George Gervin: The old era is gone, no LeBron James, no Stephen Curry

Bill Simmons: I’m still not positive it’s going to happen, but I think in the rich guy circles, a lot of them are talking about it because a lot of them have been asked to invest in it. And—five billion. They feel they need five billion for it. So, there’s the number. I don’t know the exact number, but I have an idea of the premise. They basically want it to be like F1—this international league. They play fewer games and go to different spots all over the world. So, they go to like Singapore, Monaco—wherever the hell it is—almost operating like F1. And they go there and stay for, I don’t know, ten days. They play multiple games in the same spot, and then they have all this other stuff that happens. There are concerts, and it’s like an event. It’s almost like a takeover, the same way F1 does it. You move from spot to spot. Maybe it’s a 30–35 game season—I don’t know. -via YouTube / June 13, 2025

Jovan Buha: I do anticipate that whenever he decides to retire, we will get that heads up and he will have the retirement tour that he deserves. So I think to your point, if he does opt in and there is no extension or no opting out with the one-plus-one, then it seems like him potentially retiring and maybe we get that announcement or something in September that this is his final season.  And it’s poetic, year 23, number 23, first player to play 23 seasons. -via YouTube / June 13, 2025

Anthony Irwin: The majority of the noise is that he is going to opt in. But in the back of my mind, I do think there’s a real possibility here that he opts out and signs a one-and-one deal and also talks to the Lakers about if they need a little bit of help getting a slightly further below the first apron to have more flexibility on a trade or something like that. We’re talking about a very small haircut, not the eight figure discount that some people had lined up for him. -via YouTube / June 13, 2025

Baron Davis feels the key to the Golden State Warriors unlocking their potential is by adding an “athletic big.” The Warriors turned their season around following the Jimmy Butler trade, with the six-time All-Star helping revive Golden State’s season. The team was 25-26 at the time of the Butler acquisition and then went 23-8 in the ensuing 31 games. Butler’s arrival paved the way for the Warriors to win their first round series and advance to the second round. If not for a Stephen Curry injury that sidelined him for the last four games of the season, the Warriors’ playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves may have looked a lot different, says Davis. “They’re solid contenders now,” the former Warriors star told Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview. “Steph getting hurt in that series kind of really derailed them and their momentum. But having Jimmy now playing that Robin character to Steph, it just gives you a different flow. Defenses are geared towards Steph, and now having Jimmy — who knows how to get a bucket, how to get to the free throw line — the Warriors can play (many different styles).” -via Basketball Insiders / June 6, 2025

While appearing on The Main Event with Andrew Marchand podcast (via Awful Announcing), ESPN’s lead NBA producer Tim Corrigan talked about some current players he would like to see in the broadcast booth. He seemed “hopeful” James, Curry, and Chris Paul would eventually go down this path. “We’re hopeful,” said Corrigan. “You talk about those two guys [James and Curry], besides their insane physical gifts and talents and all the work they’ve done, their basketball minds, we would all benefit from more exposure to that, right? And I would say somebody like Chris Paul, who did a little bit with us last year, coming in and jumping in the studio and doing all that, just to spend the time, to see how they see the game and feel the game and recognize, there’s so many stories about LeBron knowing the call the other team’s making and telling his guys on the court, ‘Here’s what they’re going to do’ based on who’s coming on the court. -via Clutch Points / June 6, 2025

Tim Corrigan, ESPN’s lead NBA producer, was a guest on The Main Event with Andrew Marchand podcast and discussed the possibility of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and/or Chris Paul becoming part of the network’s NBA coverage team. “We’re hopeful,” Corrigan said. “You talk about those two guys, besides their insane physical gifts and talents and all the work they’ve done, their basketball minds, we would all benefit from more exposure to that.” -via Awful Announcing / June 5, 2025