Gianni’s can still still defend which is paramount for a team featuring Luka. That’s the biggest difference.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

21. Mitchell Robinson

Team: New York Knicks
2025-26 Salary: $13 million
Rights: Full

The Knicks are among the top teams in the East, advancing last playoffs to the Conference Finals. All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead of Robinson in the rotation, but doesn’t have the same defensive skill set. Against some opponents, New York needs what Robinson provides as a strong, physical shot blocker.

The challenge for the team next season, given Robinson’s free agency, is deciding whether or not to exceed the second apron. While Robinson has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, several teams could use what he brings and may test New York’s appetite for luxury taxes and apron penalties.

16. Quentin Grimes

Team: Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26 Salary: $8.7 million
Rights: Full

When the 76ers were decimated by injury last season, Grimes averaged 21.9 points over 28 games in a significant role. The Sixers have had more health this year, and Grimes’s production has flagged to 12.7 points per game, and his three-point shooting has dipped from 37.3 percent to 34.1 percent.

Philadelphia chose to keep Grimes on his qualifying offer, instead of negotiating a more lucrative multi-year deal. As a still young (26 in May) talented combo guard, he seems likely to depart if he can find a team willing to give him the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15.1 million starting) or more in free agency.

11. Tari Eason
Team: Houston Rockets
2025-26 Salary: $5.7 million
Rights: Full (restricted)

The Rockets and Eason are in an interesting position. Kevin Durant is a 37-year-old All-Star. Fred VanVleet, almost 32, is out for the year with a knee injury. Eason represents part of the team’s young core, but he’s expecting a significant pay raise.

If Houston pays Eason in the $20-30 million starting range, the franchise could face apron restrictions.

If the Rockets pass, letting him leave as a restricted free agent (or sign-and-trade him), the team loses youth, depth, and a tough wing who is shooting 46 percent from three-point range on nearly five attempts.

One of the teams with cap room could test Houston’s resolve with a large offer sheet.

10. Luguentz Dort
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
2025-26 Salary: $18.2 million ($18.2 million team option)
Rights: Full

If the Thunder win another title, losing Dort would be a difficult choice. While Oklahoma City has avoided paying luxury taxes for what could be back-to-back championships, the third try will be more costly after giving Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren significant extensions.

The Thunder could opt Dort out with an agreement to re-sign at a lower number on a multi-year deal, but he’s the kind of player a team like the Los Angeles Lakers or Chicago Bulls might want to fill significant defensive gaps in their roster. Oklahoma City has a long list of talented players that can fill Dort’s minutes, but none are as tough and physical defensively. At this early stage, guessing the option decision is a coin flip.

8. Walker Kessler
Team: Utah Jazz
2025-26 Salary: $4.9 million
Rights: Full (restricted)

After five games, Kessler was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. The 24-year-old center, listed at 7’2″, briefly averaged 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 blocks for the Jazz.

Utah was initially projected to have cap room this summer and expected to re-sign Kessler as a restricted free agent after using its spending power (while taking advantage of his $14.6 million free-agent cap hold).

Instead, the franchise traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies. Will the Jazz invest heavily into three frontcourt players or attempt to sign-and-trade Kessler to make a playoff push?

7. Peyton Watson

Team: Denver Nuggets
2025-26 Salary: $4.4 million
Rights: Full (restricted)

Watson helped carry the Nuggets when Nikola Jokić was sidelined for 16 games with a knee injury.

Through 15 games in January, Watson averaged 21.9 points per game and shot 46.2 percent from three-point range, compared to 14.9 points and 41.7 percent from three on the season.

Unfortunately, Watson is missing time with a hamstring strain. The Nuggets have the power to keep the 23-year-old wing, but will another franchise issue a massive offer sheet to test Denver’s mettle?

6. Isaiah Hartenstein
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
2025-26 Salary: $28.5 million ($28.5 million team option)
Rights: Early Bird

The Thunder hope to win back-to-back titles, presumably bringing back the core of the roster for a three-peat opportunity. This season, the team is under the luxury tax threshold. Next year, the Thunder face tax and apron issues that could lead them to opt Hartenstein out of his contract regardless of what happens this postseason.

Still, even if Hartenstein is opted into free agency, the team may pre-negotiate a multi-year deal at a lower starting number. Another team could try to steal him away, but the Thunder may need to offer enough to ensure they don’t—given All-Star big Chet Holmgren has durability issues. Rookie Thomas Sorber, who is out for the year (knee), may gradually fill that spot, but pencil in Hartenstein back with the Thunder in the meantime.

3. Austin Reaves
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26 Salary: $13.9 million ($14.9 million player option)
Rights: Full

Reaves turned down a four-year, $87.4 million extension with the Lakers (starting at $19.5 million)—the most the team can offer. Instead, he’s expected to opt out to explore free agency. Before a calf injury, he was a top-10 NBA scorer, seemingly primed for his first All-Star bid.

The Lakers can pay him up to about $41.5 million in starting salary for up to $240.7 million. The most another team can offer is four years, $178.5 million (the same amount he’d be eligible for via sign-and-trade).

Whatever the result, Reaves projects to be well compensated this summer.

2. Jalen Duren
Team: Detroit Pistons
2025-26 Salary: $6.5 million
Rights: Full (restricted)

Along with MVP candidate Cade Cunningham, Duren has emerged over the last two years as a true game-changer in Detroit. He’s grown on both sides of the floor, especially defensively on a very stingy Pistons squad.

A first-time All-Star, Duren is averaging a career high 17.7 points a game for the best team in the Eastern Conference by record at the All-Star break (40-13). Duren should get a sizable raise to stay, but if the Pistons aren’t willing to max him out, the Lakers have plenty of cap room for an offer sheet.

1. LeBron James
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26 Salary: $52.6 million
Rights: Full

Out of respect for James’ career and his stature as one of the NBA’s legendary stars, the 41-year-old free agent tops the list despite his age.

He may choose retirement. He could return to the Lakers (if they’ll have him—though they may turn the page to build properly around Luka Dončić) or his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for a third and final stop.

Perhaps James will look to join a star-laden team such as the Golden State Warriors with Steph Curry or the New York Knicks with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Few of those options will have the power to pay James close to what he earned with the Lakers this year. To chase what is likely his final NBA season, he may need to embrace a significant pay cut.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Adam Silver floated a wild idea to counter tanking. In a meeting, the league officials discussed abolishing the NBA draft as an extreme measure to prevent the unethical practice. It’s caused some panic among the fanbase, who feel the league is taking away a moment of a lifetime from upcoming basketball prospects. However, thanks to the Lakers, Nuggets, and a few other teams, this change will take time.

Tom Haberstroh broke down why that is. See, several teams like the Lakers and Nuggets have already committed their 2032 draft picks. The Nuggets don’t have a pick at all. The Lakers sent their second-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Luke Kennard. Hence, even if Silver has to resort to the extreme, the commissioner will have to wait until all obligations are fulfilled.

“How many years out would that have to be with all the p the picks that are already outlaid in the NBA? The earliest it could happen if Adam Silver said, “All right, all 30 owners, we came to an agreement. We are going to kill the draft. We’re going to go to rookie signing free agency period.” And guess what? It won’t happen until 2033. That’s the earliest I’d imagine the NBA could pass… It likely wouldn’t happen until 2033 when all of the existing pick outlays are finished,” Haberstroh explained on the Big Number.

Since the request is for teams to be fair, the league will have to take that into consideration for those affected by such changes. Take even the Thunder, for example. Sam Presti has done an amazing job of creating a competitive roster and stacking picks together. Silver can’t just scratch his efforts and say there won’t be a draft going forward. That goes against teams who have done everything by the book and set themselves up for a positive future.

Such a drastic change will also need the league officials to map out the regulations that will replace the current regime. Here’s the problem. If they try to be fair, the timeline could keep increasing.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Why the Dončić–James lineups are the Lakers’ biggest second-half question>

1-The big three… or a big two problem?

The first challenge in assessing the Lakers this season is not what we’ve seen, but rather what we haven’t. The superstar trio of Dončić, James, and Reaves, which should be the main strength of this top-heavy roster, has played only 10 games together. The Lakers won seven of those, which is a respectable mark, but the sample is tiny. The trio has shared the floor for just 152 minutes, or 322 non-garbage-time possessions.

For comparison, the Timberwolves trio of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Julius Randle has logged 1,667 possessions together. Even the primary trios of other Western contenders in Oklahoma City, Denver, and San Antonio, all of whom have dealt with injuries as well, have played 500 possessions or more.

However, even in this small sample, the numbers for lineups with Dončić, Reaves, and James on the floor together are not what you would want to see from your three best players.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

Yes, those numbers are skewed by several blowout losses the Lakers were involved in, and more than half of the sample, 182 possessions, comes from the old starting lineup with Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, a group Redick and his staff have since moved away from. Marcus Smart will likely be the fifth starter after the break, and we’ll see whether that can push the starting lineup into positive net rating territory.

The key challenge, however, is not necessarily how to make lineups with all three superstars work, but rather how to make units built around just two of them, Dončić and James, function. The sample size for those combinations is much larger, and as you can see from the lineup data, the results have been equally concerning. In 1,416 possessions with Dončić and James sharing the floor, the Lakers posted a –4.2 point differential. Even removing the 322 possessions that also included Reaves, the number only improves to –3.2 across 1,094 possessions.

Most lineup subsets featuring Dončić and James have posted a negative net rating, largely because of poor defensive results. That reinforces the growing realization that, at this point in their careers, they are not a good defensive fit. The overlap in their strengths and weaknesses has often been more limiting than additive.

2-Splitting the aces: going all-offense with Dončić, all-defense with James?

The problem of building a functional defense around Dončić, a 41-year-old James, Reaves, and a below-average defensive center is probably not fully solvable. But can it be mitigated?

Looking at the lineup splits in the first section, what immediately stands out is that lineups featuring just one of the three on the floor, with the other two off, have generally been positive. And the Dončić–Reaves duo was dominant when sharing the floor during the early-season run. Then, during Reaves’ prolonged absence, we saw the Lakers try to simply survive their opening minutes, often flipping the script later by dominating opposing bench units with unconventional, frequently bigger lineups led by James.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

Most lineups featuring one of Dončić or James on the floor, with the other off, have been positive. For clarification, those samples include possessions alongside Reaves. That suggests staggering Dončić and James more aggressively might be worth a try.

If we break it down further by pairing each with a big man or the team’s best wing defenders, a few additional insights emerge on how to better optimize the rotations in the second half of the season. Most lineups with Dončić on the floor and James off have been very good offensively, so leaning into all-offense units built around a lob threat in Jaxson Hayes, surrounded by shooting, could be another viable strategy. James-led, non-Dončić units, on the other hand, have mostly won their minutes by leaning into size and defense. Dončić lineups featuring Marcus Smart have been great, but the ones with Jarred Vanderbilt have largely been a struggle, often resulting in Vanderbilt taking open corner threes. In contrast, James units with Vanderbilt have been dominant defensively.

Prioritizing spacing and shooting around Dončić, while going all-in on size and bully-ball with James, and figuring out the best way to integrate Reaves as the glue, is something we could, and probably should, see more of in the second part of the season.

3-Breaking up Dončić, James, Hachimura minutes

Dončić and James struggling together defensively can partly be attributed to the fact that they essentially occupy the same defensive role. Both are best suited to guard bigger forwards in lower-activity help assignments rather than chasing guards and faster wings or applying point-of-attack pressure. The additional challenge for Redick is that his fourth-best offensive player, Rui Hachimura, fits a very similar defensive archetype. The numbers back that up. In 541 possessions with Dončić, James, and Hachimura on the floor together, the Lakers’ defense was virtually non-existent, allowing 120.0 points per 100 possessions. That sample includes 187 possessions from the old starting five of Dončić, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Ayton, which was even worse defensively.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

After spending nearly half the season trying to avoid the obvious, Redick ultimately convinced Hachimura to accept a bench role. As you can see from the chart below, they not only broke up the starting unit but also reduced the amount of time the trio spends on the floor together, with Hachimura thriving as an off-the-bench scorer.

Dončić–James–Hachimura shared minutes (source: pbp stats)

4-Luke Kennard and the value of shooting around Dončić

I mentioned the idea of the Lakers leaning into all-offense Dončić lineups in the second section. The trade deadline acquisition of Luke Kennard complicates Redick’s job when it comes to integrating another below-average defender into the rotation. On the other hand, it gives him another elite shooter and floor spacer.

I’ve been doing lineup analysis for Dončić-led teams over the last couple of years, and one of the consistent, unsurprising trends that keeps showing up is this: surrounding Dončić with a rim-rolling vertical threat and a shooter who can stretch the floor and create space for him to operate is a recipe for elite offense. This year’s Lakers sample is no different. For the purposes of this lineup analysis exercise, I subjectively classified shooters as players opposing teams consistently guard as perimeter threats: Reaves, Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and now Kennard.

Source: pbp stats lineup data

Two things stand out in the results. First, the sample of lineups featuring Dončić with no, or very limited, outside shooting is quite large, and those units struggled offensively. Second, there is also a significant sample of Dončić lineups with one or two shooters on the floor, and those groups produced elite offense, scoring 120 points per 100 possessions or more.

If we dig further into the subset of this data by isolating lineups with Dončić on the floor and James off, the numbers become even more encouraging for groups featuring at least one shooter.

Source: pbp stats lineup data

There is one caveat with this data: Reaves has been one of the shooters in many of these lineups, and Dončić–Reaves combinations have generally been very positive this season. That said, lineups featuring the other shooters from my list have also been very good offensively.

5–A testing ground for the summer rebuild?

Before wrapping up, I want to emphasize one point: the goal of this exercise is not to add fuel to the Dončić vs. James discourse we often see on social media. What James is doing at his age is unprecedented and remarkable to watch, and he has been a driving force behind several Lakers wins this season.

There is also more nuance behind the lineup data. Some of the current splits are heavily influenced by a few of the Lakers’ collapses, as well as early-season struggles when James was still working his way back after a long layoff. Three-point shooting variance, particularly the Lakers’ poor accuracy from deep in Dončić–James lineups, is another significant factor influencing those results.

However, the struggles of Dončić–James lineups are hard to ignore and have, in my opinion, been one of the defining storylines of the season so far. The sample is large enough, along with several other warning signs, such as a high opponent corner-three frequency, weak rim protection, and poor transition defense, to suggest that making these lineups work will require significant adjustments in the second half of the season. More aggressive staggering of their minutes is something worth exploring.

That approach would also give the Lakers’ coaching staff and front office more opportunity to test different combinations around Dončić and Reaves. Reaves’ return to the starting lineup and expanded role should provide a boost, but it also adds another delicate piece to balance. All signals from the Lakers so far suggest they are willing to sacrifice some short-term results for long-term clarity. Viewed through that lens, maximizing Dončić–Reaves minutes across different lineup configurations should be a priority. The data from those experiments could offer valuable insight into how to build the team around them in the fast-approaching post-LeBron era.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Other than acquiring Luke Kennard, the Los Angeles Lakers largely stood pat the trade deadline despite having clear needs on the roster.

The Lakers, as currently constructed, are a poor defensive team that struggles against younger, more athletic teams. Although Luka Doncic is having a career year and LeBron James and Austin Reaves are turning in All-Star-caliber seasons, Los Angeles is still a step behind the other contending teams around the NBA.

The lack of activity at the trade deadline supports the reporting that the Lakers will look to make their splash in the summer when they’re armed with more tradable draft capital and cap space.

In terms of free agency, there are several 3-and-D wings that could be had and a few of them were named as potential targets, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

An unrestricted free agent who has been discussed internally, sources told ESPN, is Andrew Wiggins, but he has a player option with Miami he could exercise. Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are other players who fit that profile.

The Lakers have also privately discussed restricted free agents Tari Eason and Peyton Watson, sources told ESPN, and could land the latter if Denver, which already has $215 million in salary committed to returning players for next season, doesn’t match the offer sheet.

Some of these are names we’ve seen before. Andrew Wiggins was arguably the most popular name linked to the Lakers this past offseason, and he remains an intriguing option. A perimeter defender who can knock down an open 3-pointer and comes with championship experience would be a valuable addition to Los Angeles.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that Wiggins will even be a free agent this summer, however as he has a $30.2 million player option in 2026-27 that he could very well pick up.

The Lakers may also want to target the younger players available in order to match up better with Doncic’s timeline. With that in mind, Tari Eason and Peyton Watson would be excellent targets because of their skillsets and upside. Watson, in particular, seems attainable given his expected price tag and Southern Californian roots.

Attracting a star player to come to L.A. has always been the playbook for the front office, but with Doncic already locked down they need to surround him with complementary pieces. The modern NBA is built around speed, length and athleticism so the purple and gold should be as aggressive as possible for players with those attributes come the summer.

Lakers believe they would be on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortlist of trade destinations.
With more first round picks to trade, Los Angeles can make a run at nearly any player in the league. The big prize of the summer is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who appears ready to be moved and the Lakers believe they would be on his shortlist of trade destinations should he actually ask out.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Other than acquiring Luke Kennard, the Los Angeles Lakers largely stood pat the trade deadline despite having clear needs on the roster.

The Lakers, as currently constructed, are a poor defensive team that struggles against younger, more athletic teams. Although Luka Doncic is having a career year and LeBron James and Austin Reaves are turning in All-Star-caliber seasons, Los Angeles is still a step behind the other contending teams around the NBA.

The lack of activity at the trade deadline supports the reporting that the Lakers will look to make their splash in the summer when they’re armed with more tradable draft capital and cap space.

In terms of free agency, there are several 3-and-D wings that could be had and a few of them were named as potential targets, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

An unrestricted free agent who has been discussed internally, sources told ESPN, is Andrew Wiggins, but he has a player option with Miami he could exercise. Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are other players who fit that profile.

The Lakers have also privately discussed restricted free agents Tari Eason and Peyton Watson, sources told ESPN, and could land the latter if Denver, which already has $215 million in salary committed to returning players for next season, doesn’t match the offer sheet.

Some of these are names we’ve seen before. Andrew Wiggins was arguably the most popular name linked to the Lakers this past offseason, and he remains an intriguing option. A perimeter defender who can knock down an open 3-pointer and comes with championship experience would be a valuable addition to Los Angeles.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that Wiggins will even be a free agent this summer, however as he has a $30.2 million player option in 2026-27 that he could very well pick up.

The Lakers may also want to target the younger players available in order to match up better with Doncic’s timeline. With that in mind, Tari Eason and Peyton Watson would be excellent targets because of their skillsets and upside. Watson, in particular, seems attainable given his expected price tag and Southern Californian roots.

Attracting a star player to come to L.A. has always been the playbook for the front office, but with Doncic already locked down they need to surround him with complementary pieces. The modern NBA is built around speed, length and athleticism so the purple and gold should be as aggressive as possible for players with those attributes come the summer.

Lakers believe they would be on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortlist of trade destinations
With more first round picks to trade, Los Angeles can make a run at nearly any player in the league. The big prize of the summer is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who appears ready to be moved and the Lakers believe they would be on his shortlist of trade destinations should he actually ask out.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The NBA keeps selling the future, but the present is a mess

Adam Silver tipped off the latest All-Star Weekend, as he does every All-Star Weekend, with a little techno-wizardry at the NBA’s tech summit, an invite-only gathering of league execs, agents, sponsors, movers, shakers, and varied VIPs. With the assistance of (naturally) an influencer named Jesser, the commissioner rolled out “POV Mode”—an AI-powered feature that would allow fans to view games, in real time, through the point of view of any player on the court.

For a few dazzling moments, everyone in the YouTube Theater auditorium became Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg as he flicked a midrange jumper over Charlotte’s Moussa Diabaté. The massive digital screen showed Flagg’s arms and hands in front of us, as if they were our own. Neat.

Except all the “players” on the screen looked like robots, with gray, faceless orbs for heads, and the arena background was dark, devoid of fans. It looked more like a 20th-century video game than a 21st-century NBA game. But POV Mode was, well … sorta cool? I guess?

Silver seemed to think so. Or at least he did a commendable job of reciting his lines and putting on a gee-whiz smile as he watched his pal Jesser explain it all.

“So this is all what we’re gonna be able to do in real time,” Silver said, feigning childlike wonder as the cartoon robots with real-world player names ambled around a virtual Mavericks home court.

It wasn’t clear when, how, or even if this slick new feature would be available in our living rooms. But then, Silver’s annual tech summit presentations are generally more dreamy than practical.

Last year, it was robots rebounding for Steph Curry. The year before that, it was a face-swap gizmo that put Ahmad Rashad’s head on Victor Wembanyama’s body. The year before that, Rashad was magically transported into a Lakers-Jazz game, where he promptly posterized Damian Jones. Back in 2019, Silver showed off a “smart jersey” that would give fans the power, via an app, to change the name and number on an NBA jersey (presumably so they wouldn’t have to buy a new one every time their favorite player got traded).

Over the past decade, the NBA has loudly touted the metaverse, crypto, NFTs, virtual reality, augmented reality, and just about every other kind of reality. The gizmos and gimmicks rarely make it to the real world, but, well, it’s the aspiration that counts. Yet it always leaves us wondering: Is any of this actually useful? Would it improve the game? The league? Our collective experience? Our enjoyment?

Alas, if only the tech bros could make an app to solve the NBA’s tanking problem. Or player tampering. Or salary cap circumvention. Or soft-tissue injuries that sideline stars for weeks. Or load management. Or the slam dunk contest. Or League Pass glitches. Or the fractured broadcast landscape. (“Hey Siri, what freaking channel is the game on tonight?”) Or the WNBA’s labor standoff. Or, uh, how to prevent NBA players and coaches from getting entangled in the gambling industry.

Because the fact is, the league has never faced a more daunting array of challenges, scandals, and scattered land mines than it does today. And Silver, a veteran of countless crises in his 12 years as commissioner—from Donald Sterling’s racism to the COVID shutdown—is facing more pressure and scrutiny than ever.

All-Star Weekend is supposed to be a celebration, but Silver’s annual press conference on Saturday in Los Angeles practically became an interrogation. The first question was about tanking, a problem Silver conceded is worse than ever, despite various attempts to curb it. Then came a question about the WNBA’s labor woes, which could threaten the 2026 season and destroy all the momentum of the last few years. There was a question about Giannis Antetokounmpo investing in a “prediction market” outfit that, among other things, lets consumers … bet on where Giannis Antetokounmpo will play next. And, of course, there was a question about the Los Angeles Clippers, who played host to the All-Star Game, even as an army of lawyers continues to investigate the club for what, if true, might be the most brazen and egregious cap-circumvention case in NBA history.

There were also the usual questions about expansion (still under consideration) and a planned European league (still in progress), along with a perfunctory question about Phoenix hosting next year’s All-Star Game. But the underlying tenor of the session was: Hey, Adam, how do you plan to fix all of these problems plaguing your league?

Yes, the NBA has endured gambling scandals before (see Donaghy, Tim) and cap scandals before (see Smith, Joe) and labor problems before (see NBA lockouts in 1998 and 2011) and tanking and tampering concerns across the decades. The NBA has seen worse and survived worse. If David Stern were alive today, he’d chuckle condescendingly and remind us once more that in the 1970s and ’80s, the league was considered “too Black,” recreational drug use was ubiquitous, and the Finals were broadcast on tape delay.

So yes, the league has always had its challenges. But never has an NBA commissioner been faced with so many crises, on so many fronts, all at once. Nor so many that cut to the core of the league’s credibility.

The Clippers’ case may sound trivial—what pro sports team doesn’t try to skirt the rules?—but what they’re accused of, secretly funneling tens of millions of dollars to a player and his family members, would thoroughly undermine the salary cap structure and destroy any sense of trust or competitive fairness among the 30 franchises.

The gambling case brought by the federal government last fall needs little elaboration. An active NBA head coach (Chauncey Billups), an active NBA player (Terry Rozier), and a former player and assistant coach (Damon Jones) were arrested following yearslong federal investigations into illegal gambling. According to the indictments, Rozier and Jones allegedly provided insider information to professional gamblers, while Jones and Billups allegedly helped organize rigged poker games, which, while unrelated to the NBA, further compromises their standings.

And then there’s tanking, a scourge the NBA has repeatedly tried (and generally failed) to extinguish over the past four decades. Just last week, Silver hit the Utah Jazz with a $500,000 fine for benching healthy starters in a winnable game and fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for holding healthy players out of the lineup. Both teams are heading to the draft lottery and have every incentive to lose games the rest of the way.

That the Jazz engaged in such brazen tanking tactics before the NBA had even reached the All-Star break had to be especially galling to Silver, who just seven years ago touted new lottery reform measures that he hoped would discourage (if not eliminate) such blatant manipulation of the system.

“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition, and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” Silver said in his statement last week. At his press conference, Silver declared the league would consider “every possible remedy … to stop this behavior.”

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted (accurately) in a recent social media post, billionaire owners are hardly moved by fines, even fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. So when Silver says he’s considering everything, that could mean more extreme punishments, such as stripping draft picks from offending teams, or more extreme solutions, such as a thorough overhaul of the draft and lottery. The league can’t afford to do nothing, and league sources insist they are committed to making substantive changes in the coming months.

In his press conference, Silver vowed he would “take a fresh look” at the issue—a phrase he’s invoked often and a defining feature of his leadership. Under Silver’s watch, the NBA has reformed the lottery, added a play-in round to the postseason, launched the NBA Cup, streamlined the schedule, expanded instant replay, and experimented frequently. He’s tweaked the All-Star Game itself multiple times and, based on the rousing praise we heard for Sunday’s new format, might have finally revived it.

At the most basic commercial level, the NBA is undeniably thriving. League revenue could exceed an eye-popping $14 billion this season, just four years after first crossing the $10 billion threshold. The league is a global juggernaut and has the security of a $76 billion media rights deal that runs through 2035-36. But all that wealth can’t insulate the league from scandal, or the slow erosion of its credibility in the public eye.

Silver distinguished himself early in his tenure by decisively banning Sterling after tapes surfaced of the then–Clippers owner making racist remarks. He forged a true partnership with the players association, in contrast to the adversarial relationship that defined the Stern era. He earned praise for his steady stewardship during the 2020 pandemic. Within two years, he could be marking the NBA’s official expansion into Europe, and its first domestic expansion in two decades.

But Silver’s legacy, like that of any sports commissioner, might ultimately be defined by the crises thrust upon him. The league has to solve tanking once and for all. It needs better safeguards to insulate itself from criminal gambling interests. It badly needs new standard-bearers to take the torch from LeBron James and Stephen Curry when they soon retire. And perhaps more than anything else, it needs to figure out how to keep players healthy and on the court, to justify the skyrocketing ticket prices and lavish media rights deals.

It’s a weighty list, to be sure. But hey, we just saw a legitimately competitive and entertaining All-Star Game for the first time in forever, with its highest viewership in 15 years. If the league can solve that debacle, maybe there’s hope for everything else.

Peyton Watson should be the priority https://t.co/AxZhQ2p9ye— KoBron Lakers Fan 🐍🐐 (@LakersLFG) February 17, 2026