ClutchPoints

The 2028 Olympics are still years away...

But it's hard not to look ahead.

A projected Team USA starting lineup of:

Cade Cunningham
Anthony Edwards
Cooper Flagg
Jayson Tatum
Bam Adebayo

has everything you'd want.

Elite shot creation.
Perimeter defense.
Versatility.
Athleticism.
Playmaking.
Size.

And unlike many previous Team USA rosters, every player is entering or already in the prime of their career.

Of course, this lineup is only a projection.

A lot can change over the next few years.

But on paper..

It's hard to find many weaknesses.

If this ends up being Team USA's starting five in 2028..

Who in the world is beating them? 🇺🇸

For years, Dillon Brooks was one of the NBA’s most polarizing players.

Opposing fans booed him. Stars called him out. Every hard foul, every trash talk moment, and every headline only added to his reputation as the league’s ultimate villain.

But Brooks never ran from it.

He embraced the role, and turned it into an identity.

Now, the same toughness that made him one of the NBA’s most disliked players has made him one of the most valued.

After a career-best season, Brooks secured a 3-year, $73 million extension with the Suns, proving that being the guy everyone loves to hate can still have a massive payoff.

Because underneath the villain persona was a player teams wanted: a physical defender, a fearless competitor, and someone who brings an edge that can’t be taught.

The NBA has always needed villains. The great ones don’t just create drama; they create value.

Dillon Brooks went from being the player everyone wanted to beat, to the player a franchise was willing to pay 🤑

The Atlantic Division might be basketball's version of survival mode.

The defending champion Knicks aren't giving up that crown easily.

The Sixers just added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a team that already had championship ambitions.

Boston gets Jayson Tatum back healthy.

And if Toronto gets the Kawhi situation sorted out, that's another dangerous team entering the mix.

Four teams. Countless storylines. Zero room to breathe.

Rumors about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have only grown louder since the blockbuster trade that sent Brown to the Sixers. Former Celtics player Grant Williams offered a blunt take on what their relationship was actually like behind closed doors: Story in Comments 🔗👇

2027...Circle it.

The 2026 offseason isn't even in the books, and fans are already dreaming about the next one.

ESPN's Bobby Marks recently laid out a potential 2027 free-agent class, and the list is loaded with MVPs, champions, and future Hall of Famers. Of course, plenty can change before then. A few of these stars could sign extensions long before they ever hit the market.

Player options:
🔸 Giannis Antetokounmpo
🔸 Nikola Jokić
🔸 LeBron James
🔸 Anthony Davis
🔸 Kevin Durant

Expiring contracts
🔸 Stephen Curry
🔸 Jimmy Butler
🔸 Kawhi Leonard
🔸 Kyrie Irving

If even a handful of those names actually become available, the team-up possibilities would have NBA fans refreshing their timelines 24/7.

The rumor mill might be working overtime before free agency even begins.

Shaq needed to see just one game at the start of the 2024-25 season to announce who would win the 2025 NBA Championship. But his prediction aged poorly, and the season actually ended up being disastrous for the team he picked: Story in Comments🔗👇

You've probably never heard of the toughest player in the NBA right now.

Last season, Jamir Watkins was a rookie who started on a two-way contract with the Wizards.

He started 7 of the 50 games he played and averaged 7.4 points.

By February, he had his two-way contract converted to a standard NBA contract.

With the Wizards stacked for next season with AJ Dybantsa, Trae Young, and Anthony Davis, Watkins knew he had to prove himself in Summer League to keep his spot.

In his first game, Watkins tore his ACL defending Darryn Peterson during the first 2 minutes of the game.

While some can barely walk or jump after immediately suffering that kind of injury, Watkins checked back in the game 68 seconds later.

He'd play 17 more minutes, defended Peterson full court, and even had a dunk.

Watkins had surgery on his left ACL last July 29 and is expected to be out the entire season.

But after watching him finish a game, it wouldn't be surprising to see him back on the court soon.

There's tough.

Then there's Jamir Watkins tough. 💪

Old logos > New logos. 🤔

Victor Wembanyama and the DPOY award may just become synonymous throughout his career.

At age 22, he became not only the youngest to ever win it, but the first-ever UNANIMOUS one.

Considering he'll only get better, do the rest of the elite defenders even stand a chance?

Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady weigh in on it on the Cousins Podcast 👇

FanDuel

Kevin Durant thinks the 2026 76ers are just like the 2017 Warriors.

When one reporter asked him about the Sixers as a contender, he compared them to the Warriors when he signed with them in 2017 after leaving OKC.

"The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the team I was on." Durant said.

Everyone roasted KD's move for leaving an MVP-caliber teammate to play with another former MVP.

LeBron's case is kinda similar but very different at the same time.

Yes, he's also leaving an MVP-caliber teammate in Luka to play with a former MVP in Embiid.

But the Sixers aren't a team that just won 73 games in the season and added LeBron in his prime.

KD joined a team that already earned everyone's respect.

The Sixers are loaded, but they have a lot to prove before anyone starts calling this another superteam.