Steven Adams - “You guys should anticipate November. The performance of the league, league-wide. GTA is dropping.”
Kevin Durant on the drama surrounding the WNBA:“All that stuff is to be noise man. WNBA is flourishing. Look what these women are doing. Look at the money they made over the last few years. Look at the visibility of their league. They got 4, 5 signature athletes on major brands that are representi”
Tyrese Haliburton says he’s confused how people poorer than him are flying private when it’s expensive even for him, even though he’s currently on a $244 million contract with the Pacers. [Boardroom]
2014: Team USA is forced to watch The Haka and then beats New Zealand by 30 points
[Charania]: Just in: Toronto Raptors All-NBA star Kawhi Leonard has agreed on a two-year, $115 million contract extension with the franchise, plus a player option for the 2028-29 season, his agent Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports tells ESPN.
Delonte West seen in good spirits, showing off his new teeth in a recent livestream
[Curious Mike Podcast] Trae Young talks about Guarding SGA: “I put my hand on his chest, and I didn’t push or nothing… you would’ve thought I sent an Iron Man hand through his chest.”
Reed Sheppard on whether he’ll keep this look:“Probably not. I just haven’t got a haircut yet. I don’t really know what I’m waiting on. My goal was to get one before media day, but as you can tell that goal did not happen.”
[Charania] The Atlanta Hawks are trading Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash to the Charlotte Hornets for Dorian Finney-Smith, sources tell ESPN.
[MacMahon] “[Kawhi] is a guy who’s played 60+ games just three times in the last nine years … \(115M for a player with those durability issues, in his mid-30s… that is a massive contract. That’s not a discount deal. A discount deal is Kevin Durant— 2YR, \)90M extension. This is $25M more than that.”
Zion Williamson calls relationship with rape accuser “friends with benefits.”
“Rafael and Ime have talked about wanting to get your minutes down at points this season…”-Kevin Durant: “Why? I’m better on the court. The team is better when I’m on the court. That’s what I’m supposed to be training for is to play the long haul, 48 minutes a night If the game needs me to be out”
[Lowlight] Jalen Duren shows off his vet-minimum rap skills: “I lost my bitch to a dy*e, I said fuck it she can have her, cause she gonna do shit I dont..”
[TMZ] Zion Williamson says his relationship with the woman accusing him of rape was nothing more than a consensual “friends with benefits”
Bill Russell: “One thing I have a quarrel with is that I had better players. I personally worked with them to make them better players. I did things physically, emotionally, and intellectually to make my teammates better players. They took advantage of the situation that was part of my creation.”
[Windhorst] Curry is now weeks off his extension window. He can extend at any time during the season but this is something you’d want to get settled before the year starts. If Steph does not extend, the Warriors will have $100 million in cap space next summer with enormous financial flexibility’
[Charania] Just in: Toronto Raptors All-NBA star Kawhi Leonard has agreed on a two-year, $115 million contract extension with the franchise, plus a player option for the 2028-29 season, his agent Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports tells ESPN.
[Highlight] Courtside view of Jamal Cain posterizing Jalen Duren in the playoffs
Steven Adams on the way the West evolved: “Oh okay… The way you were asking, I was like fuck what happened?”. About the Rockets’ young players:“They’re a little bit older. Not sure if they’re smarter.”
Jalen Duren has the same agent as Tari Eason, who recently turned down a 5-year \(100 million contract and eventually signed a 5-year \)81.5 million deal
Fred VanVleet on the process and adjustments required of him after recovering from ACL injury, returning to full game shape, and getting his body ready for NBA speed:“I’m not a game-speed workout guy. I don’t even go that fast in the games.”
Only 3 players in NBA history have ever dropped a 60+ point triple-double: Jokić (61/10/10), Luka (60/21/10), and Harden (60/10/11).
Amen Thompson says he and his twin brother, Ausar Thompson, didn’t inform each other when they got the extension. They each focus on their goals, not money.
Clint Capela on his offseason: “I was able to lose 4% body fat…feels great to have some abs looking good, you know?”
[MacMahon & Spears] NBA teams are monitoring Kyrie Irving’s situation with the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas still values the guard, but its roster is increasingly being built around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, so a move to a contender could eventually make sense for both Irving and the Mavericks.
[Highlight] Devon Booker complains to the ref about the Raptors Mascot and get him removed from behind the basket (2022).
[Highlights] Prime Paul Pierce highlights with the Celtics.
The Pelicans have gone backwards since drafting Zion Williamson
Amen Thompson reveals what the first thing he bought after signing his extension: “Probably some Uber Eats. The fruit cup and…it’s a boring. Don’t order it”
Alperen Sengun: “I want to be the best player in this league one day.”
New Zealand Tall Blacks Haka Explained
Steven Adams on his rehab process: “Yeah, it was a bloody ankle injury, there are a lot of bones out there, mate, you know what I mean?It’s a bit complicated. It’s good just to be back out there on the court; it’s been a while… the rehab is long and grueling. You know, you have to reteach the body
Updated Trade Trees: How each team constructed their current roster heading into training camp
Most “Portable” Superstars of All Time
The NBA Paris and Manchester Games 2027 are officially sold out. Approximately 1 million fans registered their interest in tickets, marking the highest level of demand ever recorded for NBA games in Europe. Both games will involve the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Alperen Sengun on losing to the Lakers: “We gave them a really hard time. We beat them in every stat, but the experience beat us.”
[Highlight] Herro lobs it to Haslem
The Trae Young fouling SGA Play that young refers to on the Curious Mike Podcast
Steven Adams is having fun: “I mean a lot to all the boys. Yeah, right, mate.”
Steven Adams: “Yeah, me and Fred (VanVleet) supporting each other… texting here and there.“What is the love thing? Love language is sending like really inappropriate reels or m3mes to him… so I send him so real rough stuff, but it’s all love - it’s all love, brother.”
Marcus Smart on playing with Kevin Durant: “I get to be on the other side of him taking the shots and not taking the shots over me…his ability to make shots it doesn’t matter who’s there. And it also doesn’t help that he’s close to seven foot, and I’m close to six foot.”
[All-Access] Kevin Durant is suited up for his second media day with Houston
Fred VanVleet is excited that he will finally get to play with Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard, as he sat out last year.He is even enjoying media day.
Jose Alvarado’s daughters beg to name their newborn baby brother ‘OG Anunoby’
[Charania] The Detroit Pistons have recently offered Jalen Duren a 5-year, \(200 million contract. Detroit and Duren remain at an impasse. Duren has felt disrespected by Detroit since becoming extension eligible and being offered a \)20 million “take it or leave it” deal.
The qualifying offer for Duren is ~\(10m. The first season of Detroit's latest offer would be ~\)40m. If he took that $30m difference and invested it, he would earn more over the next 5 years than he would by taking the QO this year and getting the max from another team next year.
[The Athletic] Duren believes his All-Star/All-NBA season puts him above the Thompson twins’ \(155M and \)208M deals
In the 23-24 season Luka Doncic averaged 33.9 pts, 9.2 Reb, 9.8 AST on 61.7 TS%.
Haliburton: “The Knicks are they like our rival? Yes. But like are those guys, I like those guys and their friends? Yeah. At the same time, you know, I’m always like man that’s fire but when the Knicks won I thought to myself I got to turn this sh*t off.”
Simmons: “Who’s playing defense on this (Heat) team?“Lowe: “Giannis, Bam, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins.“Simmons: “Who’s guarding Jayson Tatum?“Lowe: “Andrew Wiggins.”…Simmons: “Andrew Wiggins did guard Jayson Tatum really well 4 years ago… Welcome to the Play-In.”