Good morning. We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
The rumors about LeBron leaving the Cavaliers next summer have been rampant. You sense they are affecting even other Cavaliers, as this interview with Kyrie Irving indicates. Kyrie states that the Cavaliers "are in a peculiar place." That's no way to talk about Cleveland!
Cleveland hasn’t improved much and still has no general manager. With LeBron James’ pending free agency, the future looks a bit murky.
The Cavaliers aren’t in the best place heading into the 2017-18 season, and Kyrie Irving knows it.
On a night where Lonzo Ball was on the bench, Kyle Kuzma secured Summer League Finals MVP.
LAS VEGAS — I only needed one question prepared for Kyle Kuzma before boarding my flight from JFK to McCarran International Airport: “Do you feel you have something to prove?”
After all, Kuzma wasn’t the first-round pick heralded as the greatest floor general of this basketball era. Lonzo Ball was. In fact, Kuzma was the late first-round pick the Lakers landed as part of the Brook Lopez trade. He was only a footnote on a Summer League team headlined by Ball and Brandon Ingram.
Mutombo wants to organize an ownership group to purchase the Rockets
Dikembe Mutombo holds the Rockets near and dear to his heart, and he wants to make sure the organization remains that way. In an interview with FOX 26 Sports, Mutombo talked about potentially putting together an ownership group to purchase the Rockets from Leslie Alexander, who announced his intention to sell earlier in the week.
The NBA also named its Vegas Summer League 1st and 2nd teams, and the names shouldn’t surprise you.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball was named Las Vegas Summer League Most Valuable Player Monday night ahead of his team’s championship game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Ball will not dress for Monday night’s game after exiting his matchup against Dennis Smith Jr. and the Dallas Mavericks with right calf tightness.
The new two-way contracts are great for teams but worse for most players. Let agents explain why.
LAS VEGAS — This coming season, the NBA will employ 60 more players than ever before. Don’t take my word for it: You’ll likely hear this fun fact oversaturate NBA television broadcasts almost as frequently as you’re reminded that the NBA replay center is based in Secaucus, N.J.
James’ concerns about the Cavaliers’ direction are growing while his free agency looms next summer.
Once again, the Cavaliers are at the center of the NBA’s offseason — and it isn’t a good thing. LeBron James has growing concerns about how the Cavaliers’ offseason and direction, according to a report from USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.
George could have teamed up with LeBron James.
The Cavaliers may have been closer to a Paul George trade than we thought.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke on The Jump about the deal that almost was, stating that Indiana “was about to give permission to Paul George to get on the phone with Dan Gilbert.”
The Rockets could be changing hands soon.
Houston Rockets owner Les Alexander will be selling the Houston Rockets, team president Tad Brown announced on Monday. It’s an unexpected announcement from the team and one that has fascinating timing, even if the immediate affects on the on-court basketball should be relatively nonexistent. Brown also says 72-year-old Alexander isn’t selling the team because of health issues.
