MINNEAPOLIS — At time of this reading, Jaden McDaniels sits atop the Wolves depth chart at power forward.

Now he needs to play like a top forward.

This is following the trades of Julius Randle on Monday and Naz Reid on Thursday. Two moves that sent separate lightning strikes through the Wolves fan base that, combined, has led to a starting ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — There’s a downside to the championship-or-bust mentality that permeates this city. The further one looks into the future, the less visceral the present becomes. One of the local radio stations posted a poll the other day. It asked Phillies fans if they were enjoying the team’s current run of success, or if they were waiting ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon grew up on opposite sides of the globe.

One was raised amid the rolling farmland of rural Pennsylvania. The other came of age along Australia’s sun-soaked west coast.

Neither could have imagined a basketball-obsessed teenager half a world away would one day become his closest friend.

When ...Read more

The WNBA announced Thursday that Alyssa Thomas has been suspended for one game after reviewing the now-viral moment that involved the Phoenix Mercury forward's fist making contact with Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's throat after landing on her during a recent game.

The league's action came the day after the Mercury's 111-109 victory against...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Sigh.

The hated Heat have done it again.

Yes, the Miami Heat have managed to once again overshadow the Orlando Magic.

It’s no secret the the NBA has always felt a little different in Florida. Two franchises entered the league within a year of each other, both trying to carve out an identity in a transient state better ...Read more

CHICAGO — Caleb Wilson took less than three days before he threw down the gauntlet.

He needed just enough time to finish celebrating his selection by the Bulls with the No. 4 pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft in New York, to pack up his family for a flight to Chicago and to tour his new digs on Madison Street.

By the time Wilson sat down ...Read more

The day before the 2026 NBA draft, Labaron Philon Jr., recalled the “special moment” when he told his Alabama team that he would return for his sophomore season.

His Crimson Tide teammates and coaches wanted him back, of course. And Philon “put my career in their hands,” he said, “and really trusted they were going to get me better ...Read more

The Knicks may have had a modest start to the 2026 NBA offseason, but that’s not stopping the rest of the league from shifting around the newfound champions in an attempt to make a title run of their own.

Against a mandate from ownership not to go above the $220 million second apron, the Knicks re-signed rising sophomore forward Mohamed ...Read more

Knicks owner James Dolan boasted triumphantly that the Knicks will go to the White House to celebrate their NBA championship win with Queens native President Donald Trump. But the championship series most valuable player indicated that visit is no slam dunk.

“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted,” Dolan ...Read more

LaMelo Ball is officially on the move.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Sources told The Observer earlier Thursday morning that multiple teams — including the Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors — were in the mix to acquire Ball, the Hornets’ polarizing but undeniably popular star point guard.

The Observer also ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — An NBA team hiring a head coach who has no prior pro experience has historically gone as well as your average juice cleanse.

Sounds great, until shortly after starting the ambitious venture the person realizes, “Why did I do this? This is a terrible idea.”

The Dallas Mavericks hiring University of Michigan head coach ...Read more

DENVER — Derrick White is everything that is right about our state.

Late bloomer to Hall of Famer at Legend High School, first-ever All-American at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CU star, NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist.

We don’t deserve him. But Tad Boyle does. And so does CU hoops.

Wednesday, in a packed press ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Darryn Peterson walked down an aisle at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a camera following his every step, when the national broadcast surmised that he must be ticked.

Peterson is officially No. 2.

Or another way to frame it: He’s officially not No. 1.

Peterson’s turbulent freshman season at Kansas likely cost him ...Read more

NEW YORK — A new face is headed to Madison Square Garden.

The salary cap-strapped Knicks cut costs by moving off of pick No. 24 of the first round of the 2026 NBA draft. They then traded pick No. 31, the first pick of the second round, to the Houston Rockets for picks Nos. 39, 53 and a 2029 second-round pick.

At 39, the Knicks selected Jack ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls made a pair of trades Wednesday on the second night of the NBA draft to move off both of their second-round picks.

Before Day 2 of the draft began, the Bulls traded the No. 56 pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash considerations. The Bulls later struck a deal to select Purdue guard Braden Smith with the No. 38 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Clippers chose Spanish forward Baba Miller with the 36th overall selection in the NBA draft Wednesday at Barclays Center.

Miller came through Real Madrid's famous youth academy before playing at Florida State, Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati. As a senior at Cincinnati, the 6-11, 208-pound Miller averaged 13 points, 10.3 ...Read more

MIAMI — With just one bite at the apple in the 2026 NBA draft, the Miami Heat used their lone pick in the process by emerging with Louisville guard Ryan Conwell in the second round of Wednesday night’s draft.

Scheduled to select at No. 41 entering the night, the Heat instead traded with the Oklahoma City Thunder to land Conwell at No. 37, ...Read more

The Atlanta Hawks, via trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, chose UNC center Henri Veesaar with the No. 52 selection of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.

Veesaar — who played his redshirt junior season at UNC after three years with Arizona — averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds in 31 games last year.

Many mock drafts had Veesaar going in ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons traded center Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night during the second round of the 2026 NBA draft. ESPN was the first to report the trade.

As part of the deal, the Pistons acquired three future second-round picks from the Grizzlies. A source familiar with the transaction later confirmed the ...Read more