Rumors

If the trade deadline is approaching and the PG situation isn’t getting better, what trade(s) would you pursue if you were Tim Connelly? — @nrcslim Jon Krawczynski: It is hard to put a name on that right now because we don’t know which teams will be playing well and which teams will be stumbling. What I do know is that if point guard is not solidified and the rest of the team looks primed for another deep playoff run, Connelly will not hesitate to pull the trigger on a big trade. That is the way he’s built these Wolves, and it won’t stop now. Maybe the Spurs would part with De’Aaron Fox if things aren’t going well there, though the money would give me pause. Maybe one of the Jones brothers could be had in Chicago or Orlando.

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Could Joan Beringer start in the G League to get more minutes under his belt, or do they want him around the NBA staff and players? — @TripShakespear Jon Krawczynski: The Wolves love what they’ve seen from Beringer in his early days here. I think he will see some time in Iowa to get some run and ease into things since he doesn’t turn 19 until November. But Connelly and general manager Matt Lloyd made it clear after they drafted him that he was going to spend plenty of time with the big club this season. They think he can play on defense right now. Given the Wolves already have Gobert, Randle and Reid in the frontcourt, it is hard to see where the minutes would come unless there was an injury or foul trouble. Just ask Luka Garza. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sprinkled in here and there just because of that defense

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The NBA has hired New York-based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an investigation into allegations that LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement deal with a now-bankrupt environmental company was made to help his team and its billionaire owner, Steve Ballmer, circumvent the salary cap, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic.

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The decision is a clear sign that the league is taking seriously allegations made by anonymous employees of San Francisco-based green bank, Aspiration, who told the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that the four-year, $28 million endorsement deal Leonard received from the company in 2022 was for a “no-show job” intended to “circumvent the (NBA) salary cap.”

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Wachtell Lipton is the same law firm the NBA used to investigate two high-profile cases of misconduct by team owners — both of whom were later forced to sell their teams. In 2014, the law firm investigated former Clippers owner Donald Sterling for accusations of numerous racially insensitive remarks made about NBA legend Magic Johnson, revealed by TMZ. In 2022, the firm investigated former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for multiple instances of inappropriate language or behavior after an ESPN report on the matter.

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Next summer could be a better option for Thomas. If he’s willing to wait and risk the monthslong anxiety pangs of a qualifying offer, he’ll have unrestricted free agency as a ballast. More teams, as of now, are set to have cap space next summer. That could make the risk worthwhile. The salary cap grew by 10 percent for the 2025-26 season and is projected to grow by seven percent next season, according to the league memo sent to teams. But there are also trends working against restricted free agents. Players increasingly sign contract extensions rather than go to free agency, in part because the last CBA made it more lucrative to do so. More extensions, of course, means less cap space. And there is still 10 months to go until the next free agency cycle.

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Dwight Howard's five-year run in Orlando was so strong that the rest of his career could be pretty “meh” and he’d still rate as one of the all-time great players. The last part wasn’t “meh,” though many might remember it that way, but it wasn’t at the level of those first five seasons. (Howard made All-Star teams in L.A. and Houston, led the league in rebounding in his first tour with the Lakers and won a title as a defensive specialist in his second stint.) As many of you know, I have a formula called “GOAT Points” designed to measure career strength. Howard ranks 35th all time, which is astoundingly high for a player who was left off the all-time 75 list. (Every other player who would have been in the GOAT Points top 50 in 2021 made it except Tracy McGrady. Do we need to investigate for potential voting bias against Magic-to-Rockets careers?)

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When it comes to the worthiness of the Kawhi Leonard contract investigation, and the league-wide reaction to the details that have emerged to this point, rival executives who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity made one thing abundantly clear: No, this is not the norm. The executives were granted anonymity so as to allow them to speak more freely.

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Others wondered aloud if this explained why Leonard, who has historically pushed for every penny in his personal negotiations, would later agree to two extensions that were below maximum-salary level and afforded the Clippers additional roster flexibility. There was far more shock and dismay than there was apathy or empathy. “This (sort of endorsement deal) does not happen,” one long-tenured general manager said of the nature of this arrangement. “I’ve never seen it,” said another executive.

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Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban was among the few who took the opposite stance, defending Ballmer on social media and pointing the finger at the Aspiration co-founder, Joe Sanberg, who agreed to plead guilty last month to defrauding investors of $248 million. “Scammers do scammy things,” wrote Cuban, who even joined Torre on a follow-up podcast Wednesday night to discuss the matter.

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While he didn’t fly up the court like a Dominique Wilkins, Melo became the 10th leading regular-season scorer in NBA history in more of a Mark Aguirre-style of physicality. “His IQ to score — and I’m not talking about his IQ for the game, obviously it’s very high — but his IQ to score the basketball,” Felton answered about Anthony’s best scoring attribute. “Just understanding who’s guarding him. Understanding how they’re guarding him. Making adjustments within the game of ‘this guy is guarding me differently tonight’ or ‘this guy is guarding me this way.’ His IQ to score the ball is probably one of the highest I’ve ever seen.”

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Streameast — the world’s largest illegal sports streaming platform — has been shut down after a year long investigation, according to a leading United States-based anti-piracy organisation. The network of 80 unauthorised domains generated 1.6billion combined visits over the past year, providing free access to global sports fixtures, including Europe’s top football leagues and competitions, such as the Premier League and Champions League, as well as the NFL, NBA and MLB.

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George Raveling, the former Villanova standout who coached in college basketball for more than two decades before retiring and moving to Nike, has died, according to an announcement from his family on Raveling’s website. His family wrote that he “faced cancer with courage and grace,” and “transitioned peacefully, surrounded by family.” He was 88.

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His most impressive Nike recruit came before he began working for the sportswear behemoth, though. While an Olympic assistant, Raveling played a pivotal role in Nike signing a young Michael Jordan from the University of North Carolina, helping build a global brand that continues to thrive today. In the 2023 movie “Air,” which tells the story of Nike ultimately persuading Jordan to pick the swoosh, Raveling was played by Marlon Wayans.

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