Luka Doncic sounds sold on what the Lakers have put together this summer.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Doncic is “excited” about Los Angeles’ revamped roster after the team traded for Walker Kessler and brought in Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney in free agency. The Lakers also kept Austin Reaves in the fold on a new deal, giving Doncic another familiar backcourt piece.
That makeover came with some notable exits, too. LeBron James is still a free agent, while Rui Hachimura signed with the Clippers, Marcus Smart went to the Rockets, Luke Kennard joined the Suns and Deandre Ayton was dealt to the Wizards.
So the big question in Los Angeles is simple: are the Lakers done, or is another move still on the table?
In Boston, Jayson Tatum finally weighed in on the blockbuster that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia.
“To be honest, weird,” Tatum said, via CelticsBlog. “It’s weird.”
Tatum and Brown spent nine seasons together, reached two NBA Finals and won a championship before Boston moved Brown for Paul George and draft picks. Tatum said the change will take time to process.
“You just kind of feel like you’re going to be on a team with somebody because that’s all you know,” he said. “Then one day you find out they’re no longer on your team.”
Brown’s exit remains one of the defining stories of the offseason, with Boston betting that the flexibility and future draft capital will be worth the loss of one of the league’s top two-way wings.
In Toronto, the Raptors are expected to add Stephen Silas to Darko Rajakovic’s staff, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
Silas was previously the head coach of the Rockets and later spent a season with the Pistons before stepping away from the NBA. Most recently, he has been coaching Team USA in international competition.
The Raptors are also expected to lose assistants Mike Batiste and James Wade as Rajakovic continues to reshape his coaching staff.
In Other News...
Celtics May Already Be Zeroing In On Their Next Post-Brown Piece
After the Jaylen Brown trade chatter sent plenty of teams sniffing around Boston's future, the Celtics appear to be thinking less about another headline-grabbing swing and more about the kind of player who fits cleanly next to Jayson Tatum. San Antonio has been part of that conversation, but the Spurs have already shown they are willing to take a patient approach, and Keldon Johnson has emerged as the sort of useful, in-prime piece that can matter in a roster build even if he is not the loudest name on the board.
The Spurs have made a series of solid decisions lately, which is part of why they may be inclined to hold Johnson unless an offer truly changes the equation. For Boston, the appeal is obvious: if the goal is to keep shaping the roster around Tatum rather than chase another star for the sake of it, a player like Johnson becomes the kind of name worth monitoring closely as the market settles. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum Had To Admit What The Knicks Title Meant
Jayson Tatums reaction to the Knicks title was the kind of honest, conflicted answer that makes sense for a player with Bostons competitive edge. He did not hide the fact that seeing New York celebrate stung from a basketball standpoint, but he also made clear there was a personal side to it, too, with friends on the other side of the trophy chase and a level of respect that goes beyond the standings.
For the Celtics, it is another reminder of how much the league has shifted around Tatum while he has been working through injuries over the past two seasons. Boston is also adjusting to the reality of Jaylen Brown no longer being in green after the blockbuster move to Philadelphia, and Tatums own focus now is on getting back fully healthy for the 2026-27 season, when the Celtics will be hoping he can again anchor everything that comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Make Another Quiet Move In Their High Stakes Money Game
Boston kept trimming around the edges of its books by waiving Dalano Banton, a move that clears a non-guaranteed $2.8 million salary and leaves the roster at 14 players. It is the kind of quiet transaction that barely registers on the floor but matters plenty in the front office, where every small cut can shape how much room the Celtics have to maneuver later.
The bigger significance is tied to the tax math, with Boston now positioned below the 2026-27 luxury tax threshold and in line to potentially reset repeater penalties down the road. There was a path where the Celtics might have had to consider a more meaningful salary move to preserve that flexibility, which is why this latest cleanup step fits into a much larger money game still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]