Brian Windhorst: James Harden, LeBron James likely staying with their teams

Lou Williams: I can see the Clippers making a play for a premier point guard. I know they’ve been in the market for one. They’ve been trying to figure out what they’re going to do at that position. And that’s one of the things that’s going to help them. You know, if you can slide James Harden back over to the two, and kind of give them that balance—put him in a position to start being a scoring guard again, as opposed to the facilitator he’s turned into with the Clippers—that may help them. On the other side of it, with Charlotte, if they draft another point guard, they’re showing you their hand. They’re showing you that they’re possibly going to move in a different direction, depending on where they draft that point guard in this draft. So I can see the Clippers making a play for LaMelo Ball—and him being able to go home and do something special at the crib.” -via YouTube / May 26, 2025

Be advised, though, that some rival teams expect the Clippers to be a team to watch in the trade market this summer once they get the Harden situation settled. LA indeed has some tradeable contracts on its books after deciding to let George go without compensation and replacing him with multiple free agents on short-term deals. -via marcstein.substack.com / May 24, 2025

What links Irving and Harden in 2025: The two thirtysomething stars sit atop this summer’s anticipated list of free agent point guards, both hold contracts that contain a player option for next season and they are simultaneously seeking longer-term arrangements with their respective teams. More than one well-placed observer has noted that the former’s eventual new contract with the Mavericks could even serve as a barometer that helps establish the ballpark for what Harden ultimately banks from the Clippers in a new deal. -via marcstein.substack.com / May 24, 2025

Unlike that 2012 team, which was thought to have a fighting chance against LeBron James and the Miami Heat, this group will be a heavy favorite over either the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks, which are battling it out in the Eastern Conference finals. Either way, this OKC team has validated a 68-win regular season. And despite questions to the contrary in some quarters, they proved who they were all season. “I thought the mental toughness displayed by the team was great,” Daigneault said. “With the opportunity to close the series out, it’s easy to drift ahead, obviously with a 3-1 lead. But we didn’t do that at all. We just played the next possession and did a great job to stack them up.” -via New York Times / May 29, 2025

Todd Whitehead: Most win probability added by clutch shooting during a single postseason, since 1997. According to the incomparable @inpredict -via Twitter @CrumpledJumper / May 29, 2025

DeMar DeRozan on LeBron James: I told somebody this the other day, right? Like when they was playing in a series, they was talking about ‘Bron can’t get it done’, about beating them and all this. And I remember telling group of people, I said, “Most these motherf*ckers wouldn’t stand a chance versus a 2016 Bron. People forget the man been doing this 22 years, man.” Like something we never seen in no sport, to be able to dominate as long as he has. You see what I’m saying? The standard that he’s been held to at a 40 year old is insane. A 40-year-old man, you feel me? He got to carry everything. Everything. You know what I mean? To still do that at that level… I’m pretty sure 99% of people in the league will not be doing none of that at 40 years of age, hooping at that high of a level. You know what I mean? So like it’s always easy to pick on greatness when you haven’t seen it to that level before. -via YouTube / May 29, 2025