Lakers Sale To Mark Walter Will Close This Year
New incoming Lakers majority owner Mark Walter will assume control of the franchise during the third or fourth quarter of 2025, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.
An ownership group led by Walter is purchasing a significant portion of the Buss family’s 66% majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation. Walter was already a minority shareholder in the franchise, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.
Current Los Angeles governor Jeanie Buss, who helped steer the franchise to a title in that role five years ago, will stay in that role – and will continue to oversee team day-to-day team operations – “for the foreseeable future,” the Lakers and Walter confirmed in a press statement addressing the sale.
“From the day our father [Dr. Jerry Buss] purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning — relentlessly — and to doing so with passion and with style,” Jeanie Buss said. “I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values. For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.”
Under the Buss family, the Lakers have won 11 championships.
The Chicago-based Walter also has stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and other sports holdings.
“Since Dr. Jerry Buss first purchased the team in 1979, they have truly set the standard for basketball in one era after another, which is why you can find people anywhere in the world wearing Lakers shirts and jerseys,” Walter said.
Draft Rumors: Pelicans, Queen, Essengue, Raptors, Nets, Wolves
While Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN have the Pelicans selecting Duke center Khaman Maluach with the seventh overall pick in their latest mock draft ahead of Wednesday night’s event, there has been some 11th-hour buzz linking New Orleans to Derik Queen, Givony notes.
As Givony explains, new Pelicans executive Troy Weaver has “long-standing connections” to Baltimore- and D.C.-area prospects, and his son was a graduate assistant on Maryland’s coaching staff in 2024/25, so he had an opportunity to scout Queen extensively this past season.
New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars recently indicated Weaver will play an important role in the team’s draft decisions, lauding the former Pistons GM for his “elite” ability to identify talent.
Here’s more on the 2025 NBA draft, with the first round just hours away:
- After flying across the Atlantic from Germany this week, French forward Noa Essengue initially traveled to Toronto for a “secret” private workout with the Raptors before heading on to New York for the draft, according to Givony. While it may be just a coincidence, when Essengue was asked on Tuesday which players he models his game after, he mentioned three current or former Raptors: Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and Kawhi Leonard (Twitter video link via Erik Slater of ClutchPoints).
- The Nets are signaling that they’re unlikely to move down from the No. 8 pick and aren’t opposed to the idea of using all five of their first-round picks tonight, given how many openings they’ll likely have on their roster, per Givony and Woo. Head coach Jordi Fernandez and Brooklyn’s coaching staff are also considered “friendly to the idea” of developing young talent, ESPN’s duo notes. Still, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link) questions whether this leak is meant to improve the Nets’ leverage in trade talks involving some of those first-rounders.
- The Timberwolves have conveyed an openness to moving the No. 17 overall pick for future assets, depending on which prospects are on the board at that point, Givony reports.
- Like ESPN, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his mock draft on Wednesday. Interestingly, the two sites have the exact same results through the top 13 picks before starting to deviate at No. 14.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Simons, Sale, Roster, Brown, White
Celtics forward Torrey Craig has provided an update on recovering All-Star forward Jayson Tatum. In an interview with CLNS Boston’s Bobby Manning and Noa Dalzell on their show “The Garden Report” (YouTube video link), Craig spoke about Tatum’s recovery from an Achilles surgery.
Tatum is currently four weeks into his rehabilitation, having torn the tendon in Game 4 of an eventual second round playoff series loss to New York.
“(I) see him smiling and laughing and joking around,” Craig said. “I just look forward to his recovery, the progress he’s making, and it’s always good to see him in good spirits.”
Craig, 34, is an unrestricted free agent this summer. With Tatum on the shelf through much or all of 2025/26, he may be an option the team considers on another minimum-salary contract as it looks to fill out its wing depth.
There’s more out of Boston:
- The Celtics’ newest guard, Anfernee Simons, asked to be traded away from Portland even ahead of the 2024/25 season, a source informs Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). According to Washburn’s source, Simons – an Orlando-area native – had been interested the Magic. Orlando addressed its scoring guard needs with its blockbuster deal for Desmond Bane earlier this summer, but Simons eventually got the change of scenery he sought.
- Although the Celtics have yet to officially be sold to new majority owner William Chisholm, the club’s impending sale is still on track to be approved and finalized in the not-too-distant future, sources tell Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Thanks to their deals of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics are now below the NBA’s punitive second luxury tax apron. Brian Robb of MassLive takes a look at potential next steps for Boston following those deals.
- During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” (YouTube video link), NBA insider Brian Windhorst confirmed colleague Shams Charania’s report that the Celtics are getting calls about stars Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Windhorst suggested that Boston’s decision on whether or not to move those players may happen sooner rather than later. “There are teams in the top 10 (of tonight’s draft) who are making offers,” Windhorst said. “And you’d potentially be able to get replacement players and a draft pick. I don’t know if Brad Stevens and his staff is in love with one of these top guys. Maybe they are. But that’s what is on the table. … I say at midnight, Jaylen Brown is still a Celtic and Derrick White is still a Celtic, and they run it back, and they get ready to go in ’26/27.”
Warriors RFA Kuminga ‘Aiming To Be An All-Star’
As he prepares for restricted free agency, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is training at workout facilities in Cleveland and preparing for the 2025/26 season in the hopes of having a more significant role, wherever he ends up, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. As Slater writes, Kuminga has “long held a dream” of becoming a star who can lead a team and drive its offense.
“That’s what’s been on my mind,” Kuminga told Slater. “Things take time, but I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on. Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great. … Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see. I’ve never got that chance.”
As Kuminga notes, he hasn’t consistently gotten the opportunity to play a starring role in Golden State. His minutes and his role have fluctuated during four seasons with the Warriors, all the way up until this spring — he was out of the rotation at the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs before averaging 24.3 points per game in the final four contests of Golden State’s season with Stephen Curry sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
“I did it here and there, but it was never a consistent role, a consistent role given to me,” Kuminga said. “It only happens five games on, 10 games off. I want it to be a consistent role. Because I know what I got. I know what I could bring. I know how much work I put in. I know I’m dedicated to this game, how much I love the game.”
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. spoke this week about the need to more firmly establish a role for Kuminga if he returns, and Golden State should be in the driver’s seat during his free agency process, since the 22-year-old will be restricted. Still, there are teams expected to have interest in the former No. 7 overall pick.
Slater confirms previous reporting by stating that the Heat have “legitimate” interest in Kuminga after missing out on Kevin Durant. A league source confirms to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald that Miami is eyeing Kuminga, though the Herald duo says the team is considering other options too.
Whatever happens with Kuminga in restricted free agency, he’s confident that agent Aaron Turner will find the best outcome for him.
“I trust my people, trust my agent,” Kuminga told Slater. “I want to know more about how this trade stuff goes, how this sign-and-trade goes or how this contract goes. I want to learn more about it. But most of the time I just focus on playing, just working. The better I get, wherever I get my chance, it’s going to show.
“Wherever I go, wherever I’ll be, off the rip, I just want them to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, he deserved what he got. He deserved to be here. He worked hard for it.’ Wherever it is, that’s what I want it to feel like. I want to be great. I feel like I’m capable of being that, capable of doing some special things and I won’t just let it go like that. The only way to get there is just to lock in every single day.”
Rockets Re-Sign Fred VanVleet To Two-Year Deal
July 7: VanVleet’s new contract agreement with the Rockets is now official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
June 25: The Rockets are declining Fred VanVleet‘s $44.9MM team option and will instead re-sign him on a two-year, $50MM deal, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The second season will be a player option, Charania adds.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), VanVleet’s new deal will have a flat structure, paying him $25MM next season, with his option also worth $25MM.
During his 60 healthy games for Houston in 2024/25, the Wichita State alum averaged 14.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.7 RPG, with a .378/.345/.810 shooting line that was well below his career average.
The 2023 offseason veteran additions of VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green and head coach Ime Udoka proved to be the kind of steadying forces needed to take a talented young team to the next level. During VanVleet’s first season in town, Houston finished with a solid 41-41 season and barely missed the postseason in a deep Western Conference.
Last year, the Rockets’ youth movement exploded. Houston finished with the West’s No. 2 record, 52-30, and almost outlasted the Warriors in a hard-fought first round playoff loss.
Houston has now reconfigured its core by bringing in 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant in a blockbuster pre-draft trade, which cost the team Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, young guard Jalen Green, and five second-round picks.
Retaining VanVleet on a cheaper deal with give the Rockets more room to maneuver this summer, as the club hopes to become a true title contender in 2025/26.
To wit, cap expert Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron tweets that Houston now projects to be comfortably below the league’s first tax apron and luxury tax line. Keith Smith of Spotrac reports (via Twitter) that the new agreement will give the Rockets access to the $14.1MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception this year, though using all of the MLE would push the team back above the tax threshold.
While VanVleet’s new contract is a short-term agreement, Charania hears from sources that both sides would like their partnership to ultimately last longer than just the next two years.
Northwest Notes: Boozer, Bradley, OKC, Timberwolves
The Jazz‘s reconfigured front office is leaning on former Utah forward Carlos Boozer and former longtime NBA guard Avery Bradley to help prep for Wednesday and Thursday’s NBA draft, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“This place has really transformed,” Boozer told Jones. “But, I want to do my part to build this team back up to being a contender, because that’s where this franchise belongs. I love this fan base and this town. It reminds me of my hometown in Alaska. So, this has been a huge honor, and it’s brought back so many memories.”
As Jones notes, both Boozer and Bradley know something about being under-the-radar draft gems.
“I think having the perspective of being a player is helpful,” Bradley said. “Seeing players that could model and resemble some of the players that we’ve played with and have been in locker rooms with helps. What Carlos and I have wanted to do is help Austin (Ainge) and Justin (Zanik) and Danny (Ainge) in the process.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- After claiming their first title together on Sunday, the Thunder’s new big three of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA wing Jalen Williams, and big man Chet Holmgren could form the core of a new dynasty, posits Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “These guys represent all that’s good at a young age,” longtime Oklahoma City president Sam Presti said. “They prioritize winning, they prioritize sacrifice, and it just kind of unfolded very quickly…. Age is a number. Sacrifice and maturity is a characteristic, and these guys have it in spades.”
- With the Timberwolves’ sale officially approved by the league, now-former majority owners Glen and Becky Taylor have penned a thank-you message to Minnesota fans, via a Timberwolves press release. Taylor leaves the Timberwolves in a good place, with the club anchored by All-NBA superstar guard Anthony Edwards and fresh off two straight Western Conference Finals appearances. “Though we are stepping away as owners, our love for this organization and this community remains as strong as ever,” the Taylors write. “We will always be fans, cheering from our seats, celebrating your triumphs, and believing in what comes next.”
- Incoming new Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez spoke to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic about their vision for the franchise moving forward. “Let’s make it very clear,” Rodriguez said. “Marc and I are not making basketball decisions… What we’ve learned is some of the best governors throughout sports, they spend most of their time in the front end hiring the right people. … We give them guidelines, we give them budgets, and then Tim (Connelly) can cook. And then we stay out of his way. That’s also really important.”
L.A. Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Harden, Clippers, Draft
After facing criticism on his way out of Dallas for his work ethic and conditioning, Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been “incredibly committed” to his conditioning since the team’s season ended, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
A source with knowledge of the situation tells Woike that Doncic has lost weight and is working on “strict diet and cardio training.” The 26-year-old deviated from his usual offseason routine by spending a month away from on-court activities in order to focus on his body, Woike adds.
As he prepares for his first full season in Los Angeles, Doncic will become eligible later this summer to sign a contract extension that could be worth up to nearly $229MM over four seasons.
We have more on the NBA’s two L.A.-based teams:
- Lakers star LeBron James, who sustained an MCL sprain in the last game of the season, stated on Instagram earlier this week that he has resumed on-court work, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter). James has a decision due by Sunday on his $52.6MM player option for 2025/26.
- Clippers guard James Harden is being accused of negligence in a civil complaint that includes allegations of sexual assault against his nephew, per Zach Powell of The Athletic. The plaintiff alleges that Harden’s nephew, Justice Armani Blackburn, raped her at a New Year’s party at Harden’s home in Houston. The claim of negligence against Harden is related to the conduct of his in-home security staff, Powell explains, with the lawsuit stating that the 35-year-old is “vicariously liable for the actions of his guards and their corporate employer.”
- Janis Carr of The Orange County Register examines some possible draft targets for the Clippers, including Drake Powell, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Noah Penda at No. 30 and Viktor Lakhin at No. 51.
- Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times previews draft night for both the Lakers and Clippers, but notes that the brunt of the offseason work for the two L.A. teams will likely come later, with LeBron, Harden, and several other veterans up for new contracts.
Trade Rumors: Brown, White, Holiday, Hawks, NAW, Collins
After having agreed to trades that send out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have moved below the second tax apron. However, they may not be done dealing yet. Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday night (YouTube link), Shams Charania reported that Boston is fielding calls from teams with interest in Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White.
According to Charania, the Celtics’ preference is still to hang onto Brown and White, and they’ve set “high price thresholds” for both players. But they’re also not entirely shutting down inquiries on those guys, so it remains possible that there will be a team willing to meet Boston’s high asking price.
“At minimum,” Charania says, the Celtics are still a strong candidate to make additional deals involving role players who are a little less valuable than Brown and White. Charania specifically identifies Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons as players who might fit that bill.
Simons technically isn’t even a Celtic yet, so the agreed-upon deal involving him and Jrue Holiday could be expanded to include more pieces and send Simons to a third team before it’s officially finalized. Even if that trade is completed as currently constructed, Simons could be flipped to another team immediately — his salary simply couldn’t be aggregated with another player’s salary for two months after he’s traded.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link), he has heard from two sources who refuted the report claiming that Holiday is unhappy about being traded to the Trail Blazers. We passed along that rumor on Tuesday, but suggested taking it with a grain of salt.
- As the Hawks continue to mull various scenarios for how they could use the $25MM+ traded player exception they generated in last summer’s Dejounte Murray deal, one possible target to watch is Nickeil Alexander-Walker, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). The Hawks are expected to show interest in Alexander-Walker, who will be a free agent this summer, and could potentially use that TPE to acquire him via sign-and-trade. The Timberwolves have expressed a desire to retain the three-and-D guard, but will also have Julius Randle‘s and Naz Reid‘s contract situations to resolve.
- Although John Collins is considered a potential offseason trade candidate, his market is still taking shape, so a deal seems more likely to happen after the draft than before or during it, per Stein and Fischer. Collins also must exercise his $26.6MM player option before he officially becomes trade-eligible. His decision is due on Thursday.
- Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, Raptors forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley, Jazz guards Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, Wizards guard Marcus Smart, and Bucks wing Pat Connaughton are among the other players viewed as candidates to be on the move this summer, according to Stein and Fischer.
Kings Viewed As A Leading Suitor For Dennis Schröder
The Kings are viewed as a leading suitor for free agent point guard Dennis Schröder, according to league sources who have spoken to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Sacramento is in the market for a point guard after having traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio earlier this year and has been considering potential targets on the trade market and in free agency. Schröder, according to Stein and Fischer, is expected to command a contract that starts in the neighborhood of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which projects to be worth $14.1MM. The Kings, who have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, should be in position to offer most or all of that exception.
It was an up-and-down 2024/25 season for Schröder, who thrived in Brooklyn, struggled in Golden State, then helped fill a Jaden Ivey-shaped hole in Detroit down the stretch. On the season, he averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 assists in 28.1 minutes per game across 75 outings for those three teams, posting a shooting line of .406/.342/.838.
The Kings won’t be Schröder’s only suitor. The Pistons have expressed interest in re-signing him, and he’s also expected to be an option for a Mavericks team in need of a point guard while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear. Sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN that Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and Malcolm Brogdon are among Dallas’ point guard targets.
However, the Pistons have other free agents – Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. – to try to re-sign, so it’s possible Schröder won’t be a top priority with Ivey on his way back from his broken leg. As for the Mavs, they’ll likely only be able to offer the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception.
We have more on the Kings:
- Sacramento’s front office has signaled that it’s open to a wide range of trade inquiries, per Stein and Fischer, with previous reporting from The Sacramento Bee indicating the team was gauging the market for Malik Monk and Devin Carter. According to The Stein Line duo, it’s worth noting that the Jazz previously expressed interest in Carter when the Kings inquired about Lauri Markkanen last summer before he ultimately signed an extension with Utah.
- The Kings are viewed by agents and rival executives as a strong candidate to trade into the back half of the first round on Wednesday, Stein and Fischer report. They point to Utah’s pick at No. 21 as one possible target for the Kings, but notes that some teams believe Sacramento is working on a deal for the Thunder‘s second first-rounder at No. 24.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder didn't exactly coast through the 2025 playoffs, having had to pull out a pair of Game 7 victories (over Denver and Indiana) in order to win their first NBA championship since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City.
Still, the history books will show that this year's Thunder were one of the NBA's most dominant teams ever. Only four clubs have compiled more wins in a single regular season than the 68 victories Oklahoma City racked up in 2024/25, and the Thunder's +12.7 regular season net rating ranked second all-time, behind only the 1995/96 Bulls.
OKC's remarkable season is a testament to a rebuild that was executed nearly perfectly. Of course, Sam Presti and the Thunder got a nice head-start on that rebuilding process in 2019 when they were able to acquire future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks (four unprotected), and two pick swaps from a Clippers team willing to overpay for Paul George in order to secure Kawhi Leonard's free agency commitment.
Even though that move was the catalyst for this year's championship run, many of the decisions Presti has made in the years since then have paid major dividends as well. That was especially true on draft day in 2022, when the team used its own first-round pick and one from the Clippers in order to select Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who have since become franchise pillars and were the team's second- and third-leading scorers behind Gilgeous-Alexander this year.
After bottoming out with a 22-60 record in 2020/21 and a 24-58 mark in '21/22, the Thunder hit the fast-forward button on their rebuild when they added Holmgren and Williams to their roster, increasing their win total by double-digits in each of the next three seasons. They went from 24 victories to 40 to 57 to 68, earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in both 2024 and 2025.
We've heard repeatedly over the last year or two that the NBA has entered its parity era. The league has had seven different champions over the last seven seasons, with no team repeating as champs since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
A 2016 salary-cap spike allowed Golden State to sign Kevin Durant away from Oklahoma City, adding him to a team coming off a 73-win season. But a move like that would be virtually impossible to pull off under the current system, which has eliminated the possibility of a huge single-year cap jump (annual increases are capped at 10%) and has implemented more punitive roster-building and financial penalties for teams with top-heavy rosters.
Given those new restrictions, it has become more difficult than ever for an NBA front office to build and maintain a dynasty, but if any recent champion has the makings of a dynasty, it's these Thunder. Oklahoma City is the second-youngest team in league history to win a title, shouldn't face any serious salary-cap or financial obstacles anytime soon, and is armed with enough future draft picks to continue adding affordable talent to its roster for years to come.
It's a good time to be a Thunder fan.
The Thunder's Offseason Plan
No NBA team enters the 2025 offseason with fewer short-term question marks than the Thunder, who have 13 players from their championship roster on guaranteed contracts for next season and hold team-friendly options on the other two. If they want to, they could bring back literally the exact same roster in 2025/26 while remaining well below the luxury tax line.
