Prisms, Nexon loot boxes, five legendaries, icon + card with Nexon's colors, and a recolor of D.Va's summer skin.
Starting August 12, they'll only receive some welcome loot boxes.
Ben Horney:
> Dumont over a potential new Mavericks arena site is heating up, with Dumont now arguing that Cuban is demanding involvement in a deal that does not yet even constitute a “business opportunity.”
> Cuban filed a petition in Texas state court last month aimed at obtaining information he claims could show that Dumont unlawfully cut him out of opportunities after he sold his majority stake to Dumont and the Adelson family in 2023. Cuban’s rule 202 petition, which was heavily redacted, said Dumont had an obligation to keep Cuban apprised of the potential purchase of about 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site in Dallas, which the Mavs announced as a possibility in June.
> According to Cuban, Dumont did not notify him of the Valley View Mall opportunity. Further, Cuban said Dumont formed a company called Arena Development Intermediate (ADI) to pursue the arena, and incorporated it in Delaware to avoid having to make public disclosures.
> Dumont hit back in a July 31 legal filing that is also heavily redacted. His filing removed the case from Texas state court to Texas business court. It says ADI has not yet exercised its option to purchase the property.
> “Nevertheless, Mr. Cuban has demanded that he be involved in the option process,” the filing says. “Because of the nature of the Valley View Option, there is no current business opportunity to present to Mr. Cuban or petitioners. This fact has been communicated to Mr. Cuban.”
> Cuban’s legal team already sought to remand the case back to Texas state court where he originally filed, but a business court judge denied that request on Wednesday. On Thursday, Dumont argued to the business court that Cuban must privately arbitrate the dispute. According to Dumont, Cuban’s limited partnership agreement contains a “broad” provision requiring matters like this be arbitrated. He says Cuban filed his petition against ADI, rather than Dallas Basketball Ltd. (operator of the Mavs) or Radical Arena Ltd. (operator of the American Airlines Center) in order to “avoid the valid and enforceable arbitration provisions. They cannot do so.”
> Dumont also takes issue with the press resulting from Cuban’s initial filing in Texas state court. He says Cuban’s filing “generated widespread media coverage, contrary to the parties’ agreement to arbitrate disputes privately and confidentially.”
> Cuban’s complaint over Dumont’s alleged pursuit of an arena site without informing Cuban is just the latest salvo in escalating tension between the former Mavs majority owner and the family he sold to in 2023.
> In March, Cuban told the Intersections podcast, “I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I’ll leave it at that.” In April, Cuban told Front Office Sports he was approached by a group looking to buy back the Mavs and he was interested: “I was like, ‘Look, if you can get them to sell, I would be more than happy to contribute my equity, et cetera, et cetera, and help.’ But I didn’t expect that to materialize. I told them I didn’t think it would happen, that I didn’t think the Adelsons had any interest in selling. And they don’t.”
> Cuban declined to comment Friday. Attorneys for Dumont did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Eric Fisher:
> A key piece of public funding is coming into place for planned renovations to Portland’s Moda Center, home of the Trail Blazers, but there’s plenty more work to be done.
> The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved late Thursday by a 4–1 vote a term sheet that would provide up to $101.6 million to help upgrade the 31-year-old, publicly owned building. The measure, an increase from $88 million originally proposed in the spring, is not a final funding package, and is instead a framework to begin formal discussions with the Blazers and city of Portland.
> It is designed, however, to provide a definitive statement of intent in what has been a fractious issue for months involving the public officials and Blazers owner Tom Dundon.
> “I want this step today to be seen by the NBA and its board of governors to know just how serious we are about keeping the Blazers here in Portland,” said county chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
> She made a similar plea on Wednesday before the Portland city council as it heard hours of public testimony as it considers a separate, $120 million share of funding toward a Moda Center project costing nearly $600 million. The state legislature has already appropriated $365 million.
> The funding debate has remained tense, particularly as the Portland area grapples with a variety of other public needs, and Dundon has been insistent he does not intend to help pay for the renovations.
> The city is set to vote next week on a non-binding term sheet for its arena funding, and while passage there is likely, getting to a final deal this fall is expected to be an arduous process .
> Also critically left unresolved in the county’s move is exactly how that jurisdiction will fund its share of the project. Even with the vote to continue negotiations, a specific source for that money is uncertain—potential sources include rental car taxes and taxes from the sale of the Blazers to Dundon.
> “How real is this commitment for money, if we can’t agree on a way to fund it?,” said county commissioner Meghan Moyer, the lone dissenting vote.
Bergin:
The Portland Trail Blazers have asked for fan support at a Portland City Council meeting on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. PDT. The meeting will be taking public testimony about the future of the Moda Center, as the Trail Blazers organization and the City remain in negotiations about arena renovations and the team’s long-term future in Portland.
In a mass email that the organization sent to Blazers fans on Tuesday morning, Blazers President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins urged fans to show up to the meeting wearing Rip City gear and testify about how much the team means to them.
Here’s the full message from Hankins:
> Dear Rip City:
> This Wednesday, August 5, the Portland City Council will be taking public testimony about the future of Moda Center. Make your voice heard, by testifying or showing up in Blazers gear:
> City Hall, Council Chambers 1221 SW 4th Ave. Wednesday, August 5 at 9:30 a.m.
> Can’t attend in person? You can still make your voice heard by signing the We are Rip City petition here.
> There is a lot of noise right now on this issue: online, in the media, and all across town. That’s why it’s so important that Portland’s City Councilors hear what Rip City means to you.
> Whether you show up in person or send a message online, your voice matters. Tell the Council about your first Trail Blazers game. Your first Fire game. Your favorite moments on the court, or the concert you’ll never forget. Tell them what this team means to you, and about the lifelong memories you’ve made in Moda Center.
> I truly believe that you are the best fans in the world. The passion you bring to Rip City basketball and the Fire Pit every game night is unmatched.
> That’s why it’s so important that the City Council hear from you. This is bigger than basketball. It’s about Portland’s future.
> Thank you, > Dewayne Hankins
> President of Business Operations
> P.S. Even if you don’t sign up to testify, wear your Blazers gear and show your support
Bill Simmons: "One of the things I was fascinated by was, 'Why did they let this guy buy the team? Why let "El Cheapo" [Tom Dundon] get in there?' Apparently they only had two offers [for the Portland Trail Blazers sale] because the price of these teams in general has gone up, the arena deal was dicey, it's a smaller market, and the city has definitely been a little topsy-turvy for the last 10 years. I just don't think they had a lot of people that wanted to buy in."
Source: The Bill Simmons Podcast
Bill Simmons: "We still don't have evidence that the NBA works in New Orleans. You could blame the owners, you could blame the city—it's not a big enough market. Whatever you wanna say, despite the fact that there are a good handful of hundreds of thousands of fans, I don't think the franchise has ever been successful there."
[continued...]
Bill Simmons: "It's just never worked [in New Orleans], and I am not sure they should have an NBA team. I feel way differently about Portland—even Memphis, which you mentioned earlier."
Source: The Bill Simmons Podcast
Source: The Bill Simmons Podcast
Robert Canterbury Buford is an American basketball executive who is the CEO of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He was named general manager in 2002 after five seasons serving as team president. Buford is also the president of sports franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment.
Robert Canterbury Buford is an American basketball executive who is the CEO of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He was named general manager in 2002 after five seasons serving as team president. Buford is also the president of sports franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment.
Benfaid:
Victor Wembanyama: 'I don't miss the NBA at the moment, but I do miss FIBA'
> Twenty-four months later, "Wemby" is back in the Paris region, ready to play again with his country , and his status has evolved: he is no longer just a 20-year-old Rookie of the Year, but a 22-year-old All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year and potential MVP. At the inauguration of a renovated basketball court in Nanterre, a moment he described as " lucky " to be able to experience, Victor Wembanyama made no secret of his enthusiasm about returning to where he trained for eight years. And in France, more broadly. " When I come back here, it does me a lot of good, " he says , before looking ahead to his return to the blue jersey, since he had to miss Euro 2025. " I don't miss the NBA at the moment, but I do miss FIBA ," he clearly tells the journalists present.
Report: Dundon passed on Las Vegas expansion bid before buying Trail Blazers
> Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon “first kicked the tires” on buying a potential NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas for about $8B but decided the Blazers’ $4.25B price tag was “a better value with more upside,” according to sources cited by sportswriter John Canzano. With the Blazers currently in discussions on a new Moda Center lease agreement, Canzano noted he thinks the team “either stays in Portland or tries to move to Raleigh, N.C.,” where Dundon’s current NHL team plays. He added he does not think the Lloyd Center mall, which is closing next month, “is the place for the new arena” for the Blazers, but rather Dundon’s group’s next move will be to “declare it needs a new arena and/or control of the real estate around the arena or else.” Then, they will “foster some leverage using an outside city as a threat” and that is “not going to be Seattle or Las Vegas.” Canzano: “I’d bet that’s the play for Dundon’s group. They may use that threat to try to get Portland to build a new arena” (JOHNCANZANO.com, 7/27).
> HE SAID, SHE SAID: A Portland politician said earlier on Monday that he “believed an olive branch offered by the City of Portland to the Trail Blazers had been rejected by the team” as the two sides “remain far apart” in arena lease negotiations. Trail Blazers President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins responded by saying that the team has “not yet decided whether its representatives will attend a City Council meeting on the arena plans Thursday.” After Hankins’ response, Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy said that he had been “working with ‘old information.’” THE ATHLETIC’s Jason Quick noted the city council is scheduled to vote Aug. 12 on the term sheet for a 20-year lease of the Moda Center. A Blazers source, speaking on condition of anonymity to freely discuss negotiations, said the term sheet was “a nonstarter.” Dunphy, though, said that he and the council have “no idea what the team’s issues are with the draft document because the Blazers won’t communicate, let alone show up at meetings”
Brian Windhorst on the Trailblazers staying in Portland:
“It’s realistic but it’s definitely not a done deal, when the Allen estate sold the team they did a very short lease. Leases are usually 15-20 years, they did a 5 year lease. And there’s almost no protection in the lease for the Blazers to leave. Tom Dundalk isn’t interested in giving any money for this renovation. And it’s a messy one. The last thing i want you to know, earlier this year Adam silver said relocation in the NBA is not on the table. But as you know the nba is looking to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle. Those would be the two markets you’d want to move a team to. But that’s not going to be allowed by the NBA owners. They want to expand there, and get 7-8 Billion dollars for the expansion fee. Seattle and Las Vegas are not options. It’s not a good development if you’re a blazers fan.”
Zachary R. Mider, Ava Benny-Morrison, Myles Miller:
> Federal agents seized the mobile phone and computer of Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter last September in a wide-ranging probe into the financial dealings of the billionaire’s businesses, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Federal Bureau of Investigation carried out a search warrant aboard a private plane at a Chicago airport where Walter was traveling, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The FBI’s Chicago field office confirmed that it executed a court-authorized search for a mobile phone and laptop on an aircraft at Midway International Airport on Sept. 18 but declined to comment further.
> The people familiar with the search didn’t say where the devices are currently or what information was being sought, but seizing the electronics from a high-profile business leader like Walter is a significant investigative step. Probes by prosecutors can end without charges being brought. The search warrant was one of several executed last September, according to other people with knowledge of the probe, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential matter. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have been investigating potential financial improprieties at two of Walter’s insurance companies and at Guggenheim Partners, the financial firm Walter leads, Bloomberg News has reported.
> An early focus of the inquiry was a deal TWG struck last year with Mubadala Capital, an arm of an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, according to people familiar with the matter. In April 2025 the companies announced Mubadala Capital would anchor a $10 billion syndicated investment in TWG. Prosecutors were looking into whether Mubadala Capital had been misled about valuations, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential matters. It’s unclear whether prosecutors are still pursuing that line of inquiry.
Mike Gansey:
> “There is no doubt LeBron is one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball and there are no words to measure the impact he’ll have on this organization,” President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey said. “I have had the pleasure of knowing LeBron since high school and have seen the high-level impact he’s produced at every stop of his basketball journey. He is a consummate professional, the ultimate competitor, and a tireless worker. But he is also an incredible person with natural leadership traits, a family man, and someone who possesses unwavering commitment to community and those around him. We couldn’t be happier that he is officially here and are excited to welcome him, Savannah, and the James family into our 76ers family.”
> "I am thrilled to welcome LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers. One of the greatest players in NBA history and one of the best athletes ever, his accomplishments are iconic: four-time NBA Champion, four-time NBA MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time Olympic Gold medalist, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a record 22 All-Star selections, and 21 All-NBA selections,” Managing Partner Josh Harris said. “I cannot wait to see LeBron alongside Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and our talented roster as we work to deliver a championship for Philly. To LeBron and his family: we are grateful you chose the 76ers, and look forward to this next chapter of your legendary career. Welcome to the 76ers!"
July 27, 2026 12:50 PM EDT
Four-Game Preseason Schedule to be Presented by Bank of America
The Charlotte Hornets announced today their four-game 2026-27 preseason schedule. Charlotte’s preseason play is presented by Bank of America.
The Hornets will open the preseason with two home games: Tuesday, Oct. 6 vs. the Brooklyn Nets and Sunday, Oct. 11 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlotte completes its preseason schedule with consecutive road games at Boston on Wednesday, Oct. 14 and at Memphis on Friday, Oct. 16. Preseason on-sale ticket information for the two Spectrum Center home games and Charlotte’s local preseason broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS 2026-27 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Marc Stein:
> Dallas recently added Raptors executive Patrick Engelbrecht, as expected, after Engelbrecht had served as Toronto's director of global scouting and international affairs under Masai Ujiri when Ujiri was Toronto's president and vice chairman.
Wright Gazaway:
> Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy sent a letter to the Trail Blazers formally inviting team leaders to a July 30 work session, KATU has learned after obtaining a copy of the letter.
> "It is in my interest to find a path forward that is positive for both the public funding partners and the Portland Trail Blazers. Achieving this will be extremely challenging to deliver without your direct participation. The work session is a public meeting, however, no public testimony will be taken, so the meeting provides a real opportunity for meaningful conversation between the Council and our invited guests," Dunphy wrote to Trail Blazers President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins.
Jason Quick from The Athletic:
> “August 12th is going to be a real inflection point for our city,” said Jamie Dunphy, president of the city council. “I will tell you that right now, I firmly believe the city will move forward on the deal. I believe there is an overwhelming majority of the city council wants a good deal, wants to see this move forward.”
> But like many negotiations, Dunphy’s optimism was followed by a key conjunction: “But if the city council decides we do not have a willing party on the other side, and they are not able to meet us and not able to negotiate in good faith or actually move toward a deal, then we will have to make a decision at that point whether this is the right decision for Portland,” he said.
> “I don’t think the city is actively interested in suing the Blazers right now,” Dunphy said. “But if they don’t come to the table in good faith and actually meet the terms of what they said they were going to do, the city has to cover its own bases. But I would certainly not want to have lawyers involved or threats of lawsuits taint how this process goes.”
> “My most generous interpretation is that Tom Dundon is a serious businessman who wants a return on his assets,” Dunphy said. “And perhaps he is playing hardball with us. You know, Paul Allen always seemed to want to be in Portland, seemed to care about his role as a leader in Portland, and the future of our city and the pride that the Blazers bring us. I don’t think Tom Dundon is as concerned about that as he is getting a return on his investment. Perhaps it’s him looking for an excuse to blame the city so he can move the team. I’m not sure. But if he is actively trying to give a worse impression to Portlanders and Oregonians, I don’t think he could do a better job.”
> Former SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett is a TV legend. But when the ex-ESPNer lost his hosting job with the Trail Blazers this week, he didn’t even get an email or phone call. Instead, he learned about his departure in a Maury Brown sports media column.
> “I read about it in Forbes,” Everett tells Front Office Sports.
> That’s no way to treat a talent like Everett, who gave five seasons to the Trail Blazers broadcasting team. But a cold-blooded approach seems to be the order of the day when it comes to sports media layoffs this week.
> At least with the Trail Blazers, Everett suspected something was afoot. After all, the notoriously frugal Tom Dundon bought the NBA franchise in March for $4.25 billion. When Dundon previously took over the NHL’s Hurricanes, he immediately overhauled the broadcast team and installed other belt-tightening measures. After being offered an 80% pay cut, veteran Canes play-by-play announcer Chuck Kaiton left after 39 seasons.
> Right on cue, Dundon wasted no time pinching pennies in Portland, earning him the nickname “El Cheapo” from Bill Simmons. Dumping a club’s existing broadcasters to cut costs seems to be the billionaire owner’s “modus operandi,” notes Everett.
> On Tuesday, Dundon dropped the axe on the majority of the club’s broadcast crew, including hosts Everett and Jamie Hudson, 20-year analyst Michael Holton and former ESPNer turned analytics expert Tom Haberstroh. This past NBA season, Everett and Holton worked 25 Trail Blazers road games, with their last telecast coming on April 8.
> “You kind of felt it was coming–like a storm,” Everett says. “But I read about it in Forbes.”