to 68, averaging 52.6 victories per 82 games (with win total prorated for the shortened 2020-21 campaign). During this half-decade, all eight postseason seeds have been represented in a conference final at least once, with five conference finalists - a quarter of the sample - registering less than 50 wins.</p><p>Compare that to the previous five years (2016-2020). Those 20 conference finalists ranged from 49-win clubs to 73-win record-breakers, averaging 57 wins per 82 outings. During that stretch, only top-five teams from their respective conferences made it to the final four, with 18 of the 20 finishing in the top three.</p><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Conf. finalists</th>
<th>2016-2020</th>
<th>2021-2025</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Win range</td>
<td>49-73</td>
<td>43-68</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Avg W/82</td>
<td>57</td>
<td>52.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sub-50 W teams</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Seeds</td>
<td>1-5</td>
<td>1-8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>There's a worthy debate about whether this is a good development. The last time the NBA went this long without a seemingly unbeatable juggernaut or two, the Finals were broadcast on tape delay. It took a decade-long rivalry between Magic Johnson's Lakers and Larry Bird's Celtics, followed by years of dominance by Michael Jordan's Bulls, to "save" the Association. The 21st century then gave way to more mini dynasties and superteams to slay in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Miami, and Golden State.</p><p>While there's no proof of concept for parity helping the NBA thrive, that doesn't mean it won't. For one, the league, the media, and the sports world have changed drastically in the half century since the last time the championship picture was this wide open. The NBA is just months away from beginning to reap the benefits of a new 11-year, $76-billion media rights deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon.</p><p>Plus, the league's most successful periods of one- or two-team dominance were as much about the stars leading those dynasties as they were about the teams' perennial success. And there are plenty of worthy characters ready to carry the baton into this next leg of league history, whether it be Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, or the two superstars who will square off in the Western Conference final, MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Timberwolves savior Anthony Edwards.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786417/cropped_GettyImages-2034212623.jpg?ts=1747676703" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786417/w220xh124_GettyImages-2034212623.jpg?ts=1747676703 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786417/w320xh180_GettyImages-2034212623.jpg?ts=1747676703 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786417/w640xh360_GettyImages-2034212623.jpg?ts=1747676703 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786417/w768xh432_GettyImages-2034212623.jpg?ts=1747676703 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/786417/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2034212623.jpg?ts=1747676703 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">David Berding / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>There are fresh faces contesting the title race each year, more teams and fan bases who can dream of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy when a new season tips off, and unfathomable sums of money rolling in. It's an exciting, refreshing time that fans and the league should embrace.</p><p>However, the one thing I'll continue to push back on, and something to monitor going forward, is any notion that the league's new collective bargaining agreement brought us here. The path to parity was laid before the NBA put the more punitive tax penalties and restrictive aprons in place. What's new and exciting right now could quickly grow stale if some teams enjoying newfound success have to tear down carefully constructed rosters to avoid those penalties and skirt those restrictions.</p><p>As <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940429" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940429">I asked</a> nearly a year ago: Does a more balanced NBA, where teams rise and quickly fall before dealing with the penalties of getting too expensive, lead to more league-wide interest? Or does more frequent roster turnover and no dynastic superteams leave the league and its clubs without an identity?</p><p>How teams manage the new CBA will go a long way toward answering that question. For now, let's just enjoy what's become a truly unprecedented time in championship parity.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/31335927/related

Welcome to the NBA's age of parity

https://rich-content.thescore.com/authors/joseph-casciaro/content_cards