NBA on ESPN

Brian Windhorst, Tim McMahon and Anthony Slater preview the Pacific Division, breaking down the biggest questions facing the Lakers, Warriors, Suns, Kings and Clippers heading into the 2026 NBA season. The guys discuss each team’s outlook, the roster questions that could define their season and where they stack up in the Western Conference. Plus, who has the highest ceiling, which team has the most to prove and who could surprise?

Timecodes:

00:00 Welcome To The Hoop Collective

00:20 Our 2026-27 Pacific Division Preview

01:05 Can Lakers Take The Next Step In Playoffs?

18:45 What Is The Best & Worst Case For Warriors?

28:30 Suns Overachieved Last Season, What Now?

35:20 What Can We Expect From The Clippers Now?

42:40 Assessing The State Of The Kings This Year

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN reporters checking in from Media Day around the league. Tim McMahon, Dave McMenamin, Vince Goodwill, Jamal Collier, Eric Woodyard, Ben Golliver, Anthony Slater, and Michael C. Wright join the show with the latest from the Lakers, Clippers, Thunder, Spurs, Knicks, 76ers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Pistons.

What are the biggest questions facing each team as training camp begins? They break down the storylines and early expectations across the NBA.

Melbourne Show Link: Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon Special Live Podcast 

TIMECODES:

00:00 Intro

01:08 76ers Media Day Reactions

06:55 How LeBron is assimilating in Philadelphia

15:00 How will the 76ers deploy their talent this year?

18:45 Vibes exceedingly high for the Lakers today

32:25 Bronny's quotes about LeBron leaving

35:20 Windy Storytime: Bronny's name origins

40:20 Exciting summer coming to a close for the Knicks

41:15 Major contract negotiations ongoing with NY

55:10 Assessing vibes with new pieces in Minnesota

1:08:40 Bad news days continue for the Clippers

1:24:15 Evaluating Kawhi's fit with the Raptors

1:30:20 Not a lot of love in the air for Pistons

1:44:30 Breaking down state of the Warriors

2:00:25 Thunder dealing with departure of key teammates

2:16:13 Interesting quotes from Spurs about their starting 5

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to discuss the ongoing contract extension discussions between Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks including how this could set the tone for the future in New York. Then, the guys discuss some interesting quotes from Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Thunder Sam Presti with regards to OKC’s commitment to keeping their title contending squad together. Finally, we tackle how strong Kawhi Leonard’s extension with the Raptors is and explain why it is a fascinating deal.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to break down expectations for our Hoop Collective World Tour. Then, we tackle some substantial extensions that flew under the radar before talking about some you need to keep an eye on. Finally, we discuss some financial bonuses that separate the Lakers and Knicks from the rest of the field. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks to break down ESPN’s NBA Future Power Rankings including the some teams who were surprisingly high and some who had substantial drop-off from last season.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Vince Goodwill to talk about the Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer accepting the NBA’s punishment and how that may have cleared the path for the completion of the Kawhi trade to the Raptors. The crew breaks down what we can expect from Kawhi on the court, discusses some wild stories from his previous stint in Toronto and if we will see elite performance once again. Plus, we tackle what Brian is watching in NBA owners' meetings like the state of expansion in the NBA and Adam Silver's tone about the Clippers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by the publishing director for Eurohoops Aris Barkas to break down what the future plans are for the NBA in Europe including if the concepts are feasible, how everything could potentially work and the state of the current landscape of European basketball.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to break down the latest on the fallout from the Clippers’ punishment following the NBA’s probe into their dealings with Kawhi. The guys talk about how some key league history indicates what may be to come, why LA got into this situation and what may have been known by Kawhi. Next, the guys tackle Amen Thompson’s extension with the Rockets before talking Ben Simmons signs with the Kings.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to react to the punishments given to the Clippers by the NBA after the probe into their dealings with Kawhi. The guys break down what this means for the future of the Clippers, if the punishment makes sense and if this will impact Kawhi moving forward in Toronto.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Anthony Slater to break down Steph Curry’s interesting future in Golden State including how his potential extension could determine the future for the Warriors. Then, the guys tackle the intriguing situation between Jalen Duren & the Pistons as his restricted free agency presses on. We discuss if Detroit will be able to manage this moving forward or if it could cause major issues for the team. Finally, we talk about the FIBA World Cup qualifiers with some epic battles taking place in Europe.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices