Iowa Professional Athletes

Iowa Hawkeyes in the NBA | Oct. 4–10, 2026

Two former Hawkeyes are making noise at opposite ends of the NBA roster security spectrum this preseason — one turning heads with a breakout performance, the other fighting to keep his spot.

Garza Puts the League on Notice

Luka Garza didn't wait for the regular season to make a statement. The Iowa big man dropped 22 points and 10 rebounds in Boston's 124-113 preseason victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, headlining the Celtics' win while starters Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson sat out the opener. It was the kind of performance that demands attention — and Boston's front office would be wise to take notes.

The context makes it even more compelling. Before landing in Boston, Garza had struggled to carve out consistent minutes with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and questions lingered about whether he could hold his own in a championship-caliber rotation. Last season, those doubts quieted as the Celtics' center corps quietly became one of the league's more reliable frontcourts. Now, with Queta making bold claims about Boston's interior depth heading into 2026-27, Garza's preseason explosion adds credibility to the hype — and raises the stakes for his role going forward.

For what it's worth, the trade rumor mill is already spinning. A proposed deal circulating in NBA circles would send Garza to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht — though there's no indication Boston has any interest in moving a center who just went off for a double-double in Game 1 of the preseason.

Kris Murray Fighting for His NBA Life

Meanwhile in Memphis, Kris Murray is staring down a roster cut deadline with his Grizzlies future uncertain. The 6'8" forward is drawing genuine interest from around the league should he be waived — most notably from the Lakers, who have been urged to sign him on either a standard or two-way contract as a more upside-laden alternative to keeping Dalton Knecht or Jaden Hardy.

Murray hasn't had the smoothest path since being drafted, but his size and versatility at the wing position make him an attractive reclamation candidate for a team looking to add length on the cheap. Whether Memphis keeps him or lets him walk, the interest elsewhere suggests his NBA career isn't over — it may just be taking a detour.

The Bigger Picture

It's a tale of two Hawkeyes. Garza looks more entrenched than ever in a contender's rotation, while Kris Murray is battling for a foothold anywhere in the league. Both stories reflect the razor-thin margins of NBA roster construction — one strong preseason performance can reshape a player's entire trajectory, and one cut can send a career in an entirely different direction.

Iowa fans have reason to watch both situations closely as rosters finalize and the regular season approaches.

Iowa in the NBA | Week of Sept. 27–Oct. 3

The most pressing story for Iowa alumni in the NBA this week isn't about a breakout performance or a new contract — it's about a roster spot that may no longer exist.

Luka Garza's Boston tenure is under serious threat. The Celtics signed Mitchell Robinson and extended Neemias Queta, a pair of moves that have effectively crowded the frontcourt Garza has been quietly competing within. With two bigs now ahead of him in terms of both investment and organizational commitment, Garza finds himself as the odd man out — a familiar and frustrating position for a player who has spent his post-college career fighting to stick in the league.

Garza's path to an NBA roster has never been easy. Undrafted out of Iowa in 2021 after winning the Naismith Award, he's carved out opportunities through hustle, positional versatility, and an encyclopedic basketball IQ that coaches tend to value in camp settings. But those qualities only go so far when a front office starts writing checks. Boston's decisions to bring in Robinson — a proven rim-protector with a lengthy track record — and lock up Queta with an extension signal a clear hierarchy at the five. Garza, without a guaranteed deal of his own, becomes a luxury the Celtics may not be able to afford once the regular season approaches and final roster cuts loom.

What happens next for the former Hawkeye is genuinely unclear. If Boston releases him, Garza's reputation as a hardworking, low-maintenance big should generate interest from other camps. But opportunities for traditional centers without elite athleticism are increasingly scarce in a league that has tilted even further toward versatile, switchable frontcourt players.

Elsewhere, Iowa's NBA contingent is quiet heading into the new week. Keegan Murray enters his fourth season with Sacramento having established himself as one of the Kings' core pieces, while his twin brother Kris Murray continues to develop with Memphis. Payton Sandfort, Oklahoma City's prospect-track small forward, remains one of the more intriguing young Hawkeyes in the league as the Thunder push deeper into title contention. Joe Wieskamp holds a roster spot in Dallas. None of those situations carry the same urgency as Garza's.

The opening week of October is when rosters get real. For Garza, that reality may arrive sooner than he'd like — and not on his terms.

Iowa Alumni Report: NBA | Sept. 20–26, 2026

Luka Garza is heading into Boston Celtics training camp with something he hasn't always had: legitimate standing. After thriving in a secondary role last season, the former Iowa center enters camp as a credible rotation piece — not just a camp body. But the frontcourt picture in Boston is complicated, and Garza's path to minutes may depend on moves the organization hasn't made yet.

Garza's Opportunity — and the Noise Around It

Garza isn't walking into an open competition. Neemias Queta returns aiming to hold his spot as Boston's starting center, and the Celtics made Mitchell Robinson their marquee free-agency addition this summer, bringing him in as a frontcourt centerpiece. That's a crowded room before Garza even laces up.

Adding to the churn: a $56 million Celtics frontcourt asset has surfaced in trade speculation, according to Heavy Sports. The report doesn't name Garza as trade bait — his contract doesn't carry that kind of figure — but any deal reshaping Boston's big-man depth would ripple directly to his role. If a starter moves, Garza's value inside the rotation rises. If Boston acquires another frontcourt piece, his minutes could compress.

For a player who has earned his spot through consistent, unglamorous work, the coming weeks of camp will matter. Garza doesn't need a starring role — he needs a defined one.

Kris Murray Lands in Memphis After High-Profile Move

On the other side of a blockbuster deal, Kris Murray is now a Memphis Grizzly. The younger Murray brother was part of the package Portland sent to Memphis in exchange for Ja Morant — a trade that sent shockwaves through the league earlier this summer. Memphis received Jerami Grant and Kris Murray in the deal, slotting the former Iowa forward into a Grizzlies frontcourt that's entering a significant transition after moving on from Morant.

Murray wasn't the headline of that trade, but landing with a rebuilding Memphis squad could mean real opportunity. The Grizzlies' new direction creates room for younger pieces to step into expanded roles, and Murray — still developing his NBA game — joins a situation where upside is more valuable than polish.

Around the League

Elsewhere in the Iowa NBA diaspora, Keegan Murray continues his tenure with the Sacramento Kings as one of the more quietly productive young forwards in the Western Conference. Payton Sandfort is with the Oklahoma City Thunder, joining a franchise that has become one of the league's best developmental environments for young wings. Joe Wieskamp remains on the Dallas Mavericks roster.

The Garza story is the one to watch as training camps open. For an Iowa program that developed him into a consensus national player of the year, seeing him compete for real rotation minutes on a championship-caliber franchise is the ceiling that Hawkeye fans always believed was reachable. Whether Boston's frontcourt shakeout helps or hurts him is the question that September will begin to answer.