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One more pressing Kings note as relayed by The People's Insider Jake Fischer: League sources say that Sacramento covets a veteran point guard to mentor prized rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and is thus now weighing the prospect of bringing back Russell Westbrook … or bringing in Victor Oladipo to fill that role. The Kings were among the teams to attend Oladipo's recent workout in Las Vegas during summer league.
The list of groups vying to build an NBA arena in Las Vegas is continuing to grow. During a company earnings call on Thursday, John Payne, VICI Properties President and Chief Operating Officer, told investors the group is looking at teaming up with Caesars Entertainment to construct a new arena.
Where could the Blazers go if they decide to leave? If the NBA goes to Las Vegas or Seattle, it will be through expansion. The league is exploring that right now, and it wouldn’t pass up $6 billion-$10 billion in expansion fees. So where else could the Blazers go? Raleigh comes to mind. Dundon’s Hurricanes play there and their arena did just get renovated. Raleigh is roughly the same size media market as Portland, but the Hornets play 150 miles away. Austin — about 200 miles from Dallas, where Dundon lives — could make sense but the San Antonio Spurs are trying to expand their market to capture the city. Would the Memphis Grizzlies consent to Nashville accepting a new team?
That has forced the Warriors to find advantages in new places. “Chase South” is one of them. “If you come in here and you haven’t seen it before, you’ll go, ‘Wow, are we at the Chase Center?’” Warriors assistant general manager Larry Harris said. Inside the Las Vegas Basketball Center, pictures of Curry, Draymond Green, Steve Kerr and other current and former team staffers, players and coaches adorn the walls. Warriors and Golden State Valkyries banners hang from the ceiling. Two of the actual courts the Warriors played on over the last few seasons make up part of the Las Vegas facility’s five full-sized courts. A weight room sits in the back of the building. Longtime Warriors public relations maestro Raymond Ridder and his staff have a dedicated workspace. So does the team chef, who puts together made-to-order meals while players get their work in on the courts nearby.
In the NBA arms race for the best facilities that seems to get more competitive each year, the Warriors’ decision to pour money into a facility in Las Vegas that was a go-kart track just a few years ago is a reminder of team owner Joe Lacob’s investment in the pursuit of every possible competitive edge. “I don’t know what the other 29 teams are doing,” Harris said. “I’ve told people that will ever listen, ‘No,’ just doesn’t come out of his mouth. (He’s asking) ‘what can we do to be better? What can we do on the margins to do something that’s a little bit different, gives us an advantage?'”
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So LeBron chose the 76ers, and the Warriors are left to wonder what might have been. Should they have tried to trade Jimmy Butler and draft picks for Anthony Davis? At summer league in Las Vegas, a small contingent of Golden State’s front office pushed for that path, but AD’s injury history and desire for a new extension ultimately convinced team brass to stay put.
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.
In a time where collegiate programs and coaches have to get creative in order to raise money for NIL or other amenities, UNLV‘s Josh Pastner is trying his best. Pastner gave his pitch to investors involved with NBA’s Las Vegas franchise, which is expected come to fruition at some point in the next decade. Instead of spending billions, why not spend a couple million to restore the UNLV Rebels to their prior glory?
“I know that a lot of people are trying to become owners of this NBA team coming in 2029,” Pastner told KTNV’s Taylor Rocha. “I have told people, ‘Why? Buy the college basketball team. It’s legal now! You can be the owner of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Men’s Basketball team.’ It’s a lot less expensive. “You don’t have to spend over a billion dollars to own our team. I’m asking for $10-12 million to own our team. You’ll still get a great tax write off, and you can be as involved and tell everyone you’re the owner of the team.”
An investment fund led by billionaire Mark Cuban is buying a minority stake in MLB’s Athletics. It signals a bet on the burgeoning sports market in Las Vegas, where the franchise is scheduled to move to in a couple years.
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Scotto: After dealing with injuries last season, what’s your mindset coming into the new season? Young: For me, I can’t look too far ahead. I feel like last year I didn’t extend with the Hawks, and there were so many things going on since we had new teammates and we were looking forward to getting to the playoffs. That was the one regret I had. I feel like I looked too far ahead to begin last season. I’m not going to do that again. I haven’t done that before the NBA. Last year, I got away from it. That’s why I got hurt. It’s a blessing in disguise. I’m here for a reason. “I would say there’s a quiet confidence in Trae, but also our group that we’re going to let our play do the talking,” Dawkins said at a joint press conference with Young in Las Vegas. “He’s always been like that. There’s one player in the last 50 years who’s averaged 25 points and nine assists, and he’s sitting to my right, so I think he’ll handle business on the court when the time’s right.”
The Lakers announced their preseason schedule Tuesday with the five-game slate beginning Oct. 5 against the Kings at Sacramento and highlighted by a game in Las Vegas against the Golden State Warriors. Starting with consecutive road games in Sacramento and San Francisco (Oct. 6), the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings and the Warriors twice each before a final preseason game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 16. The Lakers’ first home preseason game is Oct. 8 against the Kings before playing the Warriors in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 13.
NBA Communications: The 2026 NBA All-Summer League First Team: Cameron Boozer, @memgrizz, Brayden Burries, @Bucks, Yaxel Lendeborg, @warriors, Meleek Thomas, @cavs, Caleb Wilson, @chicagobulls. The team was selected by a vote of all 30 NBA teams based on performance at Summer League in Las Vegas.