Lonzo Ball happy to be 'just playing, competing for a ring' in Cleveland
More than anything, Ball is happy to be playing again after missing more than 1,000 days and having three knee surgeries. Add in the chance to play for a contender and it's something more, Ball said on the 'What an Experience' podcast (hat tip Clutch Points).
'Just playing, competing for a ring. I feel like that should be the goal, I feel like that is the goal,' said Lonzo Ball. 'So, happy to get over there and get started. To meet everybody, get familiar with everything, and take it as far as we can.
'I feel like it's just a blessing, bro. To be honest, I mean, everybody keeps asking me how I feel about the trade. I'm like, s*** I'm happy to still be playing anywhere, let alone a team that has a real chance to win a ring. My whole life, I feel like I've been playing the right brand of basketball, and that's to win games, so I feel like I'm going to a great situation and I just want to play my role and do what I can to help.'
Ball's presence helps the Cavaliers make up for the loss of Ty Jerome in free agency (even though they are very different players). It also can mean more rest for point guard Darius Garland, whose turf toe injury seriously hampered the Cavs' postseason run.
The Cavaliers enter next season as the favorites in the East, coming off a 64-win season where injuries — and an outstanding, very hot Pacers team — ended their playoff run earlier than expected. However, with Boston's Jayson Tatum and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton both out for most, if not all, of next season, the Cavaliers are going to be at or near the top of every team's preseason predictions for the East winner.
Lonzo Ball is going to be right in the middle of that.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How much does Myles Turner improve Bucks?
A deal involving seven teams highlights the weekend. Meanwhile, Houston is parting ways with one of its young assets. Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images Stacy Revere / Getty Images When the news broke Tuesday morning that the Milwaukee Bucks were plucking Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers, it was stunning. The more curious part of this whole ordeal, though, was wondering how the Bucks, in their extreme financial constraints, could swing this deal. And then the other sneaker dropped on Bobby Bonilla Day. The Bucks are planning to waive Damian Lillard and stretch the remaining $113 million left on his deal over the next five seasons. It's an extreme decision and a creative risk financially, but this is also an extreme situation for the Bucks. The change allows the Bucks to play a more versatile defensive system. They were forced to play drop coverage exclusively with Brook Lopez, and Turner can do a lot more on that end of the floor. But Turner isn't much of a playmaker, is an inconsistent scorer and is a poor rebounder. He can stretch the floor, so that will help, but he's not some dynamite All-NBA guy. It's still a much more significant move than anybody thought the Bucks could pull off this summer. Does it place them with the Cleveland Cavaliers or New York Knicks? No. What about the Orlando Magic or Detroit Pistons? No. Can they hang with what's left of the Boston Celtics? What about Atlanta as the Hawks make more moves? What about a theoretically healthy Philadelphia 76ers squad? These Bucks are still asking Giannis Antetokounmpo to be Superman every night and pull them to victory. Turner helps, but he also costs roughly $50 million. Yes, his annual salary works out to an average of about $27 million, but you also have to factor in the $22.5 million of dead cap space for Lillard's stretched deal. That's about 15 percent of the cap toward dead money each year for the next five seasons. Read the rest of my grades from the second day of free agency. GO FURTHER NBA free agency 2025: Bucks shock everyone, plus grades, head-scratchers from Day 2 Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Right now, Indiana only has Tony Bradley signed to play center next season, having picked up his $2.94 million club option for next season late last week. The Pacers could try to pry a center loose from elsewhere with a trade. Forward Bennedict Mathurin, a restricted free agent next summer, could at least get such discussions rolling. Ironically, though, there's another potential option, one that the Pacers tried just a few years ago. In the summer of 2022, the Pacers gave a four-year, $133 million offer sheet to Deandre Ayton, who was a restricted free agent with the Phoenix Suns at the time. It was the biggest offer sheet in NBA history. Ayton had worn out his welcome in Phoenix, a year after being a vital part of the Suns' finals run, where they lost to … Milwaukee … a year before. However, Ayton's play dropped badly during the '22 playoffs, to the point where then-coach Monty Williams benched him after just 17 minutes of Phoenix's Game 7 conference semifinal blowout loss to the Mavericks. Despite the tension between the two, the Suns matched the offer sheet. Now, after losing Myles Turner, the Pacers can use their full non-taxpayer midlevel exception of $14.1 million to sign a center, and Ayton, now 26, is available as an unrestricted free agent after the Portland Trail Blazers bought his contract out over the weekend. A source close to Ayton said Tuesday that the Pacers would be 'considered' as a potential landing spot. Read more here. GO FURTHER Myles Turner left Pacers for the Bucks after a chaotic, awful series of dominoes fell Heading into the summer as an unrestricted free agent, Myles Turner indicated his intention was always to return to Indiana, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the finals that re-signing him was the team's top priority. However, Indiana was already facing the likelihood next season of playing without Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achilles about seven minutes into Game 7 of the finals, and decided it didn't want to 'overpay' for Turner now, a team source said. The Pacers had signaled a willingness to pay the luxury tax as the offseason neared, but changed that stance in the wake of Haliburton's injury. Turner's struggles late in the postseason figured into the equation. He had a difficult time against both the New York Knicks in the conference finals and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals, averaging around 12 points and 3.5 rebounds in those two series, shooting 47 percent from the field (25 percent from 3-point range). 'It's not really all that stunning when you think about it,' said the Pacers source, who added that the team doesn't plan to tank next year with Haliburton sidelined. 'It's a bigger deal because it's Milwaukee — if Myles had gone to Denver or the Clippers, it would be (perceived) totally different as far as (the Pacers) are concerned.' Read the rest of my story with Sam Amick and Eric Nehm here. GO FURTHER Bucks once again go big to win back Giannis — this time with a historic, daring gamble A league source said the Pacers' offer to Myles Turner topped out at around $23 million per year, short of what he got from Milwaukee. Turner essentially wanted what he got from the Milwaukee Bucks, something closer to $27 million a year. Once Tyrese Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Indiana became vulnerable. Until that moment, ownership was willing to pay luxury tax for the first time in 20 years. 'It changed everything,' one league source said Tuesday. With the compounding luxury tax, had Indiana given Turner what he wanted, it would have paid around $11 million in taxes on top of his salary. In addition, by being a taxpayer, the Pacers would have lost the refund money that teams staying out of the tax receive annually from taxpaying teams, which is usually between $5 and $10 million per year. Pacers ownership was less willing to pay tax for a team that was less likely to contend next season without Haliburton. It was still willing to pay it — to a point. The most generous prediction, though, even within the building, is that Indy could be a middle-of-the-pack team next year. Realistically, just as with Boston and other teams that lost their star player, the more likely result is that Indiana takes a step back. Read more here. GO FURTHER Myles Turner left Pacers for the Bucks after a chaotic, awful series of dominoes fell Quinn Harris / Getty Images Big names: Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Al Horford, Ben Simmons Restricted free agents: Cam Thomas, Josh Giddey, Christian Koloko, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, Isaiah Jackson Veteran lead guards: Malcolm Brogdon, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cameron Payne, Monte Morris, Delon Wright, Elfrid Payton, Jordan McLaughlin Important veterans: Gary Payton II, Trey Lyles, Amir Coffey, De'Anthony Melton, Dante Exum, Markelle Fultz, Malik Beasley Young guys to take a chance on: Bol Bol, Bones Hyland, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bryce McGowens, Wendell Moore Jr., EJ Liddell, JT Thor, Brandon Boston Jr., Jared Butler, Caleb Houstan Mentors: Kyle Lowry, Patty Mills, Tristan Thompson, Taj Gibson, James Johnson, DeAndre Jordan Big men: Chris Boucher, Thomas Bryant, Marvin Bagley, III, Moe Wagner, Jaxson Hayes, Bismack Biyombo, Alex Len, Kai Jones, Charles Bassey Forwards: Markieff Morris, Vlatko Cancar, Dominick Barlow, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Wings and shooters: Doug McDermott, Alec Burks, Torrey Craig, Jae Crowder, Seth Curry, Landry Shamet, Lonnie Walker IV, Damion Lee, Garrison Mathews, Javonte Green, Talen Horton-Tucker, Dalano Banton Plumlees and Zellers: Marshall, Miles, Cody, Tyler, Luke Steph Chambers / Getty Images For Damian Lillard, this is a welcome ending to his time in Milwaukee. As The Athletic reported in early May, Lillard and the Bucks were likely going to discuss whether he wanted to remain with the team after last season if he had remained healthy. The Bucks informed Lillard of their potential plan to waive him on Sunday, according to league sources. League sources say Lillard is elated with the Bucks' decision, as it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star-level players, if any, have experienced in league history. In short, he'll be able to join the contending team of his choosing, either sometime soon or perhaps next summer, without the financial aspect of the decision playing a significant part. Not surprisingly, league sources say Lillard received calls from several contending teams quickly after the news of his Bucks' ending broke. The Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are known to be among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal sooner rather than later, league sources said. The question is whether he wants to sign with a team now and rehabilitate while under their care or wait until next summer to reassess the situation. With Lillard owed $54.1 million for this coming season and $58.4 million in the 2026-27 campaign, there is a salary offset for any team that acquires him during those two years. And while the Bucks would surely prefer that Lillard sign for a significant salary as a way to alleviate some of their financial burden, the reality is that he could sign for a minimum-salary deal and still be paid the same amount. That's a powerful place to be when you're a future Hall of Famer in your mid-30s who has never won a championship. Read our full story on the ramifications of yesterday's Myles Turner blockbuster here. GO FURTHER Bucks once again go big to win back Giannis — this time with a historic, daring gamble Luke Kennard agrees to sign with Hawks (One year, $11 million) Bringing in the shooting and playmaking of Kennard on a one-year deal was a great play by the Hawks. They're loudly having a great summer with the Nickeil Alexander-Walker move, the draft-night fleece of the Pelicans and the Kristaps Porziņģis trade. Grade: A Julius Randle agrees to re-sign with Timberwolves (Three years, $100 million) There were questions about what Randle might do with his $30.9 million player option for next season. He declined it, and this deal keeps him at pretty much the same pay rate for the next two seasons, with Year 3 of the deal being an estimated $36 million player option. That's about right for Randle, who played arguably the best basketball of his career the last two months of the season, along with the playoff run the Wolves had to the Western Conference finals. At least for now, the Wolves are opting for continuity being their strength in the ever-changing West. Despite having a quick series with the eventual champion Thunder, the Wolves do like their odds of competing for the conference again with the same squad. Grade: B+ Luke Kornet agrees to sign with Spurs (Four years, $41 million) Kornet went from being a bit of a mascot with the Celtics to being a rotation big to now getting a nice payday with the Spurs. I guess he's their new Zach Collins. He can play next to Victor Wembanyama, or he can back him up. I'm just not sure he's a definite rotation guy for that money. There were other big men on the market I'd prefer for San Antonio over Kornet. Grade: C Clarkson has to clear waivers, but then he's going to sign with the Knicks to give them some bench help. He could end up being a great addition to their rotation. The problem is that we have no idea which coach he'll be playing for… yet. He's been all over the place with his outside shooting recently, but he can still score. Grade: B+ The interesting yet tenuous existence of Michael Porter Jr. on the Denver Nuggets appears to be over. After winning a ring with Porter in 2023, Denver is sending him to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for fellow forward Cam Johnson, team sources confirmed to The Athletic . But the price to create some salary relief and get a more consistent player was an unprotected first-round pick in 2032. ESPN was first to report the deal. This is a major shakeup to the core of the Nuggets — and a cost-effective one at that. Let's bust out the red ink and slap some grades on this trade below. GO FURTHER Trade grades: Can Michael Porter Jr. help Nets' rebuilding efforts? For the last seven seasons, opponents knew what to expect when the Milwaukee Bucks took the floor. On offense, every time those opponents tried to get into the paint, they were going to have to deal with a 7-footer waiting for them at the rim. On defense, they were going to have to try to figure out how to build a wall to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo, while also knowing that the same 7-footer who was blocking their shots on the other end would be somewhere out behind the 3-point line, ready to fire off a deep 3. Now, that will no longer be the case. The Bucks were involved in much of the action on the first night of free agency, but none of the moves made Monday will change them more fundamentally than 37-year-old center Brook Lopez agreeing to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Read more below. GO FURTHER Bucks say goodbye to Brook Lopez, ending an era, but how will Milwaukee change? Nobody is really talking about this, but Indiana definitely should send a late second-round pick to Milwaukee in return for converting Myles Turner's deal into a sign-and-trade. It would generate a $24.5 million trade exception for the Pacers as they try to rebalance their roster post-Turner. Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images The Memphis Grizzlies have announced that All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. sustained a turf toe injury to his right foot that will require a procedure to repair. Jackson had recently agreed to a $240 million contract extension that includes a 2029 player option. A timeline on his recovery will be provided after the surgery, the team said. Jackson was second-team All-Defense in 2025 and was one of five players last season to make at least 100 3s and record at least 100 blocks. Jackson is the second player to require an offseason procedure for Memphis, as starting center Zach Edey sprained his left ankle and underwent surgery that will likely postpone the start of his season. Loren Elliott / Getty Images Mike Brown might be closing in on the New York Knicks head coaching job. As our James Edwards wrote this morning, the former Sacramento Kings head coach entered this week as the clear front-runner and was scheduled to have a second interview on Tuesday. Now, league sources say Brown is on track to have a meeting with Knicks owner James Dolan that could be the final step in the process. It has been nearly a month since the Knicks made the stunning decision to fire Tom Thibodeau, who led them to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter century. And after all the twists and turns during this unorthodox coaching search, with New York turning its attention to the likes of Brown and former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins after getting denied permission to speak to at least five current head coaches from other teams, an end appears to be near. So long as Dolan gives the go-ahead. Would you sign Damian Lillard right now to a low-cost two-year deal, monitor his rehab during a "gap year" so he can use professional facilities and recover better from his Achilles tear and then hope to profit from having him healthy in the second year of the deal? It would seemingly make sense for a team like Boston, which isn't trying to win in 2025-26 anyway, or perhaps the Lakers, who are also more fixed on the future despite having star talent on hand. GO FURTHER Bucks waiving Damian Lillard to make room to sign Myles Turner: Sources David Banks / Imagn Images For those wondering why Tyrese Proctor, a player universally considered likely to go in the top 40 on draft night, ended up falling into the Cavaliers' lap at No. 49, here's why: The team used a second-round exception to sign him to a four-year contract with the first two years fully guaranteed, per league sources. The deal also has a partial guarantee in Year 3. The Cavaliers were clear with agents pre-draft that they would be using No. 49 for a rostered player on their team, league sources said before the draft. That made Cleveland a very desirable destination for players and their representation, as a number of teams in the 40s are likely to only give two-way contracts to their draft selections. By letting agents know ahead of time that they would be rostering the player at No. 49, the Cavaliers orchestrated a drop for Proctor in what ended up being a value selection (he was the No. 36 player on my board). Proctor is a smooth shooter, solid decision-maker as a secondary ballhandler and a willing defender. He'll give the team further depth in the backcourt after losing Ty Jerome to Memphis. Good work by both the Cavaliers and Proctor's reps to both bolster the team's backcourt and get him real money to start his career. GO FURTHER 2025 NBA Draft guide: Top 100 prospects, rankings, tiers and analysis It appears that Duncan Robinson's deal in Detroit might start at $15,807,692 for 2025-26 and stay flat over the three years; that figure is the maximum that Detroit can take back in a trade of Simone Fontecchio's contract, and even at that number, the Pistons would still be roughly $25 million below the tax line. The Pistons can still take advantage of some of that leftover money by turning Dennis Schröder's deal in Sacramento into a sign-and-trade and then taking in another contract to offset Schröder's; they would just need to throw a bone Sacramento's way (such as a second-round pick or similar asset) to get the Kings to agree. And why would Detroit want Robinson's value in return on that trade to be so high? Probably for two reasons: A) to offset the $20 million option he turned down in Miami, even though it was only half-guaranteed, and B) to give the Pistons some salary-matching ballast to take into the season. C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images Duncan Robinson will immediately become the Pistons' best 3-point shooter when he joins the team. He's a career 39.7 percent on 7.2 attempts from behind the arc per game and has made at least 185 triples in five of his seven seasons in the NBA. The 31-year-old is a proven threat from long range and will likely join his former Michigan teammate, Caris LeVert, in becoming Detroit's primary second-unit scorers. With the departure of Tim Hardaway Jr., who is heading to the Denver Nuggets, Robinson becomes even more valuable for a Pistons team still in need of more shooting and spacing on the floor around Cade Cunningham. Robinson also has 70 playoff games under his belt and should provide a valuable perspective in the locker room. One of Robinson's best on-court assets is his ability to shoot on the move. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra ran a healthy diet of off-ball action to get Robinson opening 3-point looks coming off screens. Because Robinson is accustomed to defenders staying attached to him off the ball, he's developed as a cutter as well. Although the sample size was small, Robinson shot 15 of 19 on cutting layups last season, when he averaged 11 points on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent shooting from 3, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. Page 2
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
"He should be holding his head up higher than Michael Jordan" - Dennis Rodman sides with Scottie Pippen over his negative portrayal in 'The Last Dance'
"He should be holding his head up higher than Michael Jordan" - Dennis Rodman sides with Scottie Pippen over his negative portrayal in 'The Last Dance' originally appeared on Basketball Network. The most vocal criticism of "The Last Dance" came from Scottie Pippen. The documentary, which reigned as one of Netflix's most watched sports series globally in 2020, gave the world an intimate look into the dominance of the 1990s Chicago Bulls, especially the aura of Michael Jordan. But for all its adrenaline and storytelling polish, it also reopened old wounds, none deeper than those of Pippen, who was depicted as a second fiddle that occasionally folded under pressure. Former Bulls star Dennis Rodman, never one to mince words, made it plain where he stands and it's not on the side of The Last Dance. "Scottie was so underrated — and so underpaid," Rodman said. "He should be holding his head up higher than Michael Jordan in this documentary. I think a lot of people are now realising what he went through. The kid was a hero, in a lot of ways, during those great Bulls runs." For those who watched the dynasty unfold in real time, Pippen's sacrifices, both physical and emotional, were the glue that held it all together. He wasn't just the wingman. He was often the shield and the one who stepped in while Jordan took his midseason sabbaticals or walked away from the game altogether. Pippen's disappointment with the documentary has always been layered. He wasn't pleased with how he was portrayed and there's a good reason. The 10-part series dedicated considerable time to dissecting some of his most criticized moments, like when he refused to check in during Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals after Phil Jackson designed the final shot for Toni Kukoc, or delaying ankle surgery during the 1997 offseason as a form of contract protest and missing key games in the final Bulls run. But what The Last Dance showed in slow motion, it rarely contextualized with empathy. Pippen had been playing with a ruptured back during the 1998 NBA Finals. He'd spent much of his prime locked in a seven-year, $18 million contract, one of the league's worst deals considering his All-NBA and All-Defensive Team credentials. In 1997 alone, 122 players made more money than Pippen, including several benchwarmers and fringe starters. And yet, he finished third in MVP voting that year. Rodman knows the cost of that kind of thanklessness. While Jordan was the brand and the beast, and Rodman the rebel with the rebounding records, Pippen was the strategic brain of the operation. A two-way phenom who guarded Magic Johnson, shut down wings, initiated offense and played through pain without the spoils. The tension that brewed for years finally bubbled over in Pippen's 2021 memoir "Unguarded", where he accused Jordan of prioritizing his image over team legacy. The friction wasn't new. Back in 1994, when Pippen led the Bulls without Jordan and took them to 55 wins, many began to see just how much of the team's success had rested on Pippen's versatility. But the credit rarely followed. The documentary's focus on Jordan's ultra-competitive fire and dominance made for compelling drama, but it often flattened the complexity of teammates like Pippen into side characters. Jordan, who had editorial control over the series, came out as the hardened hero. Rodman, for all his antics, was shown as dependable when it mattered. But Pippen's story was framed by hesitation, discontent and betrayal. Rodman pushing back on that narrative is strong. The two men, cut from wildly different cloths, shared the court during the Bulls' second three-peat and often relied on each other defensively. Rodman's 11.3 rebounds per game in the 1997-98 season were vital, but so was Pippen's stat-stuffing presence, averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game that same year — all while dealing with a volatile contract dispute and mounting story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Cavaliers re-sign Merrill while Nance is back for 2nd stint. Trade for Ball becomes official
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a pair of familiar players back next season. The Cavs announced on Sunday they have re-signed Sam Merrill to a four-year contract and brought back Larry Nance Jr. for a second stint on a one-year deal. Cleveland's acquisition of Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for Isaac Okoro was also made official on the first day of the signing period.
