‘Couldn’t do it’: LeBron reveals why he snubbed NBA champs; Jokic set for richest deal – Daily

NBA media day is here and everything is happening.

From LeBron James revealing he had visions of joining the reigning champions before eventually signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, to Ben Simmons opening up on his return to basketball and Nikola Jokic's short response to potentially signing the richest contract in NBA history.

This year's media day has already had it all.

We break down all the biggest talking points in the latest edition of NBA Daily.

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LEBRON PLANNED TO JOIN THE KNICKS?

It is NBA media day for the Philadelphia 76ers and LeBron James has just dropped a bombshell.

In his first media appearance as a member of the 76ers, James revealed he had visions of finishing his career with the New York Knicks before their NBA championship ultimately changed his thinking.

"I had visions of playing in Madison Square Garden and finishing my career in the Garden," James said.

"One of the best places I've ever played. I think it's the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player.

"But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, 'hey, I can't.' I couldn't do it."

James admitted the reaction to joining the Knicks after they had just won a championship played a part in his decision, knowing the criticism that would have followed.

It would have drawn similarities to Kevin Durant's decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016, after they had just won 73 games before losing the NBA Finals 4-3 to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Y'all wouldn't have let me lay that down, at all," James said.

"But much respect to the Knicks, obviously, an unbelievable team, unbelievable players.

"Shout out Jalen Brunson, I love that guy, he's unbelievable.

"But, yeah, I'm happy where I'm at and I'm looking forward to it."

Instead, James now finds himself in Philadelphia as part of a stacked 76ers roster with championship expectations firmly on their shoulders.

And when asked what his role will look like this season, James pointed towards the versatility he can still provide.

"Whatever they need me to do," James said.

"The luxury of my game is I can do everything. ... Literally, I can do everything."

James also broke down his decision to eventually sign with Philadelphia, revealing there were five teams in consideration towards the end of the process.

He also took a moment to have a little jab and laugh at his longtime friend and agent Rich Paul.

"I had a list of 5 teams that I was interested in," James said.

"If you saw my agent and his little podcast, you saw his whiteboard... whatever, I love him to death. He had his LeBron teams up there."

Philadelphia 76ers' Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe *left to right pose for photos during the NBA basketball team's media day, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Camden, N.J.. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)Source: AP

But one of the biggest factors in James eventually choosing Philadelphia was his relationship with Tyrese Maxey.

"I have a great relationship with Tyrese.

"We talked a lot... When I broke a lot of the teams down, [Tyrese] was one of the main deciding factors."

And while Maxey helped sell James on Philadelphia, the four-time NBA champion made it clear what he expects from the move.

"I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round, I know that," James said.

The 76ers unveiled their new-look starting core of James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and V.J. Edgecombe at media day, with expectations incredibly high heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.

JOKIC TO BECOME RICHEST MAN IN NBA HISTORY?

Nikola Jokic is already one of the greatest players in NBA history, but is he about to become the richest too?

Jokic is expected to sign a five-year, $360 million deal with the Denver Nuggets in the summer of 2027, according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor.

If the three-time NBA MVP was to sign the deal, it would become the richest contract in NBA history.

When asked about the possibility of signing a new deal at Nuggets media day, Jokic was short and sweet with his response.

"I'm going to sign next year."

It would be a massive commitment from Denver, with a contract of that size having major ramifications on how the Nuggets build the roster around their superstar.

With the NBA's second-apron restrictions making life increasingly difficult for the league's most expensive teams, paying Jokic $360 million across five years would only make the challenge of building a championship roster around him even greater.

But when the player in question is a three-time MVP and already one of the greatest players to ever step on an NBA court, it is a decision the Nuggets appear more than willing to make.

DUREN TRADE WATCH EMERGES?

The never-ending saga between the Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren has taken another turn.

The All-NBA Third Team big man is not attending Pistons media day as the stalemate between the two parties continues.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Duren is also expected to miss the start of training camp after declining Detroit's five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed offer in restricted free agency.

The two sides remain at a stalemate ahead of Thursday's deadline on a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer.

If Duren signs the qualifying offer, he would become an unrestricted free agent next summer and have the opportunity to chase a max contract elsewhere.

But according to Marc Spears, a trade could emerge for Duren, with several teams interested in acquiring and signing him to a max deal.

"A Pistons source told me that there's still optimism that they think he'll sign the big deal," Spears said.

"But if not, I'm hearing from an NBA GM who told me the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks, the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards... have interest in a potential sign-and-trade."

Now, one of those teams immediately pricks the interest levels… the Washington Wizards.

The reason is that if Washington was to eventually pursue a sign-and-trade for Duren, a deal would likely have to involve Anthony Davis to help make the salaries work.

And while that remains hypothetical, Spears hinted at the possibility when discussing how a deal between the Pistons and Wizards could work.

Jalen Duren's future in Detroit remains up in the air, with the All-NBA big man absent from media day as his contract stalemate with the Pistons continues.Source: AP

"That would seem like a salary that would be easy to trade with," Spears said, referring to Davis' contract and Duren's potential new deal.

According to Charania though, Detroit remains strong in its belief that the offer currently on the table is a fair one.

"The Pistons have been completely and vehemently against [a max deal] to this point... believe their offer is fair," Charania said.

If Duren does sign the qualifying offer, he would become the 44th player to do so.

But more significantly, Duren would become the first All-NBA or All-Star player in NBA history to take that path.

CLIPPERS OFFSEASON GETS WORSE?

Did the Los Angeles Clippers want to get rid of Kawhi Leonard so badly they traded for a player with a torn Achilles?

Brandon Ingram was one of the centrepieces in the blockbuster Leonard trade between the Toronto Raptors and Clippers, but it has now been revealed that Ingram has a partially torn Achilles.

Ingram underwent routine surgery on his heel this off-season, which led to the discovery of a partially torn Achilles suffered while playing for the Raptors.

He is expected to miss the start of the season and will be re-evaluated in the early stages of the campaign, where a clearer timeline for his return is likely to be revealed.

It adds another blow to an off-season that has quickly become one to forget for the Clippers.

After trading Leonard, Los Angeles will now begin the season without one of the centrepieces of that deal.

Bill Simmons weighed in with a strong take on the Clippers' latest setback.

"New strategy for the Clippers with the Ingram trade - trading for expensive guys who already HAVE a serious injury," Simmons wrote on X.

"A pivotal new direction for the franchise."

Add in the ongoing NBA investigation, which resulted in the loss of five first-round picks, and there are plenty of concerns surrounding the Clippers both this season and beyond.

And with Ingram's return timeline still unclear, things have only gone from bad to worse in Los Angeles.

WARRIORS TAKE ANOTHER HIT IN THE PRESEASON

The Golden State Warriors will be without Kristaps Porzingis for an unconfirmed amount of time to start the season.

According to Anthony Slater, Porzingis is out indefinitely with a "health issue" and will not be with the team as training camp begins.

Porzingis was reportedly on the court last week and fully cleared, but has experienced an undisclosed setback since then.

He signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Warriors this off-season to join Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but with this latest setback, Golden State's depth has already taken a considerable hit.

Curry was also asked about the Warriors' chances this season, with Golden State not expected by some to make the playoffs.

After hearing that, Curry got up and walked off.

"No playoffs?? Damn!" Curry said.

The Warriors are also expected to welcome back Jimmy Butler from his ACL injury this season, with the All-Star saying he is ahead of schedule in his recovery.

"My (testing) numbers are staggering, they're off the charts," Butler said at media day.

"I'm ahead, so they say."

The Warriors will be an interesting watch this season, with their hopes of becoming a genuine championship contender likely coming down to Butler's return, what Curry can still produce and whether their ageing roster can stay healthy.

And with Porzingis already sidelined before the season has even begun, that last question has only become even bigger.