If you’re not paying attention to this year’s Summer League, you’re missing out: ⬇️

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Rod Strickland and Isaac Jones! 🎉

Around the Association

Thunder lock up core with $250M+ extensions to Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

Sam Presti’s squad is staying put.

Shams reported this week that the Oklahoma City Thunder have given out contract extensions to both Chet Holmgren (5yr, up to $250M) and Jalen Williams (5yr, up to $287M), locking up their big three for the foreseeable future after their 2025 NBA Finals win. The contracts mean that the Thunder have now committed over $820M to their three stars over a span of just days!

Williams and Holmgren, who were both critical parts of the Thunder’s championship formula, now join Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in being committed to OKC for the next five years. When news broke earlier this week about SGA’s massive new contract, fans around the league had worried about whether or not the franchise would be able to keep their two other stars around for more than a couple years. And while the Thunder have definitely booked their date with the second apron, you can’t discredit the front office’s commitment to a team they know can win it all. 💪

Booker, Suns break NBA AAV record with 2yr, $145M extension

Holy. Cash. 💰

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns agreed on a contract extension this week that ties Booker to Phoenix until 2030. The deal pays the Suns veteran an average of $72.5M per year in 2028-29 and 2029-30, the highest average annual value of an NBA contract in league history. Yeah. 😳

Booker’s influence in Phoenix can’t be overstated. Since being drafted there in 2015, his combination of volume scoring and playmaking has become synonymous with Suns basketball. The 6’6” guard averaged 24.6 PTS and 7.1 AST in 75 games for Phoenix this season—we’d Enjoy it if Booker became a true Suns lifer!

Top Five Friday

Las Vegas Summer League action is officially underway, and we’re looking ahead at a great weekend of summer basketball! Here are the five games we’re most excited for over the next few days—watch along with us if you agree!

Friday: Utah vs. Charlotte (7pm ET), Washington vs. Phoenix (9pm ET)

Our first highlighted game is a matchup between two franchises stuck in what have felt like permanent rebuilds over the last few years. 2025 No. 5 pick Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, and Walter Clayton Jr. highlight Utah’s summer squad, while Charlotte’s roster features 2024 first-round pick Tidjane Salaun and ‘25 selections Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Kon Knueppel, and Liam McNeeley. With the Hornets’ stacked 2025 draft class, this will be a great game to see what we should come to expect from this Charlotte team in the near future.

Then, tune in to Washington vs. Phoenix. The Wizards have one of the most exciting young rosters in the league, and their Summer League squad is filled with guys who should all get solid minutes next season, like Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr, and 2025 No. 6 pick Tre Johnson. Meanwhile, the Suns are on the other side of one of the more dramatic roster transformations we’ve seen this summer, and all eyes are on The Valley to see what draft picks Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming (not to mention second-year pros Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro) can do for the Suns next year.

Saturday: Dallas vs. San Antonio (4pm ET), Indiana vs. Oklahoma City (5:30pm ET)

Cooper Flagg has been the man of the 2025 NBA Draft cycle, and for good reason. But before he and Anthony Davis start wreaking havoc in Dallas, you can see him in his first round of NBA action this summer alongside other young prospects Ryan Nembhard and Maxwell Lewis.

Meanwhile, if there’s one team whose young stars should feel like their time to compete is now, it’s the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs could compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference with a healthy Victor Wembanyama, and it’ll be up to guys like Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant to show their stuff this summer as to maximize their playing time this season.

Later on Saturday, we’re getting an NBA Finals rematch like no other—how often is it that a championship-winning team like OKC has a guy like Nikola Topic waiting in the wings? Topic has impressed basketball fans and scouts alike so far this summer with his playmaking and scoring punch, and we’re excited to see more of him, Thomas Sorber, Payton Sandfort, and more young Thunder guys developing their games. As for Indiana, their 2025 draft class headlined by Marquette’s Kam Jones will have a chance to prove themselves against players from a championship-level locker room. Not a bad way to acclimate yourself to the league!

Sunday: New York vs. Boston (5:30pm ET)

New York vs. Boston is more than a rivalry—it’s a debate that even transcends sports. So why not in the Summer League?!?

The Knicks have some prospects with NBA experience on their summer roster, including MarJon Beauchamp and Tyler Kolek, but it’ll be extra interesting to see how the G League’s Dink Pate and other new faces perform. In Boston, all eyes are on Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Hugo Gonzalez as the Celtics try to reshape their roster after the Kristaps Porzingis trade and Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

TGIF, Enjoyers! No matter what happened this week, it’s all behind you. Instead of thinking about yesterday and the day before, focus your energy on tomorrow and the day after. See you Monday! 🌟

Austin Zeglis