Remember when the Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard even though he wanted to go to the Lakers? One year. One title. Then he was gone. Worth every second.

Or when the Thunder traded for Paul George even though he also wanted to land in Los Angeles? He liked it so much in OKC that he re-signed. Later, the Thunder flipped him for a war chest of picks and launched a new era.

Just like Leonard’s Spurs and George’s Pacers, the Suns don’t owe Kevin Durant a damn thing. KD may want the Heat, Rockets, or Spurs, but Phoenix’s only responsibility is to the present and future of its own franchise.

And that’s exactly how the Suns are operating. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week that they’re “unexcited” by what those preferred teams are offering. Shams Charania added that Durant has no interest in Minnesota, despite the Timberwolves being the most aggressive team so far in pursuit.

Of course, Durant has some leverage. He has one year left on his deal. He’ll be 37 next season. And even when things look good, he tends to find something to mope about. So teams are understandably cautious about bringing in someone who might not want to be there. Already, The Athletic reported Minnesota doesn’t want to trade for Durant unless he says he wants to be there.

But as the Leonard and George trades prove: all it takes is one team willing to roll the dice.

Every time Charania talks about Durant, he mentions “wild cards” and “dark horses.” His colleague Marc Spears even said there’s “fear” from KD and his agent Rich Kleiman that teams won’t “respect” what Durant wants.

Sure, everyone wants a say in where they live and work. But Durant’s on a run of bad choices. First KD picked Brooklyn, and the Nets had to trade Jarrett Allen because KD and Kyrie Irving insisted on signing DeAndre Jordan. Disaster. Then he picked Phoenix. After one year, both he and Devin Booker wanted Deandre Ayton to get traded, which resulted in Jusuf Nurkic. And Durant admitted to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports that he pushed for the Bradley Beal acquisition. Another big mess. Maybe the best thing for Durant is not getting what he wants.

In fact, Durant has already been denied by his top choices. There were rumblings at the trade deadline KD wanted to land with the Celtics or Knicks. New York’s interest reportedly isn’t mutual anymore. Boston’s cap sheet and trajectory make that scenario highly unlikely.

Plenty of other teams should still want him though. Yes, Durant is aging. And yes, he could bolt in a year. But he’s still at best a top-10 player and at worst a top-25 player. If you think he’s the guy who gets you to the Finals, you make the call. Even if you believe he puts you only one more piece away, he might be worth it.

What matters now isn’t just Durant’s list. It’s which teams are bold enough to ignore it. So let’s talk about those theoretical teams, based purely on hypothetical fit — not reporting — unless specifically noted.

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Orlando Magic

What they could offer: Jonathan Isaac, Anthony Black, Jett Howard, Goga Bitadze, and the 25th pick

Why they’d want KD: It’s an all-in move to follow up on the Desmond Bane addition. With a top-seven rotation of Bane, Jalen Suggs, Kevin Durant, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Moe Wagner, and Tristan da Silva, the Magic would have length across positions, and a lot more shooting than ever before.

Why it works for KD even if he doesn’t know it yet: The Magic have everything they need to win except shooting. Adding KD and Bane helps solve that in one summer. This would be his most complete team since the Warriors.

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Detroit Pistons

What they could offer: Tobias Harris, Simone Fontecchio, and multiple picks (while also waiving all cap holds except for Malik Beasley to create cap space)

Why they’d want KD: He’s better than Harris in every conceivable way, and he would give Cade Cunningham a high-efficiency scorer and secondary playmaker to relieve pressure.

Why it works for KD even if he doesn’t know it yet: The Pistons would still need some internal progress to become contenders, Cade included. But this team is close and would still have the pieces to make another move.

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Denver Nuggets

What they could offer: Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, and a 2031 first to Phoenix, Zeke Nnaji to a third team

Why they’d want KD: Because he’s Kevin Durant. This deal guts the bench, but the upside is undeniable. KD, Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun could overwhelm anyone. They’d just have to have some solid plans to fill out the roster with league-minimum free agents.

Why it works for KD even if he doesn’t know it yet: It’s the chance to play next to a prime Jokić. This would be the most intelligent, unselfish and balanced team Durant has joined since the Warriors.

Christian Petersen via Getty Images

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LA Clippers

What they could offer: Norm Powell, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Drew Eubanks, the 30th pick, and a 2031 first

Why they’d want KD: Powell really folded in the playoffs. He looked more like an 82-game guy and less like a 16-game guy. This would be a quadruple down on the old-man core. Might as well go for it if you’re not gonna go the other way.

Why it works for KD even if he doesn’t know it yet: Yeah, it’s not ideal. But you get to live in Los Angeles and play on a talented roster. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden might be unreliable, but if it breaks right you’re in the West finals with a chance to win it all.

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Philadelphia 76ers

What they could offer: Paul George and three future firsts

Why they’d want KD: Durant is an obvious upgrade over George, who was a better podcaster than basketball player last season. With George’s albatross contract, an extra first needs to be added. And even if George were to come back strong, Durant is a far better fit with the remaining core.

Why it works for KD even if he doesn’t know it yet: Maybe Embiid stays healthy. Maybe you’re the final piece that finally gets Philly over the hump. Maybe you become the hero the franchise needs.

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Toronto Raptors

What they could offer: Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, and multiple picks

Why they’d want KD: Because Masai Ujiri is under intense pressure to improve the team before his contract expires next year.

Why it works for KD even if he doesn’t know it yet: The Raptors would still have ammo for another star. Remember: Kevin Garnett didn’t want to go to Boston until after the Ray Allen trade. KD could be the first domino — Giannis, the second?

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That makes six. And maybe KD wouldn’t want any of them. After all, he doesn’t want the Timberwolves, despite back-to-back trips to the West finals. But that’s exactly why there’s real concern from Durant and Kleiman about where he might land.

Plenty of teams have the contracts and picks to build the best offer for Phoenix. Some are veteran contenders. Others are young and rising. Durant may not want to end up on one of them. But there’s no guarantee the Heat, Rockets, or Spurs are willing to top those offers.

All it takes is one wild-card team bold enough to ignore the list, bet on the talent, and live with the noise. History shows: sometimes, the gamble ends in a parade.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James hasn’t accepted his player option yet, but it certainly sounds like he’s going to play in the NBA next season. James gave an update on his knee injury Tuesday, saying he’s feeling “good” and is focused on making sure his knee is right in time for training camp, per the Associated Press.

James, 40, is recovering after sustaining an MCL injury during the team’s elimination game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. He appeared to injure his left knee after running into Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo. James initially left the contest, but was able to return and play down the stretch. 

The Lakers lost the game 103-96 and were eliminated from the playoffs. After the loss, James said he wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future. 

While James hasn’t commented on his plans since then, many expect him to opt into his $52.2 million player option and return to the Lakers. James didn’t comment on his contract situation, but did make it clear he’s hoping to be 100 percent healthy by training camp, per the Associated Press.

“I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body and make sure I’m as close to 100 percent as possible when training camp begins in late September,” James told the AP.

That does seem to confirm James will return for his 23rd NBA season. Most expected that would be the case, but the injury — combined with James’ age — added some murkiness to the situation.

James admitted he knows the end of his career is coming soon, saying he’s going to wait and see how his body bounces back and how his family feels before determining how long he wants to keep playing.

“At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That’s human nature,” he said. “You think, is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey. But I have not given it a specific timetable, date. I’m seeing how my body and family reacts too.”

Despite his age, James didn’t show any signs of decline last season. He averaged 24.4 points and 8.2 assists in 70 games. That performance earned James his 21st selection to the NBA All-Star Game. 

The odds of the Oklahoma City Thunder getting one more win to close out the NBA Finals are very, very low.

The Thunder are now -2500 at BetMGM to win the Finals after getting a 120-109 win in Game 5 on Monday night to take a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers. OKC dominated for much of the game but needed a strong closing kick to put the Pacers away after Indiana had cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter.

OKC opened the Finals with -700 odds to win the series and was one of the biggest Finals favorites in recent memory. But Indiana swiped Game 1 on Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner with 0.3 seconds left and took a 2-1 series lead with a convincing win in Game 3.

The Thunder have since won back-to-back games to hand Indiana its first consecutive losses since March. And the Thunder need to win either Thursday night in Indiana or on Monday night in Oklahoma City in a potential Game 7 to take their first title in franchise history.

Indiana, meanwhile, is +1050 to win back-to-back games and get the title. The Pacers’ long odds are likely impacted by a right leg injury that Haliburton suffered during Monday night’s Game 5. Haliburton appeared to tweak his calf when he fell to the floor while driving to the basket. He briefly went to the locker room and had his leg heavily wrapped when he was on the bench.

Haliburton was also ineffective when he was on the floor. Walking with a slight limp, Haliburton didn’t make a field goal and had just four free throws. After Game 2, Haliburton was dealing with what was described as a right ankle injury and said after Game 5 that his calf injury was in the “same area.”

After their win Monday night, the Thunder have opened as 4.5-point favorites in Game 6 and -190 on the moneyline. If you think the Pacers can force a Game 7, Indiana has +155 odds to win the game.

The race for Finals MVP also now looks like a formality if the Thunder end up taking the series. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is -600 to win Finals MVP through five games, with teammate Jalen Williams the No. 2 favorite at +625. Williams dropped 40 points in Game 5 as he and Gilgeous-Alexander combined for 71 of OKC’s 120 points. Pascal Siakam is the MVP favorite for the Pacers at +1500, with Haliburton at +4000.

Times are tumultuous for the Red Sox. 

But there was reason to celebrate on Monday in Boston. Top prospect Roman Anthony hit his first career home run. It helped spark a 2-0 victory for the Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners. 

The win came in Boston’s first game after the stunning trade of All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito threw six shutout innings and was credited with the win.

Red Sox brass addresses Devers trade before Monday’s game

Boston dealt Devers to the Giants on Sunday, sending the ninth-year Red Sox veteran across the country in a trade that sent shockwaves across MLB. Devers was the last remaining member of Boston’s 2018 World Series championship team and appears to be on pace for his fifth straight All-Star appearance amid another standout season at the plate.

If he does make the All-Star Game, he’ll do so as a Giant. The trade prompted hard questions for Red Sox executives Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy about the state of the organization prior to Monday’s game. 

Once their media availability was over, it was time to get down to baseball. And for a night at least, baseball for Boston was a success, thanks in part to the No. 1 prospect.

Anthony came to the plate with the bases empty in the top of the first inning. On a 2-2 count, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert threw a 96 mph fastball to the upper outside corner of the strike zone. Anthony reached across the plate and pulled a deep fly ball that carried over the right-center-field wall. 

The home run was the first of Anthony’s MLB career in his seventh game since Boston called him up for his big-league debut on June 9. It gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead that they never relinquished.

The Red Sox had won five straight games since Anthony’s call-up, including a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, before trading Devers. Monday marked their sixth straight victory, and they improved to 38-36.

Questions will continue to swirl around why Boston chose to deal Devers as its season was starting to point up. But Red Sox fans can at least look forward to watching Anthony for the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani became a two-way sensation again on Monday against the Padres, pitching in a major-league game for the first time since 2023. 

His first pitch was a 97.6 mph fastball low in the strike zone, which Fernando Tatis Jr. fouled off. After three balls, Ohtani then got Tatis to swing and miss at a 98.3 mph fastball before the Padres right fielder hit a 99.1 mph inside fastball for a single. 

With Luis Arraez at the plate in a 1-2 count, Tatis advanced to second on a wild pitch, which was clocked at 100.2 mph. Arraez followed by lining a low 98 mph sinker to center field and advancing Tatis to third base. That put him in position to score on the subsequent sacrifice fly by Manny Machado. 

Ohtani probably should’ve had a strikeout on Machado, but the Padres third baseman was ruled to have checked his swing on Ohtani’s 1-2 sweeper.

Ohtani allowed only that one run on two hits. He recorded the second out by getting Gavin Sheets to ground out to second base with an 98.9 mph fastball inside. He got out of the inning with a 95.4 mph sinker that Xander Bogaerts grounded to third.

After leaving the mound, Ohtani didn’t go to the dugout to talk with coaches or trainers. He went straight to the rail to put on his gear and bat leadoff. He struck out swinging against Padres starter Dylan Cease.

Ohtani finished with 28 pitches, 16 of them for strikes, with three swing-and-misses. Anthony Banda took over to pitch for the Dodgers in the second inning.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters on Sunday that Ohtani would open the game, pitching one or two innings. He can then stay in the game as the designated hitter, thanks to a 2022 MLB rule change.

Typically, a pitcher returning from injury would go on a minor-league rehab assignment to face live hitters and play in game conditions. But with Ohtani so crucial to the Dodgers’ lineup, the team couldn’t afford to be without his bat. 

The Dodgers’ original plan was for Ohtani to throw to live hitters in simulated game conditions. But Ohtani believes that pitching a bullpen session requires the same preparation as throwing in an actual game. Thus, the decision was made for him to do so under shorter circumstances.

Ohtani had not pitched since undergoing elbow surgery in September 2023. His recovery timetable was pushed back after he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder during the World Series and required surgery to repair that injury. 

In his MLB career as a pitcher, Ohtani has compiled a 3.01 ERA in 86 starts with a strikeout rate of 11.4 per nine innings over five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. — Casselberry

How did Ohtani look in his first outing?

Normally when a starting pitcher labors through a 28-pitch first inning and surrenders only one run, the frame’s conclusion is met with a sigh of relief that the hurler avoided more serious damage and can recuperate on the bench while his team hits.

Shohei Ohtani, of course, is not a normal starting pitcher. Once Ohtani finally completed his first and only inning of work in his highly anticipated return to a major-league mound — an arduous navigation of San Diego’s first five hitters that featured breathtaking velocity with some shaky command — there was no time to rest. After a check for sticky stuff by the umpire, Ohtani didn’t even bother to set foot in the dugout. He shuffled swiftly toward the on-deck circle to gather his protective gear and prepare to hit. 

His singular two-way duties have officially resumed.

Ohtani struck out against Dylan Cease after working the count full, the first of five consecutive punch-outs for the Padres’ ace in a bold demonstration of his own spectacular stuff. (Ohtani got his revenge with a couple of RBI knocks against Cease in his next two at-bats.) But Ohtani’s return to pitching in the big leagues was the undisputed headline Monday and served as a refreshing reminder of his unfathomable physical ability on the mound — even if it’s clear he’s still shaking off some rust.

It had been 663 days since Ohtani had appeared on the mound in a major-league game. A second elbow surgery, a $700 million contract, a 50 HR/50 SB season and a World Series title later, he was back pitching, this time as a Los Angeles Dodger. From a pure stuff standpoint, it sure looked like the Ohtani of old. He ran his heater up to a sizzling 100.2 mph and averaged 99.1 mph on his four-seamer. He ripped off 10 sweepers with hellacious horizontal movement and one splitter at 91 mph that tumbled sharply. 

Although he coaxed only three total whiffs from Padres hitters (plus that missed call on the check-swing from Machado), Ohtani’s stuff looked crisp. It was his command that faltered and enabled the Padres to produce a run, which is no huge shock considering his extended layoff and the fact that Ohtani hasn’t ever been a pinpoint command artist anyway. That element of his game will round into form with more reps at the highest level, but it was encouraging to see the raw ferocity of his arsenal firmly intact.

Beyond the elite velocity, the most notable takeaway from Ohtani’s Dodgers pitching debut was his balanced use of two fastballs: nine four-seamers and eight sinkers. Ohtani introduced the sinker back in 2022, and it accounted for roughly 6% of his total pitches in 2023. Rarely have we seen him use both heaters so evenly in an outing. That could merely be the product of the small sample, or it’s possible that Ohtani was so amped to be back that he wasn’t executing either fastball grip especially intentionally. 

But if this was a purposeful introduction of a more diverse fastball attack, that’s an intriguing wrinkle to monitor as Ohtani continues to build up his workload and find his footing in the Dodgers’ rotation. — Shusterman

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. They will face the Indiana Pacers, who knocked off the New York Knicks in six games, and the Thunder are overwhelming favorites in the series. In fact, Oklahoma City is the biggest Finals favorite in franchise history.

The Thunder opened as -800 favorites in the NBA Finals at BetMGM, with the Pacers as +550 underdogs.

Oklahoma City was a -175 favorite back in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, but ended up losing the series in five games. The Seattle SuperSonics were -140 favorites in the 1978 NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets, per Sports Odds History.

The biggest favorites in NBA Finals history were the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, who were -2000 against the Philadelphia 76ers and won the series in five games. The 2018 champion Golden State Warriors were the second biggest of all time as -1075 favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Who were the biggest favorites to lose in the Finals? Well, that again would be the Lakers, who fell as -700 favorites to the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

Oklahoma City has arguably been the best team in the league all season, going 68-14 in the tough Western Conference to earn the No. 1 seed, which included a historic 55-23-4 record against the spread in the regular season — the best ATS mark in 35 seasons.

While the Thunder have struggled against the spread in the postseason entering the finals (7-9 ATS), they have been impressive and won games when it has mattered most — winning Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot in Game 4 against the Timberwolves in the last round.

The Pacers are in the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history (in 2000 they lost to the -800 favorite Los Angeles Lakers in six games) and have been impressive in the postseason, winning seven games outright as underdogs. Indiana was a -190 favorite at sportsbooks in its Round 1 series against a banged-up Milwaukee Bucks team, before being underdogs (+425 series price) against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Knicks (+135) in the last two rounds.

We’ll be tracking the changing finals odds throughout the series:

Indiana Pacers (+450) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (-625)

Series tied 2-2

Game 4: Thunder 111, Pacers 104

Spread result: Thunder -6.5

Total: Under 225.5

Series price heading into Game 4: Pacers (+200) vs. Thunder (-250)

Game 3: Pacers 116, Thunder 107

Spread result: Pacers +5.5

Total: Under 226

Series price heading into Game 3: Pacers (+425) vs. Thunder (-600)

Game 2: Thunder 123, Pacers 107

Spread result: Thunder -11.5

Total: Over 228.5

Series price heading into Game 2: Pacers (+275) vs. Thunder (-350)

Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110

Spread result: Pacers +10

Total: Under 230

Series price heading into Game 1: Pacers (+500) vs. Thunder (-700)

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters

The Oklahoma City Thunder are facing the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The odds heavily favored the Thunder over the Pacers headed into this series, which is no surprise considering the Thunder were 68-14 in the regular season and the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference. However, the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers are currently tied against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2-2 in the NBA Finals.

Game 5 tips off in Indiana tonight, June 16, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals.

How to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers Game 5:

Date: Monday, June 16

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV channel: ABC

Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and more

NBA Finals channel:

All games in the NBA Finals will air on ABC — sweet and simple! 

How to watch the NBA Finals without cable:

Who is playing in the NBA Finals?

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.

2025 NBA Finals TV schedule:

All times Eastern.

Monday, June 16

Game 5 – Indiana at Oklahoma City: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Thursday, June 19

Game 6 – Oklahoma City at Indiana: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 22

Game 7 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary: 8 p.m. (ABC)

*if necessary

More ways to watch the NBA Finals: