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On this date in 1992, the Dream Staff introduced residence the gold medal in Barcelona. They beat Croatia 117-85, which was their smallest margin of victory in the whole event, barely nearer than their earlier 33-point victory over Croatia in group play. The primary Olympics with professional gamers from the NBA began a dominant run for Staff USA males’s basketball. Apart from 2004. Please don’t ask us about 2004. Argentina, Lithuania and Puerto Rico, please don’t ask us about 2004.
2026 Outlook
Class is dwindling after Luka extension
Many groups have been planning for the summer season of 2026 to be an enormous offseason. A number of NBA groups have arrange both cap flexibility or roster flexibility or each for 2026 and a free-agent class doubtlessly headlined by Luka Dončić. As an alternative, he signed an extension with the Lakers as a part of a whirlwind week. De’Aaron Fox additionally signed an extension with San Antonio, and it’s trying an increasing number of doubtless that 2026 free company may be slathered in malaise.
Listed here are 4 classes of potential free brokers for subsequent summer season, listed so as of highest wage to lowest for subsequent season.
Guys with participant choices for 2026-27
Trae Younger, Hawks ($49M) | Zach LaVine, Kings ($49M) | James Harden, Clippers ($42.3M) | Andrew Wiggins, Warmth ($30.2M) | Draymond Inexperienced, Warriors ($27.7M) | Fred VanVleet, Rockets ($25M) | Austin Reaves, Lakers ($14.9M) | Deandre Ayton, Lakers ($8.1M) | Bradley Beal, Clippers ($5.6M)
I might be shocked if Younger doesn’t have an extension with Atlanta … by the top of this sentence … not to mention the Hawks permitting this to get to subsequent summer season with him hitting free company. I don’t absolutely count on Inexperienced to go away Steph Curry and the Warriors, nor do I count on Reaves to vacate the Lakers. Harden might be staying with the Clippers, as is VanVleet with the Rockets (until they want that cap flexibility following some extensions). So … who is worked up concerning the potential LaVine and Wiggins sweepstakes?
Guys with workforce choices for 2026-27
Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder ($28.5M) | Bogdan Bogdanović, Clippers ($16M) | Lu Dort, Thunder ($18.2M) | Lonzo Ball, Cavaliers ($10M) | Brook Lopez, Clippers ($9.2M) | Kevon Looney, Pelicans ($8M)
This will get fascinating as a result of the world champion Thunder have to determine some cap stuff as these extensions kick in for Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2026 and past. I might count on OKC is extra more likely to commerce these guys for property, if it removes them in any respect.
Restricted free brokers
Keegan Murray, Kings | Jaden Ivey, Pistons | Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers | Shaedon Sharpe, Blazers | Dyson Daniels, Hawks | Jeremy Sochan, Spurs | Jalen Duren, Pistons | Mark Williams, Suns | Tari Eason, Rockets | Christian Braun, Nuggets | Walker Kessler, Jazz | Nikola Jović, Warmth | Peyton Watson, Nuggets
These guys can signal extensions off their rookie offers earlier than the beginning of the 2026-27 season, so I wouldn’t count on this listing to remain intact, however perhaps guys like Sochan, Williams and a few others may headline that space of the category. Daniels has earned himself a large contract based mostly on how he carried out final season.
Unrestricted free brokers
LeBron James, Lakers | Kevin Durant, Rockets | CJ McCollum, Wizards | Khris Middleton, Wizards | Kristaps Porziņģis, Hawks | Tobias Harris, Pistons | John Collins, Clippers | Anfernee Simons, Celtics | Nikola Vučević, Bulls | Norman Powell, Warmth | Rui Hachimura, Lakers | P.J. Washington, Mavericks | Mitchell Robinson, Knicks | Coby White, Bulls
There’s some spice right here! Clearly, we’ve already mentioned some LeBron prospects, and it’ll proceed to be a subject of dialog. Most count on Durant to comply with a two-year extension with Houston. Outdoors of them, there are some actually good gamers, nevertheless it’s not precisely the 2010 free-agent class. Effectively … besides that LeBron is someway nonetheless a extremely sought-after free agent.
The potential for an enormous, costly, gorgeous summer season continues to be there. However it’s far much less horny than you count on whenever you begin breaking down who’s more likely to make it to free company. Nonetheless, whenever you begin peeking towards 2027 and see names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokić with participant choices, and Curry, Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard hitting unrestricted free company, these eyes emojis come out. 👀👀👀
The Final 24
🏀 Getting taller. The Celtics dumped Georges Niang’s wage to Utah. However they added Chris Boucher for his or her inside.
🏀 Blueprint? How can we restore the enjoyment to the NBA All-Star Recreation? The WNBA confirmed the way in which.
🏀 Cease it! Please cease throwing gadgets onto the court docket at WNBA video games. Particularly these risqué gadgets that could be linked to … cryptocurrency?
🏀 Grand theft! A former Warmth worker stole a whole lot of things of memorabilia, together with a $3.7 million LeBron jersey.
🗽 Eyes on the prize. The Knicks are monitoring the Giannis scenario. However will they signal Ben Simmons?
🚚 Not taking place? Steve Pagliuca desires to make historical past with shopping for a WNBA workforce. Will the league let him?
Elite Trolling
Bueckers desires you to overview her buckets
Paige Bueckers has been a star since highschool and furthered that stardom at UConn. Now that the No. 1 decide is within the WNBA, she’s delivering on a nightly foundation to proceed constructing her place in basketball. She’s averaging 18.6 factors, 5.4 assists and 4 rebounds with 45.7/33.3/86.1 taking pictures splits. That’s a real taking pictures proportion of 55. Not dangerous for a rookie!
Bueckers is a transparent shiny spot for the Dallas Wings, who’re nonetheless fairly dangerous (8-22 after going 9-31 final season). In an 85-76 loss on the New York Liberty, Bueckers had the moments of the evening. After a tricky bucket towards four-time All-Defensive participant Jonquel Jones, the Liberty heart wished the foul name reviewed. Apparently, Bueckers did too.
Paige Bueckers getting the and 1 towards Jonquel Jones after which twirling the finger to name for the overview along with her is wild. pic.twitter.com/p6143NBaod
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) August 6, 2025
Sure, the Wings misplaced. Bueckers did her half with 21 factors, eight rebounds and 4 assists. However she placed on a present, which is all a rebuilding workforce can ask when attempting to assemble momentum round its younger star. That is elite trolling, one thing Bueckers has not been afraid to do to opponents. Strolling up subsequent to Jones like that to imitate and mock her overview movement takes some actual bravado.
It wasn’t even Bueckers’ finest spotlight/second of the sport. Within the second quarter, she cooked Stephanie Talbot. That’s borderline bullying. It additionally jogged my memory a lot of the time Steve Francis determined to embarrass Troy Hudson.
You Responded
What Bounces consider the Lakers’ 2020 title
Final week, we heard from Daryl Morey saying the 2020 NBA championship received by the Los Angeles Lakers within the bubble at Disney World doesn’t maintain up as a real championship. In response to him, that’s what individuals say across the league when he talks to them about it, however he absolutely admitted he would have celebrated it as a whole title if his Houston Rockets received it that yr. Predictably, the web jumped throughout Morey, his failures in securing titles with Houston and Philadelphia and his basic angle towards lots of issues basketball.
My colleagues supplied their opinions on the championship, and never a single individual discredited the title from that have. I discover that fascinating as a result of I even have talked to lots of people about that championship over time, and there are lots who query the validity of it. At instances, so do I.
Some days I agree with Morey’s sentiment, and a few days I feel it’s a crap evaluation. Is that hypocritical and wishy-washy? Most certainly. Multitudes exist in some sports activities opinions! However that’s not the essential half right here. Extra apparently, we requested YOU, the Bounce subscriber, to weigh in on the scenario. Right here’s what you mentioned:
We additionally included a query asking for one phrase on how you’ll describe the Lakers’ 2020 title. Predictably, lots of you didn’t cease at one phrase. And a few of these responses had been actually good (despite the fact that they broke the principles):
“Individuals who attempt to diminish this achieve this as a result of they hate the Lakers or as a result of their workforce misplaced. It’s time for them to cease whining. And given his personal report and his personal tendencies, Morey’s whining is borderline unbearable.”
Fairly just a few individuals went after Morey on this means, and it does echo the sentiment I shared a couple of lack of accountability on the subject of the shortcomings of Morey’s groups. It’s at all times another person’s fault. Normally, the refs.
“Relieving for followers (sorry — it meant SOOO a lot additional in the course of the lockdown).”
I admire this reminder of how a lot of a very good distraction this bubble second/endeavor was.
“Whereas I acknowledge the stress there may need been being remoted in Orlando, they had been at Disney World in resorts with no journey constraints. It’s a simulated expertise versus the Bucks’ and Warriors’ championship(s) after 2020.”
“It counts however is a ‘lesser’championship.”
“Equal to the In-Season Match Cup.”
“It’s a child championship nearly as good as a type of NBA cups. It’s a massive meh.”
The NBA Cup took some hits! We’re pro-NBA Cup round these publication components and won’t stand for such slander! Except you meant it as a praise to that title?
Let’s get to the one-word vortex. Of the one-word solutions, these (variations mixed into one) confirmed up essentially the most:
Authentic: 14 %
Asterisk: 4 %
Legitimate: 3.4 %
Resilient: 3.2 %
Spectacular: 3.2 %
Fortunate: 3.1 %
Mickey Mouse/Disney: 3.1 %
Just a few individuals talked about COVID or “covidion” as their descriptor. Some mentioned “tainted” or “tender” or talked about the 1999 Spurs, who received the title in a shortened 50-game season. Earned and handy and “bubbly” descriptors even made it in.
And for these of you who’ve been being attentive to Bounce polls for fairly a while, you’re simply right here to learn the way many Bouncers talked about Thanasis Antetokounmpo in some method with the write-in choice.
Effectively, 4.5 % responded with Thanasis, a method or one other. You’re trolling me, and I don’t admire it!
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(Prime photograph of Luka Dončić and guard Austin Reaves: Jerome Miron / Imagn Pictures)
