With the NBA Summer League concluded and the brunt of free agency completed, the doldrums of the offseason are here. The FIBA World Cup, Drew League, BIG 3 and The Basketball Tournament and other events are currently taking over the scene until the association fires back up in late September. Last week, Basketball Insiders started
1:17 PM ET The San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday promoted longtime general manager R.C. Buford to CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, moving assistant general manager Brian Wright to the GM position. Buford, a two-time NBA Executive of the Year, had served as general manager since 2002 and was given the title of president of
The threat of 3-point shooting has a powerful effect on defensive positioning. So, how is NBA shooting gravity defined and how can we visualize it? Since the dawn of the modern 3-point era, NBA teams have been on a quest to improve their outside shooting and that evolution has brought the phrase “gravity” into the
3:18 PM ET ESPN News Services EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers have been awarded the rights to Kostas Antetokounmpo on a waiver claim. The Lakers announced the move Monday to acquire the 21-year-old brother of 24-year-old Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kostas Antetokounmpo played in two games last season for Dallas. The
Over the next couple of weeks, Basketball Insiders is grading all 30 NBA teams on their offseasons — additions, subtractions, draft picks, trades, etc — and their potential headed into the 2019-20 campaign. Between today and autumn, franchises will be tasked with figuring out how their roster pieces, both new and old, might mesh together
5:28 PM ET Tim Duncan has returned to the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant on coach Gregg Popovich’s staff, the team announced Monday. “It is only fitting, that after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan’s assistant, that he returns the favor,” Popovich said in a statement. Duncan, 43, played his entire
11:47 AM ET Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal has pulled out of playing with Team USA in the World Cup this summer, agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN. Beal is expecting his second son during World Cup preparation and competition, which led to the decision. He is the fifth player to withdraw from the team in
In case you haven’t been following along, Basketball Insiders has been running a new series called “Grading the Offseason.” So far, we’ve visited the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. This go-round, we take a look at the baby Hawks that reside in the ATL. Things are looking up in Hotlanta.
The defensive-minded David Nwaba has something to offer the Brooklyn Nets in the new Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant era. David Nwaba has spent his career outside of the spotlight. He started in the G League, playing for the Los Angeles D-Fenders before landing a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. The
9:09 AM ET Who are the upcoming NBA free agents to watch? Nearly half the league hit free agency in 2019, and through mid-July almost every major player has signed. Plenty of stars changed teams, including Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker. The 2020 class won’t have the same star
9:34 AM ET Thanks to a wild summer featuring a slew of superstars switching teams, the NBA is a very different place than it was just one year ago. Just ask the Las Vegas sportsbooks. Last season, the top of the futures board included an odds-on favorite in the Golden State Warriors, plus outside contenders
While promoting his new film, The Art of Self-Defense, Jesse Eisenberg talked to FanSided about his lifelong Pacers fandom. During an interview with FanSided about his new movie, The Art of Self Defense, Jesse Eisenberg answered a few questions about his lifetime Indiana Pacers fandom. Eisenberg is an avid fan of the NBA, still just
3:12 PM ET Free-agent guard Justin Holiday has agreed to a one-year, $4.8 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, a league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Holiday, a defensive-minded wing, split time between the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies last season, averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds over 82 games. In Indiana, Holiday will team
3:52 PM ET The Sacramento Kings have hired former Duke and WNBA star Lindsey Harding as an assistant coach. “Lindsey is a rising star and I’m so excited to have her join our incredibly experienced team of coaches,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “Her basketball IQ and proven success on the court will be a
Josh Okogie has a great defensive future. But will his offensive skill-set allow him to fully realize it? The signature moment of Josh Okogie’s rookie season came on Feb. 13, 2019. With the Minnesota Timberwolves up three on the Houston Rockets, James Harden cleared out his teammates for an isolation drive on the Wolves’ rookie
12:08 PM ET Free-agent guard Kyle Korver has agreed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports told ESPN. Korver had a tough decision between the Philadelphia 76ers and Bucks, but his relationship and history with coach Mike Budenholzer played a major factor in the decision. The most
On Monday night in Las Vegas, the 2019 NBA Summer League champions will be crowned. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are set to square off at the Thomas & Mack Center as the last teams standing over the course of the 10-day period. Once that winner is determined, the world will be without NBA
9:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Washington Wizards have made Tommy Sheppard their permanent general manger, league sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Sheppard has held the job on an interim basis for the past three and a half months, after his longtime predecessor, Ernie Grunfeld, was fired in early April. Sheppard has been with
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JULY 1: Lonnie Walker IV #1 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 1, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the
7:54 PM ET James Harden says he tries to come up with something innovative every offseason, something more creative than his latest move. Two years ago, Harden perfected the step-back. Last summer, the Houston Rockets guard then perfected the side step-back. In a Q&A session Friday with young fans at a promotional event attended by
In case you haven’t been following along, Basketball Insiders has been running a new series called “Grading the Offseason.” So far, we’ve visited the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. This go-round, we take a look at the baby Hawks that reside in the ATL. Things are looking up in Hotlanta.
12:37 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN After his strong summer-league performance helped earn him a four-year contract with the Boston Celtics, rookie point guard Carsen Edwards has landed a multiyear footwear-and-apparel endorsement deal with Adidas. The Celtics selected the former Big Ten scoring leader, who averaged 24.3 points during his final season at Purdue, with the
2:53 PM ET James Harden has joined the Dynamo’s ownership group. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images Houston Rockets superstar James Harden has purchased a minority stake in the investment group that controls MLS’ Houston Dynamo, the NWSL’s Houston Dash and BBVA Stadium, the Dynamo announced on Thursday. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to join
It’s official, we have hit the dog days of the NBA offseason. What began at such a frenetic pace has inevitably sputtered and slowed, as deals have been made, unmade and some of the biggest names in the NBA have moved house. Everything that could have happened seems to have and now, with Summer League
6:28 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Nike has filed a countersuit against LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard in response to his lawsuit against the company last month, the latest step in a battle over the “Klaw” logo that was developed and used during Leonard’s time as part of Jordan Brand. “In this action, Kawhi Leonard seeks
11:57 AM ET Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry had a procedure to repair a tendon injury in his left thumb, a league source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Lowry hopes to be ready for USA Basketball training camp and the FIBA World Cup later in the summer. During the playoffs, Lowry acknowledged that
On Monday night in Las Vegas, the 2019 NBA Summer League champions will be crowned. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are set to square off at the Thomas & Mack Center as the last teams standing over the course of the 10-day period. Once that winner is determined, the world will be without NBA
5:31 PM ET Oklahoma City’s discussions to move nine-time All-Star guard Chris Paul to a new destination are parked and an increasing expectation exists that he will start the season with the Thunder, league sources tell ESPN. Oklahoma City has been working with Paul and his representatives on finding a trade, but nothing is materializing
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 12: Kevin Knox #20 of the New York Knicks handles the ball against the Boston Celtics during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 12, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using
6:24 PM ET Free agent forward Cheick Diallo has agreed to a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, league sources tell ESPN. Diallo, 22, comes to the Suns with hopes that coach Monty Williams can speed along his development as an active, 6-foot-9 player. The Suns hold a team option on the second year of