News from around the NBA 2025-2026

[Phrazbit]

His line about Booker in that thread came while Vogel was still the coach, so KD had already given up within that first season.

I wonder how close it was to that Christmas game where Durant seemed like he was throwing.

 

[Hoop Head]

Good news for next year's 3pt Contest.

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[Adrian]

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania
·
9m


The Philadelphia 76ers intend to sign forward Jabari Walker to a new two-year contract, sources tell ESPN. 76ers and Klutch Sports' Rich Paul and Anthony Fields negotiated the new deal for Walker, who earned a rotation role after maxing out the games allowed on his two-way deal.

 

[Adrian]

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania
·
17m


The 76ers are planning to sign Walker to the new two-year deal and veteran guard Cam Payne for the rest of the season in the coming days. Payne spent part of the 2023-24 season with the 76ers.

 

[Adrian]

NBACentral

@TheDunkCentral
Angry gambling companies reportedly played a part in Adam Silver punishing teams for tanking, per @BenGolliver


“Over-unders are at stake. You know, player props are at stake. If coaches are just willy-nilly not playing guys the entire game, and they’re not letting people know in advance that they plan to do that, you’re going to have a lot of angry gamblers and a lot of angry gambling companies as well.”

 

[carrrnuttt]

NBACentral

@TheDunkCentral
Angry gambling companies reportedly played a part in Adam Silver punishing teams for tanking, per @BenGolliver


“Over-unders are at stake. You know, player props are at stake. If coaches are just willy-nilly not playing guys the entire game, and they’re not letting people know in advance that they plan to do that, you’re going to have a lot of angry gamblers and a lot of angry gambling companies as well.”

I understand not liking tanking. I don't either. But this is egregious.

This is the effing ruin of sports.

I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but how the refs have been calling it quite lopsided against the Suns as we approach that sportsbook's projected 31.5 wins total for the team is funky as hell.

 

[Hoop Head]

NBACentral

@TheDunkCentral
Angry gambling companies reportedly played a part in Adam Silver punishing teams for tanking, per @BenGolliver


“Over-unders are at stake. You know, player props are at stake. If coaches are just willy-nilly not playing guys the entire game, and they’re not letting people know in advance that they plan to do that, you’re going to have a lot of angry gamblers and a lot of angry gambling companies as well.”

How is that allowed? The gambling companies can put pressure on the league now to do their bidding?

I'm fine with sports gambling but something needs to be done to create more separation between the leagues and gambling industry. It should be illegal to advertise, especially directly with the leagues. It's like how big tobacco used to hire Doctors to shill their product though, it's gross and clearly unethical to be intertwined. I don't see how it's allowed and it appears to be the biggest industry amongst modern advertisers now.

 

[JCSunsfan]

How is that allowed? The gambling companies can put pressure on the league now to do their bidding?

I'm fine with sports gambling but something needs to be done to create more separation between the leagues and gambling industry. It should be illegal to advertise, especially directly with the leagues. It's like how big tobacco used to hire Doctors to shill their product though, it's gross and clearly unethical to be intertwined. I don't see how it's allowed and it appears to be the biggest industry amongst modern advertisers now.

That ship has sailed. Something had been done—for decades—but when the leagues decided to jump in bet with sports betting it was over. It all means nothing now.

 

[Adrian]

Legion Hoops

@LegionHoops
·
42m


Mark Cuban says the NBA should embrace tanking:“The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking. It should worry more about pricing fans out of games than tanking. You know who cares the least about tanking, a parent who can’t afford to bring their 3 kids to a game and buy their kids a jersey of their favorite player. Tanking isn’t the issue. Affordability and quality of game presentation are.”

 

[Chaplin]

Legion Hoops
@LegionHoops
·
42m


Mark Cuban says the NBA should embrace tanking:“The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking. It should worry more about pricing fans out of games than tanking. You know who cares the least about tanking, a parent who can’t afford to bring their 3 kids to a game and buy their kids a jersey of their favorite player. Tanking isn’t the issue. Affordability and quality of game presentation are.”

He makes a good point. It's a complex issue.

 

[Adrian]

Legion Hoops

@LegionHoops
·
1h


David Aldridge calls for the NBA to eliminate the draft:“The lottery and draft are corporate welfare for sports teams... Teams don’t do anything to earn the talents of those players; they are simply given to them.”
(via @davidaldridgedc, h/t @TheNBABase)

 

[Mainstreet]

Perhaps the tanking issue has something to do with gambling.

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[Chaplin]

Legion Hoops
@LegionHoops
·
1h


David Aldridge calls for the NBA to eliminate the draft:“The lottery and draft are corporate welfare for sports teams... Teams don’t do anything to earn the talents of those players; they are simply given to them.”
(via @davidaldridgedc, h/t @TheNBABase)

So then what? Signing rookies as free agents? Would there be a separate cap for rookies then? Just eliminating the draft isn't a solution.

 

[Adrian]

Michael Scotto
@MikeAScotto
·
46m
The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed Mike Conley to a deal for the rest of the season, league sources told @hoopshype. Conley has averaged 9.2 points, including shooting 41.3% from 3-point range, 4.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in four combined seasons with Minnesota.

 

[Adrian]

Fullcourtpass
@Fullcourtpass
·
1h
Steph Curry says he is not retiring anytime soon

“Thinking about the end robs you of the now... It’ll declare itself, whenever the time comes to call it quits, which I don’t think is anytime soon.”

(Via @people, h/t @TheNBABase)

 

[Mainstreet]

I think if you play to lose, it's not a great experience.

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[Chaplin]

I think if you play to lose, it's not a great experience.

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I'm curious to know what he means here. The fans don't go to games to watch their team compete and win games?

 

[Hoop Head]

Found an article with what I was trying to explain the other day as a retoolong of the lottery to curb tanking. The plan I supported is called "The Tombstone Date" or "The Gold Rule" as the original developer was named Adam Gold and he pitched it back at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in 2012. It was even adopted by the PWHL, which is a women's hockey league.

Elimination Wins (often called Tombstone Wins or the "Gold Plan") is a proposed NBA draft lottery reform designed to eliminate the incentive to tank after a team is mathematically disqualified from the playoffs.

Instead of rewarding the teams with the worst records with the best odds for high draft picks, this system rewards teams for how well they play after they are eliminated.

How It Works
Tombstone Date: The day a team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs is declared their "Tombstone Day".
Accruing Points: From that day until the end of the regular season, the team accumulates "Elimination Wins" or "Draft Order Points".
Lottery Odds: The teams that accumulate the most wins after their elimination date receive the best odds for the #1 overall pick.
Alternative Metric: Some variations suggest using "wins after the 41st loss" to normalize the starting point for all bad teams.

Why It Combats Tanking
No Reward for Losing: Because only wins after elimination increase draft odds, actively losing games (sitting healthy players, trading vets) hurts a team's chances of getting a top pick.
Encourages Competition: Teams are incentivized to play their best players and win until the final game of the season, improving the product for fans and TV partners.
Maintains Parity: The worst teams are still generally eliminated earlier, giving them a longer timeframe to accumulate wins, thus maintaining a structural advantage for bad teams without encouraging "tank-a-thon" behavior.

Link to an which article where that plan is pitched

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.
There's also this piece from 538 that compiled different views from reader submissions and chose the top 4, which the Tombstone Date was #4.

How To Stop NBA Tanking: Tie Your Fate To Another Team’s Record

We made it. For the past month or so, our sports podcast, “Hot Takedown,” has been asking you to submit your ideas for how to fix the NBA draft and prevent team…

fivethirtyeight.com

I know complexity is an issue for casual fans but considering how the Mid season/Emirates Cup series I don't think the league really worries about that anymore. The Cup tournament kind of proves the league thinks profits before anything.

 

[Germz249]

I am dying with these KD tweets from his burner account.

He called Westbrook a Tripple double Cocaine bear lol.

After the crap he said about Jabari smith and Sengun it’s pretty hard to see that team doing well down the stretch.

I am SO glad we traded his ass. These tweets make it crystal clear what an egomaniac he is.

Lol I think we can clearly say we won that trade with the Rockets.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm curious to know what he means here. The fans don't go to games to watch their team compete and win games?

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I think tanking and gambling is bad for the game.

The idea teams aren't devoted to winning leaves room for interpretation. IMO, the NBA has become more and more attuned to the casual fan.

 

[Mainstreet]

CBS Sports ranks the Suns front office #26.

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[Adrian]

Fullcourtpass
@Fullcourtpass
·
1h
Jalen Brunson on his next contract extension with the Knicks

“Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me. I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.”

 

[Adrian]

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[Proximo]

I think if you play to lose, it's not a great experience.

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I mean I kind of agree with him. You can't tell me you get really invested in a game 65 games into the season when you're team has got 15 wins, I don't believe you.

When the team is bad I don't care about them winning a few more meaningless games I would rather they tank so that hopefully the next year is better with a young stud I can watch. I understand that makes it easy for teams that go against them, but it doesn't change that much. I don't understand why everyone is making a big deal about tanking.

Everything is about the playoffs and the seedings aren't really that big a deal, it's a lot more about how the teams are playing going into the playoffs.

 

[Mainstreet]

Tell them Eddie.

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