And-Ones: Award Predictions, Top Forwards, Free Agency, Cui

August 26th, 2025 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Will Nikola Jokic win a fourth Most Valuable Player award in 2025/26? He’s the top choice among a panel of ESPN Insiders to capture the league’s top individual honor next season. Luka Doncic ranks as the second pick, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting the third-most votes.

The panel also offers their predictions on five other major awards, including Rookie of the Year (no surprise, they picked No. 1 draft choice Cooper Flagg) and Sixth Man of the Year (Alex Caruso and Naz Reid received the most votes}.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

Who’s the top forward in the NBA? Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a class of his own, according to The Athletic’s Zach Harper. The Bucks superstar holds the tier-one level all by himself in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Forwards.” Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson are in the tier-two “Still Elite, Just Not Giannis” level. Heading up the group of six players who round out the top 10 and start the tier-three level is Draymond Green.
Free agency isn’t what it used to be in the NBA, with most star players signing extensions before they ever reach that point. HoopsHype’s Alberto De Roa examines the decline in free agency’s importance, noting that only one player this summer who changed teams — new Bucks center Myles Turner — secured a contract with at least $100MM in guaranteed money.
Cui Yongxi – also known as Jacky Cui – is working toward an NBA comeback after tearing his ACL in December with the G League’s Long Island Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. He has been working out in Brooklyn and is now participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages in Los Angeles. The 22-year-old free agent guard had been on a two-way contract and appeared in five games with the Nets but was waived by Brooklyn in December following the injury.

Free Agent Rumors: Kuminga, Horford, Westbrook, Grimes

August 11th, 2025 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been no meaningful movement in any direction on the Jonathan Kuminga front in the past couple weeks, per Anthony Slater of ESPN.

Having returned to his offseason base of Miami after a recent trip to his home country – the Democratic Republic of the Congo – the restricted free agent forward remains underwhelmed by the Warriors‘ two-year, $45MM offer that includes a second-year team option (and a request that he waive his implicit no-trade clause).

With no guaranteed money beyond year one, a trade-friendly salary, and no ability for Kuminga to have any say in a mid-season trade destination, the structure of the proposal is too team-friendly for Kuminga’s liking, Slater explains. Sources tell ESPN that the 22-year-old’s priority has been to find a contract that positions him to be a long-term building block for either the Warriors or another club. A short-term deal that essentially sets him up to be traded runs counter to that goal.

Kuminga’s camp pitched a three-year, $82MM contract that the Warriors turned down, according to Slater, who adds that the forward has told people close to him that the idea of signing his one-year, $8MM qualifying offer and reaching unrestricted free agency in 2026 appeals more to him than accepting Golden State’s one-plus-one proposal.

Here are a few more rumors on some of the top unsigned free agents:

Even though Al Horford has had to wait for resolution on the Kuminga situation and has mulled the idea of retirement, the Warriors seem to be operating as if the 39-year-old big man is a firm part of their plans for 2025/26, Slater writes. The idea would be to slot Horford in as their starting center to help reduce Draymond Green‘s regular season workload, according to Slater, though he notes that Horford’s minutes would have to be carefully managed as well.
League sources consider the Kings to be the most likely landing spot for free agent point guard Russell Westbrook, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports within the same story. Multiple reports earlier this summer indicated that there may not be room in Sacramento’s backcourt for Westbrook unless the team were to trade Malik Monk or Devin Carter, but the former MVP is still being linked to the Kings even with those two guards still on the roster.
The Sixers continue to project confidence that they’ll re-sign restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes, says Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). While it’s not out of the question that Grimes could accept his $8.7MM qualifying offer, Fischer believes the two sides will work out a more mutually beneficial deal that begins at a higher salary.

Look Ahead At Potential 2026 Free Agents

August 8th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agency is not the headline event it once was in the NBA, as a large portion of the top players on the market tend to extend, like Luka Doncic did last weekend with the Lakers, or move in trades rather than signing with new teams. However, there are still likely to be talented players available and ready to contribute to new situations, as Zach Harper details for The Athletic.

Teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Heat have made an effort to keep their flexibility for next year, write Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton for ESPN. However, those teams are also expected to try to maintain cap space for 2027, a summer in which multiple MVPs – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic – could potentially reach the market, though of course neither is guaranteed to be available.

The Celtics will also likely look to retool their roster next summer after trading away key contributors in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for salary cap relief, as they seek to rebuild their roster into a contender around Tatum once he has recovered from his Achilles tear.

Trae Young, with a $48.9MM player option for the 2026/27 season, has the potential to be one of the top names on the board, and while Harper expresses confidence that an extension with the Hawks will get done, there have been rumors that it’s far from a certainty, and that next season could serve as an evaluation period for the Hawks’ core under a new head of basketball operations.

Other high-end veterans with player options for ’26/27 include James Harden (Clippers), Zach LaVine (Kings), Draymond Green (Warriors), Austin Reaves (Lakers), Andrew Wiggins (Heat), Fred VanVleet (Rockets), and Bradley Beal (Clippers). Harper considers Harden, Green, and Reaves very likely to remain with their current teams, and VanVleet also relatively likely to stay, though the Rockets have some level of flexibility in regard to the future of their roster.

Then there are the unrestricted free agents. As of this moment, LeBron James (Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Rockets) represent the cream of the crop, but there are other talented players such as Porzingis (Hawks), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Coby White (Bulls), and others who are sure to garner suitors.

For what it’s worth, Durant has been widely expected to extend with Houston, but James is ineligible to be extended prior to free agency and White’s salary is so modest relative to his value that he’s considered likely to wait until he can get a bigger payday on the free agent market.

One interesting inflection point will be players on team options, such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort on the Thunder, and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez on the Clippers. The Thunder, particularly, could have some tough decisions to make on their role players soon as lucrative extensions take effect for stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Paul, Brooks, Moody

July 25th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Stephen Curry isn’t planning on retiring from the Warriors soon, but when he does, he wants it to be on his terms, he told Complex’s Speedy Morman (YouTube link).

“I’m kind of just taking it in two-year chunks,” Curry said of how he approaches the twilight years of his career. “You have to give yourself some motivation to go after.”

Curry adds that it’s not the grind of the 82-game season that’s a struggle now that he’s at this stage: “The offseasons, for me, are the hardest… the games are so much fun, you get lost in the game. That’s the easy part. So if I get through offseasons, that’s a mark for how long I can push it.”

Curry also reflected on his place in NBA history and the achievements he’s still chasing, especially when it comes to his place on the all-time scoring list and his ability to potentially crack the top 10.

“I do that math all the time, just to get in your head how long do you have to play and what level to catch those at the top of that list,” Curry said. “But that’s not why I’ll keep going, it’s more that I want to be at a level where we’re competing and playing for championships and hopefully control as much of that as possible down the stretch of my career.”

Curry currently sits 27th on the list with 25,386 points. At his typical rate of scoring, it would take him somewhere between three to four seasons to bump Moses Malone out of the 10th spot, where he sits with 29,580 points.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Chris Paul‘s return to the Clippers isn’t just a way to relive former glories, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Although the Clippers are as deep as any team in the league, adding Paul’s skill set will be very beneficial, according to Murray, who points out that Los Angeles ranked 23rd in turnover percentage and assist-to-turnover rate last season, an area in which Paul has always excelled. “Ball-handling and play-making were areas we wanted to address this offseason,” said Clippers’ president Lawrence Frank. “When we were at our best, we were taking care of the ball.” Murray also points out that despite a rocky ending with the Rockets, James Harden was a big part of bringing Paul back to the City of Angels. Paul will serve as a reliable depth option, coming off the bench alongside fellow high-level veteran Brook Lopez, and will provide insurance should Harden miss time.
The Suns wanted to get younger this summer once it became clear that Kevin Durant was leaving, but they also wanted to get tougher, writes Doug Haller for The Athletic. Enter Dillon Brooks. Brooks brings a level of intensity, sometimes bordering on chaos, that the Suns have rarely had, but he’s also a valuable and versatile defender, which will be important on a young team full of players still figuring out that end of the floor. While Brooks might be best known for his scrappy style of play and a tendency to rack up technical fouls, those who have spent time with him know his game contains multitudes. “If you’re giving a scout, you could ask Dillon about the best player,” former Grizzlies assistant coach Blake Ahearn said. “You could also ask him about the 13th player — Dillon will be able to give you a full scouting report on everybody. His attention to detail and how he prepares in order to guard guys is special.”
Moses Moody is set to become the third-longest tenured player on the Warriors if restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t return, writes DJ Siddiqi for RG. Moody credits his relationship with Draymond Green as a big part of his growth over the years. “He teaches me so much, not even just about basketball, but I’ll go to his room, hang out and talk to him all the time about all types of things. We actually went to his house when I was in LA last week, and he showed me different things and was teaching me about art,” Moody said. “He’s taught me about finance, about money, about the league, about being a professional… He’s just been that guy for me.”

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Rubio, Draft Sleepers, Broadcasters

June 5th, 2025 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Asked during an appearance on FS1’s Breakfast Ball (Twitter video link) whether a U.S. vs. the World format for the All-Star Game is something the NBA could implement as soon as 2026, league commissioner Adam Silver replied, “Yes.”

Silver cautioned that nothing has been set in stone yet, but that plan has been set in motion, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, and the NBA believes the timing makes sense. There was significant interest in the men’s basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics that featured a star-studded Team USA taking on NBA stars from other countries, and the 2026 All-Star Game will air on NBC while the network is also broadcasting the Winter Olympics.

“What better time to feature some form of USA against the world?” Silver said on FS1. “I’m not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I obviously paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did (with its ‘4 Nations Face Off’ All-Star event earlier this year), which was a huge success. … But also, going back, last summer, our Olympic competition was a huge success.”

As Reynolds writes, the biggest sticking point for the NBA is that approximately 70% of the NBA’s players are American, with just 30% from other countries. So even though some of the game’s biggest stars – including Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic – could represent the “world” team, a format that requires 12 non-U.S. players to be named All-Stars would likely result in some glaring snubs among U.S. players.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, who announced his retirement from the NBA in January 2024, played for Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 season before taking ’24/25 off. The 34-year-old Spaniard published a message on social media on Thursday that could be interpreted as either a hint at his retirement as a player or a signal that he isn’t done yet. “I took this year to reflect on my career and my life, and I’ve realized that if I’ve gotten to where I am today, it’s not because of the assists I’ve given, but because of the assists I’ve received,” Rubio wrote (via Twitter). “This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way.”
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies seven of his favorite “sleepers” in this year’s draft, naming UNC’s Drake Powell, Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard, Kentucky’s Koby Brea, and four others as prospects capable of outperforming their probable draft slots.
Richard Deitsch and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic dig into the NBA’s media landscape, with Marchand noting that the league’s new partners, Amazon and NBC, will be keeping an eye on players nearing the end of their respective careers who might be interested in transitioning to broadcasting. That group includes Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James, according to Marchand, who adds that Steve Kerr would qualify too if he moves on from coaching in the coming years.

NBA Announces 2024/25 All-Defensive Teams

May 22nd, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2024/25 season (Twitter links).

The teams are determined by a panel of 100 media members, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.

There were no unanimous First Team selections this year, but Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley came close, having been named to the First Team on 99 ballots (Twitter link). He was selected to the Second Team on the 100th ballot, for a total of 199 points.

The honorees are as follows, along with their point totals:

First Team

Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (199 points)
Dyson Daniels, Hawks (191)
Luguentz Dort, Thunder (180)
Draymond Green, Warriors (179)
Amen Thompson, Rockets (171)

Second Team

Ivica Zubac, Clippers (114)
Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies (107)
Jalen Williams, Thunder (79)
Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers (74)
Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves (65)

The NBA adjusted the voting rules in 2023 to allow All-Defensive ballots to be positionless. Up until that point, each team consisted of two guards, two forwards, and a center.

Despite the lack of positional requirements, this year’s teams are reasonably well balanced — while Mobley, Green, Zubac, Jackson, and Gobert all serve as defensive anchors for their respective clubs, Mobley, Green, and Jackson spend much of their time on the court playing forward rather than center.

It’s the ninth time that Green has made an All-Defensive team and the eighth time that Gobert has earned the honor. Jackson and Mobley have each been recognized multiple times too — it’s the third time Jackson has made the cut and the second time for Mobley. However, Daniels, Dort, Thompson, Zubac, Williams, and Camara have never been named All-Defensive players before this season.

Among the other players who received votes, Knicks forward OG Anunoby came closest to cracking the top 10, having been named to the First Team on two ballots and the Second Team on 45 ballots for a total of 49 points. An additional 13 players received at least one vote, but none of them had more than 18 total points.

That group of players who missed the cut includes Heat big man Bam Adebayo, whose streak of five straight All-Defensive seasons has come to an end.

Players were required to meet the criteria of the 65-game rule in order to qualify for All-Defensive consideration. The full voting results can be viewed here (Twitter link).

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Dort has earned a $500K bonus for making the First Team this season. In addition to increasing his earnings for this season, that will bump Dort’s cap hit for 2025/26 from $17,722,222 to $18,222,222, since the bonus will now be considered likely to be earned next season.

Conversely, after missing out on All-Defensive spots this season, Derrick White and Jaden McDaniels will see their cap hits for next season reduced by $250K and $431K, respectively, Marks adds (Twitter link). Those bonuses, which had been considered likely after the duo earned All-Defensive nods in 2024, won’t be earned this season, which means the Celtics and Timberwolves will each receive a tax variance credit and both bonuses will be considered unlikely for 2025/26.

Draymond Green Discusses Decision On Jonathan Kuminga, Offseason Plans

May 18th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors forward Draymond Green addressed several topics related to the team in his latest podcast, including an upcoming decision on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga (hat tip to BasketNews).

Kuminga was an impact player for Golden State early in the season, but his role diminished after the team traded for Jimmy Butler in early February. His minutes declined once he returned from an extended absence caused a severe right ankle sprain, and he was barely used in the playoffs until injuries to Butler and Stephen Curry opened up opportunities.

The fourth-year forward is only 22 and provides athleticism and physicality that the Warriors need. However, there are concerns about playing him alongside Green and Butler because none of them are accomplished three-point shooters.

Green admitted it would be a “huge financial commitment” to bring back Kuminga, who is likely to get a significant offer if he reaches the open market. He also singled out Kuminga for dealing with the uncertainty surrounding his playing time and for thanking coach Steve Kerr in his exit interview for helping him develop as a player.

“I love the way he handled it … that was such a responsible, great, well-thought answer,” Green said. “He will get paid here, or he will get paid somewhere else.”

Green talked about the team’s collection of young talent in general, also mentioning Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gui Santos and Quinten Post. He said they all made progress during the season, but acknowledged that several of them may not return.

“When I look at our young guys, they all show promise,” Green said, “… but just off sheer numbers and the way this business works, probably not all will be back.”

It was an up-and-down season for the Warriors, who started off slowly, then surged once they acquired Butler. They narrowly missed a top-six spot in the West, then defeated Memphis in the play-in tournament and Houston in the first round before being ousted by Minnesota in five games.

Green expects his team to be back in title contention next season and said he, Curry and Butler will provide input to management on possible offseason moves.

“You just got to have a conversation … what can be seen from the stands or from some numbers — it ain’t always what it seems,” he said. “We’ll be in the weeds … trying to make it all make sense. The goals will be the goals — trying to win a championship. I stand on that 100%.”

Pacific Notes: Curry, Warriors, Suns, Durant, Lakers

May 15th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Stephen Curry is excited about the prospect of running it back with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green next season after that tandem played playoff-level basketball over the final portion of the season, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.

The Warriors took Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs against the Timberwolves, but Curry was injured in that game and did not return for the rest of the series.

“Our contracts — me, Draymond, Steve, Jimmy — are all two years [more],” Curry said. “And we want this ride to last as long as possible. But it’s just about what does this team need for next year, answering those questions over the summer, everybody preparing themselves individually to get through another 82-game season hopefully with a little bit more of a comfort room down the stretch where we don’t have to have a two-month gauntlet just to make the playoffs.”

Regardless of what direction the team takes this offseason, Green believes Golden State got the hardest part of the team-building process over by acquiring Butler

“It’s harder to get guys like that through trades, through free agency,” Green said. “It just doesn’t come up often. That part is done. It puts us in a much better situation going into this offseason than last year where we were kind of looking for that.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

This offseason is a pivotal one for the Suns. After they hire their next head coach, it seems likely they’ll explore the trade market for Kevin Durant, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes in his offseason preview. Smith opines that the team should at least look into fully resetting but is more likely to try to retool around Devin Booker. Any Durant trade should return multiple rotation players on smaller salaries, and potentially draft assets to replenish a depleted collection of future picks. A smaller decision worth monitoring is what the team does with Vasilije Micic‘s $8.1MM team option. Exercising that would give the team another decent salary to include in trades, Smith notes, but declining it could create significant tax savings.
Durant won the Professional Basketball Writers Association’s Magic Johnson Award for 2024/25, per a press release. The award honors a player who best combines on-court skill with grace in dealing with media and fans. Durant also won the award in 2010/11. “We’re really pleased to honor KD again,” said PBWA president Howard Beck. “Kevin has long been one of the NBA’s most thoughtful and accessible stars. He always makes time for reporters, whether for on-the-record interviews or just informal chit-chat, and he never shies away from any topic.“
The Lakers‘ priority this offseason — outside of keeping LeBron James and extending Luka Doncic — will be to add size and athleticism around their two superstars. Jovan Buha of The Athletic explores how Los Angeles could improve its roster. If Dorian Finney-Smith opts into his $15.4MM player option, the Lakers would have four sizable expiring deals that they could potentially use in trades, in Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura‘s ($18.3MM), Maxi Kleber ($11.0MM) and Gabe Vincent ($11.5MM).

Warriors Notes: Curry, Butler, Green, Kuminga, Podziemski

May 15th, 2025 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday, falling to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of their second-round series. After taking Game 1, Golden State was without Stephen Curry for all four of its losses in the Western Conference semifinals. Would the outcome of the series have been different if Curry hadn’t been sidelined by a strained hamstring?

“I am pretty positive that if we had Steph, we’d have won this series,” team owner Joe Lacob told Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic after the game.

“I don’t even have to think what (if),” head coach Steve Kerr said when asked whether he’ll wonder what the Warriors could have done with a healthy Curry (story via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). “I know we had a shot. I know we could have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn’t have, but it doesn’t matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot. Are you playing well at the right time?”

As Slater and Thompson note, the sentiment expressed by Lacob in particular is notable, since it suggests the Warriors believe in this group and don’t intend to seriously shake up the roster. Team sources tell The Athletic that the conversations within the front office entering the summer have been about how best to complement Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, not about trying to acquire another star.

“On the surface, that’s why (Butler) signed for two more years — our belief we can make it work,” Curry said. “And we’ve proven that the last three months. Just gotta figure out what is going to get us to the next level as a whole. One guy can’t win it. Two guys can’t win it. It’s gotta be a team.”

The plan is for Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. to return as well, per Slater and Thompson, who write that Warriors ownership remains fully confident in its coaching staff and front office.

“I have a great coach and I have a great GM,” Lacob told The Athletic. “I have no problems with anything in respect to them. Mike made a fantastic trade (for Butler). Before we made that trade, we were one game under .500 and it didn’t look like we were going anywhere.

“We won a first-round series against a very good up-and-coming team with a lot of athleticism and size. I thought it was a hell of a win. Got us pretty tired probably for this series, and maybe that was just too much to overcome. In that first game (against Minnesota), Steph looked like he was going to cook, right? But what are we going to do? Stuff happens.”

For his part, Kerr also expressed enthusiasm about the Warriors going forward: “I’m excited. We’ve got Jimmy and Dray and Steph all coming back. Our young players performed really well. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

Here’s more on Golden State:

Lacob remains one of Jonathan Kuminga‘s biggest fans, according to Slater and Thompson, who say it’s “nearly impossible” to believe the Warriors owner would let the restricted free agent forward sign an offer sheet with another team and leave for nothing this summer. A new deal for Kuminga and the Warriors is still on the table, sources tell The Athletic, though both sides are also expected to consider sign-and-trade scenarios.
“There are certainly things he has to improve on, but he’s 22 years old,” Lacob said of Kuminga. “He’s got a hell of a lot of potential, and I would think he would be a part of our future plans. Now we’ll have to see how the market all shakes out. We have a lot of evaluating to do. Not me necessarily. But everybody — from coaching staff to basketball operations. We’ll kind of sit around and talk about how we want to construct the team for next year and what the situation is with respect to him.”
The Warriors’ decision to resist trade offers for Brandin Podziemski last offseason wasn’t unanimous within the organization, per Slater and Thompson. Some of the people who were in favor of gauging Podziemski’s market believe the team needs “more of a Jordan Poole-type play-maker,” The Athletic’s duo says. The front office also believes Golden State needs more positional size at multiple spots, Slater and Thompson add.
Green said after the Game 5 loss that he’s “100 percent” confident the Warriors’ young players are capable of taking “the next step,” writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Lacob also said he thinks Golden State’s younger contributors can take “yet another leap” and defended them from online criticism. “I get very upset when I read all this crap on the internet, these comments by people, you know, ‘This guy’s crap. That guy’s crap. The drafts were terrible.’ Bull—t!” the Warriors’ owner told The Athletic. “Our drafts were not bad at all. These guys are very young. They’ve had to fit into a very difficult situation with experienced players. It’s not like they can just go out and put up numbers. So I think we’ve drafted very well. We’ve got some good young players.”
ESPN’s Bobby Marks and HoopsHype’s Mark Deeks have published their Warriors offseason previews, looking ahead to how the team might handle Kuminga’s restricted free agency, as well as making note of other veteran free agents, like Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II.

Draymond Green Fined $50K By NBA

May 14th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $50K by the NBA for making an “inappropriate comment that questions the integrity of game officials,” the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

As Shams Charania of ESPN tweets, the fine is believed to be a response to a moment that occurred late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and was captured on ESPN’s broadcast (YouTube link via The Pat McAfee Show).

While his sideline remarks couldn’t be heard on the broadcast, Green appeared to be telling his teammates that the Timberwolves were favored by 5.5 coming into the game and saying, “I know what they’re doing,” referring to the game’s officials. Golden State trailed by eight points at the time before hitting a three-pointer to make the final score 102-97.

The NBA, which doesn’t take kindly to any implication from its players that its referees are attempted to influence the outcome of games for gambling purposes, presumably concluded that’s what Green was doing here.

Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Rudy Gobert are among the players who have been fined in recent seasons for rubbing their fingers together in a “money” gesture aimed at referees.