on Ayton recapturing previous form and integrating with LeBron, while Smart stabilizes the backcourt. The broader context frames this as a refining year for LA: not a guaranteed leap, but a credible chance to outperform expectations if the supporting cast rises to its potential. The article closes pointing to the potential uplift from several players, leaving the door open for a reborn West fight.

12:T46e,

Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have begun a broad rethinking of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx business operations since taking control in late June. The focus is on the non-playing side—revenue, marketing, communications and organizational structure—as they pursue a long-term plan to remake the franchises’ commercial engine.

This week’s move involved layoffs of roughly 35 staffers across Wolves, Iowa Wolves and cross-team duties, with Lynx-only employees spared. Former CEO Ethan Casson and COO Ryan Tanke left for new roles elsewhere—Casson to the Dallas Mavericks and Tanke to the Houston Rockets. The basketball budgets remain intact, and the team will again pay the luxury tax this season, underscoring a separation between on-court performance and business restructuring.

The takeover, approved after a 2-1 arbitration win in February 2025, follows a 2021 agreement that Lore, Rodriguez and former owner Glen Taylor pursued for years. The layoffs are framed as a step toward a clearer, more streamlined revenue model as the ownership duo executes their long-term vision for the organizations.

13:T5e1,

Luka Doncic joined the Los Angeles Lakers, pairing him with LeBron James in a blockbuster shift that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas. The Lakers surged to the No. 3 seed behind a dynamic two-star punch and disciplined coaching chatter around JJ Redick. A first-round exit to Minnesota tempered the excitement, but the pairing signaled a reimagined window for Los Angeles in the near term.

Doncic’s EuroBasket stint with Slovenia included a right knee contusion that briefly stirred wor

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