8 burning questions we need to have answered at NBA Media Day

The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks have already held their media days, but the NBA's other 28 teams are all set to have theirs on Monday.

The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors kick the festivities off at 9 a.m. ET. Here's guessing one of those will be slightly more well-attended than the other. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat take the podium 30 minutes later, and then we're off to the races with an all-day quote marathon.

We aren't likely to get any earth-shattering news out of media day. Players are too well-versed in modern media and get plenty of coaching from their PR staffs these days. But there are plenty of questions that need to be answered heading into the festivities.

Here, we've highlighted eight of the most burning ones.

Who actually gained 15 pounds of muscle?

It's officially #MUSCLEWATCH SZN. Just about every player will claim to have gained between 10-15 pounds of muscle this offseason and will allegedly be in the best shape of their lives. (Except for Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel and forward Grant Williams, both of whom recently suffered hamstring strains and will miss the entire preseason.)

Younger players typically have more room to bulk up than older veterans. Age and metabolism are a real drag. But some players will inevitably show up to media day looking far more swole than they were at the end of last season.

Media day will be our first in-person chance to see who's been hitting the weights all offseason. (Chet Holmgren bulked up an entire two pounds!)

What's the latest on Jalen Duren?

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday to decide whether to accept his one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. Doing so would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but he'd be turning down a nine-figure payday in the meantime.

Last week, Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reported the Pistons have bumped their offer up to a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million deal with no team or player options. The deal also included a clause that would require Duren "to check his weight monthly throughout the calendar year," Amick and Patterson explained, which was "not received well by Duren or his representatives."

Amick and Patterson reported Sunday that Duren is not expected to show up to media day, much like Quentin Grimes did with the Philadelphia 76ers last season amidst his own restricted-free-agency stalemate. Longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein added that Duren's standoff with the Pistons "could very well go all the way to Thursday."

While Duren won't be in attendance Monday, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon presumably will be. He'll likely do his best to deftly dodge sharing any specifics about the ongoing negotiations or whether the rift between Duren and the Pistons is still repairable, but every word he says about the situation will inevitably be dissected.

Is there trouble in Knicks paradise?

Duren isn't the only star player who's at a contractual impasse with his team. ESPN's Shams Charania recently reported that extension talks between Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks "have stagnated," and "an agreement is considered unlikely" for now.

Towns is fresh off helping the Knicks snap their 53-year championship drought, but their long-term financial outlook is cloudy, especially given team owner James Dolan's refusal to cross into the second apron. While a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that talks between the Knicks and Towns have "all been cordial, all positive," will Towns sing the same tune when he's inevitably asked about it at media day?

Towns isn't the only Knicks player who may be frustrated, either. Miles McBride recently told Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News that he would "love to get something done," but he's "a little disappointed" that the two sides haven't already come to terms on a new contract.

Will the business side of basketball hurt the reigning champion's vibes before they even get to hang their banner on opening night? Media day could provide some clues.

Why didn't Steph Curry wait on an extension?

Last week, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry told reporters that he planned to sign a new deal with the team "when I'm ready." He was apparently ready two days later, as he signed a two-year, $116 million extension with a player option in 2028-29 on Friday.

Curry took roughly $20 million less than the two-year, $136.7 million max extension that he could have signed. In that sense, his deal is a clear win for the Warriors. But they could have entered next summer with more than $100 million in cap space if they renounced the rights to all of their unrestricted free agents (including Curry).

So… what was the rush? Especially for someone who already has more than a half-billion dollars in career earnings?

Was he afraid of an injury? Was he concerned that his uncertain future would impact players' willingness to come to Golden State? Why not take even less to give the Warriors more financial flexibility? Why not wait to see what else they could pull off first?

Curry will likely frame it as a huge financial sacrifice, and reporters who are thirsty for access will parrot that word-for-word without inquiring further. But let's hope one intrepid reporters on the scenes for Warriors media day pushes a bit harder and asks Curry why he felt the urgency to sign now rather than next summer.

Are the Blazers really starting Dame and Ja?

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Ja Morant for pennies on the dollar this offseason, which is undeniably good business. But this? This raises some questions.

It's not like the Blazers don't have other options at their disposal. While Shaedon Sharpe is currently on the shelf due to a meniscus tear that he suffered in an offseason workout in August, the Blazers also have Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson in their backcourt. A starting backcourt featuring Holiday with either Lillard or Morant makes far more sense on paper than one with Holiday off the bench, as the Lillard-Morant duo projects to be an absolute turnstile on defense.

First-year head coach Micah Nori will likely tell reporters Monday that all roles are up for grabs heading into training camp. He'll likely discuss his ability to experiment with three-guard lineups early and often as well. But he'll need to address how he envisions building a competent defense with Morant and Lillard both on the floor, even if Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan can help clean up some of their mistakes.

Where is LeBron James living?

LeBron James shocked the NBA by signing a two-year, veteran-minimum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in late July. He explained why he did so on the season premiere of his Mind the Game podcast, but that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to figuring out this new-look Sixers squad.

Here's a quietly important question: Where is LeBron living this season?

After he signed, Charania mentioned that LeBron might live in New York City and "take a chopper back and forth." That might sound excessive, but a) LeBron is a billionaire, so he can probably afford it, even with oil prices what they are these days, and b) JJ Redick already paved that path by living in Brooklyn during his time with the Sixers in the mid-2010s.

Even if the James family does take up residence in NYC, James will presumably have a residence somewhere in Philly, too. It's hard to imagine him commuting back-and-forth when the Sixers have a home back-to-back, after all.

But if he does live in NYC, will all of that additional travel impact him physically? After all, he's in an ongoing battle with Father Time that he's still somehow winning… for now. Would 50-plus helicopter trips help Father Time turn that tide?

What (if anything) will Kawhi say about the Clippers?

Kawhi Leonard issued a statement through his new agent about his role in the salary-cap circumvention scandal that resulted in the Los Angeles Clippers losing five first-round picks, but he has yet to speak publicly about it. He can only hope that Pablo Torre doesn't show up at Toronto Raptors media day on Monday.

Leonard will likely look to deflect any questions about the Clippers or the circumvention scandal, but that shouldn't stop reporters from asking. If nothing else, they should ask Leonard why he thinks the NBA let him off mostly scot-free while issuing a de facto death penalty to the Clippers.

The Raptors PR team might need a stiff drink after Leonard's turn at the podium.

What does Jimmy Butler do this year?

Jimmy Butler is the undisputed king of media day. Was, anyway.

Butler has toned down the antics in recent years, but his "Emo Jimmy" persona in 2023 was peak Jimmy. Does he have anything up his sleeve this year in the midst of his recovery from a torn ACL?

Given that Butler is heading into a contract year, he figures not to get too wild on Monday. But even if Emo Jimmy doesn't make a comeback, this will be reporters' first chance to get a sense of how he's progressing in his recovery from his injury and when he might be back on the court.

The Warriors' season only hinges on that. No pressure!   

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