Basketball Intelligence For 8/12/26

Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis

TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: The cases for and against the Celtics signing Simmons
Scott Rafferty, NESN

CHI: One Thing the Bulls Need Most from Each of Their Projected Starters
Elias Schuster, Sports Illustrated

DAL: Del Harris went through it all with a helping hand from Don Nelson
Eddie Sefko, Mavs.com

DAL: Santi Aldama gives Dallas something they haven’t had in some time
Noah Weber, The Smoking Cuban

DEN: As Nuggets and Peyton Watson negotiate, will Cavaliers, Bucks, Clippers swoop in?
Sam Amick, The Athletic

MIN: Timberwolves 2026 Offseason Reaction and Salary Cap Analysis
Yossi Gozlan/Dane Moore, Third Apron

ORL: Magic are poised for a surprise breakthrough
Philip Rossman-Reich, Orlando Magic Daily

PHX: Tales of Amar’e Stoudemire: A Basketball Hall of Famer so good the Suns once had to hide him
Doug Haller, The Athletic

POR: Blazers’ revamped roster forces Micah Nori to answer 3 difficult questions
Reese Kunz, Rip City

LEAGUEWIDE

Western Conference Power Rankings 2026-27
Reese Kunz, Rip City Project

From OKC (1) thru Kings (15)

NBA off-season grades: Western Conference
Kai Gammage, Sportsnet

NBA off-season grades: Eastern Conference
Zulfi Sheikh, Sportsnet

Eight thoughts
David Thorpe, True Hoop

Rich Paul Built Klutch Sports Into a Powerhouse. Now He’s Looking Beyond
Jesus Mesa, Newsweek

Big3 is in its 10th season. Ex-NBA players give their praise
Jason Jones, The Athletic

THE DRAFT

The 2027 NBA Draft Prospects Who Bet on Themselves
Tyler Metcalf, No Ceilings

Motiejus Krivas, Thomas Haugh, Braylon Mullins, and Billy Richmond all made massive decisions to return to school. What do they need to improve to make it worth it for the 2027 NBA Draft?

Scouting Report: Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov
Derek Parker, Sports Illustrated

Scouting Report: North Carolina’s Matt Able
Derek Parker, Sports Illustrated