u/PianoJealous307

Bob Myers: "Trading Andre Iguodala, who had won three championships with the team, in 2019 to sign D'Angelo Russell. The way he took it, the professionalism, made it, as far as a player handling a tough thing, I've never seen one do it as well as he did in that moment. To call a guy that, when you talk about personal, making it personal, and to say we are trading you to Memphis, and he knew it was not a team that was trying to win. By the way, he ended up going to the Heat and going to the finals again after that. But Andre looked at me and he said, I understand. You got to do what you got to do. And it wasn't a bitter, I mean, of course I'm sure he felt a certain way, but it wasn't like it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. When you do things where a player does so much for you and your organization, and you make a decision where he deserved better."

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bob-myers-reflects-trading-andre-123552523.html

Link of the interview: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JfK7talh5aY&t=362s&pp=2AHqApACAQ%3D%3D

The NBA made some big time crack down on offensive players who use their arms to push off against defensive players during the upcoming season.

Despite the introduction of this new emphasis for the referees, the Golden State Warriors star and former Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green believes the players shouldn't count on this change this upcoming season, saying these types of rules just fade away after they get introduced.

"Quite honestly, as a defensive player I would tell you all, don't bank on this, don't waste your time thinking like 'oh man, like imma see them calling this now' like I'm telling you, these types of rules, they call them in the preseason and then when the season starts, that sh*t just fade away," Green stated on his podcast.

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-257096-draymond-green-gets-brutally-honest-on-nba-crackdown-affecting-luka-doncic-sga.html

Bruce Brown finds himself desperately fighting for another opportunity in the NBA after encountering minimal interest during his unrestricted free agency.

According to Brown, the league’s second apron was repeatedly brought up by teams as a reason they could not sign him this past offseason.

“I heard that all summer,” Brown said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

With less than two weeks left before the opener, Bruce Brown has yet to secure a permanent spot to play for the 2026-27 NBA season.

Brown entered free agency after reuniting with the Denver Nuggets last season, where he averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across all 82 games.

Despite being an NBA champion and one of the most versatile role players in the league, Brown failed to sign any standard deals this past summer, which led him to accept the New York Knicks' Exhibit 9 offer.

Brown is in the mix with several other league veterans such as Drew Eubanks and James Wiseman in getting the 14th roster spot of the defending NBA champions.

In the end, despite the tough situation he is facing, Bruce Brown accepts the challenge of fighting for another chance to play in the NBA.

Brown played 10 minutes in the New York Knicks' 120-97 preseason opener loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, tallying just two points.

"You got to prove yourself every year. I’ve been on eight teams in nine years. Every year you got to prove yourself, prove you’ve gotten better," Brown said. "But with this team obviously the first and second units are pretty set, I’d say. So obviously I’d have to provide a winning attitude.

"I’m fighting for a job right now. So any role they give me, I’d be happy to do it."

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-256849-bruce-brown-drops-crushing-admission-amid-fight-for-knicks-roster-spot.html

The Trail Blazers acquired a player who once looked like a future face of the NBA for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. That's how far Ja Morant's value has fallen. Morant once electrified the NBA with his explosive handle, acrobatic finishes and complete disregard for anyone standing between him and the rim. But with injuries, off-court troubles and diminishing on-court performance, it becomes harder to justify paying him more than $40 million in each of the next two seasons.

But for just Grant and Murray, I understand why the Blazers took the chance. Deni Avdija needs a co-star. Scoot Henderson hasn't shown enough consistency to become one. Damian Lillard is returning from a torn Achilles. Shaedon Sharpe is recovering from knee surgery. Taking the next step could require a gamble on talent Portland wouldn't otherwise have a realistic chance to acquire. And maybe, just maybe, Morant could be that piece.

In his first 12 games last season, Morant was as bad as he's ever been. He scored 22.4 points per 36 minutes on 47.7% true shooting and struggled to get to the basket. All that was missing was the James Harden fat suit, because Morant clearly didn't want to be in Memphis anymore. But after returning from a calf strain in December, he posted 28.5 points per 36 on 58.7% true shooting over his final eight appearances. His efficiency and shot distribution resembled his two All-Star seasons, when he produced 29.6 points per 36 on 56.6% true shooting.

Ja began to look more like Ja. In the clips above from his 40-point game against the Sixers, he displayed burst off the dribble and finished acrobatically with either hand. His ability to get into the paint was returning, and so were the opportunities it created for everyone else.

In the next three games, he logged 36 assists: 11 against the Lakers, 13 against the Magic and 12 against the Hawks. He manipulated defenders with his handle, drew help and found the open man. In transition, he pushed the ball ahead before defenses could get organized.

For a brief moment before a sprained ligament in his left elbow and a Grizzlies tank job ended his season, Morant finally began to look like himself again. Of course, it was only eight games. But at 27, imagine what a healthy Morant could do for Avdija, who averaged 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists last season.

At 6-foot-8, Deni's combination of size, downhill scoring and passing turned him into an offensive centerpiece. And at only 25, he may be only just tapping into his ceiling. Having another player capable of getting downhill could spare him from having to beat a set defense so often.

But can these Blazers blend?

Even at his peak, Ja had a shaky jumper and defensive limitations. Portland can help mitigate those flaws with Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara there to take the tougher defensive assignments. The both of them also offer spot-up shooting, screening and connective passing on offense. But the core pieces need to offer enough of those role-player qualities too.

Morant has made 33% of his career catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, compared with Avdija's 34.5%. Spacing could become an issue for this team if Camara can't sustain his improvement from last year and if Donovan Clingan can't successfully become a spot-up threat.

Is Dame supposed to play off-ball most of the time now just to offer some spacing? Maybe early on. But he averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists in his last season in Milwaukee and was named an All-Star. At age 36 coming off a torn Achilles, there's no telling how much he has left. But Blazers fans know more than anyone how foolish it'd be to ever count out Dame.

Last season, Portland ranked 22nd in isolation scoring efficiency and 28th in pick-and-roll scoring efficiency, per Synergy Sports. Lillard could help solve those problems with his pull-up jump shooting. So could Ja. And their shared presence alleviates the pressure on each other to be themselves right away. Especially for Dame. At age 36, in his first year back from a torn Achilles, it might be beneficial for him to take on a lighter workload. And there will still be plenty of moments that everyone in the building knows the ball should be in Dame's hands.

It's been a weird year in Portland. But looking purely at the basketball situation, the Blazers hired one of the league's most-respected assistants in Micah Nori and have an impressive blend of proven veterans and young players. Maybe Scoot takes a leap in a sixth-man role. Maybe Clingan becomes the rare center who can both put a lid on the rim and shoot 3s on the other end. Maybe Deni goes from All-Star to All-NBA. Maybe Dame looks like Dame once again. And maybe Ja still has a few prime seasons left in him. Or maybe Morant shoots Portland in the foot.

Link: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/the-blazers-are-betting-on-a-ja-morant-comeback-170000225.html

LeBron James is already getting his first taste of life with the Philadelphia 76ers. The four-time NBA champion took part in the Blue-White Game, the team’s intrasquad scrimmage held in front of around 10,000 fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena, offering an early glimpse of what the Sixers’ new-look team could become in the 2026-27 season.

James emphasized the importance of taking what the team had worked on during the first week of training camp and transferring it to the court: “To be able to take what we’ve done on the practice floor, bring it to a game floor situation around our fans, it was a great first step in the direction we’re trying to go.”

The veteran also showed an early connection with Joel Embiid, finding the center for a three-pointer in transition. James then spoke about Embiid’s physical condition, highlighting his progress compared to their time together with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“The difference between ’24 and now, he’s just so much more healthy. He hasn’t missed a practice. He’s been in damn near everything that we’ve done. Pretty much. They’ve had to sit him out at times, even when he wanted to keep going. So it’s been good. Actually, great,” James said.

Source: https://sportando.basketball/en/lebron-james-first-impressions-with-the-sixers-it-was-a-great-first-step/

It seems unlikely at this point that the Knicks will agree to extensions with Towns, Josh Hart or Miles McBride before the regular season. There is clearly a gap between what the Knicks are offering Towns and what he’s looking for. Logically, the Knicks need to figure out Towns’ situation before they can address Hart or McBride. The club’s immediate financial future is impacted greatly by Towns’ $61 million player option for 2027-28. If he agreed to an extension, Towns would presumably decline the extension and have a lower annual salary for 2027-28.

If extensions are not signed before the season starts, I’m sure Towns, Hart and McBride will maintain the same approach to their job. But, as Hart noted, it’s only natural for contract uncertainty to impact a player’s life on or off the court.

"Once the season starts (and if no extension is reached), I’ll probably have that mentality of 'I don’t really wanna deal with this, I want to try and focus on playing the season.' (But) I’m sure there will probably be a little extra weight to the jersey," Hart said this week. "You don’t know the certainty of your situation and obviously it affects home life. There are certain things that you might want to do, but you’re like ‘I can’t, because I have no idea what the situation will be in two months, three months, four months, in a year, if I’m gonna be here or not.’ You don’t know. But hopefully, like I said, I’m a Knick, I’d love to be a Knick and I love the city."

"…At the end of the day, we’re humans and I think what sometimes gets lost is that we are people, that we all have lives and things that we have to deal with and fix," Hart said in response to a separate question later in his interview. "I wish I could sit there and say it wouldn’t have any weight or any bearing, but you never know. Some people can handle it great and some people can really struggle with it and that can kill their performance. I hope it gets done, but we’ll see." Unless the Knicks decide to exceed the second apron in team salary, it will be difficult for the club to extend all three of Towns, Hart and McBride.

To illustrate this, let’s use $75 million as a combined annual salary for the first year of Towns and Hart extensions. With this number, the Knicks would have roughly $13-$14 million in second apron space to offer McBride.

But the bigger hurdle, in my view, is the 2028-29 season.

Let’s say Jalen Brunson signs a max extension that starts in 2028-29. If you take Brunson’s deal and combine it with a total $75-$80 million in extensions for Towns and Hart, the Knicks would have around $10 million under the second apron for either McBride or another player. This number doesn’t account for an extension for OG Anunoby. Anunoby would be eligible for an extension. And obviously, that $10 million is certainly below McBride’s market value. So the Knicks have to navigate a tough situation with these extensions if they want to remain below the second apron in team salary.

To date, not much has changed on the Knicks’ side: they think very highly of Towns and want him to be a Knick for a long time. The Knicks, in earlier negotiations, offered Towns a contract with a starting number of between $45-$50 million, as SNY reported. I don’t know if they have or haven’t increased their offers to Towns. Again, everything here is based on the Knicks’ commitment to staying under the second apron.+

Source: https://sny.tv/articles/knicks-training-camp-notes-10-2-26

The New York Knicks are hoping that Karl-Anthony Towns is willing to leave around $75 million on the table.

New York would be “far more” interested in giving Towns a new contract of four years and $200 million, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Tuesday. That is notably much less than Towns’ full max figure of four years and $276 million.

Towns, who turns 31 in November, is currently in a contract standoff with the Knicks. We learned earlier this week that New York has been asking Towns to take a pay cut and that Towns was now seen as unlikely to agree to a new extension before the season as a result.

Can the Knicks Break the 8-Year No-Repeat Streak? The former No. 1 overall pick Towns has been a stellar player for the Knicks ever since arriving in a 2024 trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns has been an All-Star and a 20-ppg scorer in each of his first two seasons with New York and also played a major role in the Knicks’ 2026 NBA championship victory.

But even at a figure of $50 million per year, Towns would still be taking a discount, relative to both his max number and his current contract. For reference, Towns is currently signed for $57.1 million next season and also has a $61 million player option for 2027-28.

The Knicks are trying to avoid the second apron of the luxury tax at all costs and also have to position themselves for No. 1 option Jalen Brunson’s expected mammoth extension next summer. As a result, Towns is being asked to take a haircut, which may only be adding to his reported frustrations with the team.

Source: https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/knicks_desired_pay_cut_for_karl_anthony_towns_has_been_revealed/s1_127_44366295