Former lottery pick Devin Carter, who’s currently signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, made a strong first impression with his new team. The 24-year-old guard scored 15 points in the first half and finished with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and was plus-22 in 25 minutes, though he did commit five turnovers.

Robb believes Carter is “in the driver’s seat” for Boston’s two-way opening after his strong performance, which saw him attacking the basket on drives and applying ball pressure on defense.

We have more from around the Atlantic Division:

• LeBron James’ elite passing and vision was on full display in his Sixers preseason debut, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. The 41-year-old forward contributed 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in 18 minutes, and Neubeck thinks James could average 10 assists per game this season with so many talented scorers around him. Joel Embiid’s preseason debut was less encouraging, as he had seven turnovers in the first half alone (eight overall), but Neubeck notes that the oft-injured star big man has a history of slow starts.
• Which Raptors player will benefit most from Kawhi Leonard’s presence on the team? Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca posed that question to 10 members of Toronto’s coaching staff and front office, and Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja’Kobe Walter finished in a three-way tie with three votes apiece. “How to get to where he’s at – that’s the biggest thing I’m really focused on,” Murray-Boyles told TSN. “Obviously, how to win also. He’s a winner. He’s a proven winner. So, literally just what it takes to get to his position. Obviously, I see the amount of work that he puts in. He’s working out like he’s just getting into the league, and he’s 35. He’s already proven everything. He has nothing else to prove. So, just trying to pick his brain on his mentality, what keeps him going still, and trying to be as much of a sponge as possible to all the knowledge that he has.”
• The fourth Raptors player to receive a vote in the poll was RJ Barrett, whose future with the team appears murky after Leonard’s acquisition, Lewenberg writes. Barrett is extension-eligible, but Lewenberg hears from sources that the there’s been “little traction” in those contract talks. Lewenberg clarifies that the two sides do have mutual interest in a new deal, but Barrett is in the final year of his contract and extending him after giving Leonard a lucrative new deal could make the 2027/28 roster prohibitively expensive. Still, Barrett showed last season that he’s capable of playing a complementary or a leading role on offense, which will be important going forward, given that Leonard has played fewer than 65 games in seven of the last nine seasons. The coach who voted for Barrett noted that he’s still improving and could take additional strides if he develops a post game like Leonard’s.

All five players are/were on Exhibit 10 contracts and could eventually be headed to the Sioux Falls Skyforce to earn a bonus for playing for Miami’s G League team.

Smith’s agreement with Miami was previously reported. However, it appears the seven-year NBA veteran won’t get a tryout with the Heat, Chiang notes.

Madsen, a 6’6″ wing who went undrafted last year out of Utah, was a rotation regular for the Skyforce last season, averaging 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals on .452/.387/.741 shooting in 50 games (28.4 MPG).

Kelley, a shot-blocking center who spent time with the Mavericks and Pelicans during the 2024/25 campaign, went undrafted in 2020 and bounced around for the next several years, playing in the G League, Denmark, England, and non-NBA leagues in Canada and the U.S. He played in the NBAGL and in the Philippines last season.

Both Madsen and Kelley are expected to attend Friday’s practice, Chiang adds.

The Nets have also made an addition to their preseason roster, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post, having officially signed Dion Brown.

Lewis reported back in June, shortly after Brown went undrafted, that the 6’3″ guard would sign an Exhibit 10 deal with Brooklyn. As a senior for Saint Louis last season, Brown averaged 11.3 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 23.7 MPG as a full-time starter. He previously attended UMBC and Boston College prior to finishing out his college career with the Billikens.

Peyton Watson (Cavaliers), Tobias Harris (Spurs), Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) and Cason Wallace (Thunder) are among the other players who could play critical roles their teams’ success, according to Hollinger.

We have more from around the basketball world:

• What is the most pressing need for each of the NBA’s 30 teams? Ben Golliver of ESPN considers that question, writing that backup center is the biggest current roster hole for the defending champion Knicks. The Wizards, who finished last season with the worst record in the league, don’t have a specific roster hole but rather need to discover a “winning mentality,” as Golliver puts it.
• After the NBA and FIBA released a joint statement on Thursday confirming that they still intend to move forward with their plans for NBA Europe, whether or not they have a deal in place with the EuroLeague, the NBA’s managing director for Europe and the Middle East criticized the EuroLeague’s structure, per Amelie Claydon and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “There’s cases where a team has won their domestic league, let’s say Spain, and they will never play the EuroLeague,” George Aivazoglou said at the Leaders Week London conference. “There are other cases where sometimes teams play in the EuroLeague, but they have been relegated in their domestic leagues.” Aivazoglou added the goal with NBA Europe is to not only to “retain hardcore European basketball fans” but to attract global interest in European basketball.
• Isaiah Hartenstein’s contract with the Thunder was the first deal with a mutual option — where both the player and the team have the ability to opt in (or out) — in 25 years, ESPN’s Bobby Marks previously noted. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) takes a closer look at why the mutual option emerged from relative obscurity and back into contracts after three other players received the clause in their deals this offseason. According to Fischer, multiple agents said they plan to pursue mutual options in the future if they’re unable to land player options for their clients.

A Bronx native who started his college career playing juco ball in Pennsylvania, Wague had relatively modest roles with West Virginia, Alabama and Oklahoma from 2022-25. However, the 6’10” forward/center was a full-time starter for the Sooners as a senior last season, averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22.4 minutes per game.

Wague went undrafted in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.

While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Wague almost certainly signed a non-guaranteed contract featuring Exhibit 10 language. If Wague is waived before the season begins, he’ll become eligible for a bonus worth up to $91K if he spends at least 60 days with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate.

Utah had an opening on its 21-man preseason roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to sign Wague.

According to the Hornets, both players are considered day-to-day going forward.

Miller, who’s in his fourth year in the NBA, is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 19. Anderson, meanwhile, is entering his rookie season after being selected 18th overall in June’s draft.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

• While Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said it was “doubtful” that he would continue to utilize his rotation regulars for the entire preseason, he said that group — including starters Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo — will continue to receive minutes in Thursday’s contest vs. New Orleans, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Heat are still integrating Thompson, Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr. into the team, Winderman notes. “I commend the group, especially the new guys, for being open-minded,” Spoelstra said. “Things might be a little bit different, but it’s not as different as people make it sound to be. They have enough things that are what they’re used to. We have to move quickly. It helps having veteran players pick up things pretty fast.”
• The Heat’s intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday was particularly meaningful for rookie guard Ryan Conwell, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Proceeds from the event went to cancer care and research, and Conwell was introduced alongside his mother, Daune, who previously battled breast cancer but is now cancer-free. “That was one of the most special moments of my life,” Conwell said of honoring his mother’s fight against cancer. “I kind of wish I would have embraced it more, but I was just more focused on the scrimmage. But she’s just the strongest woman that I’ve ever seen.”
• Magic two-way players Alex Morales and Colin Castleton spent most of the summer in the practice facility, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, and both players have made positive first impressions on head coach Sean Sweeney. “They’ve done a great job with their energy each and every day,” Sweeney said about Morales and Castleton. “Both those guys have a dirty work mentality where they’re really trying to do the little things that help a team win, maybe some of those invisible plays that don’t necessarily show up in the box score. We’ve seen them put a lot of time and effort into developing on the things that we’ve asked them to get better at. It’s been great to have them at practice each day and they’ve each shown signs of improvement.”

“I think the production that I have night in and night out is best-player-in-the-NBA production,” he said. “I think the efficiency that I do it at is best-player-in-the-NBA efficiency. I think everybody picks up a basketball or a soccer ball or a football or a tennis ball to win the game, the match, whatever it is. And I’ve done my fair share of winning in these past couple years.”

Within Gregory’s feature story, the Canadian guard credited Chris Paul as being influential in his ascent to stardom. Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul were teammates in SGA’s first season in Oklahoma City (2019/20).

“I used to eat terrible,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who strongly believes that Canadian McDonald’s is better than American McDonald’s, thank you very much. “The seriousness that he approached the things outside of the game, his diet, the weight room, recovery, everything that he did ticked towards his performance. That was pretty eye-opening to me.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• Gilgeous-Alexander, who has made the All-NBA first team each of the past four seasons, has purchased a minority stake in the LaLiga soccer (football) club Atlético Madrid, per a team press release. “I’m excited to officially join Atlético Madrid’s ownership group,” the Thunder guard said. “This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future.” As Alex Kirkland of ESPN notes, the US-based fund Apollo Global Management has been the majority owner in Atlético Madrid since 2025.
• After re-signing with the Timberwolves on a five-year, $112MM contract, Ayo Dosunmu has been helping to set the tone for the team during the offseason, training camp and the preseason by becoming a leader and challenging Anthony Edwards, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Now, I feel like I’m established in terms of being in the organization, understanding the offense and defense so now I can be more vocal,” Dosunmu said. “I just want to do whatever it takes to help the team win. I want to do whatever it takes vocally, stepping up as a leader, holding each other accountable.”
• There have been rumblings that new Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon is using the threat of relocating to maximize the team’s leverage in negotiations with the city of Portland about renovating the Moda Center. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who spent one season with the team near the end of his playing career, said it would be a “tragedy” if the Blazers were to ever leave Portland, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic.  “I mean, Seattle was a tragedy. I would hope we have learned as a league since the Seattle debacle just how important franchises are, not only to communities but also the history of the league,” Kerr said.

Wilson, who was the fourth pick in June’s draft, shot 6-of-15 from the field, including missing all four of his three-point attempts, and had three rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in 29 minutes. He picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter and was hounded all night by veteran forward Dillon Brooks, Poe notes.

Even though Wilson struggled at times during that individual matchup, he enjoyed facing off against Brooks, and said he initiated some trash talk by bringing up a recent interaction the 30-year-old wing had with John Collins.

“It was fun, honestly,” Wilson said. “I made some mistakes but I expected to make them. But that was fun, I ain’t gonna lie. For that to be my first NBA opponent, it was cool.

“I learned a lot, learned how to be more active and ready off the ball. … You can learn a lot from that and I’ll watch the film and get better.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

• With backup point guard Tre Jones sidelined due to a hip injury — he’s considered day-to-day and head coach Tiago Splitter is hopeful he’ll be ready for the October 21 regular season opener, Poe writes — Chicago was short on ball-handlers. That led to No. 15 overall pick Dailyn Swain having more on-ball opportunities. After committing a pair of early turnovers and struggling in the first half, the rookie settled down and had a solid night, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. “I just had to stop playing with the ball in the backcourt, just make one move and go,” said Swain, who posted 10 points and six assists without missing a shot in 22 minutes. “I didn’t want to break up the play at first, but if I have the advantage, then I just got to take it.”
• Injuries to big men Nic Claxton (hamstring) and Zach Collins (quadriceps) led to Jalen Smith getting the start at center, with two-way rookie Tobe Awaka acting as the backup. Although Awaka is short for a big man (6’8″), his impact was immediately felt on the boards, as he finished with 14 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) and 11 rebounds (six offensive) in 21 minutes. “It’s a combination of strength and will and power,” Splitter said, according to Lorenzi. “That guy is going to get every rebound.”
• As Poe observes, despite the frontcourt injuries, Patrick Williams didn’t see the court until midway through the third quarter and appears to be buried on the depth chart behind starters Wilson and Matas Buzelis and reserves such as Awaka, Leonard Miller and Noa Essengue. Williams, who’s now in his seventh season, is owed $54MM over the next three years, including an $18MM player option for 2028/29.
• Although he’s obviously disappointed that Claxton tweaked his hamstring, Splitter is optimistic about how the former Nets center will complement the roster when he returns, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes. “I think he’s a great fit,” Splitter said. “I think he can run the court, I think he can protect the rim. His production wasn’t as good as maybe two, three years ago last year. We believe there is a reason behind it, and we just want to have the best Nic we can have.” According to Cowley, there’s a chance Collins could return from his quad injury “very soon.”

“We will have a limited roster,” May said on Thursday. “Even with Kyrie, he is going to play one game here. We still haven’t decided which one. Based on how his body feels, especially with the jet lag and things like that. It’s still inconclusive at this time. We are working on different lineup combinations. But as of now, we are still not sure.”

When Irving first tore his ACL in March 2025, there was a belief that he might make it back during the second half of the 2025/26 season. But with the Mavericks well out of playoff contention, there was no need to bring him back down the stretch, so he and the team decided to postpone his return to the fall.

Irving revealed on Thursday that there was another reason why his recovery period was extended, telling reporters that he suffered a Grade 2 calf strain last December. The veteran guard was unable to move forward in his rehab process for roughly eight weeks as a result of that injury.

“It pushed my timeline back even more,” Irving said, per Clark. “I had to take my time to heal.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

• Grizzlies head coach Tumoas Iisalo conceded that Zach Edey was “very rusty” on Wednesday in his first game action since December 2025, but just having the third-year center back on the floor after ankle issues limited him to 11 appearances last season was a big win for the organization, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “What it’s been, like nine months?” Edey said after the game. “I was ready to go. … I felt good moving around. I felt good laterally and jumping. My timing might have been a little bit off. My wind wasn’t fully there, but I felt good moving for sure.”
• Ime Udoka’s stint as the Rockets’ head coach has clearly been a success so far. After going 59-177 in the three years before his arrival, Houston has posted a 145-101 record under Udoka. Still, the fourth-year coach is approaching a common crossroads, according to William Guillory of The Athletic, who suggests that the organization will have to determine during the next year or two whether Udoka is the right man to help the Rockets take the next step in the postseason. It’s too soon to say that 2026/27 is a do-or-die season for Udoka, Guillory writes, but Houston will want to see forward progress on the heels of back-to-back first-round playoff exits.
• Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) takes a look at what shooting coach Chip Engelland, who is working with center Alperen Sengun and guard Amen Thompson, has brought to the Rockets. As Shankar notes, Udoka worked with Engelland in San Antonio and has said the veteran assistant “really breaks [shooting] down to a science” and has “a special eye for it.”

“I don’t know,” Bridges said. “I’m not sure about that. Can just say that I’m appreciative of fans. If I see them when I’m walking my dog or something like that, just a lot of nice things to say. That’s foremost, kind of more like a human on human interaction, just very nice and grateful to be in this position. I don’t need to feel like there’s validation and there’s like, ‘OK, now he can…’ No, I hold myself accountable at all times.”

According to Bridges, even before winning a title last season, he held no ill will toward the critics who questioned whether the Knicks should have given up such a significant trade package to get him. He insists that the scrutiny, and the pressure that came with it, helped motivate him.

“That’s the thing that I do love about this organization and the fans, even though some might be a little more crazy than others, they want the best out of you,” he said. “I never take that for granted. I talk to myself a lot when I go through a lot of things and I got people that help me as well, but that’s one thing that I do take from it, is that they get the best out of me. When I’m struggling and I know I gotta be better, I can’t hide from it sometimes — even though I know internally, the people let me know as well. As much as you get frustrated about it, the only thing it does is drive me and I continue to try and get better. I’m always appreciative of it.”

We have more on the Knicks:

• Knicks coach Mike Brown didn’t like what he saw at Wednesday’s practice and issued a stern warning to the team’s bench players, according to Schwartz. “I specifically went down the line talking about Jalen [Brunson], Mikal, OG [Anunoby], KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] and Josh [Hart],” Brown told reporters. “I said, ‘Those five, they’re gonna play. If they do something wrong, I’m gonna get on them and we’re gonna figure it out, but they’re still gonna play.’ I said, ‘Everybody else in this gym, you’re fighting. You’re fighting either to make the team or you’re fighting for minutes.’ I said, ‘Look around. This is not just because we won last year. This has nothing to do with last year’s team. Those five guys are the same. But everybody — this is a new year, a new team. We gotta look forward. Every day, it’s a competition.'”
• Within a subscriber-only story about what he’s learned about the Knicks at training camp, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post expresses confidence that the team will ultimately keep as a center as its 14th man, meaning the battle for that final roster spot figures to come down to James Wiseman vs. Tony Bradley vs. Drew Eubanks — unless the front office makes a trade to open up more room below the second tax apron.
• James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic are also counting on one of those three centers to become the Knicks’ 14th man, but they disagree on which one is the frontrunner. Katz gives Eubanks the early edge, while Edwards thinks either Wiseman or Bradley will make the team. The Athletic’s duo also picked potential X-factors for the season, with Edwards singling out veteran wing Landry Shamet and Katz choosing reserve point guard Tyler Kolek.
• Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson is looking forward to facing former Knick Mitchell Robinson and the Celtics in Boston on October 23. Besides getting to see his old friend, Clarkson is eager to get the best of Robinson on the court, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. “I hope he does great things in Boston,” Clarkson said on Wednesday. “But when we see him, we’ve gotta whoop his ass. But that’s my dog, man. I love that dude forever.”

When a player signs a maximum-salary contract, he doesn’t necessarily earn the NBA max for each season of that contract — he earns the max in year one, then gets a series of identical annual raises. In Curry’s case, his 2026/27 salary actually exceeds this year’s maximum, since the annual cap increases since he began earning the max haven’t kept pace with his annual 8% raises.

Heading into the 2026/27 season, Curry once again heads up the list of the NBA’s top 50 highest-paid players, as outlined below.

The players on this list don’t necessarily have the contracts with the largest overall value. This top 50 only considers the current league year, with the player’s ’26/27 base salary listed. Additionally, we’ve noted which players could potentially increase their earnings via incentives.

Twenty-five of 30 teams are represented below, with only the Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Grizzlies, and Bucks not carrying at least one player who is among the league’s top 50 highest paid.

Here are the NBA’s 50 highest-paid players for the 2026/27 season:

1. Stephen Curry, Warriors: $62,587,158
2. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: $59,033,114
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Heat: $58,456,566
   Anthony Davis, Wizards: $58,456,566
   Jayson Tatum, Celtics: $58,456,566
6. Joel Embiid, Sixers: $57,985,752
7. Jaylen Brown, Sixers: $57,736,350
8. Devin Booker, Suns: $57,078,728
   Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks: $57,078,728
10. Jimmy Butler, Warriors: $56,832,773
11. Paul George, Celtics: $54,126,380
12. Kawhi Leonard, Raptors: $50,300,000
13. Cade Cunningham, Pistons: $50,105,628
    Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers: $50,105,628
    Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: $50,105,628
    Jamal Murray, Nuggets: $50,105,628
17. Bam Adebayo, Heat: $49,488,300
    Luka Doncic, Lakers: $49,488,300
    De’Aaron Fox, Spurs: $49,488,300
    Trae Young, Wizards: $49,488,300
21. Jaren Jackson Jr., Jazz: $49,000,000
22. Zach LaVine, Kings: $48,967,380
23. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: $48,924,624
    Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers: $48,924,624
    Pascal Siakam, Pacers: $48,924,624
26. Lauri Markkanen, Jazz: $46,113,154
27. Domantas Sabonis, Kings: $45,472,000
    • Sabonis can earn another $2,600,000 in unlikely incentives.
28. Kevin Durant, Rockets: $43,902,439
29. OG Anunoby, Knicks: $42,500,000
30. Darius Garland, Clippers: $42,166,510
    Ja Morant, Trail Blazers: $42,166,510
    Zion Williamson, Pelicans: $42,166,510
33. Scottie Barnes, Raptors: $41,754,690
    Franz Wagner, Magic: $41,754,690
35. Paolo Banchero, Magic: $41,240,250
    Chet Holmgren, Thunder: $41,240,250
    Austin Reaves, Lakers: $41,240,250
    Jalen Williams, Thunder: $41,240,250
39. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: $40,806,150
    Michael Porter Jr., Nets: $40,806,150
41. LaMelo Ball, Timberwolves: $40,770,520
    Tyrese Maxey, Sixers: $40,770,520
43. Jalen Duren, Pistons: $40,160,643
44. Brandon Ingram, Clippers: $40,000,000
45. Kyrie Irving, Mavericks: $39,491,282
46. Desmond Bane, Magic: $39,446,090
    • Bane can earn another $1,324,430 in unlikely incentives.
47. Jalen Brunson, Knicks: $37,739,521
48. Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves: $36,500,000
49. Jalen Green, Suns: $36,251,166
50. Alperen Sengun, Rockets: $35,642,202

For the first time in NBA history, a base salary above $35MM is required to earn a spot on the league’s list of the top 50 highest-paid players. Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, who is earning $34.8MM in 2026/27, didn’t quite make the cut, coming in at No. 51.

It’s also worth mentioning Pelicans guard Jordan Poole, whose $34,044,642 base salary ranks 53rd among players for ’26/27. Poole’s deal includes another $4.25MM in unlikely incentives, so if he meets certain criteria and earns some or all of those bonuses, he could end up bumping Sengun off the top-50 list before the end of the season.

That’s pretty unlikely, however, as several of Poole’s bonuses are tied to end-of-season awards such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA, and All-Defense. It would be a major surprise if the veteran guards is in the mix for any of those honors this season.

While many of the names on this top-50 list are the same as the ones from last season, two notable veterans are missing after accepting pay cuts this offseason: LeBron James, who signed a minimum-salary contract with the Sixers after making $52,627,153 with the Lakers in 2025/26, and James Harden.

“The most important thing is that the Dallas Mavericks are going to stay in the city of Dallas,” Dumont said. “That is our goal. That is what we want to have happen. But we just need a new home. We need a home for the next 40 years that can really represent our city. Be Texas big. And have the ability to show our fans the top level of experience that we can have at an NBA-only arena.”

As the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, Dumont has an extensive background operating resorts and casinos, so there has long been an expectation that he wants Texas lawmakers to relax the state’s gambling laws so he build a casino-resort destination alongside the Mavs’ new arena. However, he says that’s not the plan, even if the laws related to gambling change in the coming years.

“I think a lot of people think, ‘Gee, if you build a home for the Mavs, won’t you build a casino next to it?'” Dumont told Clark. “The answer is, ‘No.’ To build what we want to build, there is not enough space. They won’t fit. And they are on a different timeline anyway. … I said many years back, it was my dream to do both next to each other. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the timing or the available real estate in the area we want to be in makes it possible. We are going to have to think about the two separately, which is OK.”

Here are a few more highlights from Dumont’s conversation with Clark:

• Dumont indicated he has complete confidence in Masai Ujiri’s vision for the franchise, telling Clark that the two men hold “shared values” related to morality, hard work, and accountability. Explaining why he gave Ujiri the go-ahead to replace Mavs coach Jason Kidd, who was extended in 2025 and still had four years left on his contract, Dumont replied, “I support what Masai wants to do. I believe that’s really important. There is no daylight between us.”
• Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban has spoken about regretting who he sold the team to, and took legal action in July against the Dumont and Adelson families before dropping the suit in August. However, Dumont took the high road in his interview with The Athletic, telling Clark that he considers Cuban a “great family friend” despite that recent history. “He is the most passionate Mavs fan I’ve ever met,” Dumont said. “I hope we can do him proud.” Dumont, who has the ability to buy up to 20% of Cuban’s remaining 27% stake in the Mavs before the end of 2027, confirmed that his group plans to take that route and increase its ownership stake.
• Describing himself as a “patient” person, Dumont said he’s looking forward to assessing the Mavericks’ roster during the coming season and implied that he isn’t in any rush to trade veterans like Kyrie Irving in order to build around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. “I believe in building things over time,” he said. “That’s how you make them resilient, and that’s how you make them durable. I’m very excited for the future of this team. You have Cooper. You have Kyrie. We have a bunch of young players who are aggressive and motivated. They want to win.”

“It’s the first game, but just got to slow down,” Haliburton said. “There was just a lot of adrenaline. I was hyped to be out there, excited, but I just got to slow down a little bit.”

While it was an important milestone in the recovery process for Haliburton, who had seven points, six assists, and a pair of blocks in 16 minutes of action, the game was special to him for another reason. It was played at the 26-year-old’s alma mater, Iowa State, and he bought out the student section at both ends of the arena, making those tickets available to students on a first come, first serve basis, Collier notes.

“It’s the loudest preseason game I’ve ever been a part of,” Haliburton said. “But had a lot of fun, a lot of special memories I’ve made here and that just adds to it.”

We have more from around the Central:

• Sharing his takeaways from the Pacers’ preseason opener, Tony East of Circle City Spin observes that Obi Toppin was acting as the team’s small-ball center in the first half and playing alongside forwards Pascal Siakam and Jarace Walker. Backup center Jay Huff ultimately saw 17 minutes of action in the second half, but he wasn’t part of the rotation in the “competitive portion” of the game, which East considers noteworthy.
• Bucks general manager Jon Horst tells Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the team is open to engaging in contract extension negotiations with new players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., even before they’ve made their regular season debuts for Milwaukee. With that in mind, Owczarski considers what an extension for Jaquez might look like, speculating that something in the range of $15-18MM per year could make sense for both sides.
• Jalen Duren was a late arrival at training camp following a restricted free agency standoff that lasted virtually the entire offseason, but Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Wednesday that the plan is “definitely” for the big man to suit up during the preseason. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press has the story, suggesting that Duren’s preseason debut could happen as early as Saturday vs. Washington.
• In his latest mailbag for Pistons.com, Keith Langlois answers questions related to the Pistons’ secondary play-making, what John Collins will bring to the lineup that Tobias Harris didn’t, and whether Ebuka Okorie and Chaz Lanier will crack Bickerstaff’s rotation in 2026/27.

Telfort, who went undrafted out of Butler in 2025, also signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clippers last fall. He had that deal converted to a two-way contract ahead of opening night and remained on L.A.’s roster until December, when he was cut in order to make room for RayJ Dennis.

Telfort logged just 32 total minutes in eight appearances at the NBA level but was a regular for the San Diego Clippers in the G League in his first professional season. In 47 G League outings, he averaged 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 33.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .439/.331/.743.

The 6’7″ swingman was part of the Clippers’ Summer League team for a second straight year in July and appears likely to report back to San Diego this fall. His Exhibit 10 contract will make him eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $91K on top of his base salary if he spends at least 60 days in the G League.

Here are more minor transactions from around the NBA:

• The Trail Blazers waived guard Jaylen Martin on Wednesday, per NBA.com’s official transaction log. The expectation is that Martin will return to the Rip City Remix after finishing the 2025/26 season with Portland’s NBAGL affiliate. His Exhibit 10 bonus will be worth $45K. Portland is now carrying 18 players, including three on two-way deals.
• Shortly after signing him, the Kings waived Trhae Mitchell, according to NBA.com. The sign-and-waive maneuver will ensure that Mitchell earns a bonus worth $21K if he spends at least 60 days with the Stockton Kings in the G League this season. Stockton acquired his returning rights from the Laketown Squadron earlier this week.

“A partnership between the EuroLeague, FIBA and the NBA to unify the European basketball ecosystem would unlock the game’s enormous potential across Europe for the benefit of clubs, players and, most importantly, fans,” the statement reads (Twitter link via Scott Soshnick of Sportico). “The NBA and FIBA remain committed to moving forward with a new professional men’s league in Europe and helping build a stronger, more sustainable basketball ecosystem alongside partners who share our vision of growth, opportunity and the core principles of the European sports model.”

While the announcement provides confirmation that an agreement with the EuroLeague isn’t a prerequisite for the NBA’s European own league, multiple reports this week have stated that the door is still open for the NBA and the EuroLeague to continue negotiating. EuroLeague shareholders weren’t interested in the NBA’s opening offer, but several of the 13 teams that are permanent members of the league are believed to have interest in becoming part of NBA Europe, and the EuroLeague is said to be exploring a counter-proposal.

EuroLeague shareholders believe the NBA’s proposal underestimated the value of the EuroLeague, sources tell ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. According to Windhorst, Barcelona – one of the EuroLeague’s permanent clubs – indicated this week that both the team and the league would be open to an amended offer from the NBA.

Although the NBA has received bids from many non-EuroLeague clubs and markets, it remains unclear if the new league would be able to achieve its planned launch date of fall 2027 without cooperation from the EuroLeague. There has been recent speculation that NBA Europe’s debut could be postponed to the fall of 2028 as the league builds out the necessary infrastructure.

As Windhorst points out, the EuroLeague was initially formed in 2001 after a pair of rival European leagues – the FIBA SuproLeague and ULEB Euroleague – both operated for a season in 2000/01.