Welcome to the 2026-27 NBA season! Though the games are still a few weeks away, the season's festivities kicked off in earnest on Monday as a majority of teams addressed the media for the first time. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and pretty much every other notable new face in a new place spoke to reporters Monday, while franchise stalwarts elsewhere like Nikola Jokić addressed their own futures.
So, what did we learn on media day? Let's round up some of the most notable quotes and moments from Monday's press conferences:
1. Nikola Jokić reaffirms his commitment to Denver
Nowadays, when a superstar reaches the summer before free agency, he is almost always either re-signed or traded. Nikola Jokić, eligible for free agency through a player option next summer, is the exception, and after a disappointing first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, speculation about Jokić's future has started to build this offseason. Jokić has, at all turns, indicated a commitment to Denver, but until he actually puts pen to paper, the rumor mill won't let up.
Jokić was as clear about his future on Monday as he's ever been. "I'm gonna sign next year," Jokić said, before joking, "if they want me." Now, Jokić's word isn't technically binding here (with Kyrie Irving being the most notable example of a player who has made such a statement before ultimately leaving), but there were real financial reasons for Jokić to be patient. By waiting an extra year, Jokić could tack one more year onto the eventual contract he signs with the Nuggets, one that should pay him more than $70 million per year over a five-year span.
It's the NBA. No commitment is ironclad. But for now, Jokić has done everything short of actually signing a contract to signal that he plans to remain with the Nuggets for the foreseeable future.
2. Sixers refuse to play the 'alpha' game
There is no perhaps no bigger story in the NBA this season the budding superteam in Philadelphia. The 76ers brought in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to join Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe this season, and the immediate question all of that talent has created has been how they plan to share the ball. Combined, the five of them have a career usage rate of 134%.
When asked who the alpha on the team would be, Brown responded, simply, "next question." At his introductory press conference in August, Brown rejected the premise of an alpha altogether. "It doesn't have to be anybody's team," he said at the time. The key, he said, will be "respect and work." James, fortunately, seems amenable to whatever the team needs. "Whatever they need me to do. The luxury of my game is I can do everything," he said. "Literally, I can do everything."
James teams have a history of starting slow, and the 76ers will have their work cut out for them opening the season at Madison Square Garden against the defending champion New York Knicks. It will take time to figure this out, but the players seem bought in and Joel Embiid appears to be in great shape entering the season. The pieces are here for a deep playoff run. As James put it, "I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round, I know that."
3. Kawhi deflects Clippers questions; Bucks have 'no comment' on Trent
Unsurprisingly, Kawhi Leonard offered nothing on the cap circumvention investigation that cost his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, five first-round picks. "I know why some of you guys came," Leonard began. "You want to hear about the investigation, but talking with the NBA and the PA, I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time being a Toronto Raptor." He went on to direct reporters to the statement he issued at the time of the ruling.
Leonard escaped the investigation virtually unscathed, drawing only a $700,000 fine that represents roughly one game check for him while the Clippers were hammered for the harshest penalty in NBA history. If Clippers fans were hoping for some catharsis, they're going to have to keep waiting, and it likely isn't coming any time soon. The Raptors make their lone trip to the Intuit Dome on Nov. 2, but that is the second night of a back-to-back for the Raptors as they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 1. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic didn't deny that the team would need to load manage Leonard to an extent this season, so it wouldn't be surprising if Leonard sat that game out.
Leonard was not the only cap circumvention topic to arise on Monday. The Milwaukee Bucks are dealing with an investigation of their own into the four-year, $64 million contract they gave to Gary Trent Jr. At every turn Monday, the Bucks elected not to comment.
bucks governor wes edens did not provide an update on the league's investigation into gary trent jr's contract
— jack maloney (@jackmaloneycbs) September 28, 2026
"we're working with the league and fully cooperating with them, but i don't have any insight beyond that" pic.twitter.com/6VUspHw6cZ
That's not terribly surprising, obviously, but it stands in stark contrast to the way the Clippers approached their investigation from the league. After Pablo Torre released his first podcast detailing the circumvention that the NBA would investigate the Clippers for, Steve Ballmer went on ESPN to deny the charges. At every turn, the Clippers were adamant about their innocence. Whether or not that affected the punishment the NBA gave them is unknowable, but it's at least interesting to see the Bucks take a different approach to somewhat similar circumstances.
4. Things go from bad to worse for the Clippers
The post-Leonard Clippers already had plenty working against them. They traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac last year, so this was always going to be a reloading year, but the returns in those trades in addition to the Leonard deal were at least strong enough to theoretically keep the Clippers mildly competitive. Well, the best player the Clippers received in the Leonard trade, Brandon Ingram, now has a partially torn Achilles tendon discovered this offseason. He will miss the beginning of the season, and a timeline hasn't been established for his return beyond the knowledge that a partial tear takes around six months less to recover from than a full one.
It's not as though Ingram is the only notably injured Clipper, either. Bradley Beal is still recovering from the hip injury that ended last season for him. Jordan Miller has a torn rotator cuff. Yanic Konan Niederhauser suffered a Lisfranc injury last season that he is still working his way back from. Injuries are inevitable in the NBA ... but the season hasn't even begun. The Clippers are already dangerously thin, and any further losses once the season actually begins threatens to derail whatever promise this weakened organization still had.
5. Langdon hasn't spoken with Duren, says he 'will be a Piston'
One of the more notable nuggets from media day came from Detroit, where Pistons lead executive Trajan Langdon revealed that he has not spoken directly with Jalen Duren all summer. Obviously, he has spoken quite a bit with Duren's representatives. Duren remains a restricted free agent who has until Thursday to pick up his one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer if he intends to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. For now, the Pistons are reportedly offering Duren $200 million over five years in a contract that includes weight clauses.
ESPN has reported that Duren feels disrespected by his entire free agency process. Duren was eligible for a rookie extension last offseason and did not seem to come close to getting one he deemed acceptable. Now he remains unsigned into the start of training camp. Whether or not a direct conversation with the team's lead decision-maker could solve some of these issues is unclear, but it's a stark reminder of how far apart these sides appear to be.
Still, the Pistons do not seem willing to engage on possible sign-and-trades. "Regardless of what decision he makes, he will be a Detroit Piston," Langdon said. For now, the Pistons have the power to ensure that remains the case. Duren can take the qualifying offer, accept Detroit's offer or remain a restricted free agent, but he does not have the power to unilaterally change teams. In order to do so, he would need to take the qualifying offer and walk next summer.
