SLAM Magazine

The LA Clippers continue to refine their roster ahead of the upcoming season, which tips off in less than a week, and the latest move was waiving guard Cam Christie before his contract became guaranteed. Christie had been competing for a roster spot with the Clippers throughout training camp and the preseason, but Los Angeles ultimately decided the right move was to move on from him before reaching his guarantee date.

It’s yet another year in which the Oklahoma City Thunder have lost a rookie to a season-ending injury before the season even started. Between Chet Holmgren, Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber and now Otega Oweh, it’s becoming an unfortunate trend for Oklahoma City. Oweh suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Indiana Pacers and will miss the entire 2026-27 season.

Damian Lillard is officially back on the court and playing very well in the preseason for the Portland Trail Blazers after a 16-month recovery from a torn Achilles. And while there are obvious expectations, hype, and hope surrounding his return to regular-season action, nobody appears more motivated than Lillard himself.

There’s tremendous hype around the Atlanta Dream as they prepare for the WNBA Finals, and one of the biggest questions has been where their home games would be played on that stage. Gateway Center Arena, where the Dream normally play, holds roughly 3,500 fans.

Though he hasn’t even played a single regular season game with the Miami Heat yet, Giannis Antetokounmpo is already eligible to sign an extension with the franchise. But he’s got a significant financial incentive to wait. Since he was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to Miami on July 6, his current extension options are limited. His primary pathways right now would be signing for two years at $135.1 million or three years for roughly $184 million. But once Jan.

Payton Pritchard has been one of the best developmental stories in recent history for the Boston Celtics, and he has now earned another payday. Pritchard and the Celtics have agreed to a two-year, $44.2 million extension that also includes a mutual option for the 2029-30 season, keeping him in Boston longer term after a career year. Pritchard averaged career highs of 17 points, 5.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds last season and established himself as one of the best bench guards in the league.

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have hit the jackpot again in the 2026 NBA Draft because both of their first-round selections have been phenomenal throughout the preseason, and Monday night was the latest example. Against the Atlanta Hawks, Aday Mara posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocks, while Bennett Stirtz scored 26 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds and six made three-pointers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are very clearly a championship-caliber roster, but like many teams similar to them in the past, it goes beyond just talent and what the group looks like on paper. There’s a real element of chemistry and cohesion that’s paramount, especially for a team that has a lot of new faces. And that’s been acknowledged by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who believes that chemistry will ultimately determine the team’s ceiling.

The Golden State Warriors are gearing up for a season in which they hope to maximize a competitive roster as Stephen Curry’s career continues to move closer to its end. And one of the biggest storylines of the last few weeks has been the status of Kristaps Porzingis, who is set to make a return this week to be around the team, even if a return to the court is still further away.

Caleb Wilson continues to give Bulls fans plenty of excitement ahead of the NBA season because despite only being a few months removed from being selected fourth overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, he already looks like a franchise cornerstone and somebody who could someday become one of the best players in the league. And Sunday’s preseason matchup with the Denver Nuggets was no different.