The Bucks released a behind-the-scenes look at their 2025 draft and free‑agency push, highlighting Bogoljub Marković and Mark Sears. Marković was selected at 47 and is slated to be a draft‑and‑stash prospect for Milwaukee, while Sears signed a two‑way deal out of Alabama. Sears sat out Summer League with a calf strain, clouding immediate rotation plans.

The video tours the draft war room and Las Vegas prep, confirming free‑agent visits from Miles Turner and Cole Anthony in Las Vegas to sign their contracts. Marković logged five Summer League appearances, averaging 8 points on 48.3% shooting with 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists, including a 14‑point game on July 13. He’ll return to Mega Basket next season as a draft‑and‑stash prospect. Sears will split time between the NBA and the Wisconsin Herd, active for up to 50 games and earning 50% of the rookie minimum.

Milwaukee’s plan blends international upside with NBA depth, suggesting a long view on roster development. For fantasy, Marković offers late‑round potential, Sears adds two‑way upside, and Turner/Anthony provide veteran depth that could be meaningful if injuries strike or roles shift.

Thunder and the Seattle SuperSonics share a long-running jersey-number story. No. 40 has been worn by 11 players, with Russ Schoene the eighth to wear it in Seattle’s era. Schoene posted 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game after a 1982 draft by Philadelphia and a stint with Indiana, before suiting up for Seattle exclusively in No. 40.

The history sits among 51 numbers used by the franchise since 1967-68, and No. 40 is the 38th jersey in this ongoing series. Basketball-Reference data anchors the profile, offering context for fantasy-minded readers who track player journeys, team legacies and the threading of past eras into current organizational lore.

This history note highlights how a single numeral can reveal a lineage of players—from early Seattle years through the present-day OKC era—helping fantasy watchers appreciate how franchise identity intertwines with player development and roster building.

Indiana rewarded Rick Carlisle with a multiyear extension after guiding the Pacers from a rough 25-win season in his first year back to an NBA Finals appearance and a 50-win follow-up. The deal signals long-term stability as the franchise leans into a promising core that has risen quickly under Carlisle’s system. The calculus changed almost immediately, though, with Tyrese Haliburton suffering a torn Achilles and Myles Turner departing for Milwaukee, creating a depth and defensive front that fantasy managers must reassess for the upcoming season.

Carlisle’s track record—two stints with Indiana, five playoff appearances in eight years, and a Finals run—suggests the system will endure. With Haliburton sidelined, Indiana will rely more on younger guards and wings to carry the load, and Turner's exit opens opportunities for emerging bigs and reworked rotations. Fantasy players should monitor how Indiana pivots offensively and who steps into primary creator and playmaking roles as Carlisle’s impact persists.

Rick Carlisle has secured a multiyear extension with the Indiana Pacers after delivering the franchise’s first Eastern Conference title since 2000 and guiding Indiana to consecutive conference finals appearances. The Pacers were a single win from an NBA championship in 2024-25, falling to Oklahoma City in a dramatic Game 7 of the Finals. Carlisle, a lifelong NBA figure who won a title as a player with the 1986 Celtics, has built a coaching legacy that includes a long stint in Dallas culminating in an NBA title in 2011. His extension cements stability as Indiana blends veteran leadership with a rising core and continued playoff contention. In the broader arc, Carlisle’s 81 playoff wins place him near the top of all-time coaches, a milestone that underscores his influence in shaping teams for high-stakes postseason runs.

From a fantasy lens, Carlisle’s continuity matters: a steady system paired with an ascending core tends to produce predictable opportunites for players who can expand their roles. Expect growth for the Pacers’ core pieces as the coach steers a balanced attack, leveraging defense and pace to sustain top-tier fantasy floor while maintaining upside in closer playoff contexts. Carlisle’s track record suggests Indiana can sustain steady per-game production, even as roster dynamics evolve with the next wave of talent.

Rick Carlisle signed a multiyear extension with the Indiana Pacers after guiding the franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance in a quarter-century. At 65, Carlisle is the NBA's oldest active head coach and sits at 993-860 in the regular season, on track to reach 1,000 wins early next season, making him the 11th coach in league history to hit that mark. The deal signals stability as Indiana pivots around its core, notably after the Sabonis-Haliburton swap that reshaped the roster.

Indiana’s Finals run followed the Sabonis-for-Haliburton trade, which freed Haliburton to blossom and helped Sabonis land in Sacramento. The Pacers dispatched Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York to reach the Finals, then pushed Oklahoma City to seven games in a series that ended with Haliburton suffering a torn Achilles and sidelining him next season. Marc Stein initially reported the extension, underscoring Carlisle’s ongoing influence and leadership within the league’s coaching fraternity.

The broader NBA landscape is shifting as Gregg Popovich, Tom Thibodeau and others face exits or transitions, while Carlisle’s ascent as a premier tactician and NBCA president reinforces Indiana’s commitment to a long-term vision. This extension not only cements Carlisle’s place among the sport’s coaching elite but also has immediate implications for fantasy buyers who will be watching how Indiana leverages its guard-heavy, playmaking backbone in the post-injury environment.