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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.
Charlie Walton: I am told that Will Barton, an 11-year NBA veteran wing, will be joining the Timberwolves' coaching staff this season in a player development role. Barton was an assistant coach with the Iowa Wolves last season and with this year's Summer League team. Tim Connelly was the General Manager of the Denver Nuggets when they traded for Barton in 2015. Barton spent roughly eight years in Denver, all of which came under Connelly.
Chris Mannix: "It struck me when I've had some phone calls, mostly with league officials, just how much leverage Tom Dundon believes he has. The Blazers need or the city needs the Blazers more than he needs the city. It's struck me and a lot of league officials who are you know, I'm I'm speaking more to the league side that I am to anybody in Portland, just the exasperation on a league level with how this is going. And I think that was reflected in Adam Silver's comments in Vegas uh during Summer League where he just usually the cherry-eyed optimist about some of this stuff, Adam would usually say it's going to get done, we'll work it through some stuff. Like watching his kind of face kind of go blank and seeing him deadpan like you know, there's this is off track, I believe was his phrase was really revealing to me and and told me where the league thinks that that this situation is. And and Dundon clearly believes that he's got a lot of leverage here and he's going to get whatever deal he wants or else he's going to do what he wants or at least try to do what he wants."
Josh Robbins: Wizards wing Jamir Watkins underwent surgery today to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, a team source told @TheAthleticNBA. Watkins, who is on a two-way contract, suffered the injury during the Wizards’ NBA Summer League opener. He could miss the entire 2026-27 season.
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.
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With the Celtics guaranteeing Jordan Walsh’s contract during the week, they have one more committed spot and perhaps another roster decision to make when it comes to second-round pick Dillon Mitchell, a longtime friend of Walsh. Mitchell could agree to a four-year contract, similar to the one Walsh signed as a rookie in 2023, that would be for two guaranteed years to secure his future. A two-way contract is also an option, but former two-way player John Tonje made a serious push to earn another opportunity with a solid Las Vegas Summer League. Amari Williams signed a two-way contract, and there are two slots remaining
Michael Scotto: The New Orleans Pelicans and Kobe Bufkin have agreed to a one-year deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Bufkin was the 15th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. He’s spent the past three seasons with the Hawks and Lakers. He averaged 21.3 points in Summer League with the Pelicans.
Speaking during the Las Vegas Summer League, Kasparas Jakucionis recalled how he learned about the trade while representing Lithuania in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. "I was with the Lithuanian national team and was just waking up in the morning," Jakucionis told Mundo Deportivo. "The trade happened at around 6 a.m. Lithuanian time. I woke up at 8, saw the messages from my agent and everything else, and that's how I found out."
Charles Lee: Starting with Hannes, I think that we’re seeing a guy that defensively, his length, his IQ, I’ve seen him get more blocks on pull-up jumpers and things around the basket than I was expecting. I think that he’s just got way more length and athleticism than people realize, so that’s been really good to see defensively. And then offensively, there’s a versatility there that is going to continue to grow, where some of the passes that he makes to cutters, his touch around the basket, his ability to drive and still be limber enough and athletic enough to be able to Eurostep and finish around guys. The offensive game is really polished, and I know he’s going to keep working. And then Christian, I was expecting to see just a ton of offensive firepower. I’ve been very impressed with his defensive impact. I think he’s got a competitiveness and a fearlessness to him where he’s climbing into the ball, refusing to be screened. His active hands have created some steals and deflections, scrapping in the post and not letting guys post him up. He plays like a big guard, which I love on the defensive end, (has) a scrappiness to him. Even watching him get that baseline out-of-bounds steal in summer league was really cool. So you see the competitiveness there. You see the fearlessness. And then offensively, he’s one of the best shooters in the draft.
Oh No He Didn't: Brian Windhorst on why Darryn Peterson wanted to foul a lot: "In summer league you get 10 fouls...as soon as Darryn Peterson found that out he said I'm gonna try to get 9 because he wants the players to learn he's going to play very physical. I was told he wants to foul because he wants to be physical, he wants to push the limits...he is not messing around, he is very serious about this"
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Lendeborg scored a game-high 21 points with 11 rebounds and led a 12-point, fourth-quarter comeback victory en route to being named MVP of the championship game, and later the entire summer league. The rookie's performance and comments drew the attention of Warriors veteran Draymond Green. “I respect that,” Green said on Monday’s episode of his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show." “I’ve seen many guys over the years tighten up when the moment gets there and not be able to get it across the finish line.”
Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged last week the league office can’t finish the schedule until LeBron James chooses a destination. That’s real power. James Harden remains unsigned while the Cleveland Cavaliers wait on yet another LeBron decision. The futures of other veterans like Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga remain murky because of him. Summer League is over. This is usually around the time the league goes into hibernation, when coaches and executives take their well-deserved vacations and get away from business for most of August. LeBron is now encroaching on that time as well.
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.