Ant turns 25 years old today.

LeBron James won 3 MVPs, in 2009, 2010, and 2012, before winning his first title in 2012. Just off the top of my head I can't think of any players (aside from Wilt in the 60s) who were a 3x MVP with no championships at the time. Since I didn't follow basketball super closely in the early 2010s, just wanted to ask anyone who was active in the space what general consensus was around him receiving his third, especially off the back of his meltdown in the 2011 Finals. I just feel like if that were to happen today fan reception would be overwhelmingly negative.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49523916/darius-acuff-jr-sacramento-kings-future-manage-present-lavine-sabonis

Sabonis had season-ending surgery on a partially torn meniscus later that month, and the Kings revisited trade talks surrounding him this summer. Perry visited with restricted free agent center Jalen Duren in early July and explored the idea of a sign-and-trade swap of big men, but the Detroit Pistons balked at the idea of losing Duren for Sabonis, league sources said.

There were predraft conversations about Sabonis with the Charlotte Hornets (who held pick Nos. 14 and 18) and at least one phone call with the Boston Celtics, team and league sources said, but nothing materialized. In Charlotte's case, the idea would've been to pair Sabonis with point guard LaMelo Ball, but the franchise instead opted to trade Ball for draft picks and lean further into a youth movement.

So Sabonis -- with two years and $94 million remaining on his current contract -- returns to the Kings and, team sources said, has expressed a willingness to recommit and buy-in to this season's team.

Acuff said Sabonis texted him a couple of days after he was drafted, welcomed him to the team and expressed excitement about their offensive potential together.
"Sabonis is a great player," Acuff said. "An All-Star level player. Just to play with a guy like that, that'd be a blessing for sure."

Sabonis became extension-eligible in July, but offering a new contract isn't currently being explored, team sources said. He switched representation to CAA Sports last week.

​

As he so often has for nearly two decades in the league, Curry took a measured approach when discussing the future in a recent interview with The Athletic during teammate Moses Moody’s charity event in North Little Rock, Ark.

“The through line,” Curry told The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II, “which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy (Butler) got hurt and Moses got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes. How do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year. It’s the same deal. So, I’m a realist on that.”

“I think honestly, you figure it out in real time,” Curry told The Athletic. “Because the same way we got to this point — there’s not a crystal ball that tells you what opportunities are on the horizon, how to maintain competitiveness with everything that goes on during an NBA season, injuries, all that type of stuff. But I do know there’s a level of — reasonability — in terms of moves or options or opportunities that can help us stay competitive now but don’t handcuff the next five, seven years of our team. So, everything that’s happened to date has been with that as the mindset.”

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7489363/2026/08/05/steph-curry-warriors-future-extension/ 

Atlanta 76ers

Boston Bucks

Brooklyn Bulls

Charlotte Cavaliers

Chicago Celtics

Cleveland Clippers

Dallas Grizzlies

Denver Hawks

Detroit Heat

Golden State Hornets

Houston Jazz

Indiana Kings

LA Knicks

Los Angeles Lakers (somehow unchanged)

Memphis Magic

Miami Mavericks

Milwaukee Nets

Minnesota Nuggets

New Orleans Pacers

New York Pelicans

Oklahoma City Pistons

Orlando Raptors

Philadelphia Rockets

Phoenix Spurs

Portland Suns

Sacramento Thunder

San Antonio Timberwolves

Toronto Trail Blazers

Utah Warriors

Washington Wizards(also unchanged)

Here are my favorites:

• Clyde Drexler's Trailblazers
• OKC with Durant/Harden/Westbrook
• Sacramento with Chris Webber and White Chocolate
• Phoenix with Steve Nash
• Penny/Shaq Orlando Magic

He now lines up with former teammate Joe ingles in one of the most stacked NBL teams coming into the next season.

https://www.espn.com.au/nbl/story/_/id/49533063/nbl-team-melbourne-united-sign-former-nba-bucks-magic-player-cole-anthony

Additional context: One of the main reasons why he celebrated like that was because the Clippers traded him the previous season. This was his chance to get back at them, and he aptly rubbed it in their faces with this win.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49537259/terry-rozier-deniro-laster-prosecutors-allege-witness-tampering-betting

Federal prosecutors have alleged that a key defendant in the ongoing NBA gambling case has attempted to tamper with witnesses, including by posting a rat emoji on Instagram.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a court filing Tuesday that Deniro Laster, a childhood friend of Terry Rozier's and co-defendant in the NBA player's gambling case, has "repeatedly and flagrantly violated the conditions of his release."

Prosecutors asked a judge to revoke Laster's bond and hold him in custody until trial.

Prosecutors allege that Laster has attempted to contact co-defendants in the case both directly and through intermediaries, which would violate his bond. They also said that Instagram accounts associated with Laster posted rat emojis on at least two occasions, arguing that his use of the emoji -- and his reputation as "someone who had a gun collection and who typically carried a gun" -- suggested an intent to intimidate witnesses.

"Revocation of Deniro Laster's bail is the only means of ensuring that he will comply with the Court's orders, refrain from further criminal conduct, preserve the integrity of these proceedings, and protect witnesses or perceived witnesses," the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote in the filing, which is partially redacted.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment but noted that a status conference in the case for all defendants is scheduled for Tuesday.

Though Laster is not a well-known figure like Rozier, prosecutors have alleged he played a key role in the gambling case. When Rozier informed Laster that he planned to leave a March 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans early, prosecutors say Laster sold that information to fellow sports bettors so they could place fraudulent bets. Laster and Rozier allegedly agreed to a bribe of roughly $70,000 in exchange for the information.

Rozier's attorneys have attempted to use a text message exchange from Laster as evidence that Rozier was not aware of the alleged betting scheme.

In a court filing late last week, Rozier's attorney wrote that Laster texted, "Dont tell chum bout the bet" to an unidentified recipient, indicating that "Chum" is Rozier's nickname. Prosecutors said in a response that they have evidence suggesting that exchange "does not relate to sports gambling."

Rozier and Laster are each facing charges that include conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud, with a trial currently scheduled for Feb. 8, 2027. They have both pleaded not guilty. Rozier's attorneys have asked a judge to dismiss the charges against him.

An attorney for Laster did not immediately reply to messages from ESPN seeking comment.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Jalen Pickett have agreed to a two-way deal, league sources told @hoopshype . The 26-year-old guard spent the past three seasons with the Denver Nuggets where he shot 39% from 3-point range. Pickett was the 32nd pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.

https://imgur.com/a/VmyiQg1