With the Lakers and Heat headed to sudden death overtime at the 2026 Cali Classic, Anton Watson connects on the winning follow.
Summer hoops is heating up, and Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is balling in the Bay.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Sunday In Cali: Lendeborg & Carr stay hot, Kings win again, Nets dub in California Classic
Friday & Saturday Rewind: Peterson, Boozer, Acuff Jr. and more rookies shine in Cali & Salt Lake City
Monday Matchups: A potential top-3 pick showdown in Peterson vs. Boozer, and Cali concludes
Free Agency Catchup: A look at this weekend’s latest reports before deals can become official today
FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: SGA, Edgecombe, Lauri and more NBA stars deliver
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Summer League action continues tonight with four California Classic games across Prime, ESPNU, ESPN+ and NBA TV, plus two Salt Lake City Summer League games on Prime & ESPN. | Summer League Hub
Deals Become Official: NBA teams can officially begin signing free agents today at 12:01 p.m. ET. Looking for the latest offseason news and reports in one place? The Free Agency Hub has you covered.
Vegas Next: The NBA Summer League from Las Vegas – featuring all 30 NBA teams – tips off Thursday, with seven matchups. The day also features the PlayStation NBA Creator Cup, where some of the biggest names in basketball and digital culture will square off at The Pavilion at UNLV (8:30 PT).
1. SUNDAY AT THE CALIFORNIA CLASSIC
Summer hoops is officially underway, with the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League tipping off this weekend.
With Salt Lake City off Sunday, the Cali Classic took center stage, featuring another strong day from the rookie class and a double-overtime thriller. | California Classic Standings
Lakers 93, Heat 91 (2OT): After trading buckets in the first overtime, fans in San Francisco got a sudden-death double OT, where two-year vet Anton Watson (12 pts, 10 reb) tipped in the game-winner for the Lakers, improving Los Angeles to 1-1. | Recap
- Rook Cooks: After a strong Friday showing (see Section 2), the Lakers’ No. 24 overall pick, Cameron Carr, delivered again, dropping a game-high 26 points (4 3s) along with 8 boards
Warriors Gold 98, Spurs 69: After a perfect night from the field on Friday, Golden State’s No. 11 overall pick, Yaxel Lendeborg, put on a two-way clinic on Sunday (11 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), propelling Warriors Gold past the Spurs to move to 2-0. | Recap
- Taking Over: Lendeborg, who helped lead Michigan to a national title in April, got up for back-to-back blocks in the 1st quarter and went 3-of-5 from deep – finishing the weekend with seven 3s in two games
- Sky High: Golden State’s No. 54 pick, Lajae Jones, also showed off his hops with this big-time alley-oop jam
Kings 91, Warriors Blue 85: Down by 10 points at halftime, the Kings held Warriors Blue to 33 2nd-half points to snag the W late. | Recap
- Comeback Complete: Marquel Sutton (16 pts, 8 reb) beat the shot clock from deep with 2:30 to go for the game’s only lead change, as the Kings took – and kept – their first lead, 84-81
Nets 89, Bucks 69: Ben Humrichous’ (15 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl) fall-away, buzzer-beater 3 over two Bucks defenders helped him pace the Nets’ scoring, along with Hunter Sallis (15 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk), whose strong two-way play propelled Brooklyn. | Recap
2. FRIDAY & SATURDAY REWIND: ROOKIES SHINE
Friday and Saturday offered the first glimpse of this year’s rookie class, with Lottery picks and newcomers making an immediate impact across the Cali Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League – including two top-three picks.
SLC (Sat) | Jazz 103, Hawks 102 (OT): No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson put on a show in his Summer League debut, dropping a game-high 28 points while shooting 4-of-7 from 3 to lead the Jazz past Kingston Flemings (14 pts, 9 ast, 4 stl) and the Hawks in OT. | Recap
- Clutch-Time Delivery: Peterson scored 10 points in the 4th quarter and overtime, capped by a tie-breaking 3 with 1:16 left in OT to put Utah up for good
- Both Ends: Peterson also tallied 5 boards and 2 blocks, backing up his pre-Summer League goal of showcasing his two-way impact
- Jazz Boosts: Cody Williams added 17 points for Utah, while Justin Harmon sealed the win with a last-second dagger and-one
- Flemings Fuel: Flemings, this year’s No. 8 overall pick, finished with a game-high in both assists and steals
SLC (Sat) | Grizzlies 111, Thunder 74: In the Salt Lake City opener on Saturday, Memphis’ No. 2 overall pick, Cameron Boozer, turned in an efficient 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while adding 5 boards and 3 assists in a win over OKC. | Recap
- 2nd-Half Clinic: Acuff Jr. – the No. 7 overall pick who won SEC Player of the Year as a freshman – was in his bag in the 2nd half, scoring 16 with a handful of highlight buckets
Cali Classic (Sat) | Kings 79, Nets 76: That same night in the California Classic, Darius Acuff Jr. dazzled with 25 points and 4 dimes, while sophomore Nique Clifford added 16 to power Sacramento past Egor Dëmin (23 pts, 7 reb) and the Nets. | Recap
- 2nd-Half Clinic: Acuff Jr. – the No. 7 overall pick who won SEC Player of the Year as a freshman – was in his bag in the 2nd half, scoring 16 with a handful of highlight buckets
Cali Classic (Fri) | Warriors Gold 104, Lakers 72: In the Cali Classic on Friday, Golden State’s Yaxel Lendeborg went 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3 en route to 19 points, 5 boards and 6 dimes as Warriors Gold beat the Lakers. | Recap
- Red-Hot Rooks: Los Angeles’ Cameron Carr, the No. 24 overall pick, matched Lendeborg with a game-high 19 points on 5 triples
Cali Classic (Fri) | Heat 88, Spurs 87: The Summer League circuit started with a down-to-the-wire finish at the Cali Classic as Miami edged San Antonio behind a late defensive stand and 21 points apiece from Jahmir Young and rookie Ryan Conwell. | Recap
Cali Classic (Sat) | Bucks 97, Warriors Blue 83: Brandon Boston Jr. (17 pts) led 11 Milwaukee scorers as the Bucks outlasted RJ Nembhard (15 pts) and Warriors Blue. | Recap
Standings Check: See the full Cali Classic standings here, and the Salt Lake City standings here.
3. BOOZER VS. PETERSON HEADLINES MONDAY’S ACTION
After a day off on Sunday, the Salt Lake City Summer League continues tonight with a potential top-three Draft pick showdown.
Following up on their strong summer debuts, Utah’s No. 2 overall pick, Darryn Peterson, and Memphis’ No. 3 overall pick, Cameron Boozer, are slated to go head-to-head (9 ET, ESPN & Prime).
- Summer Scoring Leader: Peterson aims to add to his summer-high 28 ppg against a highly-touted defender in Boozer
- Immediate Impact: Boozer’s +10 plus/minus in his Saturday debut was the 3rd-highest among 2026 Lottery picks this weekend
- Scouts Say: Boozer’s advanced passing skills help him stack up that plus/minus, while his polished footwork overpowers on the block. Peterson profiles as a skilled shooter and scorer, and a physical, versatile defender
- Game Recognizes Game: Peterson picked Boozer as the strongest and best defender of the top-3 picks, while Boozer signaled Peterson as the quickest and calmest
- Elite Showdown: Peterson and Boozer did not face each other as freshmen in college last season, as Peterson was injured for Kansas’ lone matchup with Duke. Monday would mark the first No. 2-vs.-No. 3 pick Summer League showdown since Alex Sarr and Reed Sheppard in 2024
Tonight’s Salt Lake City slate tips off with another 2026 Lottery pick pairing, as No. 8 overall pick Kingston Flemings’ Hawks face No. 12 pick Aday Mara’s Thunder (7 ET, ESPN & Prime).
Meanwhile, the California Classic concludes tonight, with Yaxel Lendeborg and Darius Acuff Jr. looking to keep their respective squads undefeated, as Warriors Gold (2-0) host the Heat (10 ET, Prime & ESPN+), and the Kings (2-0) face the Bucks (10 ET, Prime & ESPNU).
- Another Debut?: Brooklyn has indicated that No. 6 overall pick, Mikel Brown Jr., will get his first taste of Summer League action tonight when the Nets host Warriors Blue (8 ET, Prime & ESPN+)
- Already Dialed In: The Lakers and Spurs tip off the final night in California (7:30 ET, Prime & ESPNU), with Cameron Carr trying to stay hot after 19 and 26-point performances so far
4. ICYMI: FREE AGENCY REPORTS FROM THE WEEKEND
A busy NBA free agency period continued over the weekend, as teams negotiated with available players leading up to signings becoming official later today.
Catch up on some of the latest reported deals:
- Reports: Josh Okogie, Jazz agree on 2-year deal
- Reports: Andre Drummond, Knicks agree on 1-year deal
- Reports: Wizards agree to acquire Deandre Ayton in trade with Lakers for Jaden Hardy and future Draft picks
- Reports: Hornets agree to acquire Dorian Finney-Smith and future Draft picks in trade with Houston
- Reports: Players agreeing to return to their teams include Tari Eason and the Rockets (5 years), Neemias Queta and the Celtics (4 years), Javonte Green and Detroit (1 year) and Jordan Miller and the Clippers (3 years)
- Reports: Sixers reach two-way deals with Caleb Love & Ryan Rupert
At 12:01 p.m. ET, teams may begin officially signing free agents and completing trades. Here are some of the biggest reported agreements, ahead of when deals can be finalized today:
- Reports: Celtics agree to trade Jaylen Brown to 76ers for Paul George and Draft picks
- Reports: Heat agree to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in trade with Bucks for Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakučionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, 2026 Draft pick Nate Ament (No. 13) and future Draft picks
- Reports: Raptors agree to acquire Kawhi Leonard in trade with Clippers for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick & Draft picks
- Reports: Wolves agree to acquire LaMelo Ball and Josh Green in trade with Hornets for Naz Reid and Draft picks
- Reports: Norman Powell, Bulls agree to 2-year deal
- Report: Tobias Harris, Spurs agree to 2-year deal
- Reports: Marcus Smart to Rockets on 2-year deal
Visit the Free Agency Hub for all the offseason news, including the latest on LeBron James, who reportedly informed the Lakers that he plans to play for a different team in 2026-27.
5. FIBA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: NBA STARS DELIVER
While the NBA’s newest generation competes in Summer League, other NBA players are representing their countries in the FIBA 2027 World Cup Qualifiers, which began last week.
And over the weekend, a string of big names showed out.
- Shai Being Shai: Back-to-back reigning Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered 26 points in 26 minutes as Canada cruised by Puerto Rico, 110-84, on July 3
- Canada Crew: His standout performance was accompanied by Andrew Nembhard (23 pts), Dillon Brooks (15), Kyshawn George (9) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (8)
- Edgecombe Everywhere: Fresh off a strong rookie season with the 76ers, VJ Edgecombe led the Bahamas with a 26-point, 9-rebound, 5-steal game en route to a 123-74 defeat of Jamaica
Defending Olympic silver medalist France also went to work on July 3, and featured several names from around the NBA as it eyes the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
- Les Bleus Crew: Bilal Coulibaly, Rudy Gobert, Maxime Raynaud, Zaccharie Risacher and Guerschon Yabusele guided France to an 80-72 triumph over Belgium
- The Leaders: Coulibaly, who just played his third season with the Wizards, had a team-high 13 points, while Rudy Gobert had 8 points and 11 rebounds
And that’s not the end of the list. Several other countries looked to their respective roster stars to deliver on the hardwood.
- Lauri Heat: The Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen pitched in 23 points for Finland on an efficient 7-for-14 shooting clip in its 85-77 win over Hungary on July 3
- All-Around Zubac: For Croatia, Pacers center Ivica Zubac went off in just 18 minutes, recording 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks to fuel a 123-50 win vs. Cyprus
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