2026 NBA Season

[Maslate]

Young talented teams of todays NBA can still beat them, no doubt. I mean the OKC can beat then in a 7 game series. I guess the big 3 era is now over. Superstars are getting old, and young bloods are getting better. Everyone can score from anywhere on the floor. This isn't the 2000's or 2010's where super teams would surely dominate. Those days are over.
It's just only good to see superstars teaming up together, but they don't guarantee a finals trip anymore.

It’s just hype at this point. The whole “big 3” thing only really worked back in the LeBron and Durant era with the Heat and the Warriors. And even then, before Durant joined, the Warriors were already a championship team. Since then it’s been years and we haven’t really seen a true championship squad just because they had a big 3.

As for Leonard, he’s not getting any younger and he’s already injury prone. With all the mess linked to him now, I think he’s more after the money than another championship. He already has 2 rings, so he’s an accomplished player anyway.

[dwyane36]

Speaking of Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard...  I read a report this morning that suggested the Dallas Mavericks would be first in line to sign him if Kawhi's contract with the Clippers gets reversed.  This might make sense because if Kawhi is all about getting the most money possible he will want to be in a state with no income tax.  Him and AD being put on the same team would be a monster defensive unit.  Kyrie and him on offense would be an interesting pairing as well.  This is a wildcard situation.  We're only a couple months away from opening day tipoff, so the NBA is going to have to do something soon.

I don't know about the Mavs' intentions, but I've noticed a lot of discussion in the media lately that Leonard's current contract may be voided. And the remarkable thing is that no teams currently have $50 million of salary cap space that they could offer Leonard as an alternative. If I'm not mistaken, only a few teams have $14-20 million of salary cap space right now, and that's not much for a player like Kawhi.

[Shinpako09]

Imagine having Luka,LBJ and Kawhi on Lakers this would be much interesting to see. But I guess the chances is so slim since maybe Kawhi would rather choose to sign on other team rather than being join on this two stars.

Young talented teams of todays NBA can still beat them, no doubt. I mean the OKC can beat then in a 7 game series. I guess the big 3 era is now over. Superstars are getting old, and young bloods are getting better. Everyone can score from anywhere on the floor. This isn't the 2000's or 2010's where super teams would surely dominate. Those days are over.
It's just only good to see superstars teaming up together, but they don't guarantee a finals trip anymore.

It’s because, just like you said, those superstars are getting old. They also need a great defender now, not just offense, plus a solid facilitator. The bench has to be reliable too, especially on offense. And lastly, staying healthy is key, that’s one of the main problems with those aging stars. To me, a Warriors team with KD could beat the 2025 OKC. There’s also Miami with LBJ, the 2014 Spurs, and the 2016 Cavs. But since they’re getting old, it’s normal to see young rising stars taking over.

[el kaka22]

You guys don't get it. It is not even about stats or injury, it's about the fact that there is a big scandal and potential pending fine coming his way. That means any team who gets him, may end up with a scandal on their lap and may have Kawhi getting punished for it as well, maybe even miss games, maybe between the penalty and the injuries missing whole season and such.

So it is not really about injury or stats, it's about if NBA will give Kawhi any penalty for what he has done and that is the reason why it would be impossible for Clippers to give him to anyone. This isn't football, you can't just give someone for free, the other team would have to give something in return, why give anything of value for a player who is at risk of a penalty?

[dimonstration]

You guys don't get it. It is not even about stats or injury, it's about the fact that there is a big scandal and potential pending fine coming his way. That means any team who gets him, may end up with a scandal on their lap and may have Kawhi getting punished for it as well, maybe even miss games, maybe between the penalty and the injuries missing whole season and such.

So it is not really about injury or stats, it's about if NBA will give Kawhi any penalty for what he has done and that is the reason why it would be impossible for Clippers to give him to anyone. This isn't football, you can't just give someone for free, the other team would have to give something in return, why give anything of value for a player who is at risk of a penalty?

Nothing is confirmed yet but for sure he will not be traded while there’s still ongoing investigation on him and in fact Clippers wants him so badly that they involved on messy situation like this due to the owner other company contract.

There’s recent news already that is positive on Clippers side. There’s way I understand it, The money received is from Leonard invest on Balmer company. CMIIW on the statement interpretation.

https://athlonsports.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-receive-positive-update-on-kawhi-leonards-alleged-contract-scandal

[M47AK16]

Young talented teams of todays NBA can still beat them, no doubt. I mean the OKC can beat then in a 7 game series. I guess the big 3 era is now over. Superstars are getting old, and young bloods are getting better. Everyone can score from anywhere on the floor. This isn't the 2000's or 2010's where super teams would surely dominate. Those days are over.
It's just only good to see superstars teaming up together, but they don't guarantee a finals trip anymore.

It’s because, just like you said, those superstars are getting old. They also need a great defender now, not just offense, plus a solid facilitator. The bench has to be reliable too, especially on offense. And lastly, staying healthy is key, that’s one of the main problems with those aging stars. To me, a Warriors team with KD could beat the 2025 OKC. There’s also Miami with LBJ, the 2014 Spurs, and the 2016 Cavs. But since they’re getting old, it’s normal to see young rising stars taking over.

It is basically more about health than anything else. Lebron is very old now, so staying healthy is a questionable thing for him, on top of that Kawhi is almost always injured and that means he probably wouldn't really help them a lot. So it would be quite good for them to be all healthy and yes at 100% healthy situation I would consider that this would be a great situation and maybe they won't win the title but they surely will be a huge contenders.

The only downside of this would be huge injury risk and we all know from experience that they would have 100% guarantee that one of them will be injured mostly, and they would not play that many games all three together. So, this is why Lakers should not consider something like this.

[livingfree]

I don't know about the Mavs' intentions, but I've noticed a lot of discussion in the media lately that Leonard's current contract may be voided. And the remarkable thing is that no teams currently have $50 million of salary cap space that they could offer Leonard as an alternative. If I'm not mistaken, only a few teams have $14-20 million of salary cap space right now, and that's not much for a player like Kawhi.

They want a superteam and that's it.

But with salary cap, they could have a problem.

I am sure that they don't want to be the Clippers scandal involving Kawhi having that under the table transactions just to keep him.

It's already too much for the league.

[TravelMug]

You guys don't get it. It is not even about stats or injury, it's about the fact that there is a big scandal and potential pending fine coming his way. That means any team who gets him, may end up with a scandal on their lap and may have Kawhi getting punished for it as well, maybe even miss games, maybe between the penalty and the injuries missing whole season and such.

So it is not really about injury or stats, it's about if NBA will give Kawhi any penalty for what he has done and that is the reason why it would be impossible for Clippers to give him to anyone. This isn't football, you can't just give someone for free, the other team would have to give something in return, why give anything of value for a player who is at risk of a penalty?

Yes, we understand the controversy that surrounds Kawhi Leonard. But I don't think that it's fair that who ever gets him next will also be punished as well. That's not how the law works at least in the US or the NBA.

If that is the case then they might as well ban Kawhi to play in the NBA because any team that will get him next will be crucified.

Of course it could be in a form of trade if by the decision is that the contract by Kawhi will be voided and so he will be traded in exchange of players.

[LogitechMouse]

---

Yes, we understand the controversy that surrounds Kawhi Leonard. But I don't think that it's fair that who ever gets him next will also be punished as well. That's not how the law works at least in the US or the NBA.

If that is the case then they might as well ban Kawhi to play in the NBA because any team that will get him next will be crucified.

Of course it could be in a form of trade if by the decision is that the contract by Kawhi will be voided and so he will be traded in exchange of players.

That's unfair to the team that will try and get him, and I mean who doesn't? Despite him being injury-prone, he's still a big factor to any team that he will be going especially those championship caliber teams. He will be a big help towards their title.

As for his contract when it's voided, apparently if a player's contract gets voided, he will become a FREE AGENT therefore, any team will try and get him. I did a quick search and:

The player becomes a free agent once the contract is voided, because he’s no longer under contract with that team. He’s then free to sign with another team, subject to NBA rules.

He's free to sign to another team - or he can stay with the Clippers assuming that the league will not restrict the team from re-signing him again. This drama around Kawhi really is getting the attention of the media, and all of the focus is on him right now. Well, that's good so that we can have a bit of a conversation here.

[OgNasty]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

[dwyane36]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

Considering Wiggins' stats last season, this could be a nice catch for the Lakers. But it's not quite clear who the Lakers can offer the Heat in a trade for Wiggins. My first thoughts are Reaves and Rui, but at the same time, I think the Lakers would be better off keeping those players.

[avp2306]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

Considering Wiggins' stats last season, this could be a nice catch for the Lakers. But it's not quite clear who the Lakers can offer the Heat in a trade for Wiggins. My first thoughts are Reaves and Rui, but at the same time, I think the Lakers would be better off keeping those players.

And this is they projected possible trade scenario will happen https://heavy.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-trade-andrew-wiggins-star/

Getting Jaquez JR and Wiggins is huge win for Lakers and for sure they would never get hurt for trading Hachimura , Knecht and Kleber since they are not using this player so much in their rotation.

But I don't know if Miami would allow this since this two players is good players in their roster. But let see who knows maybe Miami would allow this trade and try to rebuild their roster.

[tech30338]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

Considering Wiggins' stats last season, this could be a nice catch for the Lakers. But it's not quite clear who the Lakers can offer the Heat in a trade for Wiggins. My first thoughts are Reaves and Rui, but at the same time, I think the Lakers would be better off keeping those players.

And this is they projected possible trade scenario will happen https://heavy.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-trade-andrew-wiggins-star/

Getting Jaquez JR and Wiggins is huge win for Lakers and for sure they would never get hurt for trading Hachimura , Knecht and Kleber since they are not using this player so much in their rotation.

But I don't know if Miami would allow this since this two players is good players in their roster. But let see who knows maybe Miami would allow this trade and try to rebuild their roster.

if wiggins had a bad few seasons after personal issue or problem, but if he could focus and the lakers land him, its a big steal for the lakes show, lakers are trying to steal a player and be a contender in the west, but they are not the only one that is preparing rockets are already a contender in papers, OKC the champ will be the same team, Denver, GSW, and more, they should really have to get players that can help them to push through the west finals.

[dimonstration]

if wiggins had a bad few seasons after personal issue or problem, but if he could focus and the lakers land him, its a big steal for the lakes show, lakers are trying to steal a player and be a contender in the west, but they are not the only one that is preparing rockets are already a contender in papers, OKC the champ will be the same team, Denver, GSW, and more, they should really have to get players that can help them to push through the west finals.

Lakers will need to toss some of their good bench players in able to land Wiggins on their roster. But so far I don’t see Wiggins as necessary for Lakers to acquire as they are now full pack team with their recent addition to the roster.

All they need to do is just practice team work and train bench players just like what the Pacers did on the last season.

Lakers is in good hands with Luka considering his performance on the Eurobasket.

[Fredomago]

if wiggins had a bad few seasons after personal issue or problem, but if he could focus and the lakers land him, its a big steal for the lakes show, lakers are trying to steal a player and be a contender in the west, but they are not the only one that is preparing rockets are already a contender in papers, OKC the champ will be the same team, Denver, GSW, and more, they should really have to get players that can help them to push through the west finals.

Lakers will need to toss some of their good bench players in able to land Wiggins on their roster. But so far I don’t see Wiggins as necessary for Lakers to acquire as they are now full pack team with their recent addition to the roster.

All they need to do is just practice team work and train bench players just like what the Pacers did on the last season.

Lakers is in good hands with Luka considering his performance on the Eurobasket.

Agree to that, they've got scorers who can help LeBron and Luka they just need to blend well and work with their defense, and like what you just mentioned, they need that deeper practices and new system that will works to each individual that will play every role that the coach will assign to them, Wiggins is a good player especially if he will focus but better to keep those you already got and established the connection instead of bringing new player and start from the scratch again.

[danherbias07]

I kind of agree with this.

https://www.si.com/nba/kings/sacramento-kings-news/kings-starting-five-receives-underwhelming-grade-before-2025-26-nba-season
Kings' Starting Five Receives Underwhelming Grade Before 2025-26 NBA Season

In Sacramento, there are way too many on-ball players in the starting lineup and too few high-level role players. Keegan Murray is the only player in the starting lineup who can be successful offensively with low usage. The more movement off the ball, the better, and Sacramento falls victim to iso-ball way too often with it’s current group.

The Sacramento Kings potential lineup next season:

PG: Dennis Schröder
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Keegan Murray
C: Domantas Sabonis

Bench:
• Malik Monk
• Keon Ellis
• Nique Clifford
• Drew Eubanks
• Devin Carter
• Dario Saric

https://x.com/RTNBA/status/1960349624452981063

I don't like it. It's like it's going to be a selfish play. Dennis will pass, that's for sure. But Zach and DeMar are mostly ISO guys, and that's why it didn't work in Chicago.
I think the best way is to separate the two. The other guy will just sleep while the one with the ball is doing his work. It's a waste of offensive strategy. They could put someone else there who can probably prioritize defense.

[Cointxz]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

Considering Wiggins' stats last season, this could be a nice catch for the Lakers. But it's not quite clear who the Lakers can offer the Heat in a trade for Wiggins. My first thoughts are Reaves and Rui, but at the same time, I think the Lakers would be better off keeping those players.

AR and Rui is too valuable for Lakers than to trade them for Wiggins. Although Wiggins performs good but his style and full potential will not be utilized due to Luka and Lebron are already the main guy on Lakers for scoring.

Wiggins will be struggling to get ball time against these 2 players while Lakers will weaken their 2nd team potential.

Maybe they can offer Rui and bunch of future picks instead of trading AR.

[livingfree]

Getting Jaquez JR and Wiggins is huge win for Lakers and for sure they would never get hurt for trading Hachimura , Knecht and Kleber since they are not using this player so much in their rotation.

If Jacquez JR is going with the Lakers, I doubt that he'll get a lot of playing time if he's with those guys. But if these names are part of the trade then, he'll get some of it.

Hachimura is a good one and same goes with Dalton.

But they have now became a trade asset instead of being an actual winning game asset to the team.

[ultrloa]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

Considering Wiggins' stats last season, this could be a nice catch for the Lakers. But it's not quite clear who the Lakers can offer the Heat in a trade for Wiggins. My first thoughts are Reaves and Rui, but at the same time, I think the Lakers would be better off keeping those players.

AR and Rui is too valuable for Lakers than to trade them for Wiggins. Although Wiggins performs good but his style and full potential will not be utilized due to Luka and Lebron are already the main guy on Lakers for scoring.

Wiggins will be struggling to get ball time against these 2 players while Lakers will weaken their 2nd team potential.

Maybe they can offer Rui and bunch of future picks instead of trading AR.

I doubt they would trade AR and RUI for Wiggins since as you have said they are to valuable on Lakers. These guys are somehow consistent and what's good about them is they adopt to the roles given to them and they are not causing any trouble on their team.

While Wiggins we know how inconsistent he is in important games. He also fight mental issues before which I think he overcome but there's still a chance that it goes back if there's issues will happen to him.

So for Lakers I'd better keep those guys and don't agree with this trade.

[tech30338]

Looking like the Lakers might get Andrew Wiggins in a steal of a trade… Talks are advancing…

Considering Wiggins' stats last season, this could be a nice catch for the Lakers. But it's not quite clear who the Lakers can offer the Heat in a trade for Wiggins. My first thoughts are Reaves and Rui, but at the same time, I think the Lakers would be better off keeping those players.

AR and Rui is too valuable for Lakers than to trade them for Wiggins. Although Wiggins performs good but his style and full potential will not be utilized due to Luka and Lebron are already the main guy on Lakers for scoring.

Wiggins will be struggling to get ball time against these 2 players while Lakers will weaken their 2nd team potential.

Maybe they can offer Rui and bunch of future picks instead of trading AR.

I doubt they would trade AR and RUI for Wiggins since as you have said they are to valuable on Lakers. These guys are somehow consistent and what's good about them is they adopt to the roles given to them and they are not causing any trouble on their team.

While Wiggins we know how inconsistent he is in important games. He also fight mental issues before which I think he overcome but there's still a chance that it goes back if there's issues will happen to him.

So for Lakers I'd better keep those guys and don't agree with this trade.

for sure they will not going to trade those two, they already have proven themselves to be trade for Wiggins, the first option is okay but not Rui and AR, if Wiggins will be requested for AR and RUI it will not go through, there are other available players in the market, they just have to look for it.
but the way the mavericks' are stack right now could this be the year for them to win another one after dirk?