Keaton Wagler may not be sitting near the top of the Rookie of the Year conversation right now, but that feels like a mistake.
The buzz around the award always starts early, and it usually centers on the biggest names. Cooper Flagg, Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham have all taken home the honor in the past, while AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are among the players drawing attention for the coming season. Against that backdrop, the LA Clippers’ fifth overall pick is being treated like an afterthought, even though he went in the lottery and has already given people reasons to think bigger.
That gap between the expectation and the actual outlook is hard to justify when you look at what Wagler has already shown and where he’s landed. His summer league performance only strengthened the case, and the situation around him looks tailor-made for him to thrive.
Wagler’s own game is a big part of why this should be taken seriously. He brings scoring touch at all three levels, can create for teammates and holds up defensively, whether that means battling on the boards or taking on the player in front of him.
The environment matters too. He’ll have Tyronn Lue on the sideline, Darius Garland as a star point guard to learn from, multiple big men who fit his style and an organization that is expected to put his development first.
Put those pieces together, and the idea that Wagler could end up with the Rookie of the Year trophy is hardly far-fetched. He still has to keep stacking consistent games, learn from the mistakes that come with a first season and stay true to what got him here. But if that happens, the low expectations attached to him now could look awfully foolish by the time the 2026-27 regular season ends.
In Other News...
Lakers Frontcourt Pressure Could Push Them Toward A Veteran Fix
The Lakers frontcourt setup still looks like one of the more delicate parts of their roster plan, even after adding Walker Kessler and signing Kevon Looney. There is clear interest in having more answers at center, and the team is already being linked to the market for another big man as insurance against the kind of injury or availability issues that can quickly strain a rotation.
Brook Lopez has come up as one possible veteran fit, which makes sense on paper given his size and experience, but for now it is only part of a speculative conversation. What matters from the Lakers perspective is the broader signal: they do not seem ready to stop looking, and if the right frontcourt option becomes available, this is a spot that could still be upgraded before the pressure really starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Face A Risky Lakers Decision With Veteran Big Man
Brook Lopez keeps surfacing in the kind of trade chatter that follows any team with frontcourt depth and a veteran name attached to it, and this latest idea is no different. The thinking is straightforward enough: a player like Lopez still brings size, rim protection and floor spacing, traits that can make life easier for a star-heavy roster trying to maximize every possession.
For the Clippers, though, the conversation gets tricky because moving a reliable veteran big man is never just about fit on the other side. Any deal built around Jaden Hardy and a future second-round pick would ask Los Angeles to weigh immediate roster value against the uncertainty of what comes next, especially when the discussion is only speculative and not tied to any confirmed talks. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Stuck In Kawhi Leonard Limbo As NBA Investigation Drags On
Kawhi Leonards situation has become a familiar kind of NBA purgatory, with the league still digging into his endorsement arrangements and the ripple effects reaching beyond the star forward himself. For the Clippers, it has turned a routine front-office transaction into something far messier, with the proposed move to Toronto sitting in limbo while the investigation continues to slow everything down.
Toronto, for its part, has been reluctant to put the final stamp on the deal while the possibility of penalties hangs over the process. Former NBA player Stephen Jackson has even wondered aloud whether Leonard may already have gotten ready for a return north of the border, but none of that has been confirmed, and for now the bigger story is simply how long this standoff can last. [Read more 🡒]