Tigers

The Orlando Magic came out of Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA Draft Lottery as the big winners, winning the No. 1 overall pick for the fourth time in franchise history.
Winning the lottery is a big deal for any team, as it gives them a tremendous opportunity to add an elite young talent. The <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 draft class</a> features a few &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; prospects who have already adequately separated themselves from the other top youngsters. Auburn&rsquo;s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero are easily the most electrifying players in the 2022 class.
All three of these prospects are versatile big men, which is a role that the Magic would be well-served in addressing. Orlando had two lottery picks in 2021, which they used on Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs and Michigan small forward Franz Wagner. If the Magic add a big man who grows into a superstar, their roster will be mostly set for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the allure of prospects wears off almost immediately after the draft. Ignoring the scouting process and all the work that goes into prosect evaluation, a look back at the last 10 NBA drafts reveals that first-overall picks are far from the sure things we make them out to be:
2012 NBA Draft: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Ten years ago, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick. Davis grew into a superstar quickly, and his impact on the Pelicans was clear almost immediately. He led the Pelicans to the playoffs twice, in 2014-15 and 2017-18. The 2017-18 team was particularly good, winning 48 games in the regular season with a core of Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday. Cousins&rsquo; injury played a major role in Davis departing the Pelicans, as New Orleans failed to replace Davis&rsquo; friend and running mate. Had Cousins stayed healthy, who knows how good New Orleans could have been?
Still, Davis is clearly a great player who was absolutely worthy of the No. 1 pick. He has become an eight-time All-Star and earned a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Davis helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship in 2020, and he has career averages 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds 2.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals.
Verdict: Success, although not necessarily for New Orleans.
2013 NBA Draft: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers 2014 NBA Draft: Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland Cavaliers 
The Cleveland Cavaliers picked first overall in 2013 and 2014. The strange thing about both picks is that neither Anthony Bennett nor Andrew Wiggins made an impact in Cleveland. Both were sent to Minnesota in a package for Kevin Love. Bennett played one uneventful season with the Cavaliers, and Wiggins was sent out prior to the start of his rookie season. So, which team do we assess? Cleveland or Minnesota? Let&rsquo;s review both.
Technically, getting two consecutive first overall picks and trading them to the Timberwolves helped Cleveland win their first championship in franchise history. That&rsquo;s a big win for the Cavaliers, even if it cost them both players. Cleveland&rsquo;s championship was more so a product of LeBron James (and Kyrie Irving to a lesser extent), but Love was impactful and the trade worked out.
Conversely, Minnesota did not fare well with Wiggins and Bennett. They qualified for the playoffs only once in Wiggins&rsquo; five-and-a-half seasons in Minnesota, and Bennett was off the team after only one season. Wiggins seems to have found a home in Golden State, but he's the team&rsquo;s fourth-best player, which is not what most people expect from No. 1 picks (especially one with Wiggins' hype).
Verdict: Both are failures relative to expectations, but Wiggins has become a significant contributor.
2015 NBA Draft: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Speaking of Minnesota, they fared so poorly following the aforementioned Love-for-Wiggins-and-Bennett trade that they received the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. Yes, that means they technically had the first overall picks from three consecutive drafts on their roster, at least for a short period of time.
The pick in 2015 turned out to be Karl-Anthony Towns, who has now played seven seasons in Minnesota. Until recently, the Timberwolves' front office failed to surround him with the talent needed to compete. Towns has led Minnesota to the playoffs only twice, but regardless how one views the lack of team success, Towns was a good pick. He's a career 20-and-10 guy who shoots an unbelievable 40% from three-point range. The 26-year-old is a perfect big man for today's NBA.
Verdict: The Towns pick is a relative success.
2016 NBA Draft: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers 2017 NBA Draft: Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers
We can&rsquo;t really discuss the first overall picks of the past 10 seasons without diving into Sam Hinke&rsquo;s Philadelphia 76ers. Hinke led the &ldquo;Trust the Process&rdquo; 76ers from 2013-2016, during which time he received significant scorn from the NBA, media and basketball purists who felt he was cheapening the game by blatantly losing to increase the odds of being awarded the first overall pick.
Thoughts on Hinke&rsquo;s philosophy aside, he picked first overall in two consecutive seasons. Philadelphia won the draft lottery in 2016, selecting Ben Simmons. Then, they traded up to No. 1 overall in 2017 to nab the rights to Markelle Fultz.
Neither Simmons nor Fultz fulfilled their potential in Philadelphia. Fultz had a misdiagnosed shoulder injury, which resulted in an awkward shooting motion. After two sub-par seasons in Philadelphia, he was traded to Orlando, where he&rsquo;s played better but still nowhere near what's expected from a No. 1 pick.
Simmons was better for the 76ers, co-leading them to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. But Simmons&rsquo; time in Philadelphia ended infamously last season, culminating with him forcing his way to Brooklyn after a lengthy holdout.
Verdict: Degrees of failure, though Fultz was considerably more disappointing than Simmons. At least Simmons became a three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.
2018 NBA Draft: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns picked first in the 2018 NBA Draft, which is another strange case. Objectively, Deandre Ayton is a major piece on Phoenix&rsquo;s roster. In his fourth NBA season, he averaged an impressive 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Can we really analyze players in a vacuum though? Ayton was picked a few selections before Luka Doncic, who received serious first-overall-pick buzz that June. Imagine if the Suns had paired Doncic with Devin Booker? Like the Rockets and Trail Blazers both did in 1984, the Suns simply overthought this one.
2018 is too recent to accurately judge the long-term impact of this pick. Ayton could very possibly end up being a major contributor on a championship team. Still, this is a push at best, and if he ends up signing elsewhere this offseason, that makes the Ayton selection look even worse.
Verdict: Who the hell knows?
2019 NBA Draft: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans also picked first overall in 2019, selecting the electric athlete, Zion Williamson, who is the toughest first pick to grade in the last 10 years. In his lone injury-free season, he averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 62% on two-point attempts.
But injuries make it far more difficult to grade him. Williamson has played in only 85 of a possible 202 career games, missing the entire 2021-22 season.
Verdict: Time will tell.
2020 NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is experiencing a major resurgence, and the credit belongs to Towns and the 2020 first overall pick Anthony Edwards. Edwards had a good rookie season, but he exploded in his sophomore campaign.
This season, he helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs, averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals on 44.1/35.7/78.6 shooting splits. In the postseason, he took his game to another level, contributing 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.8 threes, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks on 45.5/40.4/82.4 shooting splits.
Verdict: After only two seasons, Edwards looks like a huge win for Minnesota.
2021 NBA Draft: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Last but not least, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham first overall in 2021. Despite playing alongside less talent than most of his peers, Cunningham's rookie campaign was successful. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds, was named a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection and placed third in Rookie of the Year voting.
One season is too small of a sample size to grade a young player, but Cunningham looks like the absolute right pick.
Verdict: Success (so far).&nbsp; &nbsp;
In the last 10 drafts, the first overall pick has clearly been one of the best players in the draft class just four times (2012, 2015, 2020 and 2021). He has been a complete dud twice (2013 and 2017), a good player twice (2014 and 2018), a malcontent once (2016) and an injury-prone player once (2019). Five of the last 10 first picks were traded too. If Ayton is allowed to leave this offseason, then six of the last 10 are no longer with the team that drafted them, erasing the benefit of player development.
For every franchise-changing No. 1 overall pick &mdash; such as LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; there are a handful of players who didn't work out in the long run. Sometimes, there isn't a generational player on the board; other times, the team picking No. 1 overall just overthinks it or goes in the wrong direction.&nbsp;
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The Orlando Magic came out of Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery with the first overall pick. How successful does history suggest they will be?

Examining the success of teams selecting No. 1 in the NBA Draft

We&rsquo;re officially two months away from 2022 NBA Free Agency officially kicking off. Although the class is rather shallow &mdash; especially on superstar movement &mdash; the headliners provide some intrigue and there are endless possibilities in terms of the potential domino effects.
Will Zach LaVine and Deandre Ayton be viewed as max-level talents by their respective organizations? What will happen with James Harden and Kyrie Irving? Will Bradley Beal once again commit long-term to the Washington Wizards?
Let&rsquo;s dive into my predictions on what the top-five projected free agents will likely do this offseason, and how those moves could alter the calculus of the entire NBA.
James Harden
Player Option ($44.7 million)
Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey accomplished his long-awaited dream when he helped James Harden and Joel Embiid join forces in Philadelphia earlier this season. When Harden wanted to get out of Brooklyn (an era we'll look back on as a huge "what if" in NBA history), the Sixers pushed their chips all-in on the dominant inside-out duo&rsquo;s potential.
However, having sent out Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and future draft capital to the Nets, it hasn&rsquo;t gone as smoothly as many expected for Harden. After a fast start with his new team, Harden's production has tailed off. Now, with Embiid's postseason status in jeopardy due to an orbital fracture, can Harden recapture his form before another important career decision?
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 regular-season games with the Sixers, and through six playoff games, has produced to the tune of 19.0 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
Since these numbers aren't anywhere close to vintage-Harden levels of offensive production, does Morey feel comfortable shelling out a gigantic long-term extension to the 32-year-old, high-usage guard? It feels like we&rsquo;re entering into the next phase of Harden&rsquo;s career, and if that&rsquo;s the case, he&rsquo;s probably not a $40-plus-million player.
It seems like Philadelphia is backed into a corner in this situation though. After shipping off Simmons and future assets to Brooklyn, the Sixers have committed to Embiid and Harden hopefully delivering a championship within their short-term window.
Prediction: Harden opts out and re-signs on three-year max contract
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Kyrie Irving
Player Option ($36.5 million)
Who knows what the future holds as it relates to Kyrie Irving? Unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Irving cost the Nets a realistic chance at competing for an NBA championship this season; this should've never been an issue, but he had to try to catch up and learn on the fly with his teammates.
Brooklyn still holds those championship expectations moving forward, especially with Kevin Durant and Simmons alongside Irving.
Irving is the true wildcard to watch this summer. If he decides to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-nets-should-part-ways-with-kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move on from the Nets</a>, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise at all. Honestly, even retirement wouldn&rsquo;t be a complete surprise with Irving. In the end, though, the Nets are also married to this idea of competing for rings over the extended window with Durant.
The reason why Durant joined the Nets was to play with his best friend in Irving. It&rsquo;s hard to envision Irving leaving Brooklyn, and he echoed similar sentiments after the Nets&rsquo; disappointing first-round exit against the Boston Celtics.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way I&rsquo;m leaving my man 7 anywhere,&rdquo; Irving said after the series.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"I don't really plan on going anywhere.... when I say I'm here with Kev [Durant] I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe [Tsai] and Sean [Marks]... we're cornerstones here but we have Ben, we have a few other guys..." -Kyrie Irving on FA <a href="https://t.co/ulk86MzHTK">pic.twitter.com/ulk86MzHTK</a>
&mdash; DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidEarly/status/1518782963579867138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Nets should definitely reconsider their stance on handing out a potential five-year max extension to Irving though. Understanding his unpredictability, who knows what could happen in the future with him? With Durant still dominating, Irving will likely align his next contract on a similar path.
Prediction: Irving opts out and re-signs on four-year max contract
Bradley Beal
Player Option ($36.4 million)
Will Bradley Beal really decide to stick around in D.C. for the long-term? I have serious doubts on that idea, and Beal should as well for his legacy. Even in a down year for the Washington Wizards &mdash; one in which he was shut down due to a torn ligament in his left wrist on Feb. 8 &mdash; he&rsquo;s still a star-level player in the NBA. Capable of dropping 30-plus points with ease at anytime, Beal has consistently shown the team around him has been the main issue. Carrying subpar teams on his back since John Wall left, Beal needs to consider doing the greater good for his own individual outlook.
From Beal&rsquo;s perspective, looking around at other options to win right now would be the best-case scenario. While he's been very loyal to the Wizards since being drafted by the organization, this could become very awkward rather quickly once the offseason window opens.
Washington has done a fantastic job retooling its team on the fly since trading away Russell Westbrook. Rolling the dice on Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline is a massive risk, but he&rsquo;s the closest thing to a star-level player who would be willing to stay long-term. With Porzingis and a plethora of young talent led by Kyle Kuzma, will Beal lock himself into this situation for another four or five years?
The trade market will be the most realistic route to see star movement in the summer. Beal is one of those names to watch via sign-and-trade. If Beal opts out, don&rsquo;t be surprised to see him sign elsewhere while not leaving the Wizards high and dry with nothing back in return. Beal seems destined to spread his wings elsewhere and serve as the cherry on top of a true title contender's roster.
Prediction: Beal opts out and the Wizards pull off sign-and-trade to recoup some assets
Zach LaVine
Unrestricted Free Agent
Zach LaVine is one of the more underrated players in the league. He&rsquo;s a highlight reel on the offensive end, but his defense leaves so much to be desired. We&rsquo;ve seen incremental improvements with LaVine on that end with better talent around him, but will the Bulls view him as a max-level player? Committing that type of money to LaVine could be risky &mdash; especially with an upcoming offseason knee surgery &mdash; but it&rsquo;s the Bulls&rsquo; best bet to keeping their core together long-term.
If the Bulls balk at paying LaVine, many teams with cap space will come knocking on his door. San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray has already started <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1519870631180791808?s=20&amp;t=vGdMwWWoEEc20-pQbx0udg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recruiting LaVine on social media</a> with photoshops of him in their jersey, for example.
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LaVine and DeMar DeRozan showed throughout this season that they are a lethal scoring combination that is very difficult to contain. Before injuries ravaged Chicago&rsquo;s roster, they were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Maybe the Bulls try to move Nikola Vucevic, who has a $22 million expiring contract; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert could be a name to watch</a> if the Bulls try to take their team to another level.
But LaVine is a different story.
A core in Chicago of LaVine, DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso is a fun one. Chicago runs it back and doesn&rsquo;t hesitate coughing up huge money to its star shooting guard.
Prediction: LaVine signs a five-year max extension with Bulls
Deandre Ayton
Restricted Free Agent
This is one of the more interesting situations to follow heading into the offseason. After the Phoenix Suns shockingly decided not to pay 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton before the season began, questions are still bubbling under the surface on his long-term future with the organization. Ayton hasn&rsquo;t let this impact his on-court performance though, as he's continued to be a two-way anchor to the Suns&rsquo; immense success. The Bahamian big man keeps proving his game is tailor-made for the postseason as well.
Will the Suns actually allow Ayton and his representation to test the open market as one of the top free agents available? It would be stunning, but it feels like we could be heading in that direction.
ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has mentioned that, in negotiations, the Suns didn&rsquo;t view Ayton as a max-level player at the time, which stunned many executives around the NBA. Has Phoenix&rsquo;s stance changed after Ayton&rsquo;s consistent performances throughout this season and the playoffs?
Here&rsquo;s a little nugget: According to a league source, Phoenix is more than comfortable paying up and going deep into the luxury tax as long as its roster is competing for championships. Ayton is part of that puzzle, and 2019 lottery pick Cameron Johnson is eligible for an extension this offseason. Do with that information what you will, but it would truly be stunning to see Ayton playing elsewhere in 2022-23.
Prediction: Ayton tests the market and signs four-year max offer sheet elsewhere, which includes a player option; Phoenix eventually matches the offer sheet and keeps him long-term 
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What will happen with the best projected 2022 free agents this offseason? Evan Sidery shares his predictions for the top five.

2022 NBA Free Agency: Predicting where 5 stars will land this summer

After everything the Brooklyn Nets went through this season, they still entered the playoffs with the third-best championship odds (+600), which is a testament to this team's talent on paper. However, though they were considered a favorite to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy and boasted the NBA&rsquo;s second-highest payroll ($174,811,922), the Nets failed to win a single playoff game. &nbsp;
Multiple players blamed Brooklyn&rsquo;s lack of continuity. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played just 17 games together this season after playing only 27 games together last year. Irving couldn&rsquo;t suit up in home games until late March due to New York City&rsquo;s vaccine mandate. A number of key contributors were acquired halfway through the campaign, including Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, making it even tougher for the team to get everyone on the same page.&nbsp;
Injuries also impacted the team&rsquo;s ability to play at full strength and develop chemistry, as Durant missed 27 games with a sprained MCL, Joe Harris suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November and Ben Simmons dealt with a herniated disc in his back after being traded to Brooklyn as the centerpiece of the James Harden blockbuster.
Now, after being swept by the Boston Celtics on Monday night, what&rsquo;s next for the Nets?
&ldquo;This summer is gonna be a very, very important summer for our organization,&rdquo; Durant said after the Game 4 loss. &ldquo;We'll see where we go next year."
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Durant is correct, as the Nets will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason, and it&rsquo;s possible that their roster could look very different entering the 2022-23 season.
The Nets have only six players with guaranteed contracts for next season: Durant, Simmons, Harris, Curry, Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe. Brooklyn already has $144,555,667 in guaranteed money on their books for 2022-23. Next year&rsquo;s salary cap is projected to be $122 million and the luxury tax is expected to be $149 million, so they&rsquo;ll likely have one of the NBA&rsquo;s most expensive payrolls once again.
The Nets are already close to being a tax-paying team before factoring in any of their potential free agents such as Irving, Drummond, Dragic, Bruce Brown, Patty Mills, Nic Claxton, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr.&nbsp;
Irving has a player option worth $35,328,700. On Monday night, Irving was asked about his future and said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really plan on going anywhere... There's no question where I'm going: I'm here with 7 (Durant)."
Either Irving will opt-in and cost quite a bit, or he&rsquo;ll opt-out and potentially cost even more if he signs a new, multi-year deal with the Nets.
Mills also has a player option, which is worth $6,184,500. He could opt-in, but it&rsquo;s also possible that the 33-year-old will prioritize his long-term security and try to ink a multi-year contract elsewhere. He's coming off a productive season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 threes and 2.3 assists while shooting 40.0% from three, so he will likely have other suitors.
Claxton and Duke will hit restricted free agency, assuming the Nets extend qualifying offers to both players ($2,228,276 for Claxton and $1,576,305 for Duke). Also, Edwards has a team option worth $1,563,518.
The rest of Brooklyn's players are unrestricted free agents including Brown, Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge, Griffin and Johnson.&nbsp;
Brown earned $4,736,102 this season, but he's going to get a significant raise after his career-year, averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks on .506/.404/.758 shooting splits. He was one of the Nets' most dependable and versatile players all season long. He stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on .568/.429/.800 shooting splits. This is a relatively weak free-agency class, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if some team makes a big offer to the 25-year-old.
When asked about the possibility of re-signing with the Nets, Brown responded, &ldquo;Yeah, hopefully. The season just ended. I&rsquo;m not thinking about it. If there's a chance to stay, we'll talk about it. But we'll see."&nbsp;
It remains to be seen if Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge and Griffin will return.&nbsp;
Drummond played well as the Nets' starting center, averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 block and 0.9 steals (while shooting 61.0% from the field) in 22.3 minutes per game. When Drummond signed a one-year deal last offseason, it seemed like he wanted to showcase his value and then ink a larger contract this summer, so if he gets the kind of offer he&rsquo;s anticipating, he&rsquo;ll likely be too expensive for Brooklyn to retain.
In a shockingly candid moment back in March, Drummond <a href="https://twitter.com/krisplashed/status/1506663720931500046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>: "If we're all being honest, I'm only here &lsquo;til the rest of the season. Who knows what&rsquo;s gonna happen in the offseason? So they need a guy like [Claxton].&rdquo;
Last season, the NBA world was outraged that a super-team like the Nets was able to add Griffin and Aldridge for nothing via the buyout market, putting them alongside their Big Three of Durant, Irving and Harden. At one point, Brooklyn&rsquo;s roster had a combined 41 All-Star appearances and 32 All-NBA selections. However, it didn't translate to postseason success. It remains to be seen if Griffin, Aldridge or Dragic will return. It&rsquo;s possible that Brooklyn will be able to attract other ring-chasing veterans to take their places.
After all, despite their first-round flameout, the Nets will once again enter next season as a top contender. If Simmons is able to return his All-NBA, Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-candidate form, it would be a huge addition that makes the Nets much scarier. And the more Durant and Irving play together, the more dangerous they&rsquo;ll become as a duo. Also, with Harris and Curry, the Nets will have two outstanding shooters to put around their Big Three. If this team is able to stay healthy and develop chemistry, Brooklyn has the talent to go on a deep postseason run.
Using the taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum deals, Brooklyn shouldn&rsquo;t have trouble surrounding its core with decent veterans.
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When asked specifically about who might be back and what the Nets need to add to their roster in order to contend, Durant shrugged.
"We just got done playing. You know I don't know the answer to that question right now,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I don't know the situations with the contracts. I just don't know. Obviously when you lose in the playoffs, you&rsquo;re looking toward next year and who may be on the team, and there's a lot of high expectations around the Nets so people want to have some hope of what may happen in the future. But at this point, an hour after the game, it's hard for me to say.&rdquo;
Another avenue for the Nets to improve is through the 2022 NBA Draft, where they&rsquo;ll have the No. 23 overall pick via the Philadelphia 76ers. In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Brooklyn is projected to take Jaden Hardy of the G League Ignite with its late-first-round selection.
The Nets can try to find a diamond-in-the-rough with that selection, or they can attempt to trade that pick for a win-now piece. Since the Nets will be above the luxury tax and the rookie will be a relatively cheap contributor, it may make sense to keep the pick. Remember, this year&rsquo;s roster featured four rookies: Thomas, Sharpe, Edwards and Duke.
In recent years, players such as OG Anunoby, Darius Bazley and Rodney Hood have been selected at No. 23 overall. Other notable players drafted at that spot include Tayshaun Prince, A.C. Green, Wesley Person, Wilson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Trevor Booker, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyronn Lue.
While the roster could look very different, don&rsquo;t expect the Nets to make a coaching change. Steve Nash expressed that he hopes to return as the team&rsquo;s head coach, and Durant got annoyed and shot down a question about whether Nash is still the right coach to lead the Nets.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on, man. Yeah,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last three years. He&rsquo;s had to deal with so much stuff as a first-time head coach &mdash; trades, injuries, COVID, just a lot of stuff he had to deal with. I&rsquo;m proud of how he just focused and of his passion for us. We'll all continue developing over the summer and see what happens.&rdquo;
Durant did express that he wants to have some input over this offseason&rsquo;s personnel decisions.
&ldquo;Yeah, of course! I want to know who I'm playing with out on the floor. I want to know what we're thinking,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;[Nets general manager] Sean [Marks] and the front office, we all just talk basketball regardless because we all enjoy basketball; sometimes our team may come up and what we need and what I see from a player&rsquo;s perspective. We always have conversations and that&rsquo;s what makes great organizations.&rdquo;
Irving made it clear that he wants to be involved in &ldquo;managing this franchise&rdquo; as well.
&ldquo;When I say I&rsquo;m here with Kev, it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [Nets governor] Joe [Tsai], Sean and our group of family members that we have in our locker room and organization,&rdquo; Irving said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about me and Kev. We're cornerstones here, but we have Ben and a few other guys who are under contract [too]. I think we've just gotta make some moves this offseason and really talk about it and really be intentional about what we&rsquo;re building, and have some fun with it and make it enjoyable.&rdquo;
After a disappointing season, all eyes will be on the Nets to see how their decision-makers attempt to right the ship.
If the last year has been any indication, there won&rsquo;t be a dull moment.&nbsp;
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After getting swept by the Celtics, the Nets are poised for a very interesting offseason. What's next for the team?

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Brooklyn Nets?

We have never seen a player like Kevin Durant.
I'd like to say that's a widely accepted sentiment. He's one of the most unique athletes the league has seen; a lanky 7-footer (<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-nba-players-lie-about-their-height-1462316051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he'd say otherwise</a>) with wild-when-you-think-about-it control over those limbs.&nbsp;
When we think of Durant, we think about his body type in conjunction with his scoring ability. Nobody that tall should be able to shoot like he does; with his lengthy arms, he shouldn't be able to handle the ball like he does. His thin frame shouldn't be able to handle the body blows he takes; smaller players are able to bother his base, but he still has the core strength to contort his body and hold firm for jumpers or shots after fouls.
He can shoot over you. He can finish through you. At his peak, he had the quicks to blow past people in his same frame range. Durant was and is a singularly unique talent.
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I'm not sure we talk enough about the other stuff though. It went a bit under the radar during Tuesday night's Play-In Tournament victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was easier to be slackjawed over Kyrie Irving's tremendous shot-making &mdash; 34 points on 15 shot attempts while fasting for Ramadan is insane &mdash;&nbsp;or Darius Garland's second-half plunge to keep things within striking distance.
Durant did score well, dropping 25 points while converting over 57% of his twos (8-of-14) and half of his threes (1-of-2). But I found myself marveling at the other ways he impacted the game.
Let's start here, actually:
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That's some well-designed Flex action from Cleveland &mdash; it should be familiar for those who enjoyed <a href="https://youtu.be/9sEmsZXWGgQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the LeBron Era</a> &mdash; and Lauri Markkanen makes it more fruitful with his swim move before the cut.&nbsp;
But Durant erases it anyway.&nbsp;
Not only does he erase the shot, he pops up and jets down the floor. He reads the cut from Kyrie and begins spacing towards the corner, receives a pass, then draws in Evan Mobley before slipping a pass to Andre Drummond.
The Nets were able to get good stuff out of Durant receiving screens from smalls.
There was his variation of Scissor action with Kyrie as the screener.
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He also set up empty corner looks for Bruce Brown.
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(As an aside, I felt sorry for Markkanen. The Durant matchup is not a fun one, nor is the Drummond one he received to start the game. Point of attack or last line of resistance, the Nets made sure to pick on him throughout the game.)
The passing from Durant was superb. He finished the game with 11 assists, one off the game lead from Kyrie. But it wasn't just the passing. It was the playmaking. It was the decision-making. Durant had just one turnover with those 11 dimes, and even that slip-up came on a tight-window pocket pass that he nailed several times during the course of the game.
And then, there was the defense. The box score reveals 3 blocks and a pair of steals, all of which were important and impressive. But I truly don't think Durant gets his due as a communicator.
For a team that switches as much as the Nets do &mdash; they switched on-ball and off-ball screens at a top-seven rate this season, per Second Spectrum &mdash; making sure the team is connected when offenses go to more complicated sets is key. Durant does a wonderful job of keeping things in line.
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When directly involved, Durant's length and mobility shine, as does his underrated sense of timing. He contested 19 different shots on Tuesday night, with the Cavs converting on just 42% of those looks, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
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This kind of "other stuff" productivity from Durant was simply a microcosm of his season.
On the season, Durant was <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=single&amp;order_by_asc=0&amp;order_by=ws&amp;is_playoffs=N&amp;lg_id=NBA&amp;type=per_game&amp;per_minute_base=36&amp;per_poss_base=100&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=30&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=usg_pct&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=25&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=ast_pct&amp;ccomp%5B3%5D=lt&amp;cval%5B3%5D=13&amp;cstat%5B3%5D=tov_pct&amp;ccomp%5B4%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B4%5D=60&amp;cstat%5B4%5D=ts_pct&amp;age_min=0&amp;age_max=99&amp;season_start=1&amp;season_end=-1&amp;height_min=0&amp;height_max=99&amp;locationMatch=is&amp;as_comp=gt&amp;as_val=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of three players</a> &mdash; and nine all-time &mdash; to have a usage rate over 30% (31.2%), a True Shooting percentage over 60% (63.4%), an assist rate over 25% (29.1%), and a turnover rate under 13% (12.9%). The other two who matched such marks this season are Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James.
That blend of scoring&nbsp;and&nbsp;playmaking efficiency is rare.
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On the defensive side, Tuesday night's action was an extension of what we've seen from Durant. He's contested 19 or more shots in each of his last three games. Zoom out even further, and Durant's impact becomes more clear.
Opponents shoot less frequently at the rim with Durant on the floor; the differential (minus-2.4 percentage points) is tied for the best mark in Durant's career, and ranks in the 86th percentile overall, per Cleaning The Glass.
Not only do teams not shoot as much at the rim with Durant on the floor, but they also don't shoot as well &mdash; their rim efficiency drops over 4 percentage points, a figure that hasn't been hit since Durant's Thunder days.
Some of that can be attributed to the personnel beside or behind Durant, but a lot of that&nbsp;is&nbsp;Durant. The fact that he's pulling this off at his age, after his injuries and with his offensive workload is incredible stuff.
There's a reason that Durant was a strong MVP candidate before injuries took him (and the Nets) down. There are two, maybe three players in the sport affecting both ends on a per-possession basis to Durant's degree.
And none of them truly do it like&nbsp;him.
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Nekias Duncan pays homage to Kevin Durant's non-scoring skills after the Nets' win over the Cavs in the Play-In Tournament.

Marveling over Kevin Durant's other skills

There wasn&rsquo;t exactly a consensus about how the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; season would end, but it&rsquo;s probably safe to say that nobody foresaw this.
On Tuesday night, the Lakers saw their bleak playoff hopes reduced to zero when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets, and immediately thereafter &mdash; and rightfully so &mdash; Frank Vogel, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were all in the news.
In the end, there&rsquo;s no single reason the Lakers turned in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history &mdash; there&rsquo;s enough blame to go around.
What Rob Pelinka needs to figure out is how to fix it.
The answer, ironically, would probably be to start thinking small.
This past season, the team managed to find some serviceable pieces to augment the star-studded core, but only Davis, James, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves are under contract next season. The Lakers hold a team option on Stanley Johnson and Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn both have player options they are likely to pick up.
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The official 2021-22 Kendrick Nunn highlight reel 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/wDPehJyqpN">pic.twitter.com/wDPehJyqpN</a>
&mdash; Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1508967570560458762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Combined &mdash; thanks in large part to the commitments to Westbrook, James and Davis &mdash; the Lakers are in line to have about $148 million on their 2022-23 ledger, which is already about $26 million over the projected salary cap.
Said differently, outside of offloading one of Westbrook, James or Davis without taking much salary back in return, the team wouldn&rsquo;t be able to manufacture enough cap space to have a competent opportunity of improving via free agency. Obviously, the club could go the route it went this past season and hand out one-year, minimum salary contracts to aging veterans, but the players who could actually make a difference for the Lakers won&rsquo;t exactly be lining up to sign on the dotted line given the performance of this year&rsquo;s team.
To make matters even worse, the Lakers don&rsquo;t own a pick in this year&rsquo;s draft. Their first rounder was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, while their second-round pick is owned by the Spurs.
So how does a team with no cap space and no draft picks improve?
Simple: by thinking small.
Ask the Brooklyn Nets, and look toward the Miami Heat.
A historically frugal franchise, Miami has never necessarily found itself in the kind of salary cap hell the Lakers are in at the moment. Part of the reason why is because one of the constants during Pat Riley&rsquo;s tenure has been investing heavily in scouting and player development. The same rings true of most successful small market franchises.
Players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis may win you the championship, but throughout history, it&rsquo;s always been players like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who get you there in the first place.
Contenders invariably unearth valuable and sometimes unknown role players and maximize those role players' talent. For example, this year's Miami team has enjoyed the combination of Tyler Herro, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven combining to earn only about $7 million. That's about $3 million less than Talen Horton-Tucker alone. Strus and Yurtseven are far from household names, but Miami wouldn&rsquo;t be entering play on April 6 as the first seed out East without them, especially considering the injuries the team has dealt with this season.
Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn also go on a list that features the likes of Bam Adebayo, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as players drafted and developed by the staff in Miami.
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Some time ago, the Lakers had what looked like a competent core of young players. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine that just four years ago, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson were all teammates in Los Angeles. They&rsquo;ve all come and gone, most to facilitate the arrivals of LeBron, Davis and then Westbrook.
The Lakers do have a championship to show for that roster churn, but from this point forth, the way out might actually be to go back to the drawing board. Sean Marks and his Brooklyn Nets, another franchise that Lakers VP of Operations Rob Pelinka would be wise to mimic this summer, provide a blueprint for how to go about doing that.
When Marks took over the Nets in 2016, Brooklyn was not in a good place. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry had all come and gone, and the draft picks that became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Collin Sexton were living their best lives elsewhere. The Nets had a bloated payroll, a team of scrubs and no future.
The NBA's Chicago Draft Combine was only two months after Marks was hired in Brooklyn, and despite not owning a first-round pick, he sent quite a contingent to the Windy City. Their directive was to do as much recon work as possible to find Marks some players who could help. Marks used Thaddeus Young to trade his way into the first round and came away from the draft with Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Within the next six months, he signed two diamonds in the rough, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
One season later, Marks drafted Jarrett Allen and landed D&rsquo;Angelo Russell in a trade with the Lakers, and that was essentially the core that both got Brooklyn back on track and ultimately landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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Highlights Kyrie Irving &amp; Kevin Durant 🆚 Sixers<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/viw7ZzQQIZ">pic.twitter.com/viw7ZzQQIZ</a>
&mdash; Back2Back (@B2BFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/B2BFR/status/1502186067541307394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Obviously, that all took time to come to fruition, and time isn't something that LeBron James has. But the point is that no matter how daunting the situation, a competent NBA front office can build a team without having the most obvious assets readily available. That the Lakers have two superstars should actually make the task a bit less difficult.
In this league, there are generally two types of teams: those who rely on free agency and trades to build their contender, and those who build their programs organically, most often through the draft. Big-market teams tend to be the former, while small market teams usually go the other route.
If either Marks or Riley were put in charge of the Lakers&rsquo; front office, they would probably trade Horton-Tucker for draft capital after realizing he&rsquo;s not the right fit there. They&rsquo;d engage the Pelicans, Blazers, Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Grizzlies &mdash; teams who may have multiple first-round picks &mdash; and find a way to come away from the draft with a young piece and at least one more promising player from the summer circuit. Only then would they go knocking on the doors of guys like Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye and Victor Oladipo, all of whom could help and potentially be had for cheap.
By the time the 2022-23 season tips off, the team could be remade. Some names we&rsquo;d know, and many we wouldn&rsquo;t. But as we&rsquo;ve seen before, often, it&rsquo;s the names we don&rsquo;t know who end up making the biggest difference. Alex Caruso, anyone?&nbsp;
Neither DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield nor Kyle Lowry will be coming to save the day; Pelinka and James got themselves into their current mess, and they&rsquo;ll have to get themselves out.
With their season ending much sooner than anyone could have imagined, the Lakers will have plenty to address over their long summer.
But, at least in the NBA, small steps can lead to major strides.
With few options, the Lakers should be so wise.
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With the Los Angeles Lakers out of playoff contention, they must now focus on rebuilding like a small-market team.

Only fix for LeBron’s Lakers is to operate like a small-market team

We have reached the final installment of this season's NBA Sour Rankings and it's been a wild ride.
Of the 30 NBA teams, 28 appeared on the list at some points in the season. I inversed each ranking and turned it into a point value to tally up the most prominent members. The Los Angeles Lakers (134 points), Sacramento Kings (117), New York Knicks (113) and Portland Trail Blazers (99) were the highest point-getters, and continuously peppered the rankings since they each disappointed at consistent levels throughout the year.
Who never touched the Sour Rankings? The San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic. I bet you didn't expect them. Those squads had the combination of extremely low expectations and frequent flashes from young talent. Despite those franchises never being on top of the NBA sphere, I never felt frustrated by by either team because there was always a silver lining after every game.
So we arrive at the final ranking with several playoff contenders sputtering to the finish.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that are so common throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they are updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Dallas Mavericks have climbed up to fourth in the Western Conference standings and flipped to home-court advantage against the Utah Jazz, who they'll likely play in the postseason. The Chicago Bulls have somewhat righted the ship and maintain a hold on fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks may be out of the playoff picture, but they've suddenly been hit with a wave of developmental flashes from the young core. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-immanuel-quickleys-unusual-shot-diet-can-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Immanuel Quickley leads the way</a>.&nbsp;
10. Boston Celtics (47-28)
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ESPN Sources: Celtics C Robert Williams has suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will minimally miss several weeks. Further evaluation today will help provide a timetable. Boston moved into first-place Sunday, and Williams has been immense part of NBA&rsquo;s best defense.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1508469824195899398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Man... <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-celtics-center-robert-williams-feared-to-have-torn-meniscus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that is pain</a>. What else is there to say?
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Brooklyn Nets (39-36)
Brooklyn boasts the league's fourth-ranked offense over the past two weeks, and that was before the New York City vaccination policies changed, allowing Kyrie Irving to play in home games. The Nets can end their season with some positive momentum, as they face just three more teams at .500 or better.
One of those teams is the Atlanta Hawks, who Brooklyn is currently slotted to play in the Play-In bracket. The race for the eighth seed is dead even between the Nets and Charlotte Hornets, and that's a battle within a battle to get at least two extra shots at a playoff spot. Should the Nets lose, do they want to face a dominant Trae Young with their not-so-dominant defense?
(Last week: 8)
8. Golden State Warriors (48-27)
The Warriors have lost 5 of their last 6 games and just took a 123-115 defeat against the Wizards. They are 6-10 since the All-Star break, and while those losses have come with a mix of injured absences involving Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, it's concerning that the rest of the cast can't keep things together &mdash; even against bad teams. Golden State is currently two games up on the Mavericks for the third seed, but only four games separate the team from the sixth-place Denver Nuggets. This is a sneaky-close middle tier with the Warriors holding little momentum.
(Last week: 10)
7. Atlanta Hawks (37-37)
As mentioned, the Hawks face a potential playoff preview with the Nets. But they'll likely have to meet both Brooklyn and Charlotte in some order in the postseason. Atlanta went 2-2 against the Hornets in the regular season, and is 0-2 vs. the Nets prior to this coming Saturday's matchup. That doesn't inspire much confidence that the Hawks, as the No. 10 seed, can storm through both to the playoffs.
(Last week: 7)
6. Utah Jazz (45-30)
Utah received a quality playoff test this past week with games against the Nets, Celtics, Hornets and Mavericks. The Jazz lost all four games, though they missed Gobert. Their perennially stalwart defense is down to 20th over the past two weeks, and against the Celtics in particular, they couldn't seem to contain anyone. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26.4 points per game since the All-Star break, but even that isn't mattering when the defense doesn't show up beyond Gobert.
(Last week: Unranked)
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5. Miami Heat (47-28)
Bryan Fonseca wrote a great piece this past week about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-miami-heats-blow-up-was-necessary-but-now-the-rest-is-up-to-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that Heat meltdown on Wednesday</a> against the Warriors. His message was that these types of altercations don't have to define the rest of the season. But the dust-up certainly is right now, as the Heat have lost their grip on the East's top spot. They followed up the defeat with two more bad losses to the Knicks and Nets.
Miami still has conference powers in Boston, Chicago and Toronto left on the schedule. With the top four seeds separate by half a game, the Heat could easily plummet to the bottom of the tier.
(Last week: Unranked)
4. Washington Wizards (32-42)
Let's talk about Corey Kispert! The No. 15 pick flailed, as most rookies do, to open his NBA career. But Kispert has meaningfully caught fire in recent weeks. The 23-year-old sharpshooter is drilling 42.4% of his three-pointers in March. He just hit six triples on his way to a career-high 25 points in the team's aforementioned win over the Warriors. Washington hasn't had too much to get excited about in these last two weeks, so at least Kispert is helping send the young core into the summer on a high note.
(Last week: 2)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (27-47)
According to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James L. Edwards III of&nbsp;The Athletic</a>, the Trail Blazers are still the front-runner to trade for Jerami Grant this offseason. "I think a lottery pick would be the kind of sweetener that would [get a deal done]," Edwards told HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.
I just don't understand how a team so badly in need of a reset can cash in what will likely be its highest draft pick in a decade to go make a last-ditch attempt at keeping the current group relevant. Portland does not have a playoff-caliber roster regardless of Damian Lillard's health. Trading away several key future pieces for Jerami Grant will not change this. I'm simply against this move for the franchise's future.
(Last week: 4)
2. Los Angeles Lakers (31-43)
Here we go!
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WHAT A COMEBACK 😱 The Pelicans rally from a 23-point deficit to take down the Lakers in NoLa! <a href="https://t.co/MmFRQr8n2l">pic.twitter.com/MmFRQr8n2l</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1508254421804716033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Lakers are on a two-game skid and the Spurs are on a three-game win streak. Los Angeles has eight games to try and hold off San Antonio and at least survive to reach the postseason. Over the past two weeks, in which the Lakers have gone 2-5, they have the league's ninth-ranked offense and 27th-ranked defense. Their last eight games include the Mavericks, Jazz, Pelicans, Suns, Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets (twice).
Whew, this is not going to be easy!
(Last week: 1)
1. Sacramento Kings (27-48)
The Kings shut down Richaun Holmes for the season due to "personal reasons" and did not specify why. Robin Epley of the <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article259668860.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento Bee found out</a>: Holmes is facing serious domestic violence allegations amid an ongoing custody battle.
Obviously this is an ongoing process with no conclusion yet. But Epley makes the point painfully clear in her article.
"I&rsquo;m not convicting Richaun Holmes ahead of his court date. It does, however, appear that the Kings were focused on covering up a serious situation involving allegations of domestic violence by one of their players. When I contacted the team this week, they refused to comment on the serious charges facing their player, or say anything beyond the cryptic announcement of Holmes&rsquo; departure," she writes.
Epley goes more into some important statistics surrounding domestic violence cases in the U.S. and in the NBA. I seriously implore you to read them if you haven't yet. But the point is: This is yet again another case being swept under the rug by the league and its franchises.
(Last week: 3)
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Ethan Fuller ranks the most frustrating NBA teams in the last Sour Rankings of the season.

NBA Sour Rankings: The final countdown

Most NBA teams have approximately 10-12 games left on the regular season calendar. It's all about the playoff races, and as we hit the home stretch, three are worth monitoring.&nbsp;
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are tied for sixth place in the Western Conference, with Dallas just above them by 1.5 games. Whoever loses out on this race gets the unfortunate ticket to the play-in tournament with three other teams who simply don't measure up. But just down the standings is a tie between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers for ninth. Have the Lakers really fallen this far, and could they fall even further?
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors have jockeyed for the sixth seed in the East, but the weary Chicago Bulls have sagged into the battle as well. But Brooklyn, Charlotte and Atlanta can at least feel safe in their play-in chances since no one else appears to want a postseason spot.&nbsp;
As the tension increases, several of these playoff tightrope acts appear in this week's rankings.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that are so common throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they are updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;Charlotte currently rides a four-game winning streak and has moved into ninth in the East standings with a real chance at overtaking Brooklyn for eighth place. Cleveland, despite some injury woes, maintains its hold on sixth place and could even jump the struggling Bulls.
Though Houston is among the NBA's bottom-feeders, the Rockets continue to find promise in its young core, led this week by Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and KJ Martin.
10. Golden State Warriors (47-24)
Just as Draymond Green makes his return, Stephen Curry goes down with a foot injury. Curry feels confident that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/warriors-curry-expects-to-return-by-start-of-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he'll be back to start the playoffs.</a> But the Warriors remain in a tight seeding race with Memphis and Utah, and will now have to sort out the West hierarchy without their centerpiece. Seeding is critical in determining when Golden State matches up against the almighty Suns and if they could catch a play-in team (by being a No. 2 seed) versus a rested playoff squad.&nbsp;
(Last week: 10)
9. Chicago Bulls (41-29)
Chicago's offense is in a state. The Bulls wield the 26th-ranked offense in the NBA since the All-Star break and have gone 3-8 out of the pause. Their halfcourt offense is ranked seventh on the season per Cleaning the Glass, but has dropped to 21st since the break and is averaging just 93.4 points per 100 possessions.
Chicago is at its healthiest in a long time with only Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams sidelined. The Bulls need to get the offense back on track before Cleveland and Toronto shoot past them in the East standings.
(Last week: Unranked)
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8. Brooklyn Nets (37-34)
Kyrie Irving, with everything that surrounds his persona and playing status, is the most electric player in basketball right now. I mean, the man is averaging 37.8 points per game since the All-Star break while shooting 55.3% on 9.4 three-point attempts per game. He dropped 60 on the Orlando Magic this past week... and then scored a combined zero points in the next two games because of his playing status.
Could Irving haved turned the tide in a narrow 113-111 home loss to Dallas? I'm guessing so. Is this a preview of how the Nets' postseason could be affected by his own actions? I think so.
(Last week: 6)
7. Atlanta Hawks (35-36)
So Atlanta is under .500 and has been hovering there for several weeks now. I was listening to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mailbag-madness/id1547857052?i=1000554467191" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's episode of The Dunker Spot</a>, and Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. forced me to hit the reality-check button on the Hawks.
Atlanta is 7-6 since the All-Star break and has leveled out with an offense and defense that fall around league average in efficiency over the past two weeks. John Collins is now out indefinitely with a finger injury, depriving Trae Young of his chief running mate. The Hawks have two rotation players over age-30 (Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams) and underwent little roster change in the offseason or at the trade deadline. Yet they have undoubtedly regressed since their breakout Eastern Conference Finals run last season.
What exactly is the read on this team long-term, especially if they go out with a whimper in the play-in tournament?
(Last week: Unranked)
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6. New York Knicks (30-41)
It's bizarre to see the Knicks, Pelicans and Lakers all sitting together at 30-41 after what feels like three radically unique seasons. But though New York's playoff chances have all-but evaporated, we're getting some fun moments in the twilight of the season.&nbsp;
Enter Immanuel Quickley. The second-year guard is putting up 14.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in his last 10 contests. Quickley has finally found his perimeter touch and is making 43.2% of his long-range attempts. New York is 5-5 in March, which is a relative positive given the course of the season, and I'm still very high on Quickley's future in this backcourt.
(Last week: 5)
5. Dallas Mavericks (43-28)
<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33527472/ex-gm-donnie-nelson-sues-dallas-mavericks-says-was-fired-reporting-sexual-misconduct-team-denies-claim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Don Van Natti Jr. published a full report</a> of ex-GM Donnie Nelson's recent lawsuit against the Mavericks on Thursday. Included in the lawsuit is a claim from Nelson that owner Mark Cuban fired him "as retaliation for reporting that Cuban's chief of staff sexually harassed and sexually assaulted his nephew during a job interview in 2020."
This is obviously extremely serious, but additionally, it reinforces a pattern of discord in the Mavericks' front office that is suspiciously intertwined with a history of poisonous culture in the organization. Remember when the Mavericks were <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nba-statement-dallas-mavericks-workplace-investigation-official-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigated back in 2018</a> and the not-so-heavy punishments laid out? There's no way to properly state how dangerous this trend looks on the Mavs and the NBA at large, especially as the Suns' Robert Sarver situation is still unresolved.
(Last week: Unranked)
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4. Portland Trail Blazers (26-44)
Removing Anfernee Simons due to injury, Portland's four leading per-game scorers in March are: Josh Hart (20.5), Brandon Williams (16.6), Trendon Watford (15.9) and Drew Eubanks (12.0). I don't mean this as slander toward the players at all. Hart in particular has been a force since the trade from New Orleans and the latter three have maximized their real shots at sticking in the NBA. It's more of a reminder of where Portland is right now without any cornerstone young talent or heathy, proven veterans playing.&nbsp;
(Last week: 2)
3. Sacramento Kings (25-48)
We've hit that same old slog with the Kings, who are plum out of playoff hope and spring momentum with a 2-8 record in March. Sacramento is one of six teams with bottom-10 ratings on both offense and defense since the All-Star break.
(Last week: 3)
2. Washington Wizards (30-40)
Bradley Beal's upcoming offseason has overshadowed the floundering on-court Wizards. Shams Charania reported today that the 76ers seriously attempted to trade for Beal during the season before ultimately pivoting back to James Harden. The Heat are <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-heat-legitimate-suitor-for-bradley-beal-if-he-hits-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> a "legitimate suitor" should Beal hit free agency in the summer.
For the n-th time, the Bradley Beal sweepstakes feels more important than anything happening on the court. Washington lost six-straight before beating our top (or bottom, depending on your perspective) team.
1. Los Angeles Lakers (30-41)
The San Antonio Spurs are 5-8 since the All-Star break. Their remaining 10 games include winnable matchups against the Pelicans, Rockets and Trail Blazers (three times) and imposing tasks versus the Warriors, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Nuggets and Grizzlies. Going 5-5 or better in 10 games won't be easy for a young Spurs team that still sits 2.5 games back of a play-in bid.
All of this is to say: The Lakers are somehow making a very safe situation feel treacherous. Eight of their final 11 contests are against top-six seeds. There's a very real chance that this race comes down to the final days.
(Last week: 4)
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Ethan Fuller is back with this week's Sour Rankings as the NBA's playoff races tighten up.

NBA Sour Rankings: Lakers' Play-In bid still not guaranteed

From a mid-season blockbuster swap involving two disgruntled stars, to rumors that a former No. 1 overall pick wants a change of scenery in only his third season, the topic of player empowerment is front and center in the NBA. &nbsp;
Superstars wanting off their team isn't a new concept. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar forced a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. In recent years, superstars demanding to be dealt is so common that the term &ldquo;player empowerment&rdquo; established itself in our NBA lexicon.&nbsp;
But this season feels different, in that it is rife with unique trade demands. Like Ben Simmons' refusal to play a single minute for the Philadelphia 76ers while requesting a trade, with a whopping four years left on his contract. Or James Harden asking off of his second team in as many years. Even the Zion Williamson situation &mdash; rumored to be disgruntled in New Orleans after playing a total of 85 games &mdash; is unprecedented. With every new trade demand, it feels like stars are pushing the limits and boundaries of player empowerment.
Either the NBA's Mercury is in retrograde or we&rsquo;re witnessing the dawn of a new era.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Player empowerment&rdquo; was popularized in 2010 after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh conspired to play with each other in Miami. Suddenly, players realized they could control their own destiny and team up to form super-teams.
Since then, player empowerment has largely come to mean trade demands from superstars. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Many executives have decried it as ruining the league's parity and even the sanctity of the game. &nbsp;
"Player empowerment is a catchall for the fact that the league has done a terrible job of empowering teams, the players have all of the leverage in every situation. I think it's the worst thing that ever happened to professional sports on all levels," an anonymous NBA general manager <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/07/lebron-james-agent-is-transforming-the-business-of-basketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker</a>.&nbsp;
Many fans view it as a win for laborers.&nbsp;
The NBA is, after all, the most progressive sports league. However, without even touching the racial undertones that weave throughout the narrative about the league, it is easy to see why the masses support the players. Fans have watched players lose the battle over the means of production &mdash; from owning 57% of league revenue in 2005 down to only 50% today &mdash; so witnessing players gain autonomy over their playing career by stripping control from owners is celebrated as a nice consolation prize.&nbsp;
As we become inundated with debate over the merits of player empowerment, we&rsquo;ve seemed to skip over what the term actually means and how it actualizes itself in the league.&nbsp;
There is no denying that some players have power and some of those players have controlled the make-up of the league for over a decade. The issue is that player empowerment is a term that poses as the league's players uniting, but instead, it is merely a select few exercising their power over everyone else.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s break this down.&nbsp;
Were the Los Angeles Lakers' young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart empowered when Anthony Davis forced his way to Los Angeles? Not likely.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also impossible to imagine all six of Jarrett Allen (Brooklyn to Cleveland), Taurean Prince (Brooklyn to Cleveland), Caris LeVert (Brooklyn to Indiana), Rodions Kurucs (Brooklyn to Houston), Dante Exum (Cleveland to Houston) and Victor Oladipo (Indiana to Houston) felt empowered after being forced to uproot themselves midseason during a pandemic because Harden wanted to join the Nets.&nbsp;
Framing the whims of a small few that can disrupt the lives of many as player empowerment feels disingenuous. A better term would be &ldquo;superstar entitlement.&rdquo;&nbsp;
With the knowledge that player empowerment really means superstar entitlement, it&rsquo;s easy to understand how empowerment stories are often framed as prima donnas throwing tantrums until they get their way.
But maybe it should be framed as superstars earning power through loss of salary.&nbsp;
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With the advent of max salaries, stars are never fairly compensated. The bigger and brighter the star shines, the more they lose out &mdash; with their play forever eclipsing the money they make. Ergo, player empowerment is less about empowering all or even most players and more about compensating superstars in a salary-cap league.&nbsp;
Heliocentric is another popular term in our NBA vernacular; we&rsquo;ve heard the term &ldquo;heliocentric offense,&rdquo; and we&rsquo;ve heard stars described as heliocentric. But it&rsquo;s also a term that can refer to the league itself.&nbsp;
To briefly go back to the 1500s and Copernicus &mdash; heliocentrism is a cosmological theory that the Earth and planets revolve around the sun. And in the NBA, everything revolves around certain stars. The bigger and brighter the star, the stronger their gravitational pull &mdash; the LeBronicus Theory, if you will.&nbsp;
Superstars wield more power than ever. They influence nearly every aspect of an organization &mdash; from coaching hirings and firings, to player personnel and roster construction.
The Harden-for-Simmons swap is an interesting case to dissect, because it centers around two stars whom everything doesn&rsquo;t revolve around.&nbsp;
On one side, there&rsquo;s Harden, whose status as a heliocentric star diminished as soon as he left Houston for Brooklyn. And on the other side is Simmons, a player who could never cement himself into anything more than a secondary star in Philadelphia.
Though both players had leverage, Harden had more because of the status of his contract. Neither were in a place to force their teams to bend to their will &mdash; at least not in the same way Harden was able to back when he told Houston they had a problem.&nbsp;
In Brooklyn, Harden <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33259122/james-harden-wants-trade-philadelphia-76ers-formally-request-deal-due-concern-public-backlash-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly never voiced his desire to leave</a>, and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey threatened to hold out on trading Simmons for the duration of his contract.
&nbsp;"You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could [go on for] four years... We're in the prime of Joel's career... Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference-maker," Morey said.
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Morey on his timeline: "You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could (go on for) 4 years. ... We're in the prime of Joel's career...Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference maker."
&mdash; Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1451288448875343872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It wasn't Simmons' refusal to play games or Harden&rsquo;s pouting that forced their teams&rsquo; hands.&nbsp; It was that Embiid&rsquo;s play pressured Morey to make a deal, and Kevin Durant <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly wanted one too</a>.&nbsp;
Ultimately, the deal came down to what was best for the biggest stars. While James and Ben were the players who used their leverage to request out, Durant and Embiid &mdash; being the heliocentric star of their respective teams &mdash; made the final call.&nbsp;
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What Harden lost in star power in moving to Brooklyn, KD gained by doing the same. Though Durant&rsquo;s play has always been stellar, it&rsquo;s clear he has more power within the Nets' organization than he did with the Warriors. It was Durant, after all, who <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly requested Kyrie Irving be allowed to play road games</a> despite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-say-kyrie-irving-cant-play-or-practice-with-team-while-unvaccinated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the stance Sean Marks and the Nets took</a> earlier in the season.&nbsp;
Who has power and how much they have is determined by a number of variables, like their standing in the league, their standing on their team, their health, the length of their contract and market size, etc. And this list of powerful players is still arguably fewer than 10 names long in any given season (with some variance).
The variables at play that make Durant&rsquo;s star shine brighter with the Nets than with the Warriors are as simple as the fact that there's another superstar in Golden State &mdash; and he was there first and couldn&rsquo;t be eclipsed.
Of course there are titans like LeBron James, who can completely shift the paradigm of the league with a flippant comment &mdash; like over All-Star Weekend when he hinted at a possible return to Cleveland.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The door&rsquo;s not closed on that&hellip; &nbsp;I&rsquo;m not saying I&rsquo;m coming back and playing, I don&rsquo;t know. I don&rsquo;t know what my future holds. I don&rsquo;t even know when I&rsquo;m free.&rdquo; James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Athletic</a>.
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LeBron is back in Cleveland this weekend. His picture is on the building again. At first he said he hasn&rsquo;t thought about returning to play for the Cavs, but then we kept talking. &ldquo;The door&rsquo;s not closed on that,&rdquo; he said. LeBron had a lot to say today. <a href="https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb">https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb</a>
&mdash; Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByJasonLloyd/status/1495148179410591745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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LeBron&rsquo;s comments dominated the news cycle over the league&rsquo;s busiest weekend, and that's in large part because he will be a free agent in 2023. James signs short-term deals to maximize his leverage even though it means leaving long-term NBA money on the table.
Player empowerment isn&rsquo;t limited to team decisions &mdash; the NBPA also caters to the stars. With recent negotiations featuring superstars at the helm, contract negotiations often prioritize their needs.&nbsp;
Take for example the 2017 CBA. Superstar and NBPA president Chris Paul managed to help push forward the NBA supermax deal, given to players who have either won an MVP award, a Defensive Player of the Year award or earned an All-NBA selection in the previous season &mdash; or two of the previous three. The NBA supermax allows these stars to earn massive five-year deals with a starting salary of up to 35% of the cap.
Paul also helped change the "over-36" rule that prevented players from signing multi-year deals if they are to turn 36 or older over the course of the contract to "over-38." Not lost on anyone, Paul was set to be a free agent the summer of 2017, and pushing the rule back two years would have positively affected how much and how long he could have signed for.&nbsp;
In any collective bargaining, there&rsquo;s a give and a take &mdash; so both parties can walk away feeling like winners. So as collective bargaining agreements continue to reward those at the top, that leaves little for the rest.&nbsp;
Now, let's take a look at punishments. More often than not, disciplinary action comes in the form of fines. Technical fouls, for example, come with a fine of $2,000 for a player&rsquo;s first five offenses.&nbsp;
On Jan. 25 this season, the Sixers faced the New Orleans Pelicans. Embiid and rookie Jose Alvarado got into it and were each assessed technical fouls. That means Alvarado, who earns $462,629 this season, and Embiid, who's making $31.58 million, are meant to pay the same amount. Though Embiid generously offered to cover the fine for Alvarado, the benevolence of stars shouldn&rsquo;t make up for this obvious imbalance.&nbsp;
Fines are meant to disincentivize players from committing offenses, but when by setting these as a specific dollar amount as opposed to a percentage of their salary, they disproportionately&nbsp;hurt the lowest earners. And consequently, they allow the elite to do as they please.&nbsp;
Calling out NBA officials comes with a hefty $25,000 fine &mdash; this would be astronomical to rookies like Alvarado, but not to a superstar like Embiid who has been fined for doing just that. In Feb. 2019, Embiid told reporters the "referees f**king sucked" after a missed call in a close loss to the Boston Celtics. Though the fine undoubtedly hurt his pocketbook, it was a calculated risk he and other high earners like him have the freedom of taking.&nbsp;
From afar, superstar entitlement looks like stars picking their teams; a closer look unveils real inequities like financial penalties and disproportionate representation at the top of the players' union. A more granular look reveals that every scenario and every superstar is unique.&nbsp;
There is, however, one constant amidst the chaos in understanding power dynamics in the league, and that&rsquo;s team control. The NBA draft, rookie contracts, restricted free agency and good old-fashioned trades are just some of the ways in which teams have maintained ultimate control. The difference is when teams wield their power, it&rsquo;s not much of a news story.
We clutch our pearls at Kawhi Leonard demanding a trade but not at the Raptors for sending out DeMar DeRozan. We expect teams to make moves to better their situation, yet players who have become brands in their own right aren&rsquo;t given the freedom to do the same.&nbsp;
Any team would be over the moon to have a superstar play for them &mdash; we recognize this and they recognize this. So, they aren&rsquo;t going to sit back and wish upon a star for a trade. They ask, and if they're good enough, teams will acquiesce. It is a star-driven league, after all. So, we can&rsquo;t be surprised at who's steering the ship. And I&rsquo;d argue it&rsquo;s high time for the rest of the league to just grab on to their seats and hold on, because the era of player empowerment has only started taking off.&nbsp;
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Imman Adan details what "player empowerment" in the NBA truly entails and how it's been framed incorrectly.

The truth about 'player empowerment' in the NBA

Although some top-tier players who were expected to hit free agency this coming summer have already signed extensions, the 2022 NBA free-agent class will feature quite a few stars.
In particular, the crop of guards up for grabs is quite impressive, which is where we will begin this three-part ranking series.
1. James Harden &mdash; Philadelphia 76ers &mdash; Player Option
James Harden holds a player option worth $47.4 million for the 2022-23 season, and it was reported that Harden would exercise it in conjunction with his trade from Brooklyn to Philadelphia. Although he hasn't done so yet, Harden has said he plans to. Over the summer, the maximum offer the Sixers can present to Harden is a pact that would pay him up north of $270 million over the next six years, which ESPN analyst Bobby Marks declared would be the "worst contract in NBA history." Here's a look at what Harden's annual salary would look like:
2022-23: $47.4 million 2023-24: $49.7 million 2024-25: $53.7 million&nbsp; 2025-26: $57.7 million 2026-27: $61.7 million&nbsp;
2. Zach LaVine &mdash; Chicago Bulls &mdash; Unrestricted
Zach LaVine bet on himself instead of signing a four-year, $105 million extension last offseason, and the gamble has most certainly paid off. He's averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.9 made three-pointers while shooting 40.0% from downtown and a career-high 85.7% from the free-throw line. Steph Curry is the only player in the NBA to match or exceed LaVine in those statistical categories this season. With LaVine playing at such a high level and the Bulls near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, Chicago is fully expected to offer him a max deal of five years at approximately $200 million. The most any other team can offer LaVine is around $160 million over four years.
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3. Bradley Beal &mdash; Washington Wizards &mdash; Player Option
The Wizards announced last month that Bradley Beal underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. Prior to the injury, Beal's scoring average had dipped dramatically (from 31.3 points per game in 2020-21 to 23.2 this season), and he was shooting just 30.0% from downtown, but the three-time All-Star was averaging a career-high 6.6 assists. Beal's player option for the 2022-23 season is worth $36.4 million.
4. Kyrie Irving &mdash; Brooklyn Nets &mdash; Player Option
It's been a tumultuous season for both Kyrie Irving and the Nets. Kyrie's refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 &mdash; which resulted in him being banished from the team for the first half of the year before Brooklyn welcomed him back to play in road games &mdash; reportedly was an important factor in James Harden's decision to demand a trade. In the preseason, the Nets were heavy favorites to take home the title, but find themselves below .500 and in ninth place in the East. Brooklyn is just 1-9 in the last 10 games Irving has appeared in. Considering all the drama (and the reports that Irving would consider retirement if he was traded), it seems safe to assume Kyrie will remain in Brooklyn. But when it comes to Mr. Irving (who has a player option for the 2022&ndash;23 season worth $36,934,550), making assumptions often proves unwise. Stay tuned.&nbsp;
5. Anfernee Simons &mdash; Portland Trail Blazers &mdash; Restricted
It could be argued that Anfernee Simons has increased his value more than any player in the league over the last five months. After averaging a modest 7.8 points per game last season, Simons is pouring in 17.3 points per game in 2021-22, which represents the largest year-over-year increase in the NBA this season. And his numbers are even more impressive dating back to the start of the New Year, when he was permanently inserted into the starting lineup.
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38 points (9 threes), 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 40 minutes. If you're not taking notice of <a href="https://twitter.com/AnferneeSimons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@anferneesimons</a> yet, you should be! <a href="https://t.co/5IPvZXFvyo">pic.twitter.com/5IPvZXFvyo</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1500324039100755972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Over the 27 games he's appeared in since the calendar flipped to January, the 22-year-old Simons is averaging 23.4 points, 5.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 4.4 made triples, while shooting 42.3% from downtown and 86.6% from the charity stripe. Simons leads the league in made three-pointers (119) in 2022. Yes, he's struggled on the defensive end, but one of the primary reasons the Blazers made multiple major moves before the deadline (trading away CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington) was to clear up cap space to sign Simons to a considerable extension this summer. They are not going to let him walk.
6. Jalen Brunson &mdash; Dallas Mavericks &mdash; Unrestricted
After two solid, if unspectacular, seasons to start his NBA career, Jalen Brunson took a significant step forward last season; he averaged 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 treys in 25.7 minutes per game, while shooting 52.3% from the floor and 40.5% from downtown. The Villanova product has continued to improve in 2021-22, posting career-highs in points (16.2), assists (5.3) and rebounds (3.7) per contest. Brunson also showed he could shoulder increased responsibility by stepping in and stepping up when Luka Doncic missed 14 of Dallas' first 35 games this season. Jalen played the best basketball of his NBA career over an eight-game stretch in mid-to-late December, when he averaged 22.4 points and 7.9 dimes a night. This offseason, Brunson reportedly will be seeking a four-year, $80 million deal. The New York Knicks are among the teams expected to express serious interest.
7. Collin Sexton &mdash; Cleveland Cavaliers &mdash; Restricted
Collin Sexton injured his left knee in a game in early November, and an MRI revealed a torn meniscus. He had surgery a week later, sidelining him for the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. It will be fascinating to see what offers he receives on the open market. Last season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor, 37.5% from downtown and 81.5% from the free-throw line. However, he struggled defensively, and the Cavs registered a league-worst 60-159 record over the first three years of his career. With Sexton out of action this season, Cleveland is 10 games above .500. Because he is restricted, the Cavs can match any offer he receives this summer.&nbsp;
8. Malik Monk &mdash; Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; Unrestricted
Mailk Monk, the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, failed to live up to expectations over the first four years of his career in Charlotte. He made just one career start as a member of the Hornets, and had averaged 9.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 233 appearances while shooting below 34% from downtown. As a result, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to ink him to a one-year contract at the veteran minimum ($1.7 million) for this season. Surprisingly, Monk has established himself as one of the Lakers' most consistent and effective players. In the 23 games he's started for L.A., Monk has averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists while posting a True Shooting percentage of 58.8%. He will look to cash in with a significant pay raise in July.&nbsp;
9. Russell Westbrook &mdash; Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; Player Option
Besides Monk's unexpected success and the MVP-caliber performance of the ageless wonder that is LeBron James, the 2021-22 Lakers season has been an absolute nightmare. L.A. is eight games below .500 and desperately fighting just to make the Play-In Tournament. And Russell Westbrook is the player <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/russell-westbrook-opens-up-about-shaming-from-lakers-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the public has pilloried and pinned the Lakers' failures on</a>. Russ has a player option for the 2022-23 season worth a whopping $47,063,478, so there is almost zero chance of him opting out. The Lakers will undoubtedly explore all possible trade scenarios this offseason.
10. John Wall &mdash; Houston Rockets &mdash; Player Option
John Wall showed flashes of his immense talent last season, when he averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game for the Rockets, but he hasn't set foot on an NBA court since April 2021. Wall will almost certainly exercise his player option for 2022-23 worth $47.4 million. At that point, he'll be on an expiring contract, which will make it far easier for Houston to move him.
Best of the Rest: Dennis Schroder, Patty Mills (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Victor Oladipo, Gary Payton II, Gary Harris, Lonnie Walker IV (restricted), Tomas Satoransky, Ricky Rubio, Goran Dragic, Delon Wright, Lou Williams, Facundo Campazzo (restricted), Bruce Brown Jr., Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Pat Connaughton (player option), Jeremy Lamb, Tyus Jones, Cory Joseph
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Tommy Beer ranks the top guards who could be available as part of the 2022 NBA free-agent class.

2022 NBA Free Agency Preview: Ranking the top-10 guards

International players have been dominating the NBA in recent years.
An American-born player hasn&rsquo;t won the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award since the 2017-18 season (thanks to Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo). This streak will likely continue this year, as the MVP frontrunners are Joel Embiid (-120), Jokić (+260) and Antetokounmpo (+600).
Every Defensive Player of the Year award since 2016-17 has gone to an international player too (with Rudy Gobert winning three and Antetokoumpo winning once). This year, oddsmakers once again see this as a two-man race between Gobert (-145) and Antetokounmpo (+440).
A record six international players were named to an All-NBA Team last year: Antetokounmpo (All-NBA First Team), Jokić (All-NBA First Team), Luka Dončić (All-NBA First Team), Embiid (All-NBA Second Team), Gobert (All-NBA Third Team) and Kyrie Irving (All-NBA Third Team).
This year&rsquo;s All-Star Game featured six international players (including a record-tying four starters): Antetokounmpo, Jokić, Embiid, Dončić, Gobert and Andrew Wiggins. Overall, All-Star Weekend included 15 international players from 12 different countries.
Opening-night rosters around the NBA featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries &mdash; the eighth-consecutive season with at least 100 international players across NBA rosters.
BasketballNews.com caught up with NBA Vice President and Head of International Basketball Development Troy Justice to discuss the growing impact that international players are having on the NBA, how much easier it is for foreign players to get discovered today, how today&rsquo;s international stars have helped the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts and more.
Many of today's international players say that they fell in love with basketball after watching past international stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash among others. How excited are you to see what kind of impact Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić and so on will have on the next generation over the next 10-20 years?
Troy Justice: &ldquo;Great question. And I'll tip this off by just going back through the history of international players in the NBA. Thirty years ago, when we really started digging in and investing in the international landscape from the NBA side, there were only 23 international players. Now, we have 121. [That&rsquo;s] incredible growth over that period of time. And to be real honest, I think we're only scratching the surface in terms of not only talent identification but just the development of the game globally. So, it's amazing.
&ldquo;What I would say is that it goes back to our mission statement for the NBA. I don't know if you've heard our new mission statement, but it's, &lsquo;To inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.&rsquo; That's exactly what's happening. The next generation watched the previous generation and because of that, they said, &lsquo;I can do it!&rsquo; Like, &lsquo;Somebody else has done it, and look where they came from, look at their path, and nothing can hold me back. If I put my mind to it and work hard, I can do it too.&rsquo; And so that inspiration is what I think has created this legacy and also this new amazing level of stars that we're experiencing. We're really at an all-time high from an international perspective.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve talked to some executives about how difficult it used to be to scout international talent, and how some foreign players were even drafted sight unseen. How much easier is it for international players to be discovered now compared to 20-30 years ago?
Justice: &ldquo;Well, that landscape has completely changed. First of all, it's the 20-year anniversary of the Basketball Without Borders program that we, as the NBA, run all around the world for the top talented players. All of the NBA scouts attend our four summer camps and our Basketball Without Borders global camp during All-Star. They're all in attendance and scouting because they know that we have the best of the best and five different opportunities for data points for them. And we bring them all to one place, so they don't have to travel all over the world. So, it's more convenient for them. We do that work for them in a lot of ways in creating these platforms and programs. And then, of course, with the launch of our NBA Academy program, we're bringing players like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels to our NBA Academy games or the G League Showcase or other events where the pro scouts can also see them here on U.S. turf, domestically, so they're not traveling all over the world. Those types of things are just making it more convenient.&rdquo;
When you&rsquo;re seeing NBA Academy alumni like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels thriving and participating in All-Star Weekend, that has to be the best feeling.
Justice: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing journey that they&rsquo;re on. For us, it's rewarding because we see their dreams come true, and that's what we're all about. Our job is to create pathways and develop programs and provide everything that they need to succeed, and they just have to work hard and grab hold of it and take the teaching. And it's paying off, We're seeing that now. And there's a whole bunch coming behind them. I think with Basketball Without Borders, we have over 94 former campers who have been drafted or [signed as] free agents. Honestly, it either gives me chills or I tear up, if you really want to know the truth.
&ldquo;But because we're investing in them early, they come more prepared than ever. I think that's why we're seeing Josh Giddey doing what he's doing as a rookie. People were very surprised when he went No. 6 in the draft, so great job by OKC on the scouting and on the pick. But I think you can see the proof point now that when you're in the NBA system and in the NBA family early, you're way more prepared than you would be otherwise. And so it's just a testament to the great work by all the people who have been a part of their journey.&rdquo;
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With many international players dominating, I&rsquo;ve heard fans wonder: Is there something that international players are doing that American-born prospects aren&rsquo;t? How does an international prospect&rsquo;s path and development differ from an American player&rsquo;s path? &nbsp; &nbsp;
Justice: &ldquo;One thing I'll mention and this is an international concept: For example, in Africa, there&rsquo;s a saying, &lsquo;In the jungle, it's the hungry lion that hunts best.&rsquo; And I really think it's the concept of really having to come in and prove yourself. There's humility, No. 1. There is a desire and hunger. So the work ethic is very strong &mdash; and I'm not saying the domestic players [don&rsquo;t work hard], I'm not speaking negatively about them, but I'm just speaking directly to the characteristics I see in international players. You know, the work ethic, the desire. And I would say they are incredible learners, very humble in the way they approach it. So they're great listeners, they take coaching very well in the sense that it immediately translates into change and improvement in their game &mdash; from IQ to skillset.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And then finally, you typically see that they're really great team players. They're team-first players, with very little ego usually and they&rsquo;re very professional in their approach. Also, I would say that they're family oriented and community oriented. A lot of them come from places where this core value that sits within them allows them to not be self-focused or self-centered, but to be other-focused. And I think that allows them to be great teammates.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve heard international players talk about how they grew up playing other sports (like soccer), whereas American players often hone in on one sport because they want to get a scholarship or go pro. Do you think the fact that international players have played multiple sports helps them in terms of their development and skillset?
Justice: &ldquo;Yes, 100%. That's one of the things that we recommend globally as part of our Jr. NBA global curriculum that we use around the world. When we developed that, we put together documentation on this with the experts in the field and multi-sport at a younger age, without sports specialization, allows an athlete to excel further in the future &mdash; no matter which sport they choose. So this is not just an idea, this is stuff that experts study; it's stuff that's real. And so there's no doubt about it.&rdquo;
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One of my favorite things about international players thriving is that the misconceptions and stereotypes about these players have been disproven and they&rsquo;ve largely disappeared. They were always really unfair, but how nice is it to see those ridiculous stereotypes &mdash; like &ldquo;they&rsquo;re soft&rdquo; or &ldquo;they don&rsquo;t really love basketball&rdquo; &mdash; go away?
Justice: &ldquo;You are right on there. When you have Giannis and Jokić and Joel, I mean&hellip; come on! That just erases all of that. Because when your top players are your hardest workers&hellip; I mean, look at Giannis and how hard he plays night in and night out. And to do that, you know he had to work hard. He had to work hard to become a Most Improved Player and to get to that level. When the fans and sportswriters see that, it's real. That's reality TV, and they're seeing his growth right in front of them! And that's definitely a pattern we're seeing. So I'm so glad that the stereotypes have changed.
&nbsp;&ldquo;And these are young stars! What's amazing is these MVPs are not veteran players. These are young, talented players. When you are looking at the 121 international players, I mean, a large majority of them are young, hungry, growing players who are learning and reaching new heights. And so you're gonna see [a lot more from] guys like Giddey. I mean, he's got three triple-doubles, and he&rsquo;s the youngest player to have those three triple-doubles; he's gonna have a lot more in his career. That&rsquo;s for sure.&rdquo;
You mentioned that we&rsquo;re just scratching the service in terms of international players dominating the NBA. What are some of your goals going forward?
Justice: &ldquo;I would start by saying that we're currently working in 145 countries as of this last year with all of our programs. And these programs are grassroots through Elite. So we're working with young players and we're working with coaches around the world &mdash; we're training coaches and we're training and developing players at the age of 10-and-up through our Jr. NBA program and then our NBA Basketball School program and our Basketball Without Borders program and our academies. So we've created a global basketball ecosystem in partnership with FIBA and federations around the world to say, &lsquo;Let's all work together for the greater good of the growth of the game, and all boats will rise together.&rsquo; And that's really what's been taking place. And then in the future, we're going to expand all these programs. We're looking to go to 160 countries this year, with a goal to go up to 170 countries. And so we're just going to keep growing and expanding, and doing what we do even better and doing more of it.&rdquo;
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In Australia, Patty Mills had the top-selling NBA jersey and Josh Giddey was No. 4 (trailing only Mills, Stephen Curry and LeBron James). When so many international players are thriving, how does that help the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts and worldwide popularity?
Justice: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible because you see these fans coming [to games] with their flags flying. Even here at All-Star, I think Luka's going to be very popular because I know that there's a large community here from Slovenia. Wherever these stars go, not only do they attract global fans, but in particular, fans from their home country. And many of these players, if not all of them, are going back to their home countries in the offseason to give back &mdash; whether it's running their camps or refurbishing courts or providing training or giving shoes. Whatever it is, they're doing a lot to put back into the game because they realize what others have done to help them, so they're looking to help others on that journey. That's just kind of part of the culture and the ecosystem and that give-back stuff is like compounding interest that we're experiencing together.
&ldquo;We are so proud of these international players and how they are representing themselves and their countries and their teams and their league. These are really incredible people who are making a real difference. And not only are they having these tremendous careers, they&rsquo;re doing a lot of great things off the court to grow the game globally and give back. We often talk about their stats and awards, but they are also tremendous global citizens who are using this platform for a lot of the right reasons, and we&rsquo;re very excited about them and for what the future holds.&rdquo;
You and your team have also helped develop many young women through Basketball Without Borders and the NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Program. Can you share some details about those efforts?
Justice: &ldquo;This is a huge focus area for us, a real area of passion, and something that we really work hard at. I just met with our women&rsquo;s Elite team this morning and they briefed me that we now have over 60 athletes from around the world that we have placed in U.S. prep schools and U.S. colleges, including some at the highest levels like at South Carolina and Connecticut. We have women in our program internationally that are at the highest levels competing. And then Han Xu from China was our first women&rsquo;s Academy player to be drafted into the WNBA, so there&rsquo;s a lot of work we&rsquo;re doing on that side too.&rdquo;
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Troy Justice, the NBA's Head of International Basketball Development, discusses the NBA's recent international takeover.

An inside look at how international players are taking over the NBA

You are now invited into the NBA rabbit hole you didn&rsquo;t know you needed.
Do you remember Deron Williams before he boxed Frank Gore? The Deron Williams before toiling away with his hometown Dallas Mavericks and ring-chasing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The one before the New Jersey Nets moved to Brooklyn. The one that got you banned on forums because of how vociferously you may have argued that he was better or worse than Chris Paul.
Ten years ago today, on March 4, that dude dropped a franchise-record 57 points. Yeah, you&rsquo;re getting old too, son. (That's still a Nets record, by the way.)
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That game itself, otherwise, wasn&rsquo;t all that memorable. The Nets had about one month left as representatives of New Jersey before relocating to Brooklyn later that year. They, at 12-26, won 104-101 against a Charlotte Bobcats (!) team that dropped to 4-31 on the lockout-shortened season.
Starters in the game included other glorious names like Kris Humphries, who was second on the Nets with 11 points (and 13 rebounds) and played 40 minutes. DeShawn Stevenson finished with an 0-2-1-0-0 line and had one shot attempt in 29 minutes of play. Eduardo N&aacute;jera, DeSagana Diop (who started for Charlotte!) and Shelden Williams got some run, and Tyrus Thomas played about seven minutes.
Kemba Walker was still coming off the bench for D.J. Augustin. Corey Maggette was the game&rsquo;s second-highest scorer, finishing with 24 points on just 4-of-12 shooting, but converted 15-of-16 free-throw attempts.
Current Charlotte (Hornets) star LaMelo Ball was 10 years old.
But it was also one of Williams&rsquo; last awesome NBA moments while still in his prime, a career cut short due to... well, it depends on who you ask, and/or what you believe. It&rsquo;s either related to injuries, which we began seeing take a toll on Williams after the Nets moved to Brooklyn. Or other stuff, like constant clashes with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett during that infamous 2013-14 season together.
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Say what you want about Stephen A. Smith &mdash; and this was before he essentially became the face of ESPN &mdash; but I vividly recall him here in New York saying things like, &ldquo;Deron Williams has the easiest job a franchise player could ever hope to have!&rdquo; And, &ldquo;All he has to do is ball,&rdquo; as Williams, frankly, didn&rsquo;t.
There was also the story that Pierce once mocked Williams, saying, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2015/7/11/8932649/farewell-to-all-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What&rsquo;s the matter now, Deron? Your ____ hurt</a>?&rdquo; (If I&rsquo;m blanking it and not even giving you a letter, just know it was raw.)
The Nets had Williams &mdash; generally hated by their fans to this day &mdash; Pierce, Garnett, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez as a championship-level starting-five (in theory) entering the 2013-14 season. And the head coach was a first-timer in Jason Kidd, who played an integral part on the underappreciated 54-win New York Knicks the season before as a player.
<a href="https://sicovers.com/featured/brooklyns-new-look-nets-who-wants-a-piece-of-them-2013-14-october-28-2013-sports-illustrated-cover.html">Remember that Sports Illustrated cover</a>? Ohhhhhh maaaaaaan.
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You may also recall the famous Jackie MacMullan <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/12690080/washington-wizards-paul-pierce-speaks-truth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profile on Pierce</a> when he was a Washington Wizard in the early John Wall and Bradley Beal days. As far as we know, this was before Wall and Marcin Gortat <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2018/02/07/marcin-gortat-responds-to-john-walls-comments-whos-attacking-who/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wanted to box each other&rsquo;s heads off</a>.
&ldquo;Before I got there, I looked at Deron as an MVP candidate,&rdquo; Pierce <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/12690080/washington-wizards-paul-pierce-speaks-truth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said to MacMullan</a>. &ldquo;But I felt once we got there, that's not what he wanted to be. He just didn't want that.
&ldquo;I think a lot of the pressure got to him sometimes. This was his first time in the national spotlight. The media in Utah is not the same as the media in New York, so that can wear on some people. I think it really affected him.&rdquo;
After noting that Johnson is quiet and doesn&rsquo;t want much attention, Pierce continued.
&ldquo;There's a lot of secondary guys on that team. KG and I went there looking at them as the main guys who would push us, because we were advancing in years. But we ended up doing all the pushing,&rdquo; he said.
(Given what we&rsquo;ve learned, it&rsquo;s mildly surprising that Williams didn&rsquo;t <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1472409021189857287" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just fight him</a> after seeing this, but anyway.)
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Williams remains one of the grand "what ifs" of this century. And let&rsquo;s be responsible &mdash; injuries are one of the driving reasons for his sudden downswing from stardom to shell over a... hmm... two-year span? But we do what-ifs with guys who battled injuries all the time: Penny Hardaway, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Grant Hill and Derrick Rose, to name a few.
With Williams, just visualize, given how the game was going &mdash; and where he had been trending at one point &mdash; where he would&rsquo;ve evolved to if the talent, health, discipline and mentality all added up. And it doesn&rsquo;t always come together, which is why it&rsquo;s not responsible to purely say &ldquo;talent wins&rdquo; if the implication that talent alone is enough for substantial success.
And he clearly worked hard.
Williams averaged 19.5 points and 10.2 assists from 2007 to 2012 on .460/.346/.827 shooting splits. He attempted four threes a game at a respectable level and nearly six free throws per contest during that span. He consistently was among the league leaders in assists, while simultaneously profiling as one of the NBA&rsquo;s best scoring point guards. His True Shooting percentage was at 56.8% during those five years, hitting 60% in '07-08 and never dropping below 56.6% until the Nets&rsquo; last year in New Jersey. (Understandable when Humphries is your second-best player for most of the season.)
We weren&rsquo;t letting &lsquo;em fly from three the way we are now, and Williams was, like most others, streaky &mdash; but you had to guard him out there. The 35% perimeter clip in his peak reflected the near 36% for his career. The assists came with some high turnover numbers &mdash; Williams averaged 3.5 turnovers per game in those five seasons &mdash; but that still gave him a near 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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Williams wasn&rsquo;t a usage monster either &mdash; his rating was never higher than 25.8% until a 30.1% usage in 2011-12, but, again, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NJN/2012.html">look at the roster</a>. Even so, he was eighth in the league in usage; otherwise, he never cracked the league&rsquo;s top-20. You know who did during that span? And on multiple occasions? Corey Maggette, Michael Beasley, Stephen Jackson, his then-teammate Brook Lopez and his former teammate Carlos Boozer. (Rashad McCants, Andrea Bargnani, Charlie Villanueva, Josh Smith, Rodney Stuckey and Jordan Crawford were in the top-20 as well during those days.)
Until the trade from Utah to New Jersey, Williams would be in the top-20 in VORP consistently too. Most hadn&rsquo;t yet cared about some of those metrics though.
And his strength was a big part of his game. Williams was built like Eric Gordon, had powerful crossovers like Baron Davis, a passing fluidity that neared Steve Nash, and an offensive creativity that rivaled CP3&rsquo;s &mdash; which is how all those damn fights started.
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Williams, in a lot of ways, was perfect for where the league was going. Surprisingly, he only made three All-Star teams, which were consecutive from 2010 to 2012; though, <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2009/2/12/20301620/all-star-snubs-continue-for-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he had snub arguments in 2008 and 2009</a>, and <a href="https://nypost.com/2013/01/26/nets-wont-stir-pot-about-all-star-snub/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">again in 2013</a>.
It never came together, and everyone missed out because of it. Imagine if his prime stretched into a couple of those Brooklyn seasons... but don&rsquo;t imagine too hard because logistically, it would be a pain in the ass to lay out. But if he did ball out the way people on microphones, in forums and in his own locker room called for? Man.
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Williams would've been toe-to-toe in the mid-2010s against then-prime-entering stars such as James Harden, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard. In his own conference, we might&rsquo;ve seen him in the playoffs go crossover-for-crossover with Kyrie Irving, or bump-for-bump with Kyle Lowry, or tough-finish-for-tough-finish with Wall. All of that while still mirroring a stat line of roughly 20 points and 10 assists per game on efficient shooting, further increasing his three-point and free-throw volume in the process.
That said, he did give us multiple All-NBA seasons and, again, a whole-ass fight with Gore. He says he&rsquo;s one-and-done, but that might be because none of you have offered him the Pierce one yet. And as silly as that sounds, you know you&rsquo;d watch.
But seriously, peak Williams was epic. If he continued along the path he had been, we don&rsquo;t know if it would&rsquo;ve brought the Nets a title &mdash; but they would&rsquo;ve been damn close.
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On the March 4 anniversary of Deron Williams' 57-point game, Bryan Fonseca looks back on his career and wonders: "What if?"

Deron Williams dropped 57 a decade ago... what could've been?

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<div>Every day,&nbsp;<a tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnews.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNews.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNews.com</a>&nbsp;gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast,&nbsp;<a tabindex="-1" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">&ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo;</a> on Apple Podcasts, Spofify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. This season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is up hundreds of dollars on PrizePicks.</div>
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<div>Without further ado, let&rsquo;s go ahead and dive into Saturday&rsquo;s best NBA betting action.</div>
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Atlanta Hawks (-5) vs. Toronto Raptors
This is going to be a fun one on Saturday night in Atlanta. In a battle between two Eastern Conference foes, we&rsquo;re siding with the home team here because of a gut feeling on Trae Young. When Young gets going, he&rsquo;s one of the best offensive engines in the entire Association. If that happens, we feel very confident in riding with Atlanta. Trust your gut &mdash; at least I am at the moment &mdash; and lock in the Hawks.
Pick: Hawks -5
PrizePicks Power Play: Trae Young over 26.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 22.5 points, Clint Capela over 11.5 rebounds, Fred VanVleet over 6.5 assists&nbsp;
Chicago Bulls vs. Memphis Grizzlies (-2)
The DeMar DeRozan show isn&rsquo;t going to stop now, right? I was stunned to see the Bulls as home underdogs when looking through the lines. I know Memphis is one of the best teams in the Western Conference over the last few months, but Vegas is really going against DeRozan&rsquo;s magic lately? We&rsquo;re not going to bet against that, especially with the historic pace DeRozan is currently on. Hammer the Bulls, especially as two-point underdogs.
Pick: Bulls +2
PrizePicks Power Play: DeMar DeRozan over 30.5 points, Ja Morant over 27.5 points, Zach LaVine over 22.5 points, Desmond Bane over 19.5 points
Cleveland Cavaliers (-8) vs. Washington Wizards
This is a great value play. How is this spread not at least double-digits in favor of Cleveland? The Wizards are on the second night of a back-to-back, which began with a double overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Fatigue will play a major factor here, so we&rsquo;re rolling with the Cavaliers&rsquo; dominant big man duo to reign supreme and take control.
Pick: Cavaliers -8
PrizePicks Power Play: Kyle Kuzma over 20.5 points, Evan Mobley over 16.5 points, Jarrett Allen over 10.5 rebounds, Corey Kispert over 1.5 assists
Miami Heat (-12) vs. San Antonio Spurs
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich already announced multiple starters were resting tonight in Miami after their double overtime victory over Washington. This spread has since ballooned from -7.5 to -12 in favor of Miami. Even with the big jump in points, we&rsquo;re still hammering the Heat with emphasis. Miami is way too well-balanced on both sides of the court to have any slippage here versus the Spurs.
Pick: Heat -12
PrizePicks Power Play: Jimmy Butler over 21.5 points, Bam Adebayo over 10.5 rebounds, Kyle Lowry over 6.5 assists
Milwaukee Bucks (-9.5) vs. Brooklyn Nets
This would have been a lot more fun if Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons were suiting up for the Nets. Instead, we have Kyrie Irving leading a depleted group without their two front court stars on the road in Milwaukee. In what should be a great atmosphere on their home floor, we are loving the Bucks big. Giannis and the Bucks will be able to easily discard this current version of the Nets, which will look way different for a potential rematch come postseason play. Milwaukee rolls, so feel confident wagering on the 9.5-point spread.
Pick: Bucks -9.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Giannis Antetokounmpo over 31.5 points, Kyrie Irving over 24.5 points, Khris Middleton over 19.5 points, Andre Drummond over 9.5 rebounds
Denver Nuggets (-8.5) vs. Sacramento Kings
Denver and Sacramento have endured a few awesome battles recently. The Kings are so much more fun to watch lately after the Domantas Sabonis trade, but it&rsquo;s not going to be enough on Saturday against Nikola Jokic&rsquo;s Nuggets. The MVP is putting together another jaw-dropping campaign in terms of overall efficiency and offensive brilliance. Jokic is one of the best players in the NBA, and he&rsquo;s going to put on a show tonight to prove it.
Pick: Nuggets -8.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 27.5 points, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox over 23.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 12.5 rebounds, Aaron Gordon over 5.5 rebounds
Make sure to&nbsp;<a tabindex="-1" href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">check out PrizePicks</a> and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they&rsquo;ll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to <a tabindex="-1" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">&ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo;</a> for daily betting analysis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

"Nothing But Bets" makes picks vs. the spread alongside enticing player props via PrizePicks, on an action-packed NBA Saturday.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' NBA picks and fantasy advice for 2/26/22

Before the national media cared about the other basketball team in New York City, the 2018-19 Brooklyn Nets were one of the dopest stories in the NBA.
They were a hard-working, culture-changing, overachieving, likable group who surprised many outside of (and within, if we&rsquo;re being honest) the New York Metropolitan Area by hustling their asses to a 2019 playoff berth. It was their first in four years, and marked the beginning of three consecutive postseason runs.
At the core of this period, there was an ongoing D&rsquo;Angelo Russell-Spencer Dinwiddie Twitter war that emotionally consumed much of the fan base, a more insulated type than the one that rages on today. In the 2017-18 season, Russell was the starting point guard, and Dinwiddie entered the season in the third string on the depth chart.
But after Jeremy Lin tore his Achilles on opening night &mdash; and with Russell needing arthroscopic knee surgery one month in &mdash; Dinwiddie stepped into a role that nearly landed him the league&rsquo;s Most Improved Player award.
The occasional Russell-Dinwiddie minutes shared? Notably not great, a trend that continued in 2018-19. Then-Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson would <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2018/11/3/18058490/inside-dangelo-russells-fourth-quarter-benching" target="_blank" rel="noopener">semi-regularly bench Russell for Dinwiddie</a> &mdash; the team&rsquo;s sixth man &mdash; to close games. <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2018/11/5/18063566/dangelo-russell-bounces-back-kenny-atkinson-offers-road-trip-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atkinson would be pressed, as a result</a>, especially on those occasions where it didn&rsquo;t work.
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The "Russell or Dinwiddie" talk extended to who should represent the Nets if they had an All-Star, and then, Dinwiddie tore his the UCL in his hand &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/realtuffjuice/status/1088550514432794624" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported by Caron freakin' Butler</a> (!!) &mdash; clearing the runway for Russell. He then became the replacement All-Star for Victor Oladipo, who tore his quad one day before Dinwiddie tore his thumb &mdash; but honestly, Russell was probably the most deserving of the three anyway.
(Go look back at Oladipo&rsquo;s season. He was good, but less so than you remember, primarily when held against his extraordinary 2017-18 campaign.)
You can draw a straight line from Russell&rsquo;s breakout near MIP-winning season in 2018-19 to watching Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving join the Nets later that summer. If not for Russell&rsquo;s emergence that helped put Brooklyn in position to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-brooklyn-nets-los-angeles-clippers-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-learn-mistakes-culture-kenny-atkinson-doc-rivers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abandon their process to chase stars</a> &mdash; which landed him in Golden State in exchange for Durant &mdash; who knows if the Nets would've become what they have over the last three years?
Since then, in a crowded talent pool of All-Star level NBA point guards, Russell&rsquo;s kinda become&hellip; underrated.
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Congratulations to D'Angelo Russell for this amazing achievement 💯 <a href="https://t.co/vbvxkhzqsv">pic.twitter.com/vbvxkhzqsv</a>
&mdash; Timberwolves Nation (@TWolvesNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TWolvesNationCP/status/1493966873427603459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Now, this isn&rsquo;t to say Russell is slept on like the way y&rsquo;all are sleeping on Top Boy, bison meat, Splinter Cell, Nas and Hit-Boy&rsquo;s Magic EP &mdash; or dipping your quesadilla in barbecue sauce &mdash; but D'Lo's impact is a tad underdiscussed. Russell, 26, is mainly overlooked in the way that a once-rising star who we believe to have plateaued could be easily forgotten despite remaining near his previous peak at arguably the NBA&rsquo;s deepest position. &nbsp;
To this point, Russell&rsquo;s been pretty durable, which is major since he&rsquo;s about to play his 46th regular-season game on Thursday, his most since that '18-19 run in Brooklyn. The 31-28 Minnesota Timberwolves are currently seventh in the Western Conference and are 15-8 since Jan. 3.
In their now 33-season history, the Wolves have secured only nine playoff berths, and just one since Kevin Garnett left (Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s only full season with the team). Even then, in 2017-18, Minnesota only finished eighth in the West &mdash; fourth at the time of Butler&rsquo;s late-season meniscus injury &mdash; so the team hasn&rsquo;t finished seventh or higher since the 2003-04 season. That was the only time the Wolves have ever gotten past the first round as a franchise.
It&rsquo;s fair to say that they&rsquo;re at least pretty, pretty, pretty good by NBA standards. There are still reasons to be skeptical regarding their legitimacy, but we&rsquo;re usually penciling them in for yet another lottery draft pick &lsquo;round this time of year. And look, they may still get one, but we&rsquo;re approaching March, and they&rsquo;re in games that matter. Russell deserves some credit for that, as he does for still producing since '18-19 and proving his breakout wasn&rsquo;t a fluke. 
The Timberwolves' &ldquo;quiet ass&rdquo; fans are apparently so stunned at their relative success that they&rsquo;re <a href="https://twitter.com/Dloading/status/1491095748934455304?s=20&amp;t=sv7cJecuhNpOmS0ql-nTUQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not cheering enough</a>. This is sh*t they ain&rsquo;t used to!
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(To be fair, D&rsquo;Angelo, on the night you called out your quiet-ass fans, y&rsquo;all were playing the Detroit Pistons and beat them by 13. My ass would be quiet if I saw my team semi-spank a Cade Cunningham-less skeleton crew led by 24 non-threatening Saddiq Bey points!)
To his credit, those quiet asses answered though!
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This season, Russell&rsquo;s averaging 18.8 points and 7.0 assists on .408/.351/.802 shooting splits. It doesn&rsquo;t wow you on the surface &mdash; not even when I tell you he&rsquo;s tied for 12th in assists per game this season (7.0) ahead of guys like LeBron James, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday and his old teammate Dinwiddie.
Minnesota is third in pace, fifth in scoring, 10th in Offensive Rating and 14th in Net Rating as a result.
However, it's the Timberwolves' defense that has been, as local reporting out of Minnesota has put it this season, <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2021/11/30/quarterbacking-the-timberwolves-improved-defense-is-dangelo-russell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"quarterbacked" by Russell</a> &mdash; an area that has been one of the foremost knocks on him individually since entering the league. And D-Lo&rsquo;s grown into a leader in a locker room that includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards (and Patrick Beverley matters). &nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Can't tell what I liked more here the nail help from D'Angelo Russell or the rotation from Jaden McDaniels. <a href="https://t.co/SkH6hP7lHX">pic.twitter.com/SkH6hP7lHX</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1493763756580425731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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You watch Russell, and without question, save for his deserved All-Star season, he&rsquo;s playing his most impactful basketball to date. Currently, he has a career-high .105 win shares per 48 minutes and has been productive despite a 25.9% usage rating; it isn&rsquo;t low by any means, but it&rsquo;s the lowest since his rookie season. We&rsquo;re also seeing Russell at optimal usage, even if he isn&rsquo;t an All-Star anymore, and will have a hard time getting back there due to the depth at guard in #thisleague. (It&rsquo;s not completely impossible though.)
Russell is leading on both ends and ranks third in shot attempts behind Towns and Edwards, where he should be, and will have a $31 million expiring contract next season. So, yes, he&rsquo;s extension-eligible this summer. No, he shouldn&rsquo;t get a max, but why not ride this out if you&rsquo;re Minnesota? You clearly have something functioning at, for you, a high level &mdash; the highest you&rsquo;ve seen in five seasons and the second-highest since 2005. (Edwards turned four that year, fam.)
So, yes, Russell has earned his extension so far and is ideally the third option on a good team (as he is there), but is a primary playmaker (as he&rsquo;s been). Keeping a core together and continuing to progress is the Wolves' best bet, which is incredibly important in markets like Minnesota.
And, overall, we should commend Russell's sheer resiliency. Others may have gone in the tank while trying to reclaim All-Star status by now. He's out here helping a winner for a franchise that's seen so few.&nbsp;
Oh, and while we're here, happy 26th birthday, D&rsquo;Angelo.
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Bryan Fonseca credits D'Angelo Russell for his role in the Wolves' success this season and feels he's been underrated.

Commending D’Angelo Russell for playing his most impactful basketball

As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-wont-mortgage-future-for-lebron-this-is-the-bed-you-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramona Shelburne said</a> when she paraphrased the Los Angeles Lakers' front office stance: "You guys got yourselves into this; this is the bed that you made."
We're past the trade deadline and NBA All-Star weekend and into the season's stretch run. Aside from some leftover waivings and G League call-ups, teams have their rosters set. From here on out, it's about just playing with the guys you have.&nbsp;
For the teams in this week's Sour Rankings, there's still time to adjust season goals and find a measure of success. Young rosters might hope for promising player development instead of wins. Those on the fringe of playoff contention might have the Play-In Tournament or the traditional postseason as a benchmark. Disappointing title hopefuls can salvage positivity even if they don't go all the way.
I've listed a target for each squad on the list. It might not be the ideal outcome, but the bar can at least bring some level of satisfaction to a year gone awry.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder made a brief pit stop, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-giddeys-rise-make-thunders-rebuild-even-more-intriguing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey's brilliance</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">team-wide budding defense</a> launched them right back out.
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10. New Orleans Pelicans (23-36)
Zion Williamson's general situation has once again made things sour. CJ McCollum <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cj-mccollum-on-zion-williamson-i-havent-had-conversations-with-him-directly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said on TNT</a> that he has yet to speak with Williamson since being the blockbuster addition for the Pelicans at the trade deadline. The quotes raise serious questions about how Williamson and the Pelicans are handling his extended absence.
At this point, who knows if Williamson will return this season. New Orleans should be aiming to make the Play-In games behind Brandon Ingram and McCollum. The latter has gotten off to a hot start with his new team. The Pelicans are two games back of the Trail Blazers for 10th place in the Western Conference and have plenty of time to move up.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Utah Jazz (36-22)
The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have asserted themselves as the favorites in the West. No other team, including Utah, is in a similar tier. The Jazz also didn't make any significant moves to inspire title hope at the trade deadline, and a recent five-game winning streak doesn't exactly turn the tables. Utah hasn't reached the conference finals since 2006-07, and that seems like a reasonable, yet valuable goal since the team will likely have to get through one of the two powers to get there.
(Last week: 8)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (25-34)
Anfernee Simons averaged 28.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 44.8% from long range over his last five games entering the break. He's been the breakout star of the 2022 calendar year, and has given a listless Trail Blazers team some life. Simons' development might be more important than any team outcome, especially if Damian Lillard does not return this season. If he can finish out the year as the dynamic offensive weapon he's becoming, Simons can show Portland why he's a long-term core piece for the next era.
(Last week: 6)
7. Sacramento Kings (22-38)
When the Kings swung on Domantas Sabonis (and to a lesser extent, Donte DiVincenzo), they basically set the goal: make the playoffs. Play-In exits won't do any good for a franchise that has not made a postseason appearance since 2005-06 and just dealt arguably its top young talent, however. Sacramento is tied with New Orleans and also two-and-a-half games out of 10th in the West. It's going to be a brawl for that last spot, but if the Kings do snag it and advance through the mini-bracket, that means the Sabonis-De'Aaron Fox pairing is worth building around.
(Last week: 5)
6. Charlotte Hornets (29-31)
Charlotte has a top-10 Defensive Rating over the past two weeks, part of this wild roller-coaster ride the Hornets' defense has been on throughout the season. The team's Offensive Rating, however, ranks 27th during that stretch. Gordon Hayward's absence dealt a tough blow to the lineup's synergy. Ultimately, this is still a young team growing into its potential. Remaining in Play-In and playoff contention is a given goal, but I'd also like to see the team find some consistency on both ends and shoot for league-average ratings or better for the rest of the schedule.
(Last week: 9)
5. Houston Rockets (15-43)
On a seven-game slide, Houston has give up a whopping 128.9 points per 100 possessions in February, nearly five points more than any other team. This is an extremely young roster that will take time to mesh on defense, but that's still extremely rough. Tanking outright is not a "goal," but record isn't exactly a concern at this stage.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
More of this, please. They&rsquo;re giving it to you. <a href="https://twitter.com/JalenGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JalenGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/zfRvLkunXL">pic.twitter.com/zfRvLkunXL</a>
&mdash; heypartner (@theheypartner) <a href="https://twitter.com/theheypartner/status/1495761190370353155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Jalen Green is averaging 16.5 points per game this month while canning 41.7% of his three-pointers. He's the face of the future in Houston, so his flashes are what the fans and front office should want to see. As long as Green demonstrates noteworthy growth this spring, things will look up for the Rockets.
(Last week: 7)
4. Washington Wizards (27-31)
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to make his Wizards debut. When he does, it marks the start of a desperate push for Washington to appease Bradley Beal and make the playoffs. The Wizards are in 11th place and currently out of the Eastern Conference postseason picture, but sit just a game back of Charlotte and the Atlanta Hawks. A Play-In appearance can't satisfy; but a playoff appearance is much easier said than done. If two of Toronto, Boston and Brooklyn don't make it to a top-six seed, making the traditional eight is going to be a tall order for the Wizards or any other team.
(Last week: 4)
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3. Brooklyn Nets (31-28)
The Nets sorely needed this All-Star break to put the drama of the James Harden trade and the stench of losing behind them. Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are still out for an indefinite period, and Kyrie Irving is still unvaccinated, so this current ragtag bunch will have to keep Brooklyn in the playoff hunt. (They did also just ink Goran Dragic to a rest-of-the-season contract on Monday as well.) This is still a title contender on paper... but so was the pre-deadline iteration of the Nets. However, the East is wide open, and fans should expect a healthy roster to go at least two rounds in the postseason. 
(Last week: 2)
2. New York Knicks (25-34)
New York went 3-13 in a one-month span before the pause and promptly decided to forge ahead at the trade deadline with no changes. This doesn't bode well for a team with several veterans, but almost no hope of extending its season at this time.
Since Jan. 17, the Knicks have a 25th-ranked defense and a 22nd-ranked offense. The defense especially needs to improve for the sake of Tom Thibodeau's viability as a head coach. If it's not league-average or better the rest of the way, New York's direction will start to look a lot like the Thibodeau era in Minnesota.
(Last week: 3)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-31)
In the latest Hollywood drama, LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept things pretty wide open</a> when he chatted with The Athletic's&nbsp;Jason Lloyd about his future. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rob-pelinka-refused-to-trade-russell-westbrook-draft-pick-for-john-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report also wrote</a> that Rob Pelinka refused to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for John Wall. So yeah, there's a very obvious disconnect within this franchise.
The Lakers cannot be satisfied with stumbling their way through a Play-In bracket that James himself has gone on record hating. They have to be a top-six seed for the sake of roster durability and image. But being six games behind sixth-place Denver right now, Los Angeles may have already run out of luck.
(Last week: 1)
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Ethan Fuller gives end-of-season benchmarks for success to the league's disappointing teams.

NBA Sour Rankings: Can teams in the dumps still salvage success?

In an in-depth article by <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer</a>, he revealed that Kevin Durant ultimately had final approval on opening up James Harden trade efforts.
"KD didn't want to get rid of James," a source told Fischer. "But he knew it was over."
Fischer writes that Durant ultimately called Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks to push forward a trade after months of tension. Per the story, Durant was the main proponent of bringing Kyrie Irving back to play in away games despite his unvaccinated status and home ineligibility. Harden was frustrated by Irving and his decision.
Back in training camp, Durant was also disappointed that Harden came in "poor conditioning," and Harden was vocal about desires to test free agency.&nbsp;
"Kevin and James had a cold war going for the last several months that made everyone miserable," a source said to Fischer.
Fischer added: "Durant and [Steve] Nash wanted a free-flowing offense, which Mike D'Antoni had helped install last season, but Harden preferred his patented iso ball. Brooklyn coaches noticed Harden would roll his eyes when an after-timeout play was designed for Durant, sources said."
Multiple times this season, Harden would leave the Nets between gamedays to return to Houston, according to Fischer. The trade finally felt inevitable after he showed little effort in his last contests with the team.
The story also says that the 76ers had gotten involved in Harden trade talks with the Rockets mere weeks into Daryl Morey's new start as president of basketball operations last season. Morey has a relationship with Harden after the two were together on the Rockets.
Fischer writes, "Several teams believe the NBA should investigate Philadelphia's contact with Harden and his representatives."
It remains to be seen what the full fallout of this blockbuster trade will look like, but it is undoubtedly one of the dominant storylines as the season flips over the All-Star break.

Durant and Harden had a fraying relationship that reportedly dated back months.

Kevin Durant approved James Harden trade: 'He knew it was over'

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast "Nothing But Bets" on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, "Nothing But Bets" is 55% against the spread, plus we're up hundreds of dollars on PrizePicks.
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For this fun Monday slate, which picks and trends are the best to wager on? Let&rsquo;s break it all down as you lock in bets and lineup cards:
Washington Wizards (-4) vs. Detroit Pistons
This feels like the perfect opportunity for the underdog to make this one closer than expected throughout. Washington is without Bradley Beal, plus Kristaps Porzingis isn&rsquo;t making his debut just yet. No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham has been such fun to watch this season, and he&rsquo;s why I believe the Pistons cover the 4-point spread.
Pick: Pistons +4
PrizePicks Power Play: Cade Cunningham over 15.5 points, Saddiq Bey over 16.5 points, Kyle Kuzma over 21.5 points, Thomas Bryant over 5.5 rebounds
New York Knicks (-10) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
All season long on "Nothing But Bets," we&rsquo;ve been tailing the Thunder as double-digit underdogs. More often than not, it&rsquo;s been a very sound strategy to deploy. It&rsquo;s time to hammer the Thunder against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, mainly in large part to New York&rsquo;s inconsistencies. Josh Giddey and the young Thunder keep cashing for the plus bettors.
Pick: Thunder +10
PrizePicks Power Play: Julius Randle over 23.5 points, Darius Bazley over 14.5 points, Josh Giddey over 6.5 assists, Evan Fournier over 2.5 rebounds
Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings (-2.5)
Sacramento has found their winning ways recently, thanks in large part to the blockbuster trade for Domantas Sabonis. The results between Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox have been fantastic thus far. In Brooklyn against a Nets team without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, we&rsquo;re betting on the Kings to keep stacking up victories.
Pick: Kings -2.5
PrizePicks Power Play: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox over 22.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 11.5 rebounds, Patty Mills over 14.5 points, Seth Curry over 14.5 points
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Milwaukee Bucks (-11.5) vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Portland looks completely different after this year&rsquo;s trade deadline. Heading on the road to play the defending champions is a bad outcome waiting to happen. Milwaukee easily handles business against the newly tanking Trail Blazers.
Pick: Bucks -11.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Khris Middleton over 23.5 points, Anfernee Simons over 21.5 points, Jusuf Nurkic over 11.5 rebounds, Jrue Holiday over 8.5 assists
Chicago Bulls (-3.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs
The DeMar DeRozan revenge game, and we&rsquo;re happy to take advantage of the low spread across the board. Chicago has been outstanding this season as favorites, plus DeRozan&rsquo;s scoring will be too much for his former team. We feel confident locking in Chicago because of DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
Pick: -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: DeMar DeRozan over 31.5 points, Dejounte Murray over 22.5 points, Nikola Vucevic over 13 rebounds, Jakob Poetl over 8 rebounds
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors (-3.5)
Toronto continues to be one of the best stories in the NBA this season. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet have been arguably playing at near-All-NBA levels, plus their young core continues to take significant strides forward. The Pelicans have been more consistently lately, but it&rsquo;s hard to envision a scenario where they stop the Raptors&rsquo; momentum.
Pick: Raptors -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Brandon Ingram over 21.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 21.5 points, Fred VanVleet over 19.5 points, CJ McCollum over 19.5 points
Utah Jazz (-15) vs. Houston Rockets
A huge spread for this game, but it&rsquo;s definitely worthy of the large line. Utah on all accounts hold significant advantages across the board compared to Houston. Donovan Mitchell will easily be able to have his way with the Rockets, so this feels like one of the best bets of the night for Monday&rsquo;s slate.
Pick: Jazz -15
PrizePicks Power Play: Donovan Mitchell over 24.5 points, Kevin Porter Jr. over 14.5 points, Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate over 11.5 points, Bojan Bogdanovic over 2.5 threes
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Denver Nuggets (-11.5) vs. Orlando Magic
Nikola Jokic is playing at an outrageously high level right now, even better than last season&rsquo;s jaw-dropping MVP campaign. Jokic is carrying a Nuggets team without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., further solidifiing his status among the NBA&rsquo;s elite. Denver could be a sleeper team in the playoffs, especially once Murray returns. Against the Magic, I believe Jokic and the Nuggets easily cover the 11.5-point spread.
Pick: Nuggets -11.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 24.5 points, Will Barton over 15.5 points, Jalen Suggs over 13.5 points, Mo Bamba over 6.5 rebounds
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors (-6)
It&rsquo;s never a wise strategy to bet against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. On Monday, it&rsquo;s no different when they play against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Not only are the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (potentially <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ty-lue-kawhi-leonard-is-probably-not-gonna-come-back-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for the rest of the season</a>), one of their new additions in Norman Powell is already dealing with an injury as well. Wagering on the Warriors here feels like the best move.
Pick: Warriors -6
PrizePicks Power Play: Stephen Curry over 22.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 18.5 points, Klay Thompson over 18.5 points, Ivica Zubac over 7.5 rebounds
Make sure to <a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out PrizePicks</a> and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they'll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to "Nothing But Bets" for daily betting analysis on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA games? Which players should you target in daily-fantasy? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' NBA Picks and Fantasy Advice for 2/14/22

With the NBA trade deadline over and done with, the BasketballNews.com staff wants to share our thoughts on the moves that went down. Since Nekias Duncan thoroughly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">graded each and every trade from the past week</a>, we asked the rest of our team to react to the results of the ever-so-eventful week.
Here are our staff's thoughts on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-losers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losers of the 2022 NBA trade deadline</a>. Now, in our latest Roundtable, we asked our writers the following question:
Who are the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline? 
Alex Kennedy: My trade deadline winners are the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers. I was someone who believed that Daryl Morey should trade Ben Simmons sooner than later, because I thought Simmons' trade value would only decrease over time. I didn't think the 76ers would actually be able to land a star player for Simmons, but I was clearly wrong. Morey's gamble paid off and now he's reunited with James Harden. As for the Pacers, I love&nbsp;what they did over the last week. We all knew that they were going to make drastic changes, but I was really impressed with how much they were able to get back for Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert and Torrey Craig. I love the addition of Tyrese Haliburton, and I truly believe he's going to develop into a star in Indiana. I also liked the buy-low addition of Jalen Smith, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan deserve credit for pulling off some smart trades and assembling an impressive young core.
Spencer Davies: I&rsquo;m going to be contrarian here, but good for the win-now teams who aren&rsquo;t really in a position to contend this season, yet still went for a swing. I&rsquo;m talking about the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. The Pels acquired a 20 point-per-game scorer in CJ McCollum to put next to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson (defense we&rsquo;ll worry about later; Herb Jones and his 10 arms have it all covered anyway). My thoughts on the Kings acquiring an All-Star such as Domantas Sabonis are well-documented, and now, they&rsquo;ve added an underappreciated two-way guard in Donte DiVincenzo, who&rsquo;s still finding his form since his playoff injury last year. Finally, as for the Clippers, Norm Powell and Robert Covington are championship-caliber veterans who will get acclimated the rest of the season as L.A. stays afloat &mdash; and fit like a glove in Tyronn Lue&rsquo;s rotation next year beside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Individually, I also have to give big-ups to Daryl Morey for sticking to his guns.
Ethan Fuller: The Celtics and Pacers each made the right moves for their franchise directions. Boston needed to find another ball-handling guard to fit with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the team did exactly that by adding Derrick White. They also brought back a perfect third center in Daniel Theis while clearing roster space to pursue bench upgrades on the buyout market. Indiana is crushing its rebuild initiation. Tyrese Haliburton is obviously the headliner, but the Pacers also netted a first and second-round pick, plus a noteworthy flier in Jalen Smith and tradeable players like Buddy Hield. They also didn't overextend with any forced moves.
Bryan Fonseca: It would be silly to say Indiana, and as much as I do like Tyrese, I'm not a *full-blown* Haliburton hipster. He can be an All-Star, for sure, but Domantas Sabonis is already that. The deal isn't *that* one-sided. I could say Brooklyn or Philly for getting themselves out of a situation, but both teams might've just traded one set of problems for another. In fact, I'd say that's likely. So, you know what, I really enjoy what New Orleans did. You can't rebuild forever and Zion Williamson's already extension-eligible this summer. We'll have to see him again at some point, and with CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, you should be competitive, especially next year &mdash; if you have mostly good health. To me, it's a diet version of the Chicago Bulls adding DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
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Evan Sidery: Exiting this year&rsquo;s trade deadline, it's rare to list both teams from the biggest transaction as winners. That's exactly what happened in the Sixers and Nets&rsquo; blockbuster when James Harden and Ben Simmons swapped places. Harden joins Joel Embiid forming a lethal, potentially transcendent one-two scoring combination. Philadelphia pushed the chips in as Embiid continues to display rare big man dominance. For Brooklyn, this situation was untenable with Harden&rsquo;s on-court pouting. The Nets&rsquo; Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden will be looked back on with so many questions down the road. Both teams shook it up, and in the end it's fair to say both teams made weaknesses a strength. Harden is Daryl Morey&rsquo;s big moment in Philly, but Simmons could finally be fully maximized alongside Durant.
Mat Issa: Of course, the 76ers are &ndash; any time you can end an annoying, eight-month-old saga by securing a top-12 player in the world, you&rsquo;ve won immensely. However, the team that really stands out to me is their counterpart in the deal, the Brooklyn Nets. Despite having their back against the wall with very little leverage (thanks to Harden&rsquo;s displeasure being confirmed the morning of the deadline), the team netted a pretty nice return. Say what you will about him, but Simmons was a solid All-Star in a suboptimal situation in Philadelphia. Next season, he&rsquo;ll be operating with the perimeter gravity that the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, and Seth Curry (another valuable piece from the deal) afford you. Also, adding a solid backup center and some draft capital is always nice, as well.
Justin Lewis: The Brooklyn Nets, because they just became a better team. The Detroit Pistons paid next to nothing for a shot at Marvin Bagley. The Memphis Grizzlies because Dallas got worse and no one in the West really made a move to pull closer or further away from them.
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Who are your biggest NBA trade deadline winners? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: Who are the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline?

Nekias Duncan thoroughly grades every NBA trade from 2022 Deadline Week.

Grading every move from 2022 NBA trade deadline week

One of the biggest NBA trade-deadline deals in modern history occurred on Thursday between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. No, that&rsquo;s not hyperbolic, because James Harden is on the move to join forces with Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.
In total, the Sixers sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two-first round picks to the Nets for Harden and Paul Millsap. The former MVP immediately opted into the final year of his contract, so he's set to make $47.3 million in 2022-23.
After the Nets&rsquo; shockingly short and uneventful Big Three era with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden, they reset with Simmons plus important win-now pieces. In Philadelphia, Harden and Embiid should form an incredibly potent duo.
Examining this trade from Philadelphia&rsquo;s viewpoint, Harden allows the 76ers to capitalize on a historically dominant campaign from Embiid. Since Christmas, no player in the Association has done more damage to opposing teams than Embiid.
The Sixers&rsquo; superstar big man is averaging 33.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 blocks on an incredible 64.0 True Shooting percentage. Over that span, Philadelphia is 15-6 solely because of Embiid&rsquo;s jaw-dropping usage (40.7 USG%) and dominance.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s offense runs through Embiid as its hub. Even with Harden&rsquo;s arrival, it will rightfully remain that way. The main difference is that Harden will take pressure (and some attention) off of Embiid, and vice versa.&nbsp;
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Both players are All-NBA generational scorers for their positions, and some of the best offensive weapons in modern NBA history. If Harden and Embiid are fully healthy and locked in, the ceiling for this one-two punch is simply incredible. In any spurt, Harden or Embiid could catch fire and take the reins on the offensive flow. And if they get into a rhythm at the same time? That is basically basketball nirvana.
Harden will gladly be the No. 2 option in the Sixers&rsquo; offense behind Embiid, a role he yearned for when he originally requested a trade (and initially preferred the Nets over the Sixers). Harden has yet to experience a consistent stretch in Brooklyn where he can take a backseat for an extended period. This season, Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 assists and 8.0 rebounds in 37 minutes per game.
Now, alongside Embiid, Harden will be able to preserve his energy for when it matters most.
Sure, his defense has definitely regressed this season. However, what does a more relieved, refreshed Harden look like next to Embiid? While this is a questionable fit defensively, what they'll provide in the scoring department more than makes up for it. Harden and Embiid could both be 30-plus-point-per-game scorers in Philadelphia for the next several seasons.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_14053354_lg.jpg" alt="" width="706" height="562" />
Pick-and-rolls between Harden and Embiid are going to be an unstoppable weapon that few, if any, teams can stop consistently over a seven-game series. Harden&rsquo;s creative, historically successful scoring package will bring a much-needed change to the Sixers&rsquo; attack. On top of it all, Embiid&rsquo;s excellence out of short-roll situations will only blossom when he's surrounded by Harden and Tobias Harris.
If all goes as planned, Philadelphia is going to experience unprecedented levels of offensive efficiency. Pairing together Harden and Embiid was always Daryl Morey&rsquo;s goal. It was a long, stubborn process to make it happen, but he won in the end by bringing this tandem aboard.
As if landing Harden isn't exciting enough, the Sixers also managed to keep two instrumental building blocks who will fortify the Harden-Embiid duo: Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle.
Maxey is another piece who can alleviate possessions from the Sixers&rsquo; superstar scoring combo, and he's taken a real leap forward in his second season. Thybulle is already an elite defender, and his presence will be maximized now that Simmons is gone for good. Philadelphia also has Danny Green, a reliable veteran wing with plenty of championship pedigree.
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Incredibly enough, we haven&rsquo;t even touched on Tobias Harris yet. Now, sliding into the preferred third-option role, Harris can focus on his floor-spacing value. Harden&rsquo;s arrival coupled with Embiid&rsquo;s gravity will allow Harris to execute on the easiest perimeter jumpers of his career.
Zooming out, here&rsquo;s how the Sixers&rsquo; rotation projects for the rest of this season:
Starters: Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, Matisse Thybulle, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
Second Unit: Shake Milton, Danny Green, Furkan Korkmaz, Georges Niang, Paul Millsap
Is this enough to get Philadelphia over the top within a reshuffled Eastern Conference hierarchy? It&rsquo;s going to be tough sledding in a few months, but Philadelphia stands out as my new favorite alongside the Milwaukee Bucks. Oddsmakers&nbsp;believe that today's blockbuster trade <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/after-nba-trade-deadline-oddsmakers-see-no-clearcut-title-favorite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">triples the 76ers' chances of winning it all</a>, as Philly's championship odds jumped from +1600 (or an implied 5.9% chance of winning the title) to +550 (or an implied 15.4% chance). They now have the fourth-best title odds in the NBA.
Good luck stopping the Harden-Embiid duo. Two of the Association&rsquo;s most special scorers pairing up together will be must-watch theater for however long they remain together.
Morey&rsquo;s long-awaited strike has arrived. In the end, he may have just pulled off a second career-defining trade involving Harden.

The Philadelphia 76ers are about to unleash a potentially historic one-two punch in James Harden and Joel Embiid.

Harden, Embiid could form historically dominant offense for Sixers

Don&rsquo;t look now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are 10 games above .500 after their 18-point blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Checking in with a 29-19 record, Philadelphia continues to weather the storm as it relates to the ongoing Ben Simmons saga. Both Simmons and the organization are dug into their positions, and this stalemate could extend even past this season&rsquo;s trade deadline.
The main reason Philadelphia is staying well above water &mdash; only two games back of the top seed in the Eastern Conference &mdash; is their franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid. What Embiid has been doing over the last six weeks has been nothing short of magnificent, firmly placing him within the MVP race.
Since Dec. 16, Embiid is averaging 33.8 points, 11.9 free throw attempts, 10.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 blocks on an elite 64.2 True Shooting percentage.
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However, Embiid is getting proverbially run into the ground from a usage perspective. This six-week run of prime Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal-esque dominance has Embiid bookmarked at an outrageous 40.2% usage rate.
Comparing Embiid&rsquo;s 40.2 USG% to the other ball-dominant superstars in the Association since mid-December, he&rsquo;s creating some distance in this metric: Giannis Antetokounmpo is at 37.3 USG%, Trae Young &mdash; 34.2 USG%, Luka Doncic &mdash; 34.3 USG% and Devin Booker &mdash; 32.6 USG%.
As Embiid continues his reign of terror on opposing defenses, one constant thought continues to linger. How long will this actually last before *knock on wood* Embiid goes down with an injury?
We all know Embiid&rsquo;s checkered injury history, and the Sixers right now are playing a very dangerous game with the soon-to-be 28-year-old big man. A 7-foot, 280-pounder carrying over 40% of a team&rsquo;s usage is cyborg-like. That&rsquo;s simply not sustainable for the entire slog of an 82-game regular season slate.
With that being said, it&rsquo;s time for Sixers GM Daryl Morey to blink first as it relates to the off-court melodrama with his disgruntled point-forward. Trade Simmons for the best possible package before this run from Embiid ends with no positive benchmark resulting from it.
On Friday, ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sacramento Kings were the latest team fed up with the Sixers&rsquo; stance on trading Simmons. Sacramento bowed out of the Simmons sweepstakes, which further thins out the potential destinations Philadelphia can send the former No. 1 overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft.
Sacramento stood out as one of the most realistic organizations for a Simmons blockbuster, thanks in large part to the players on their roster who fit around Embiid: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes.
Now, Philadelphia is backing out and reassessing who exactly wants to get their hands dirty and potentially waste their time over the next two weeks before the trade deadline?
Philadelphia is legitimately in a great spot to make a push in the second half of the regular season because of Embiid&rsquo;s brilliance. It will be all for not if Morey and Co. continue to sit on their hands and don&rsquo;t find their superstar big man some immediate help, though.
The Eastern Conference is wide open. Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s part-time status as an unvaccinated player has thrown a wrench into the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; hopeful title run. The Chicago Bulls have found some magic with their dynamite scoring duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but who on their roster could guard Embiid over a seven-game series?
Last season&rsquo;s defending champions in the Milwaukee Bucks have their own legitimate argument to make a repeat Finals run. Even though they&rsquo;ve dealt with countless injury issues, the Miami Heat sit atop the East and control their own destiny for home court advantage once the calendar hits mid-to-late April.
Philadelphia slots right into the mix because of Embiid. The big question is how will Embiid hold up over the next three-plus months before the playoffs even begin? What if the Sixers don&rsquo;t trade Simmons and decide to hope and pray for an unlikely James Harden sign-and-trade this offseason involving Simmons? It&rsquo;s not the right move, especially when realizing exactly what Embiid is accomplishing for Philadelphia right now.
It&rsquo;s time for the Sixers to push those chips all-in to take some much-needed pressure off Embiid, conserving him for when it really matters most in win-or-go-home scenarios. Simmons is the chip to push into the middle of the table, and the time is ticking fast to utilize that chip at peak value.
Imagine what Philadelphia could do if they added multiple win-now pieces in return for a player who&rsquo;s not even around the team right now? It changes not only the entire calculus for Embiid and the Sixers, but it causes a seismic shift for what could potentially happen in the Eastern Conference this postseason.
Particularly for big men, their primes are not something to just play around with. Embiid is showcasing exactly why he&rsquo;s one of the best players in the NBA, one who could singlehandedly bully his way through defenses to a miraculous Finals appearance.
It would be such an unfortunate circumstance if the Sixers&rsquo; front office decided to punt on this golden opportunity, sitting in front of them right now.
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Joel Embiid has become an MVP favorite. Now, it's time for the Sixers to bring their superstar big man some much-needed help.