We're two nights into the 2026-27 NBA season and all but two teams have crossed their opener off the schedule. Only the Cavs, who are at Philadelphia on Thursday, and the Nuggets, who are at Oklahoma City in the nightcap of a two-game slate, are yet to take the court. 

Plenty has happened, and as sure as the sun rises in the East, there are going to be a lot of hot takes in response to season openers. That doesn't mean these takes are wrong, necessarily. Take the Timberwolves, for instance. If you watched them dismantle what could be a top-five defense in Miami on Wednesday, you might be calling them the best offense in basketball. Maybe even a historic one. And you know what? You might be right!

Because, good grief, did Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball come out blazing. I don't know if the Wolves, who shot 50 3-pointers in Miami and connected at a 42% clip, are going to be a historic offense or even the tops in the league, but it's not a hot take to call it a possibility. They are loaded with athletes, shooters and creators -- and they know it. This team is going be a blast to watch all season. 

NBA opening night overreactions: Jayson Tatum already misses Jaylen Brown, 76ers have it all figured out

Brad Botkin

You know who's not going to be a blast to watch? The Warriors. Which is where we shall begin out Game 1 overreactions. Get your oven mitts on for these hot takes.

The Warriors should trade Stephen Curry

Curry is too entertaining to spend the end of his career on a boring team

We're going to shelve the fact that Curry doesn't seem to have any desire to be traded, and the Warriors would never have the stones to do it without his request, and just look at this from an entertainment standpoint, which, in the end, is what the NBA is about. Watching the Warriors, who got shelled by the Lakers in the season opener, play basketball this season is going to be worse than bad. It's going to be boring. 

That word should never be used in a Steph Curry sentence, but here we are. The greatest showman, shooter and one of the greatest players in history showed us he's still got it with 16 first-quarter points against the Lakers on Wednesday, and then the Warriors proceeded to get smashed by the Lakers because they're small, slow, old, and just not very good. It's only because of Curry that we can even call this a potential Play-in Tournament team with a halfway straight face.  

In an interview with The Ringer's Logan Murdock, Steve Kerr said it would make "no sense" for the Warriors to trade away their "entire future" to get Curry some real help, and though I'll never understand why this organization has painted it like it has to be Giannis or Jokić or nothing, he's probably right at this point. 

The Warriors -- starting with Joe Lacob and continuing down the front-office line -- have paralyzed themselves with all their next-era analysis, so why don't they just get on with it. If they really want the best future possible, then trading Curry, who at 38 going on 39 would still command pretty premium value, is their best chip. They could set up their next decade if they did it right, and just like everything else good that has happened to this franchise over the last decade-plus, Curry would be the reason for it. He would, in a weird way, be even more heroic to the Warriors. He gave them the greatest run they could have ever dreamed of and then set their table for the next one. 

If I were Curry, which I realize I'm not and that he has earned the right to let his basketball life die on the Golden State vine if he so chooses, I would have a hard time resisting the temptation to compete for one last title. I know he has a family and the Bay Area is his home and he's a Warrior for life and all that, and I surely know that there's a lot more layers to this than just competing for another ring. But I go back to the entertainment aspect of the NBA and how important it is -- even more so, frankly, than winning. It's why these guys gets paid what they do. It why we pay what we do to watch them. 

In the end, it's not just that Curry is still way too great to be wasting away on an irrelevant team; it's that he's too entertaining. This guy is still box office, and his going to a team with a real shot at a title would light the league on fire. I'm from Northern California. I say this as a lifelong Warriors fan. Golden State needs to trade Stephen Curry. Their run is over. But his isn't. 

Walker Kessler is next great Lakers center

L.A.'s new big man had a perfect opening night

When the Lakers traded two first-round picks and two first-round swaps for Walker Kessler, a guy they were once thought to be on track to acquire as a straight-up free agent, many called it an overpay as it depleted pretty much all their future draft capital that could've been used on subsequent moves. 

One game in, and it's looking like the Lakers might've underpaid for Kessler, who finished L.A's season-opening beatdown of the Warriors a perfect 12 for 12 from the field. ESPN notes that the only other Laker in history to shoot 100% from the field on at least 12 shots is Wilt Chamberlain, who went 14 for 14 against the Pistons in 1969. 

CUT TO: Shaquille O'Neal calling Kessler "Milk Chamberlain" on the Inside the NBA postgame show. 

As team debuts go, this was about as good as it gets. But let's settle down. We need to see a lot more than one game against a pathetic Warriors front line to start putting Kessler's name in the same sentence as Wilt freaking Chamberlain. 

Shaq -- who was the last Laker to record 10 dunks in a single game, as Kessler did on Wednesday -- went on to deem Kessler "the best big man in the NBA." I mean, come on. We can talk about Kessler being a great partner with Luka Dončić. He's a great rebounder and rim protector, no doubt. He might end up leading the league in field-goal percentage with all the dunks Luka is going to get him. 

But best big man in the NBA? Did Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić and Karl-Anthony Towns retire? This is ridiculous. But hey, what are season openers good for if not some prisoner-of-the-moment takes. Here's another one for you ...

The Lillard-Morant backcourt totally works

Everything clicked for Damian Lillard and Ja Morant on Wednesday night

Micah Nori wound up starting Ja Morant alongside Damian Lillard in Portland's opener after earlier reporting had suggested Morant would come off the bench, and boy did that decision look good as Lillard and Morant teamed up for 36 points on 12 of 18 shooting as Portland went up 21-0 to start the game against the Suns and never looked back. 

Lillard was, well, typical Lillard in his first game back as a Blazer following the Milwaukee hiatus. He piled up 25 points and six dimes while cashing six triples in just 24 minutes. This dude hadn't played in a real NBA game in nearly 18 months and just came out cooking. There is no reason to think he isn't in for a big season. 

Morant is another story. There are all kinds of questions about this fit. But for one game, there's no question he looked fantastic. Let's start with the fact that he made two of his three 3-pointers (being a serviceable shooter will go a long way in this backcourt working), one of which was his first official bucket as a Blazer. 

He got to the basket. 

He ran the floor for acrobatic finishes. 

He brought a level of defensive urgency and dirty-work energy that we haven't seen enough of from him in the past. 

He added eight assists to ease Lillard's playmaking role. As a result, Lillard thrived off-ball even though that dynamic underwhelmed in Milwaukee. But listen, this was an anomaly game. Everything came together, including the opening-night energy. We'll see if Morant is bringing this kind of defensive energy a month from now. 

There is still reason to believe Morant is best suited to come off the bench in Portland. The Blazers are going to face a lot stiffer tests than the Suns, who I believe were a one-year wonder last year and are poised to fall below 40 wins. I think most of us are rooting for Morant to work in Portland. The Blazers have the makings of an exciting team. But there are still real questions about the fit, defense and how many games like this Morant can put together consistently. He did it for one night, and it was great. But let's not overreact yet.