The 2025-2026 NBA Season

TheFifthSet

TheFifthSet

G.O.A.T.
No better way to start Summer than to create another NBA thread for us chuckleheads. We can talk the draft, or next year's gutted East, or even take bets on the first rage-quit of the thread...anything. We never left and we're back.
 
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ESPN:

how that Turner move affected the Pelicans...

How does the Turner signing impact other teams around the league?​

Let's circle back to a trade that floated under the radar during the NBA Finals, when the Pacers sent the 23rd pick in this year's draft to the Pelicans in exchange for Indiana's own 2026 first-round pick -- which New Orleans received from the Toronto Raptors a few months earlier as part of the trade for Brandon Ingram.

It was interesting -- but not completely uncommon -- for Indiana to make a trade while competing in the Finals. But it also was curious why the Pelicans were looking to acquire a draft selection in the 20s for one with at least some chance of improving next season.

But that deal happened before Haliburton's torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals -- an injury that made it seem likely the Pacers would finish outside of the top handful of teams in the NBA next season.

In retrospect, that deal looks much worse for New Orleans. The Pelicans went on to make one of the most reckless trades in recent memory using that selection, attaching an unprotected pick that will be the better of New Orleans' and Milwaukee's selections in 2026 to the Hawks to jump to 13th and draft Maryland big man Derik Queen. And with both Haliburton hurt and Turner elsewhere, Indiana's own 2026 pick just became a lot more promising.

If the Pelicans hadn't made that initial trade, perhaps they'd be sitting not only on their own pick -- projected to be at least a mid-lottery selection -- but they could have had a second potential lottery pick from Indiana, whose pick was top-four protected and very likely to convey. (Sorry, Pelicans fans. We know it has been a long week.)
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1940251580198211633

interesting that Fever pulled this upset w/o CC....she's been banged up and not playing well, at least not shooting well....that one veteran free agent pick-up backfired on them too but maybe they're going to be a second-half team again

p.s. hey, we got another WNBA team in Cleveland coming too!
 
Mike Brown back in the big chair again as head coach of the Knicks...never was a big fan of his way back with the Cavs but know he's grown as a coach, particularly with offense
 
Suns reporter...

Gerald Bourguet
@GeraldBourguet

With a Bradley Beal buyout being imminent, per a source, I’m anticipating he gives up $13.9M of his remaining $110.8M, which would then clear the way for the Suns to waive-and-stretch the resulting $96.9M over 5 years and duck both tax aprons

If Beal gives up $13.9M, the Suns take the remaining $96.9M and spread it out over the next 5 years (so about $19.4M a year in dead money). He’s free to sign with another team, and his cap hit for the Suns this year drops from $53.7M to $19.4M, which is how PHX ducks the aprons
 
fNP0txD.png

It’s been so long
 
Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero agreed to a five-year, $239 million maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $287 million, Mike Miller of LIFT Sports Management told ESPN on Monday.

Miller said Banchero's new deal includes triggers to elevate the base salary to the supermax should the Magic franchise cornerstone make either an All-NBA team or earn MVP or Defensive Player of the Year honors next season.

The deal also has a player option for Banchero in 2030-31 -- the first time a rookie max extension has had a player option since 2021, when Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) completed their rookie max contracts.
The Magic now have their core of Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs under contract for the next five years as well as newly acquired Desmond Bane under contract through the 2028-29 season.

Magic president Jeff Weltman said after last season that the franchise would take an aggressive approach this offseason, and after the acquisition of Bane and signing of veteran guard Tyus Jones, the team is well-positioned to be a contender in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando's selection of Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft triggered a turnaround for the franchise that has led to two postseason appearances in the past two seasons.

Despite an oblique injury that sidelined him for 34 games over the first two months of 2024-25, Banchero went on to have a career season, setting new highs with 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while also averaging 4.8 assists.

He's only the eighth player in NBA history to average at least 25, 7 and 4 at age 22 or younger. And he joined Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'Neal as the only Magic players to average more than 25 points in a season.

Banchero took his game to another level after the All-Star break, averaging 29.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. In the playoffs, he put together seven straight games with 25 points or more spanning the 2024 and 2025 seasons, tying the longest streak in Magic history.

His 4,432 career points through three seasons is third in Magic history, behind only O'Neal and Penny Hardaway.

The 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year, who earned his first All-Star selection in 2024, has averaged 22.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his three NBA seasons.
 
TheFifthSet said:
Unpopular opinion: purgatory team. They’re gonna win between 46-52 and win no more than a round.
Click to expand...
Idk about that. They nearly beat the Demon Team last year with no offense whatsoever. KayDee has to do something for them right?

1. Golden State w/Horford / Denver w/Horford
2. OKC
3. Demon Team or Denver without Horford
4. Houston
5. Minny
6. Clippers
7. Dallas
8. Memphis
9. Lakers
10. Portland

They could definitely beat OKC
 
Kralingen said:
Idk about that. They nearly beat the Demon Team last year with no offense whatsoever. KayDee has to do something for them right?

1. Golden State w/Horford / Denver w/Horford
2. OKC
3. Demon Team or Denver without Horford
4. Houston
5. Minny
6. Clippers
7. Dallas
8. Memphis
9. Lakers
10. Portland

They could definitely beat OKC
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Bolded: sigh, just stop :(

I’m definitely going against the grain on the Rockets but I watched a lot of KD last year and he put up the quietest 27 since Adrian Dantley. He is not the same guy. The shoes he’s filling aren’t big and the shot creation is still there but I don’t think he can physically get through multiple hard-fought playoff series without slowing.

Green sucked in the playoffs but he was also young and very durable, Brooks made up a nice part of their defensive identity/was a dawg, i wouldn’t have given up on Whitmore and - this is a very newfangled concern but - where are their threes gonna come from? They were 20th in attempts, 21st in %… the trio they dealt made up HALF of those. KD is KD but if there’s one constant in his offensive game it’s that he refuses to change his 3pt distributions no matter what…other than ‘13 he’s averaged between 4.5-6.5 attempts for the last 13 seasons. Just based on projected shot charts they should be dead-last in attempts. Maybe by a significant margin.

Bookmark this and rub it in my face if I’m wrong but I think they’re gonna be a very unhappy fanbase come May.
 
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max extension for SGA and now for Holmgren...

"Oklahoma City Thunder star and 2025 NBA champion Chet Holmgren has agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $250 million, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN on Wednesday morning."

obviously SGA will live up to it, but will Holmgren?...especially offensively?

I think Williams is eligible too?

at some point aprons will be a factor for them too

still have all those draft picks
 
Fullcourtpass
@Fullcourtpass
Giannis Antetokounmpo says a lot of people have tried to convince him to go play in New York but he’s probably staying in Milwaukee "Probably, probably. We'll see. We'll see. I love Milwaukee".
 
marc45 said:
max extension for SGA and now for Holmgren...

"Oklahoma City Thunder star and 2025 NBA champion Chet Holmgren has agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $250 million, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN on Wednesday morning."

obviously SGA will live up to it, but will Holmgren?...especially offensively?

I think Williams is eligible too?

at some point aprons will be a factor for them too

still have all those draft picks
Click to expand...

here you go....all three now locked up

@ShamsCharania
Jalen Williams, Thunder agree to rookie max extension worth up to $287M - via ESPN
 
@Kralingen I never pay any attention to any Bron rumors even when they’re Miami ones which I’ve heard in the past but I’m hearing them again and it seems different than usual. What do you make of the situation and MIA fit
 
InsuranceMan said:
@Kralingen I never pay any attention to any Bron rumors even when they’re Miami ones which I’ve heard in the past but I’m hearing them again and it seems different than usual. What do you make of the situation and MIA fit
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Yeah it’s a complex situation that I don’t fully understand. I think it’s clear that the Lakers are fully all in on the Luka era now, and Bron/Klutch aren’t too jazzed about that shift. At the same time he’s 41 and opted into the player option so, what can you do. They’re not gonna buy him out. Justifiably there’s not really a trade market for a 41 year old who isn’t cheap especially under this new CBA. He’d have to cause a real stink to force a move and I just don’t see that happening.

My general thinking is it’s like a 90% chance this is all much ado about nothing and he plays the season out with LA and then probably retires in 26-27. No really great bball situation out there.

But if things do go toxic. Miami is one of the few teams with assets that might actually want to go for him. Still doesn’t feel likely but if the team is bad this year we could possibly see movement. I don’t think it’d be a good move for Miami tbh… they’re clearly not going to win the title this year even with him
 
Kralingen said:
Idk about that. They nearly beat the Demon Team last year with no offense whatsoever. KayDee has to do something for them right?

1. Golden State w/Horford / Denver w/Horford
2. OKC
3. Demon Team or Denver without Horford
4. Houston
5. Minny
6. Clippers
7. Dallas
8. Memphis
9. Lakers
10. Portland

They could definitely beat OKC
Click to expand...

Interesting to see your Horford inclusion carry so much weight in your power rankings. Why is that? Esp at his advanced age?

I think most of us know what he can do. Space it, defend on the interior, and pass well. His switchability might be a thing of the past and at his age I cant expect him to bang bodies and hit the glass

In your eyes he must be someone who can optimize two-way units for short stints and thusly have an ongoing impact to good teams
 
gino said:
Interesting to see your Horford inclusion carry so much weight in your power rankings. Why is that? Esp at his advanced age?

I think most of us know what he can do. Space it, defend on the interior, and pass well. His switchability might be a thing of the past and at his age I cant expect him to bang bodies and hit the glass

In your eyes he must be someone who can optimize two-way units for short stints and thusly have an ongoing impact to good teams
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I need to see their full roster take hold but I think feel and savoir faire are exactly what this Dubs roster’s identity is and must be to succeed. Any indecision whatsoever, any extra dribble, any delay is a death sentence vs today’s swarm defenses.

The team will be old and lacking athleticism regardless. Al helps them with their mental processing speed immensely, he not only has an automatic green light with a compact motion, rare for a big, he knows exactly how to screen/re-screen, hit cutters, keep the ball rotating, and know when to dive for offensive rebounds or to cut. He’s not going to be a space cadet like Post as a popper either, he’s going to press advantages.

Importantly he offers them a bona fide 5 option who can keep up with not just Steph and Jimmy offensively, he can switch with Draymond too. Despite not being all that big or an elite rebounder he can switch onto guards and not compromise their scheme. He also offers them an implicit double big look which is all the rage in the West especially in an OKC/Jokic/Gobert/Sengun/Zubac gauntlet. He’ll spell 5 minutes from Draymond and save him for the playoffs. He’s not quite the banger Looney is and carries very little roll threat though, so him mentoring Jackson-Davis and accelerating his emergence will also be a duty of his.

Overall I didn’t want Golden State to become even smarter and quicker thinking. It’s not just that he’d only be elite on the Warriors either, Al has had elite impact metrics for over a decade now and has been playing Warriors style basketball since the ‘15 Hawks for just as long. We’ll see what happens with Kuminga, who is obviously the elephant in the room (it appears he’s not getting many other offers, and he does give them violent rim running and athleticism which the roster lacks) but Horford is a top addition for their one-to-two year window.
 
Lillard apparently talking about going back to the Blazers according to the Oregonian

p.s. finalizing deal....3yr. 42m
 
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My team is just one game away from a trophy.

Yes it’s just the Summer League but this is the biggest moment in franchise history. Kon Nipple to take us to the promised land of an actual title.
 
Kralingen said:
My team is just one game away from a trophy.

Yes it’s just the Summer League but this is the biggest moment in franchise history. Kon Nipple to take us to the promised land of an actual title.
Click to expand...
Tottenham break the trophy drought and Hornets first ring in the span of two months. I don’t know what I did to deserve this

lebronjames-champion.gif
 
Interesting offseason so far. The Hawks, Nuggets, Clippers, Rockets with notable roster upgrades. I think the clippers could be especially dangerous next season.
 
Kralingen said:
lol how much was he on his phone?
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Was blocking the walkway talking out loud on his phone, was like wow look at this hotshot *****, almost clipped his elbow that was jutting out a bit as a check but then found my manners and said excuse me, he didn’t acknowledge but slimmed. Then like almost an hour later I pass through the same walkway and he’s still on a phone call, passionately talking, some colorful language, only saw his face then out of the corner of my eye. He was there with family too some aunts or cousins and they just were doing their own thing while he hung back

I was like 10 paces past him and I just was like wait did I pass shams, so then I deliberated bothering him to see, he ended up coming out and I was 10 meters away so I bothered him
 
InsuranceMan said:
Was blocking the walkway talking out loud on his phone, was like wow look at this hotshot *****, almost clipped his elbow that was jutting out a bit as a check but then found my manners and said excuse me, he didn’t acknowledge but slimmed. Then like almost an hour later I pass through the same walkway and he’s still on a phone call, passionately talking, some colorful language, only saw his face then out of the corner of my eye. He was there with family too some aunts or cousins and they just were doing their own thing while he hung back

I was like 10 paces past him and I just was like wait did I pass shams, so then I deliberated bothering him to see, he ended up coming out and I was 10 meters away so I bothered him
Click to expand...

He’s an odd guy. I met him in a Whole Foods in Downtown Vancouver once. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a ****** and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like 10 boxes of organic raspberries in his hands without paying.

The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.

When she took one of the boxes and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each box and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
 
InsuranceMan said:
Was blocking the walkway talking out loud on his phone, was like wow look at this hotshot *****, almost clipped his elbow that was jutting out a bit as a check but then found my manners and said excuse me, he didn’t acknowledge but slimmed. Then like almost an hour later I pass through the same walkway and he’s still on a phone call, passionately talking, some colorful language, only saw his face then out of the corner of my eye. He was there with family too some aunts or cousins and they just were doing their own thing while he hung back

I was like 10 paces past him and I just was like wait did I pass shams, so then I deliberated bothering him to see, he ended up coming out and I was 10 meters away so I bothered him
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Classic lol. I’m always intrigued by how people who talk for a living sound when off camera. Buttoned up work voice or not. Particularly coaches and broadcasters and the like. I remember I had to call my manager at my first job after work and he answered in a completely new sounding voice

Unfortunately the only ones I’ve ever met enough to have a real understanding of how they talk are Stephen A Smith and Bill Walton (at the Final 4), and those guys obviously are themselves 24/7.
 

Former Heat security guard pleads guilty to stealing, selling merchandise worth millions​

By
Sam Amico
-
August 20, 2025
Miami Heat, NBA, Jerseys

A former Miami Heat security officer has pleaded guilty to transporting and selling millions of dollars’ worth of stolen game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia, federal officials announced.

Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. A retired Miami police officer, Perez admitted to stealing more than 400 jerseys and other items from a secured equipment room at the Kaseya Center, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the FBI.

The equipment room held memorabilia the organization intended to showcase in a future team museum.

Perez was among a small group of employees with access through his game-day security role.

Over a three-year period, prosecutors said Perez sold more than 100 stolen items for about $1.9 million.

He shipped them across state lines, often at heavily discounted prices. Among the sales was a Miami Heat jersey worn by LeBron James during the NBA Finals.

Perez sold it for roughly $100,000. The same jersey later went for $3.7 million at a Sotheby’s auction.

Perez is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
 
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