Latest On LeBron James’ Upcoming Free Agency
TIME Magazine’s newly minted “Athlete of the Century” and cover star LeBron James is headed for unrestricted free agency in a matter of weeks, and while it remains difficult to project his next move, there’s a widespread belief around the NBA that sticking with the Lakers would be his first choice, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Fischer and Stein lay out, James and his family have become “entrenched” in Los Angeles over the course of his last eight years as a Laker, and L.A. – which holds LeBron’s Bird rights – is in a better position than any other team to pay him a favorable salary, even if that number comes in below the $52.6MM he earned this past season.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst agreed that re-signing with the Lakers appears to be the most likely outcome for James. However, both he and The Stein Line duo pointed to the Warriors as the primary threat to watch if things don’t work out in L.A.
Golden State remains “legitimately interested” in adding LeBron to its roster, according to Fischer and Stein, who suggest that the Warriors’ pitch to James may involve a plan for him to commute back and forth to some degree between Los Angeles and the Bay Area so he doesn’t have to move – or be away from – his family.
As Windhorst observes, James is close with Draymond Green and enjoyed collaborating with Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr as part of Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. Still, barring a sign-and-trade agreement or a major roster overhaul, the Warriors would be limited to offering LeBron the mid-level exception, which is projected to start around $15MM.
While a reunion between James and the Cavaliers has been a popular subject of speculation, the geographical considerations of a cross-country move, along with Cleveland’s own financial limitations, make that idea look like a longer shot, per Fischer and Stein. Windhorst agrees with that assessment.
“I know that everybody loves the idea of LeBron in Cleveland, (but) Cleveland needs perimeter defense,” Windhorst said. “It would be a great story. He would definitely help them, (but) Cleveland needs interior toughness and perimeter defense. LeBron can do some of that, but I don’t know.
“Also, that would require LeBron to play for three million bucks. And I don’t want to spend his money — if he wants to play for three million, he can do it. But until I hear from (agent) Rich Paul that LeBron is ready to play for three million, I’m not going to believe it.”
Based on their current payroll situation, the Cavaliers would be limited to offering James a minimum-salary contract, which would technically be worth closer to $4MM, but that doesn’t materially change Windhorst’s point. Cleveland would have to significantly reshape its roster to be in position to make LeBron a competitive offer.
2026 NBA Offseason Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves
After making back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference finals in 2024 and 2025, the Timberwolves faced a cap crunch last summer. The team had three key free agents it hoped to retain, but - not wanting to operate above the second tax apron for a second straight year - ultimately decided it was prudent to re-sign only two.
That meant a new five-year, $125MM investment in big man Naz Reid and a three-year, $100MM contract for forward Julius Randle, while guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker departed for Atlanta on a four-year deal worth a little over $60MM.
Randle was Minnesota's second option on offense behind Anthony Edwards, while Reid was an important part of the frontcourt who had emerged as a perennial Sixth Man of the Year contender, winning the award in 2024. So it made some sense that the Timberwolves' front office prioritized those two players over Alexander-Walker, a backcourt reserve who essentially functioned as a three-and-D role player.
A year later, it's fair to wonder if the Wolves should've given Alexander-Walker a chance to earn more responsibilities on offense. In his first year with the Hawks, the 27-year-old more than doubled his scoring average (from 9.4 to 20.8 points per game) while setting new career highs in field goal percentage (45.9%) and three-point percentage (39.9%). He was named the NBA's Most Improved Player this spring.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course, and it's not as if Alexander-Walker's exit resulted in a huge fall-off for the Timberwolves, who finished with a 49-33 regular season record identical to the one they posted in 2024/25. But with Mike Conley no longer playing a featured role in the backcourt and 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham not stepping up to earn more consistent minutes, Minnesota felt the need to add another guard at the trade deadline, sending Dillingham and four second-round picks to Chicago as part of a package for Ayo Dosunmu.
A year after opting against paying Alexander-Walker, the Timberwolves will be under pressure to pony up for a new deal for Dosunmu when he reaches unrestricted free agency this offseason. And even if they're able to work something out with Dosunmu, running back the same roster probably isn't an appealing option for president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and his front office after the Wolves failed to make it back to the Western Conference finals in 2026 -- an upset victory over the Nuggets in the first round was followed by a second-round loss to the ascendant Spurs.
Few teams have experienced the kind of postseason success that Minnesota has over the past three years. The Timberwolves' 24 playoff wins during that stretch rank fourth overall, behind two teams that have won titles (Boston and Oklahoma City) and one that's a pair of victories away from doing so (New York). Those 24 playoff wins across the past three years also exceed the 21 the Wolves registered during the franchise's 34 years in existence.
But winning just one playoff series this spring after advancing to the third round in each of the previous two years creates the impression that Minnesota took a step back. With Edwards becoming extension-eligible and reportedly feeling as if roster changes are necessary in order to make the Wolves a legitimate title contender, Connelly will have to get creative this summer as he looks to upgrade this squad and keep his superstar guard happy.
The Timberwolves' Offseason Plans
Before we explore what the Timberwolves could do with their roster in the coming weeks and months, let's take a quick look at their financial situation entering the summer.
Kings, Hornets Have Discussed Domantas Sabonis
While a recent report stating that the Kings and Hornets discussed a possible Domantas Sabonis trade during the season was shot down, Sam Amick of The Athletic hears from league sources that the two teams have had recent talks about the big man.
Amick cautions that no deal is imminent and says it seems unlikely that will change prior to this month’s draft. However, his sources tell him that Charlotte does appear to have some level of interest in Sabonis.
As Amick explains, the Kings would ideally like to acquire one of Charlotte’s first-round picks (No. 14 or 18) in a Sabonis trade, but the Hornets want to keep those picks out of any deal and discuss the Sacramento big man later in the offseason, after the draft.
Sabonis, 30, has earned three All-Star nods since 2020. He also made the All-NBA third team in both 2023 and 2024 and led the league in rebounding for three straight seasons from 2023-25, but he was limited to just 19 total appearances in 2025/26 due to knee problems. In those 19 outings (15 starts), he averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 boards, and 4.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game.
Sabonis tore his left meniscus tear back in November and originally opted for a non-surgical treatment plan, rehabbing the injury and returning to action a couple months later, in mid-January. Upon returning though, he appeared in just eight of Sacramento’s 15 games heading into the All-Star break and played a relatively limited role (24.9 MPG).
With the Kings well out of the playoff race and the big man seemingly not all the way back to 100%, he and the team decided to address his meniscus injury surgically and he underwent a season-ending procedure in February.
Sabonis was also involved in trade rumors prior to the 2026 trade deadline — the Raptors were the team that was most frequently linked to the big man at that time, but the Kings were said to have no interest in taking back Jakob Poeltl‘s long-term contract as part of a deal. While it’s unclear if Toronto will resume discussions about Sabonis this offseason, there’s an expectation among rival teams that the big man will be made available by a retooling Sacramento team seeking salary cap relief.
The Hornets got solid production at the five in 2025/26 from youngsters Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner, but neither Diabate nor Kalkbrenner is the kind of scorer or play-maker that Sabonis is. The Lithuanian center holds averages of 19.0 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 6.9 APG since being traded to the Kings in 2022.
Sabonis’ 2025/26 cap hit is $42.3MM and he’ll make $45.5MM next season, so the Hornets would have to send out a significant amount of salary for matching purposes, along with possible draft compensation. Forward Miles Bridges, who will earn $22.8MM in 2026/27 on the final year of his contract, is one trade candidate to watch. Charlotte also has Josh Green ($14.7MM) and Grant Williams ($14.3MM) on expiring deals.
Hornets’ Miles Bridges Back On Trade Block?
The Hornets are expected to make forward Miles Bridges available in trade discussions in conjunction with this month’s draft, report Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
[RELATED: Kings, Hornets Have Discussed Domantas Sabonis]
A 2018 lottery pick who has spent his entire NBA career in Charlotte, Bridges averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 31.0 minutes per game in 2025/26, registering a .460/.333/.822 shooting line over the course of 77 regular season contests (all starts).
The 28-year-old signed for three years and $75MM with the Hornets in 2024 and will be entering the final year of that contract in 2026/27. Because the deal has a descending structure, Bridges’ cap hit for the coming season will be just $22.8MM. That relatively manageable figure and the fact that he’s on an expiring contract could help expand his trade market this offseason, Fischer and Stein note.
Bridges was reported in January to be drawing legitimate trade interest from a handful of potential suitors, including Milwaukee, Phoenix, and Golden State. Detroit was also linked to the veteran forward.
However, Charlotte was said to be seeking at least one first-round pick in return for Bridges and it’s unclear whether any team would have been willing to meet that price. The Hornets reportedly had some talks with the Bucks about a possible deal involving Bobby Portis, but they ultimately stood pat, hanging onto Bridges through February’s trade deadline.
While Bridges has proven to be a durable, versatile option on the wing, he’s not an elite defender or a reliable three-point shooter, having converted at least 35.0% of his outside shots just once in his seven years in the league. Potential trade partners will also need to consider his off-court history — the former Michigan State standout lost a full season in 2022/23 after he was arrested on felony domestic violence charges just ahead of his restricted free agency. He later accepted a plea deal in that case and had three criminal counts related to separate domestic allegations dismissed.
The Hornets, who finished the regular season on a 33-15 run before being eliminated in the play-in tournament, will be seeking upgrades around their core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel this summer as they look to take another step toward contention.
Nori, Splitter, Schmidt Among Bulls’ Coaching Finalists
After interviewing many candidates virtually, the Bulls have started to conduct in-person meetings this week with the top contenders for their head coaching job, league sources tell Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
According to Stein, the finalists for the head coaching position in Chicago include Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter, and Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt.
A veteran of the NBA coaching ranks who initially joined the Raptors as an assistant in 2009, Nori spent four years in Toronto (2009-13) prior to stints with the Kings (2013-15), Nuggets (2015-18), and Pistons (2018-21). He has been working under Chris Finch in Minnesota since 2021 and holds the title of associate head coach for the Timberwolves.
Splitter, a former NBA center who won a championship with San Antonio in 2014, worked as an assistant in Brooklyn (2019-23) and Houston (2023-24) before spending the 2024/25 season as the head coach of Paris Basketball.
Splitter returned stateside in 2025 to be an assistant in Portland but was thrust into the role of Trail Blazers head coach during the first week of the regular season following Chauncey Billups‘ arrest in connection with an illegal gambling investigation. He led the team to a 42-39 record the rest of the way and earned the No. 7 seed in the West with a play-in victory over Phoenix.
Schmidt, an assistant for the Raptors 905 in the G League for four seasons from 2017-21, has gained some head coaching experience since then, first with the London Lions in the British Basketball League and then with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s NBAGL affiliate. He has been a full-time Hawks assistant under Quin Snyder since 2024.
Both Nori and Splitter have been connected to multiple head coaching vacancies this spring. They’re also reportedly considered finalists for the Trail Blazers job, so the Bulls could face some competition if they want to hire either candidate. Nori is also believed to be on the Mavericks’ radar.
Fischer and Stein previously reported that former Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr., an assistant in Chicago since 2024, is also a potential finalist for the Bulls. That’s still the case, according to The Stein Line duo, who say that if Unseld doesn’t get the job, there’s a “strong possibility” he’ll be asked to remain in Chicago as part of the new coach’s staff.
There’s no indication that the Bulls have narrowed down their search to these four specific candidates, so it remains possible that others will be added to the list of finalists in the coming days. The team is in the market for a new head coach after Billy Donovan stepped down from the position in April.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Considered Increasingly Likely?
It appears more and more likely that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade will happen in the coming weeks, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). As Fischer and Stein explain, virtually every team they talk to increasingly believes that the Bucks intend to make a deal involving the two-time Most Valuable Player prior to the start of the draft on June 23.
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam previously expressed hope that a decision on Antetokounmpo would be finalized, one way or the other, before the draft. The sense at that time was that if Milwaukee was going to trade Giannis this offseason, the team would want to acquire at least one additional first-round pick in a a loaded 2026 draft.
According to Fischer and Stein, the Bucks have indeed been operating as if they’ll control at least one more first-rounder besides their own No. 10 selection. Given the perceived strength of the 2026 class, multiple high-end picks could help the Bucks jump-start their post-Giannis rebuild.
Sources around the league believe Milwaukee would prefer to wait until after the NBA Finals are over to make a deal, per The Stein Line’s duo, in case any teams feel compelled to enter the mix closer to the draft.
New York, for example, was viewed last year as a possible landing spot for Antetokounmpo. While the Knicks are no longer considered a prime suitor for the 31-year-old, the Bucks will want to see if that changes should New York blow a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals and lose the series, Fischer and Stein explain.
There’s still a strong belief that Antetokounmpo would prefer to stay in the Eastern Conference, Fischer and Stein note, with the Heat viewed as the apparent leader and the star forward said to be reciprocating their interest. While Miami may be atop Giannis’ wish list, sources close to the process continue to mention the Celtics, who are considered a dark-horse suitor, as another option that would appeal to him, according to The Stein Line.
The Trail Blazers have also made their interest in Antetokounmpo known, but Fischer and Stein say it’s more likely the Bucks would try to include them as the third team in a deal in order to recoup some of the assets they gave up in the Damian Lillard trade. Without assurances that Giannis would sign a contract extension, Portland may not be willing to give up the sort of package for the 10-time All-Star that Milwaukee would be seeking.
Northwest Notes: Presti, Nuggets, Towns, Wolves
While Thunder general manager Sam Presti covered a wide range of topics in his end-of-season exit interview, he spent more time defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander than he did on any other subject, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, who notes that Presti strongly pushed back on the notion – pushed in some corners of social media – that flopping and grifting are crucial to his star player’s success.
“Relative to Shai and the narrative on that, he’s playing against six people,” Presti said. “He’s got five defenders, and the sixth defender is social media.”
Presti also took issue with how coaches used their post-game media availability to try to influence referees and push narratives.
“The post-game press conference has turned into the bully pulpit to create competitive advantage,” he said. “It used to be you’d get up there, you’d talk about your own team. Now everyone gets up there and they talk about the officials and they discredit the other team.”
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets have struggled to maintain their Western Conference dominance since winning the championship in 2023. They haven’t made it back to the conference finals, and injuries have been a recurring issue. At a certain point, the health problems constantly holding the team back become more than just bad luck, Mark Kiszla of the Denver Gazette argues, citing Robert Weissfeld, a medical researcher who focuses on injury recovery and kinesiology. “Following trauma, which includes injury, pain and other kinds of stress, some muscles become chronically weak, perhaps as a way to protect the (affected) area from further stress,” Weissfeld said. “The problem is not in the muscles themselves, which are generally healthy. The deficit is the signals reaching the muscles from the brain. Like turning on a light with its dimmer switch set too low, the muscles receive insufficient current to activate them normally.” Weissfeld believes that correcting muscle function could help oft-injured players like Aaron Gordon get back on solid ground.
- As Karl-Anthony Towns has helped lead the Knicks to a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals, it’s fair to wonder if the Timberwolves made a mistake trading the talented big man, Chris Hine writes for the Star Tribune. The goal of the deal was to maximize the team’s flexibility around cornerstone Anthony Edwards on an increasingly expensive roster following the trade for Rudy Gobert. If they hadn’t moved Towns, Naz Reid would likely no longer be on the roster, Hine says. However, Towns has also shown his value against a player like Victor Wembanyama, whose Spurs appear to have overtaken the Wolves in the Western Conference’s pecking order. Hine concludes that the Gobert trade is likely the move most responsible for Towns’ eventual departure, and he remains unconvinced that ownership would have paid the luxury bills required to keep the frontcourt duo together alongside Edwards.
- The Timberwolves recently unveiled their new uniforms and courts for the 2026/27 season. The choices made reflect a decision from new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore to pay fan service and give Minnesotans the nostalgia they had been clamoring for, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “The team is the fans’ team,” Rodriguez said. “This is what the fans wanted.” The uniforms pay tribute to the heyday of Kevin Garnett’s time with the team, an aesthetic that is now considered iconic to the franchise. “We were very thoughtful and diligent throughout the entire process to make sure that we did hit those marks and it was representative of the past, but really drove something new toward the future,” said chief marketing officer Mike Grahl.
NBA Won’t Upgrade Victor Wembanyama’s Uncalled Foul To Flagrant
The physicality between the Spurs and Knicks in Game 3 has been a prominent topic of discussion among fans and coaches alike following Monday’s hard-fought contest, a 115-111 San Antonio win.
A first quarter play involving Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson was a particular point of contention, as Brunson took exception after the Spurs star shoved him by the back of the head (Twitter video link via ESPN).
However, the NBA has reviewed the play and opted not to assess Wembanyama with a flagrant foul, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Senior vice president of referee development and training Monty McCutchen spoke to ESPN on Tuesday and admitted that the play should have been called a foul, notes ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter), but also explained what the process of reviewing such an incident is and why it would take something definitive to overrule the in-game referees.
Wembanyama is two flagrant foul points away from a suspension, due to the flagrant two he picked up when he elbowed Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the head in the second round. If he had been assessed a flagrant one for the play on Brunson, Wembanyama would’ve moved to within a single flagrant point of a one-game suspension. As it stands, he will face no further discipline.
Southeast Notes: Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Salaun, Hawks
The Heat have been pegged as the “team to watch” this summer when it comes to a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but such a move would have sweeping effects on the rest of the roster, write Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
One player who could be impacted by the move is unrestricted free agent Norman Powell. If the Heat don’t trade for Giannis, it’s unlikely they’ll offer Powell more than a one-year deal, since they’ll be looking to maintain as much cap space as possible for the summer of 2027, which could have a strong free agent class.
However, if Miami is able to pull off a deal for the Bucks’ star forward, Powell could be offered a multiyear deal this summer to keep him around as a floor spacer and scorer playing off the two-time MVP’s rim-focused attack.
A similar logic could apply to Pelle Larsson. If the Heat have Antetokounmpo and are no longer looking to hoard cap space, they could choose to sign the 25-year-old to an extension, though it’s also possible that the Bucks would ask for Larsson as part of the trade return.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- One reason the Heat need to be very deliberate in how they approach a potential trade for the Greek star is the fact that they could be spending around 69% of their salary cap on Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo alone by the end of Adebayo’s deal, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Any trade for Antetokounmpo will likely have to come with an understanding of what he wants to do regarding a potential extension, which he becomes eligible to sign as early as October 1.
- The Hornets had a successful 2025/26 season and will now look to build on it and continue their journey to becoming a real playoff threat in the East. One player who is hoping to be a part of that surge is 2024 lottery pick Tidjane Salaun. Salaun is coming off a modest sophomore season, and he knows that he is facing a critical summer for growth, Roderick Boone writes for the Charlotte Observer. “It’s a big offseason, so I will keep working on my body,” Salaun said. “That’s the main thing — be more physical. With my defensive impact but also on offense, I can grow and be more impactful. And I have to just keep doing my thing by shooting when I’m open, keep rebounding and keep guarding the ball or be big on the shift.” Salaun averaged 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game this season. Perhaps most importantly, he increased his three-point percentage from 28.3% as a rookie to 43.4% on 2.2 attempts per game.
- The Knicks’ impressive run to the Finals could lead the Hawks to downplay their first-round loss at the hands of New York, but if they’re serious about building not just a playoff team but a contender, then they need to resist that urge and instead understand what it is that sets the two teams so far apart, writes Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As Sugiura explains, the Knicks showed that the Hawks are not close to where they want to be yet, and recognizing that should help inspire the young core to work even harder this summer as they look to continue to grow as a team and as individual players.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Brunson, Anunoby, Alvarado
Following the Knicks‘ Game 3 loss to the Spurs, Karl-Anthony Towns‘s lack of fourth-quarter offense has become a topic of concern. Towns has yet to score in a fourth quarter this series, despite playing some of the best basketball of his career and being the best player on the floor for large stretches of the series so far.
It’s a trend that head coach Mike Brown is aware of and one that he’s not happy about, according to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
“It’s extremely important that he’s getting touches, that he’s involved, not just in the fourth quarter, but obviously throughout the ballgame,” Brown said. “I got to continue trying to do a better job of getting him involved throughout the course of the game, as well as late.”
The Knicks went to Towns less frequently in Game 3, and the offense seemed to struggle as a result, a trend that three-time champion Danny Green broke down for ESPN (Twitter video link). Green noted that, unlike in previous games, Towns didn’t punish mismatches by taking smaller players into the post, and instead seemed to float at times.
While Victor Wembanyama‘s presence makes it more challenging, Green believes Towns needs to be more proactive and aggressive than he showed on Monday.
We have more Knicks notes:
- Jalen Brunson has been the Knicks’ best player for multiple years, but he has struggled this series against the Spurs’ defense, shooting just 37.0% from the field and accumulating the same number of turnovers and assists (13). While the Knicks have weathered his cold shooting spell and still hold a 2-1 series lead, the most concerning stat is that the team is being outscored by 13 points in the 110 minutes Brunson has been on the floor, Dylan Svoboda writes for the New York Post. New York’s offense has at times seemed to flow better when Brunson is not on the floor, as they rely more on quick ball movement and shot-making and less on isolation play against the Spurs’ length and aggression. Despite his struggles, Brunson has scored at least 30 points in two of the three games, but most of his best moments have come in brief fourth-quarter stretches, such as the end of Game 1.
- Aside from Brunson, OG Anunoby was the only other consistent source of offense in Game 3, scoring 28 points on 13 shots. He has been effective at scoring with Wembanyama in his face, whether on face-up three-pointers or drives to the rim. “I’m aggressive no matter who’s guarding me,” Anunoby told NBA Insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link). “I’m always looking to make the right play, whether it’s the pass, drive to the rim, the shot, just being aggressive at all times no matter who’s guarding me.”
- If there’s any player on the roster that puts the ‘New York’ in the ‘New York Knicks,’ it’s Brooklyn native Jose Alvarado, writes Jeanette Settembre for the Post. “Everything about him screams New York. He’s a lovable kid,” said high school coach Joe Arbitello. “He comes back [to Christ the King High School] a lot. I don’t think he understands he’s a celebrity celebrity.” Settembre also spoke to Alvarado’s youth league coach, Dan Klores, whom the guard turned to when he thought his NBA dream was out of reach. “He comes to me and says, ‘Dan, can you connect me to a trainer? Because I’m not going to make the NBA,'” Klores said, adding that once the Pelicans offered Alvarado a spot, “(He) broke down in tears. He couldn’t stop crying.”