Mike Gansey didn’t ease into his new job with the Sixers. He kicked the door open.
Instead of waiting for the perfect opening, the new team president moved fast and made the kind of swing that changes a franchise’s entire look, landing Jaylen Brown almost immediately after taking over. Gansey said he had “never envisioned” his first months in charge unfolding that way, but he leaned on a lesson from his Cavaliers days: make the call and see where it leads.
“ It’s kind of like, ‘Let’s check in with Boston and see if there’s anything there,’” Gansey said. “ Maybe there isn’t.
But you just make that call, and they don’t say no. … It just kept going on, and they would call us, we would call them.
You just keep having conversations. Next thing you know, we’re in LA [for free agency], and it was getting close and [feeling like] this might actually happen … That’s why, this business, you can plan all you want and prepare, but you just don’t know.
Things happen.”
Now the Sixers are built around a trio that can bend a defense in a hurry: Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid. That’s a lot of shot creation in one place, and it also means somebody’s going to have to give.
The usage each of them enjoyed last season won’t all fit together neatly, so sacrifice is part of the deal. Even so, Tony Jones and Jay King note that the ceiling is real if the pieces mesh, with Embiid’s health deep into the playoffs still the biggest variable.
If that part holds, the Sixers have a legitimate shot to matter this year.
Elsewhere in the division, Jalen Brunson finally explained where the wrist injury that followed him through the Knicks’ championship run actually began. The procedure he’s set to undergo was announced recently, and on Wednesday he told ESPN Radio the issue started in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers.
“ There wasn’t a play I remember it happening,” Brunson said. “ I just remember being at the free-throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
My wrist was starting to feel weak. I was like, ‘Where is this coming from?’
From that point on, I was trying to figure out what was going on, and how I can push through, because I wasn’t going to get anything done during that time.” He said learning he’d need surgery took a little shine off the championship summer, though he called it a small price to pay.
Brooklyn got a useful look at what it wants to become in Tuesday’s Summer League win over the Kings. Dutch Gaitley said the biggest difference was the Nets’ defensive edge, pointing to 28 forced turnovers and 30 fast-break points as proof the group set the tone early.
Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin also offered a glimpse of the backcourt the Nets hope to build around. And Brown earned praise from Gaitley for asking to guard rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. directly.
Acuff still finished with 26 points, but the willingness to take on that challenge clearly registered with the coach.
Then there’s LeBron James, whose next move remains one of the league’s biggest waiting games. A decision is expected soon, and while the Knicks aren’t among the teams in the hunt, they could still feel the ripple effect.
Kristian Winfield points to the Cavaliers, Sixers, and Heat as the teams still in the mix, all of them trying to position themselves against New York in the East. Winfield says Cleveland and Philadelphia would both become dangerous with James, but if he lands in Miami, the balance could shift even more sharply and push the Heat past the Knicks in the contender pecking order.
In Other News...
Donovan Mitchell Just Sent The Strongest LeBron Signal Yet
Donovan Mitchell has finally said the quiet part out loud when it comes to LeBron James, and for Cleveland that alone is notable. After months of staying mostly silent on the subject, Mitchell publicly made his pitch for James to come back, a shift that lands differently now that Mitchell has locked in his own future with the Cavaliers on a long-term extension.
The timing matters because Clevelands interest in bringing James home has never really gone away, even if the conversation has usually been handled carefully. James remains an unrestricted free agent weighing his options, and while no decision is expected soon, Mitchells willingness to speak so directly gives the Cavaliers pursuit a more visible face than it had before. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Close Summer League With A Win And Bigger Rotation Questions
The Cavaliers wrapped up their Summer League stay in Las Vegas with an 82-77 win over the Pelicans, finishing 2-2 and missing out on the knockout round. Even so, there was still a useful final look for Cleveland, which chose to keep rookie Meleek Thomas on the sideline to avoid any injury after he had been the clubs summer standout.
Malaki Branham led the way with 22 points, while Jaxson Robinson added 13 and continued to flash the kind of shot-making that can keep him in the conversation. The two-way group was more uneven, with Ernest Udeh Jr. providing work on the glass and at the rim and Riley Minix finally breaking through from deep after a long stretch of misses, leaving the Cavs with a few more rotation questions than answers as the summer winds down. [Read more 🡒]