NBA Media Day: Five Key Questions Including Kawhi Leonard & LeBron James in Philly

And just like that, the NBA season is nearly upon us. With training camps across the league set to get underway ahead of the Oct. 20 start of the regular season, here are five questions (and one bonus) we're thinking about as various teams hold media days.

1. Will Jalen Duren, Pistons reach an agreement?

Well, this is messy. Duren and the Pistons have been playing a game of contract negotiation chicken for a while now. The question is how far Duren is willing to take this or whether he blinks and accepts the offer on the table .

The 23-year-old center is coming off the best regular season of his career. He's the first Pistons player to average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds on 60 percent shooting, and as a result, he was named to his first All-Star and All-NBA teams. That would have been enough to earn him a handsome payday -- until he cratered in the playoffs.

Duren averaged just 10.1 points in the postseason, a massive drop-off from the 19.5 points he posted during the regular season. The numbers were bad enough. The eye test might have been worse. Duren got cooked by Wendell Carter Jr . for much of the Pistons' first-round series against the Magic , then he was largely invisible and/or useless against the Cavaliers , who bounced Detroit in the second round. Hence the impasse.

If Jalen Duren won't take Pistons' $200 million offer, then it's time for them to consider a trade Sam Quinn

According to multiple reports, the Pistons recently upped their offer to $200 million over five years. Because of the All-NBA selection, Duren is technically eligible for up to $287 million. He was never getting that much, even before he faceplanted in the playoffs, though it's possible he convinced himself he's worth the max and now he's upset about an offer that's well shy of that number. The Athletic also reported that the Pistons attached a clause to the latest offer requiring Duren to weigh in regularly.

All of this seems to have Duren feeling a certain way. There has been rampant speculation that he might instead opt to sign the $9.6 million qualifying offer that would make him a free agent next summer. Leaving that much guaranteed money on the table would obviously be a huge gamble. If Duren goes that route, the most a new team could sign him for next summer would be four years at around $189 million. Add that to the qualifying offer and the total money would be slightly less than the reported $200 million the Pistons are offering right now -- with considerably more risk attached.

The Kings and Bucks are reportedly interested in Duren's services, but a lot could happen between now and next summer. What happens if Duren looks more like the playoff dud than his dominant regular-season self? Not to mention that the Kings and Bucks aren't exactly poised to win now (or anytime soon). Would Duren really want to roll the dice on major money just to set himself up to leave for a worse basketball opportunity?

According to The Athletic , Duren has been "displeased" with the negotiations. That much was already evident. The report highlighted the deals recently signed by Amen and Ausar Thompson . Ausar, Duren's teammate and a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, received $155 million over five years , while his brother Amen received $208 million over five years from the Rockets . Both are exceptional talents, but neither has made All-Star or All-NBA teams -- something that reportedly rankles Duren, whose current offer from the Pistons is $8 million shy of what Houston handed Amen.

Duren has until Oct. 1 to sign the qualifying offer, though he and the Pistons could agree to push the deadline back. But even if the player and the team eventually reach a longer, big-money agreement, this process has gone on long enough (and poorly enough) that it's fair to wonder whether any ill-will and resentment will linger.

2. What does Kawhi Leonard have to say for himself?

Speaking of messy. After a lengthy investigation into cap circumvention rules that resulted in the Clippers being  hit with the biggest punishment in NBA history , the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Raptors finally went through . Leonard recently signed a two-year extension (with a player option) for $115 million , which could conceivably keep him in Toronto through his age-37 season.

To return to Canada, Leonard waived his $7.45 million trade kicker. He also took $11 million less than the maximum extension number -- all ostensibly in the name of giving the Raptors more team-building flexibility going forward. The short version of that: RJ Barrett is in the final year of his deal and Jakob Poeltl's contract isn't doing them any favors, which has the Raptors in danger of pushing up against the first apron if Barrett sticks around at a similar number.

Inquiring minds might want to hear Leonard's thinking on taking yet another discount, as well as hearing him offer a proper explanation of what transpired in Los Angeles. Unlike his former team, Leonard largely escaped the league's wrath unscathed. He was ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution for the no-show endorsement deals that reportedly landed him north of $28 million for the Aspiration component alone. No suspension. No voided contract. That's a pretty sweet deal as punishments go.

Three big concerns about Kawhi Leonard's return to Raptors, including fit with Scottie Barnes Brad Botkin

In a statement, Leonard said he accepted full responsibility -- then blamed the whole situation on "lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle." Didn't Leonard hire and empower those very people? Leonard claimed that he entered into the endorsement deals "fully committed to fulfilling my obligations." But if that's the case, why didn't he? Pablo Torre's reporting couldn't find any instances of him doing any work on behalf of Aspiration. Beyond that, Leonard, in his statement, said he had "no knowledge of any intent on anyone's part to circumvent the salary cap." So why exactly did he think he was getting millions of dollars deposited into his account for work he never completed?

The guess here is that Leonard will try to duck any further inquiries about what happened in L.A. by saying he wants to put it all behind him and move forward. But the questions still need to be asked because he has yet to provide sufficient answers.

3. What's next for the Clippers?

Leonard may have gotten off relatively unscathed, but the Clippers weren't so lucky. The team was docked five first-round draft picks and fined $30 million for what the league determined to be a cap-circumvention scheme. Additionally, owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from team and league activities for a year, president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for a year, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months.

That is less than ideal for a franchise that has not exactly covered itself in glory for much of its existence. Ballmer apologized to "fans, employees and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused." He also said he accepted responsibility as principal owner and is complying with the penalties levied by the league .

That's just the starting point for the Clippers, though. Even before the fine, the loss of draft picks and having their C-suite decimated, the organization was going nowhere fast. Despite Leonard having one of the best campaigns of his career last season, the Clippers still didn't make it out of the play-in. After trading Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac , the Clippers' best player is currently… Darius Garland ? Brandon Ingram ? Keaton Wagler ? Whatever answer you land on, there isn't a great one, especially not in the Western Conference, where the Thunder and Spurs are young and loaded and figure to be fighting for a trip to the NBA Finals for the next half-decade at least.

By contrast, the Clippers are thin and rudderless. On the basketball operations side, general manager Trent Redden will likely step into the decision-making void while Frank sits on the sideline. Meanwhile, the organization recently named John Gibson as the interim governor and CEO . Gibson is a Los Angeles-based lawyer and a longtime Clippers season ticket holder. If that doesn't get Clippers fans excited, perhaps his largely monotone video address will.

Maybe the Clippers deserved their punishment, but their fans didn't deserve whatever this has become.

4. How will LeBron James fit with the new-look 76ers?

You'll recall that James was asked a version of this very thing last season when he was asked to take a back seat to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in the usage department with the Lakers . James responded by saying he didn't even understand why it was a question.

> Lebron on playing with his new teammates: "I can fit in with anybody. I don't even understand why that was even a question. What's wrong with these people out here?" 😂 pic.twitter.com/RgIhalJsZB — Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 19, 2025

In fairness, James proved his point by adapting to what the Lakers needed and helped them go on a 15-game winning streak toward the end of the season. And when Dončić and Reaves suffered injuries that left the Lakers woefully shorthanded for the postseason, James stepped up and carried the team to a surprising first-round win over the Rockets. Even at an advanced age, James once again showed that he can contribute in so many different ways.

When he opted to sign with the 76ers , James certainly knew he'd be adapting to yet another new situation. As with the Lakers last season, James won't be the primary option on most nights. Or even second or third. If the Sixers are healthy, their starting lineup of James, Tyrese Maxey , VJ Edgecombe , Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid is as talented (on paper) as any first five in the league. And while James has demonstrated time and again that he can play with and alongside anyone, the question is what his role will look like in Philadelphia and how Sixers coach Nick Nurse plans to deploy him.

New president of basketball operations Mike Gansey suggested James could be utilized as a point forward to initiate the offense, thereby freeing up Maxey to play off the ball more and terrorize opponents with his speed and scoring ability. It's an intriguing idea. James is one of the best passers of his or any generation and finished second last season in fast-break points behind Maxey. How much Nurse goes with that approach is another matter. James is entering his NBA-record 24th season and will turn 42 in December. How much can the Sixers rely on him to run the show, and how many minutes and games can they wring out of what's left of his remarkable career? And beyond that, how might his presence alter the production of Maxey and Brown, who are coming off career years, as well as Embiid, a former MVP?

James is right. He can play with anyone. How he plays with the Sixers -- and what he's asked to do (or not do) -- will go a long way toward determining whether the team can advance beyond the second round for the first time since Allen Iverson led them to the Finals more than a quarter century ago.

5. Where do Steph Curry and the Warriors go from here?

After missing out in the LeBron sweepstakes, the Warriors are in limbo. Not surprisingly, there has been speculation about whether Curry -- who will turn 39 in March -- might finally leave the Bay Area and finish his career with a team better suited to win now. Curry shut that down almost immediately , reminding everyone in a CNBC interview that "I've always said I want to be a lifer with Golden State." Just to make sure everyone understood, he underscored that point this week and told reporters , "I'm not going anywhere."

His commitment to the franchise does not come without expectations, however. Curry is eligible to sign a two-year extension for $137 million. That would keep him in Golden State th

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/five-burning-questions-nba-media-days-2026/)._