u/jonsnowKITN

https://www.nba.com/news/ties-broken-nba-draft-order-2026

Lottery tiebreakers:

Utah No. 4

Sacramento No. 5

New Orleans No. 7

Dallas No. 8

Both Washington and Utah had top-eight-protected picks in the 2026 draft owed to New York and Oklahoma City, respectively, meaning both teams had to secure one of the bottom four records in the league to assure that they didn’t lose their first-round pick.

And both succeeded.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48526309/the-golden-state-warriors-summer-uncertainty-starts-steve-kerr-stephen-curry-draymond-green

The Clippers hadn't given much oxygen to the Warriors' pursuit. But they hadn't given an outright rejection, either, and it gave the Warriors hope they might be able to hit one more big shot in an era defined by them. The Clippers brass brought the idea up top to governor Steve Ballmer for discussion.

By morning the Warriors had their answer. It was a no.

Each side has their version of how serious the talks were. Golden State believes the Clippers were at least considering it, which team sources said included strong draft capital and multiple players the Warriors valued. But this story has been told before. The Warriors also believed the Clippers were considering a free agency sign-and-trade pitch for Paul George in the summer of 2024, despite the Clippers having a wildly different opinion of how the talks went and the value of the package offered.

Some within the Warriors organization believe a Leonard trade was close. Others were skeptical. On the Clippers side, it was a steadfast no from Ballmer, who wields the ultimate hammer.

What is perhaps more relevant to their transformation is lottery night. This turbulent season delivered them the 11th-best odds, giving them a 9.4% chance of jumping up in the top four of a loaded draft and a 77.6% chance of remaining 11th, where there should still be plenty of talent available.

Lottery luck isn't typically the plotted path for a team in its contention window. It's preserved for those in the growth stages of a rebuild. But that is the Warriors' current reality. In the late stages of Curry's career, they are in the construction zone, rebuilding while employing a franchise legend. One league source compared it to Kobe Bryant's final seasons with the Lakers.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7204024/2026/04/17/lebron-james-nba-future-retirement-lakers-cavs-warriors/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twhq&source=twitterhq

The hypothetical tour, like so many other things dealing with James, is something people believed he’d want. Just like they believed he’d be unable to meld his style around the Lakers’ guards or stomach the organization prioritizing its future around younger stars.

That warmup session in Dallas came shortly after the Lakers played their best basketball since the 2019-20 championship season, a stretch of play that helped stoke James’ passion for winning and repair bridges that had been damaged during his eight years with the Lakers.

After months of speculation that the two parties were headed for a divorce, a strong March changed the Lakers’ landscape and, potentially, the future between the organization and player. Winning, sources said, increased the chances of James and the Lakers extending their partnership.

Around the league, rumors also persist that one last run in Cleveland, or a superstar Steph Curry-James duo in Golden State, are plausible possibilities as well. Per team sources, the Warriors’ interest in James this summer remains serious. The Cavs, and the prospect of a goodbye tour where James’ journey began, are also still widely seen by rival executives as a legitimate possibility. But in both cases, the luxury tax poses obstacles that likely mean James would have to make major financial concessions to come their way.

His decision, whatever it might ultimately be, will undoubtedly have family considerations heavily factored in. And the prospect of relocation that comes with some of these options is nothing to gloss over, with one executive from an interested team sharing that James’ reluctance to leave Los Angeles has been no secret among outside suitors.