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After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/embiid332.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="440" />
<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&ldquo;Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive, go shoot the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive and that&rsquo;s what I just tried to do today.&rdquo;
Cleveland&rsquo;s blowout ended with a hard foul and some questions about why New York&rsquo;s starters were still on the floor.
With the Knicks down by 23, Julius Randle went in for a breakaway dunk and was hit by Cavs center Jarrett Allen and New York&rsquo;s All-Star forward fell awkwardly out of bounds. Randle was upset by the contact and exchanged words with several Cavs players and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
&ldquo;I thought it was a little unnecessary,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I understand that in the playoffs, you don&rsquo;t give up on plays. But typically, you run across the body. Not like that.&rdquo;
Allen was called for flagrant foul, which Bickerstaff felt was undeserved.
&ldquo;They kept playing hard. They kept running through passing lanes. Why would one team play hard and not the other,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn&rsquo;t a flagrant foul. He contested a shot at the rim. It&rsquo;s that simple.&rdquo;
Caris LeVert scored 24 points off the bench and Mitchell added 17 and a career playoff-high 13 assists for the Cavs, who were much more physical than in Game 1 and went toe to toe with the Knicks.
Randle scored 22 points and Jalen Brunson added 20 for New York, which got the split it needed in rowdy Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to head home for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
&ldquo;You know what to expect,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Garden. It&rsquo;s the Garden.&rdquo;
The Cavs matched the Knicks&rsquo; physicality from the outset, winning the 50/50 balls that went to New York in the opener. And if handling Cleveland&rsquo;s new-found toughness wasn&rsquo;t enough of a challenge, the Knicks bashed each other.
During one sequence in the second quarter as the Cavs were beginning to pull away, Randle turned to run up the floor and accidentally smacked Brunson in the face, causing his teammate to recoil in pain.
Garland inflicted his own damage.
The 23-year-old was uncharacteristically timid in Game 1 and heard about it from fans and teammates. Following practice Monday, he had a deep conversation with Mitchell, who urged him to be let loose.
Garland got the message.
He drained a pair of 3-pointers during a 13-4 run in the second quarter and then showed no fear when he drove to the basket and tried to dunk over 7-foot Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, who got away with goaltending while fouling Cleveland&rsquo;s guard.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen him try to dunk on anyone, let alone a seven-footer,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
The Cavs bench erupted at seeing Garland&rsquo;s bravado, and Mitchell slapped his hands before urging the sellout crowd to recognize him. The moment seemed to rattle the Knicks as New York&rsquo;s Josh Hart was called for a technical foul.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Didn&rsquo;t score a field goal in the first 5:13 of the second quarter. ... Randle had two extended conversations in the second with referee Tony Brothers. ... Hart was ineffective on the balky ankle. He scored just 5 points after getting 17 in Game 1.
Cavaliers: Scored 19 points off turnovers in the second quarter, and 27 in the first half. Cleveland is the first team to do that since Denver in 2009. ... F Danny Green made his first appearance in the series, scoring 3 points in 20 minutes. His 315 career playoff 3-pointers are ninth most in NBA history. ... F Isaac Okoro picked up two early fouls and played just three minutes. ... Garland&rsquo;s 26 points in the first half were three shy of the club playoff record for a half held by LeBron James (2018). ... Cleveland snapped a five-game playoff losing streak.
UP NEXT
The Knicks host their first playoff game since June 2, 2021, on Friday. New York is 3-1 at home in the playoffs against Cleveland.

The Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.

Garland scores 32, Cavs beat Knicks 107-90 to even series

Spencer Davies tells the complex story of Eban Hyams, the first Indian-born international professional basketball player.

Setbacks and bouncebacks: On Eban Hyams, India's first pro ballplayer

Longtime pro Jordan Crawford opens up to Spencer Davies about his unpleasant NBA experience, his Detroit connection and more.

Ex-NBA pro Jordan Crawford has a story to tell — and a whole lot more

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 11 rebounds, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Mitchell made eight 3-pointers &mdash; one shy of his career high &mdash; and had six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes as the Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak and remained fourth in the Eastern Conference. He scored 13 points in both the second and third quarters.
Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists, and Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which built a 110-80 lead in the fourth quarter and improved to 26-7 at home this season.
Pascal Siakam paced Toronto with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and nine boards. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet missed his third straight game for personal reasons.
The Raptors had won a season-high four in a row and are 7-2 since Feb. 3, moving into ninth in the East. They failed to reach .500 for the first time since Dec. 9 with the 25-point loss, shooting 38.7% from the field.
Veteran swingman Danny Green, who signed with the Cavaliers earlier this month, converted a four-point play in the fourth. It was his first appearance in a home game for Cleveland.
Mitchell and Garland combined to make their first seven 3-point attempts and Allen made his first seven shots, staking Cleveland to a 64-52 halftime advantage. Mobley grabbed seven rebounds in the second quarter.
Toronto is in the midst of an eight-game stretch that only includes one at home. The span began with a 95-91 victory at Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
DOUBLE WHAMMY
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff challenged an offensive foul by Mitchell in the third quarter. Not only did the officials uphold Mitchell&rsquo;s push-off under the basket against Poeltl, they upgraded it to a flagrant-1 foul for being an unnatural basketball play. &ldquo;I felt like I didn&rsquo;t foul him,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Scottie Barnes has overcome a rough start to his second season. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists since the beginning of January. &ldquo;Scottie is back to playing with super joy and enthusiasm, just like he did in his rookie season,&rdquo; coach Nick Nurse said. &hellip; Nurse and Barnes were both called for technical fouls in the first eight minutes.
Cavaliers: G Dylan Windler, a first-round draft pick in 2019, is averaging 5.3 points through three games on a G League assignment with the Cleveland Charge. He missed the first four months with a sprained right ankle and has not logged a minute in the NBA since April 10, 2022. &hellip; The Cavaliers have one open roster spot following the release of five-time All-Star F Kevin Love.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Donovan Mitchell scores 35 points, Cavaliers rout Raptors 118-93

A list of 12 of the top talents in modern NBA history to have never appeared in an All-Star Game.

The 12 best modern-history players to never make an NBA All-Star team

After clearing waivers following his post-trade buyout from the Houston Rockets, Danny Green has officially signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, team president Koby Altman announced Wednesday morning.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Hypothetically, it could mean a lot. It's just there for support. And having people that you can lean on and depend on as a young player who's going to be in situations that maybe they've never been in before,&rdquo; Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said without acknowledging Green by name on Monday due to NBA tampering rules.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Someone who is about the team and who just wants to fit in and be a part of the group. You can use that experience and you listen to those guys. Guys who have been to the mountaintop and won championships and played in those type of games. But then, you obviously have the ability to put that guy on the floor, who's still capable of making shots and guarding his position, which, we know in the playoffs is a premium.&rdquo;
Green spent a tireless amount of time working his way back from an ACL injury he suffered 10 months ago in the playoffs while playing with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers sent Green to the Memphis Grizzlies in a draft-night trade for De&rsquo;Anthony Melton last summer, and the veteran sharpshooter didn&rsquo;t suit up for the Grizzlies until Feb. 1. Eight days later, Green found himself on the move again.
At the NBA trade deadline, Memphis dealt the 35-year-old to the Rockets as a part of a three-team agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers. Luke Kennard landed with the Grizzlies and Eric Gordon ended up with the Clippers, while Green and John Wall went to Houston before being let go by the franchise.
Though Green has played a total of three games with Memphis in limited action, Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell knows what he&rsquo;s about and how he can give Cleveland a boost.
&ldquo;The easy answer would be his shooting. I mean, he's a three-time champion,&rdquo; Mitchell said of Green after Cleveland&rsquo;s win on Monday over the San Antonio Spurs. &ldquo;He is a guy I grew up watching. I remember watching him dancing on the bench with Bron and whatnot. I remember him, watching him against the (Miami) Heat, breaking Ray Allen's three-point record (for most threes in a single series). I hated him at the time. But I've known Danny and his family since I was probably 11 years old, 12 years old. We've played against AAU against his brother (Devonte). I know his dad (Danny Green Sr.). So it's kind of crazy how life works. A lot of things come full circle, especially for me this year.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think the first thing you think of is his way to space to floor, but also his veteran presence around the locker room, calming presence, great personality. But when he gets in, he is a sniper, especially in big-time situations. He's done it year in and year out. So there's different things you can point to but the first thing I would say is the shooting.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> were to add a veteran sharpshooter using their open roster spot (maybe someone with three NBA championships, maybe someone like Danny Green), what would J.B. Bickerstaff think? &ldquo;Hypothetically, it could mean a lot.&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/qDhfiVLmKI">pic.twitter.com/qDhfiVLmKI</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1625272791795904513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Green is just a hair below 40% as a career three-point marksman, having taken nearly five attempts per contest over his 13-year NBA stay. Altman bringing in a wing with size who can drill from distance and provide championship experience should prove to be wise. As for Green&rsquo;s minutes and role &mdash; especially for a red-hot Cavs team scaling the Eastern Conference standings &mdash; that would yet to be determined.
&ldquo;It would be an early conversation about the role and people understand when they are coming here what to expect,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said Monday if Cleveland was to add another player to its locker room. &ldquo;I think what we are going through now, and in that conversation would be, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re trending in a really good direction and we have to figure the balance between continuing with the group that has started to head that way,&rsquo; and how you mix in a piece that could possibly help you down the road. We will be very ginger with that because we do not want to disrupt the rhythm of what these guys are finding right now.&rdquo;
If anybody knows anything about his professionalism, it&rsquo;s Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who was just in town facing Green&rsquo;s new team. The pair won a ring together in the 2014 NBA Finals, which would be the first of three title teams (Toronto Raptors in 2019 and Los Angeles Lakers in 2020) Green would be a part of.
&ldquo;A guy that is a very confident shooter, an underrated defender and a great teammate. He&rsquo;s fun to be around. He loves playing the game and he understands his role completely. He&rsquo;ll fit right in,&rdquo; Popovich said.
&ldquo;Just logically, he&rsquo;s gonna say things. He&rsquo;ll be great for J.B. to have another person there who&rsquo;s been through all sorts of different situations. He&rsquo;ll talk to somebody on the bus or on the plane. It&rsquo;s just like osmosis. And so, he&rsquo;ll provide a lot of information that all the coaches won&rsquo;t have time for, or they&rsquo;ll be happy that they&rsquo;ll have an additional &lsquo;coach&rsquo; that knows what&rsquo;s going on. It&rsquo;s all good, for sure.&rdquo;
Spotted roaming the hallways at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday before the deal was made official, Green appears eager to join his new group.
This will be Green&rsquo;s second stint in Cleveland &mdash; 14 years after the Cavs originally drafted him with the 46th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Danny Green officially signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers after clearing waivers stemming from his buyout agreement with Houston.

Danny Green clears waivers, signs with Cavaliers: 'He'll fit right in'

The trade deadline is fast approaching and the Memphis Grizzlies have to make an important decision.
Grizzlies general manager and executive vice president Zach Kleiman has been doing his best Marvel impression by living in a multiverse, attempting to walk out two timelines: contending and developing.
The core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane is in its third year together and, when healthy, is one of the top trios in the entire NBA. More importantly, only Jackson is beyond his rookie contract, as Morant and Bane are both still on rookie deals. This fact has led to a polarizing debate surrounding the Grizzlies.
When Memphis knocked the Golden State Warriors out of the first NBA Play-In Tournament, everyone raved at the "ahead-of-schedule" nature of this team. Last season, the team traded away Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams and a shot at developing Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama. Kleiman was trying to develop ancillary pieces while still putting a competitive product on the floor.
Morant and the Grizzlies surprised everyone, finishing with the second-best record in the league and pushing the eventual-champion Warriors to six games in arguably Golden State's toughest series last year. The "ahead-of-schedule" Grizzlies were still given a pass because they were young and overacheiving.&nbsp;
Memphis is still the second seed in the Western Conference despite losing eight of their last nine contests. Injuries have been a huge factor as Jackson (17 games), Bane (22), Adams (10) and Morant (8) have all missed time due to injury. With the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, the question is whether Kleiman will push the chips in and go for a title piece this year or continue on his multiverse timeline.
Re-signing Adams and Tyus Jones suggests Memphis is interested in contending. Trading away De'Anthony Melton, who struggled mightily in the postseason, suggests the same. Playing Ziaire Williams, David Roddy and Jake LaRavia is the organization attempting to sneak in development. It makes sense, as you have to find the right role players on affordable deals (in this case, rookie contracts) who can have winning impact around your big three.&nbsp;
But even if it makes sense, there is also the flip side. At some point, you are no longer ahead of schedule and overachieving. At some point, the schedule and timeline eventually readjust to the progress that has been made, and a new schedule begins. The Grizzlies are no longer up-and-coming. They are here and the league has adjusted, and so must Memphis.
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There have been social-media posts circling that the Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans both do not want their counterpart to land O.G. Anunoby, and that Memphis would be a perfect fit for OG. This Grizzlies front office has historically moved in silence, and nothing suggests it will overpay in a bidding war for a player who might&nbsp;move the needle toward a title.
Over the next few days, Kleiman will have to decide what is most important for the franchise entrusted to his leadership. The Grizzlies clearly need shooting (still) and perimeter defending &mdash; two things every team is looking for at all times.&nbsp;
Morant, Bane and Jackson are non-starters in any trade conversation (as they should be). They are a core that meshes beautifully. It's the pieces surrounding them that Kleiman has to be willing to part ways with.
One of the most polarizing players in the NBA is Dillon Brooks; you either hate him or you love him. He is on an expiring contract, with his days in Memphis possibly winding away. Brooks' antics on the court and refusal to accept his spot in the pecking order offensively at times have led many to wonder whether he is a long-term fit with the Grizzlies.
With Bane due for a near-max payday, Brooks could be traded at the deadline for assets or given the Kyle Anderson treatment, using his contributions for this run and letting his deal expire at season's end.
Then, there is Jones, who is often lauded as the best backup point guard in the NBA and basically a health-insurance policy for Morant. Memphis needs to send Tyus somewhere he can start and bring in a bigger combo guard who can help Bane run the non-Morant minutes.&nbsp;
Adams and Danny Green are the veterans on the roster who also have extremely tradeable contracts if Kleiman were to do some type of big-game hunting. Adams' presence has allowed Jackson to develop into the Defensive Player of the Year candidate he has become, but at some point, JJJ needs to become the full-time starting 5.&nbsp;
Williams and Xavier Tillman are pieces that Memphis should be willing to include to upgrade their roster. And as well as Memphis has done drafting the last few years, they should now be at the point in this process where first-round picks are on the table.&nbsp;
OUTLINING POTENTIAL TRADE IDEAS
I'm no trade-machine guru, but something along the lines of this framework makes sense for both teams:
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Memphis gets to keep its primary defender in Brooks while adding a 24-year-old scorer to come off the bench. If the Toronto Raptors begin a fire sale, they get an expiring contract, two second-round picks (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjg0d7A8oP9AhVuFlkFHQ-iAGkQFnoECEQQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fhoopshype.com%2F2023%2F02%2F03%2Fgary-trent-jr-s-trade-value-at-a-protected-first-round-pick-or-two-good-second-rounders%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw2EDYmp9Yp1qneXxEEdRIt_" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trent's reported projected value</a>) and a player who fits their mold of lenghty wings.
The Grizz bench unit is currently 12th in the NBA in scoring at 35.5 points per contest, but is a minus-313 in scoring for the season. They are also 25th in three-point percentage (32.4%) in the league. Adding Gary Trent Jr. could bolster a glaring weakness if Memphis is to be a legitimate contender.&nbsp;
In the interest of getting assets in return for Brooks, Kleiman would likely be choosing to remain on the course of developing players, as Morant, Jackson and Bane are not yet in their primes. Memphis can recoup cheaper, more controllable assets by moving Dillon:
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In this scenario, Memphis takes a shot on Cam Reddish while finding the eventual Jones replacement in Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks get a perfect-fit player to go with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle in Brooks as they attempt to make a run in the Eastern Conference this postseason, plus a lottery-protected first-rounder from the Grizzlies via the Warriors (from the Andre Iguodala trade in July 2019.)
Speaking of replacing Jones, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins could use a defensive upgrade in the backcourt as well someone with a little more size:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/fanspo-nba-trade-machine-snap_2-7-2023_8-55-00am.png" alt="" width="686" height="275" />
The Chicago Bulls are at a crossroads, and if they decide to start rebuilding the makeup of their roster, bringing in Jones as their starting point guard would not be the worst idea. The Grizzlies get two combo guards in Alex Caruso and Coby White in this trade framework.
White is playing the least amount of minutes of his career this season, and could afford a change of scenery. Caruso is a perfect fit for Memphis, as an athletic guard who can defend on the perimeter. This move also fits Kleiman's desire to flirt with two timelines.
These three trades could be a sequence of moves done at once, but there's a next-to-zero chance Memphis makes multiple moves at the deadline, if any. However, there are peripheral moves to be made for Memphis because it seems clear that standing pat and riding it out is no longer the right choice for this franchise.&nbsp;

Justin Lewis explains how the Grizzlies have to move ahead with contention and suggests three possible trades that could help.

Proposing 3 potential trades that could spark the Memphis Grizzlies

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Terry Rozier scored 28 points, Mason Plumlee added yet another strong performance with 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls 111-96 on Thursday night.
Gordon Hayward scored 17 points, and LaMelo Ball returned from a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle and wrist injury and chipped in with 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to overcome a horrible 2-for-15 shooting night.
Plumlee, meanwhile, was 9 of 9 from the field, continuing a remarkable run in which he is averaging 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds over the last 14 games while shooting a 75.8% (94 of 124) from the field.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said the biggest difference is Plumlee&rsquo;s game this season is he&rsquo;s more confident in his free throw shooting and is attacking the basket more aggressively, trying to draw contact instead of avoiding it.
Plumlee shot 39.2% from the free throw line last year and eventually changed from shooting right-handed to left-handed.
He&rsquo;s shooting 66.6% from the line this year with his left hand.
&ldquo;He has such good instincts, he&rsquo;s faking and creating contact versus the film I watched last year, he wasn&rsquo;t going into contact as much,&rdquo; Clifford said. &rdquo;... He&rsquo;s taking the ball hard to the basket, and he feels good about his free throw shooting. To be able to do what he&rsquo;s done (switching shooting hands), I&rsquo;m not sure many people can do that. He was in here all summer doing it, so he&rsquo;s got confidence.&rdquo;
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Plumlee is even shooting his jump shots left-handed, although he doesn&rsquo;t attempt many.
But he buried a 14-footer with 1:30 left in the game to put Charlotte up by 12, screaming excitedly at the Hornets&rsquo; bench prompting his teammates to jump out of their seats and wave towels.
&ldquo;He works on it every day, so it&rsquo;s about time he took one,&rdquo; joked Rozier.
Said Plumlee: &ldquo;Just felt good. Low clock, stepping into it. It felt good.&rdquo;
DeMar DeRozan had 28 points for the Bulls, while Zach LaVine finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, but was quiet in the second half. Patrick Williams had 15 points, but Chicago&rsquo;s three-game win streak came to an end.
The Bulls built a 55-47 lead at halftime behind a balanced attack while holding the Hornets to 39.5% shooting the first half.
But the Hornets battled back to tie the game at 71 late in the third quarter behind Rozier, who tied a franchise record with five third quarter steals while turning the momentum with six straight points.
Charlotte began to pull away in the fourth quarter, building a 97-88 lead behind a 3-pointer from Ball and a driving layup by Plumlee. Ball and Plumlee combined for 18 points in the fourth.
The Hornets had lost seven of their last nine games, but played an inspired second half, particularly on defense. They limited to the Bulls to 5-of-24 shooting from the field and outscored Chicago 34-17.
&ldquo;There are going to be those nights where we didn&rsquo;t shoot the ball well at all from the 3, we just didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;We have got to find just more desperation. We have got to become more desperate, and I think there are times where we are just not desperate enough and that is what it is going to take.&rdquo;
VROOM VROOM
NASCAR drivers Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch and Tyler Reddick took in the game from courtside as the part of &ldquo;crossover night.&rdquo; All three drive for the 23XI NASCAR team co-owned by Hornets owner Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin.
TIP INS
Bulls: Only received 11 points from their bench.
Hornets: Outrebounded the Bulls 52-43.
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Terry Rozier scored 28 points to lead the Charlotte Hornets over the Chicago Bulls 111-96.

Rozier, Plumlee lead Hornets past Bulls 111-96

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry threw his mouthpiece into the seats in frustration and got tossed himself for the surprising episode late in the game.
And the Golden State Warriors still pulled off a wild one against the nemesis Memphis Grizzlies.
Jordan Poole made the winning layup with a second remaining to cap a crazy, back-and-forth final minute, and the Warriors fought back to beat Ja Morant and Memphis 122-120 on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;Incredible, heady play by Jordan,&rdquo; Klay Thompson said.
Curry outdueled Morant and scored 34 points before being ejected with 1:14 remaining in another thrilling game between the rivals who played last year in the Western Conference semifinals won by the Warriors in six games.
Curry hit a tying jumper with 2:18 left and made three free throws at the 1:55 mark. He wasn&rsquo;t around for the finish after firing the mouthpiece into the stands. Crew chief Sean Wright confirmed the reasoning to a pool reporter: &ldquo;Stephen Curry takes his mouth piece and throws into the stands with force, as per rule, that is an automatic ejection.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He knows he can&rsquo;t make that mistake,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;To win the game after the Steph ejection was great. I liked the execution down the stretch.&rdquo;
Afterward, Curry was in the hallway eager to greet Poole with a celebratory hug. Poole had launched a 30-footer with nearly a full shot clock and Curry open, and Curry didn&rsquo;t like it.
Curry said the way the season has gone there&rsquo;s a &ldquo;heightened sense of urgency of how every detail matters.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The way that we responded after that shows just how much it matters to us,&rdquo; Curry said.
Brandon Clarke had a tying dunk with 6.3 seconds left for Memphis on a pass from Morant after Thompson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 14.6 remaining put the Warriors ahead. Thompson then missed a rushed baseline jumper with five seconds to play, but Golden State got the ball out of bounds.
Morant wound up with 29 points and 12 assists after missing a game with an ankle injury. He converted a pair of free throws with 26.6 seconds left to put Memphis ahead before Thompson&rsquo;s big 3.
Desmond Bane added 20 points for the Grizzlies in a balanced effort to help lessen the sting of losing durable big man Steven Adams for the foreseeable future with a knee injury.
Morant, who missed a loss Monday night at Sacramento with soreness in his left ankle, found Clarke for an alley-oop layup and three-point play with 4:10 remaining then Curry and Poole scored consecutive layups.
Thompson added 24 points and his 3 with 3:38 left in the third pulled the Warriors to 81-79. Then Curry converted a tying four-point play with 2:27 to go in the period after falling into the courtside seats.
The Warriors had lost four straight home games after beginning the season 17-2 at Chase Center.
Jonathan Kuminga moved into the Golden State starting lineup with Andrew Wiggins ill. Late in the first half, Kuminga drove through the lane for a highlight-reel left-handed slam then knocked down a 3-pointer a few possessions later. He wound up with 13 points.
Poole finished with 21 points and seven assists as the Warriors beat the Grizzlies again following a 123-109 win on Christmas Day. The Grizzlies have lost a season-high four straight to begin this season-long five-game West Coast trip.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long season. I don&rsquo;t think too many people are too flustered,&rdquo; Bane said.
Draymond Green &mdash; who called that final out-of-bounds play for Poole&rsquo;s winner &mdash; was whistled for his 14th technical foul of the season, moving him within two of an automatic one-game suspension.
MISSING ADAMS
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins will mix and match lineups and substitution patterns without Adams, who is expected to miss three to five weeks with a sprained ligament in his right knee that he injured Sunday in Phoenix.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re definitely going to miss Stevo, he does so much for us, all the little things, to impact winning,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just going to need other guys to raise their level in those departments. Obviously, we&rsquo;re struggling right now on both ends of the floor, we just got to find our groove, it&rsquo;s next-man up mentality.&rdquo;
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TIP-INS
Grizzlies: F Danny Green is set to make his season debut Feb. 1 at home against Portland as he returns from left knee surgery. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the plan as of now,&rdquo; Jenkins said. Green will get some scrimmaging and work with the G League Memphis Hustle this week. ... Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled out with 2:33 to go. ... Memphis will host the defending champions for the last two meetings: March 9 and 18.
Warriors: Kerr found out Wednesday morning Wiggins was sick and Kuminga earned his sixth start. ... Curry reached 21,000 career points. He committed two fouls just 59 seconds into the game.
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Jordan Poole made the winning layup with a second remaining and the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-120.

Poole beats buzzer with layup, lifts Warriors past Grizzlies

Looking back to the summer of 2022, it was deemed a foregone conclusion that the Los Angeles Lakers would trade Russell Westbrook before the 2022-23 NBA season began. The team had just missed the playoffs for the second time since LeBron James came to L.A., and the trio of Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis just wasn't clicking on the floor.
So rumors flew as to where Westbrook would be shipped off to and the price the Lakers would have to pay to jettison his bulky $47 million contract. Just before the season started, it looked like a deal was going to happen. According to reports, the Indiana Pacers were going to send Myles Turner and Buddy Hield to the Lakers for Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. The Lakers even <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyIrwinLA/status/1572334141659828224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1572334141659828224%7Ctwgr%5E42d7893d3a33391e36a365478b2c60e8cb30e9d7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Flakers-news-darvin-ham-rob-pelinka-press-conference-canceled-fans-speculate-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed back a media session</a> with vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and new head coach Darvin Ham (perhaps because a deal was close?).
Then, it didn&rsquo;t happen.
Now, more than halfway into the season, the Lakers are struggling again with a 20-25 record and sitting at the No. 13 position in the Western Conference. Davis once again suffered an injury that has cost him a big chunk of the season, and the team is still dreadful at shooting from three-point range.
Which begs the question: Did the Lakers wait too long to make a move or is there still hope to improve this roster?
Hindsight is always 20/20. Still, it would have been a smart gamble to take on Turner and Hield, even at that high cost. Turner has blossomed, averaging career-highs in points (17.1) and rebounds (7.8) while still being a force defensively around the rim, ranking third in the league in blocks (2.4). Hield has always been a knockdown, volume shooter, connecting on 40.0% of his shots from three-point range in his career and he has upped that to 42.4% this season.
It's understandable that the Lakers are cautious about making any major moves following the Westbrook trade that gutted their roster of shooting and defense &mdash; both obvious needs. It hasn&rsquo;t totally backfired with Russ playing well in his role off the bench this season, but his bad decision-making and hero-ball ways in crunch time have cost the team at least a few wins.
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Laker fans groan as Russel Westbrook isolates for 10 seconds and turns it over <a href="https://t.co/Q5ucNN84Mp">pic.twitter.com/Q5ucNN84Mp</a>
&mdash; hoops bot (@hoops_bot) <a href="https://twitter.com/hoops_bot/status/1615939443348865024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2023</a></blockquote>

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As we&rsquo;re seeing it play out now, Westbrook's contract should have been used to acquire multiple role players before the season. Even if that meant trading both of those precious future first-round picks, they should've gone for it if the right deal was on the table. Indiana wasn&rsquo;t the only possible landing spot for Westbrook either, with Charlotte and San Antonio also showing some interest in the former MVP.
Imagine a Lakers squad that had proven role players to surround James and Davis. Well, we can. That&rsquo;s the 2020 championship team that included the likes of Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green. The formula is there, but the front office decided to blow it up.
Now the team has &mdash; again &mdash; banked on a roster filled with one-year players on prove-it, minimum-level deals. Sure, Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant have had moments, but both have come crashing down to earth over the past week. You can&rsquo;t depend on those players to put up reliable stats all season long.
Imagine this team with real depth and even a little bit more shooting. Some of those close losses &mdash; and there have been plenty of them &mdash; could have been wins. They can handle it better when Davis has to miss games due to injury. (Unfortunately, that&rsquo;s become a regular thing for him, especially over the past three seasons.) Maybe you could rest LeBron a little more and not put such a 36-minutes-per-game type of burden on his shoulders?
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There&rsquo;s a lot of "coulda, shoulda, woulda" with this Lakers season. But somehow, it&rsquo;s not too late.&nbsp;
The Western Conference is still tight with only three-and-a-half games separating the No. 13 spot and the No. 5 spot. With this kind of parity, that means one good winning streak can bolt a team up the standings quickly.&nbsp;
LeBron is still playing at an incredible level. Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker &mdash; arguably the team&rsquo;s best role players &mdash; are close to a return after missing a few weeks. And Davis should be back before the end of January after being sidelined for over a month with a stress injury in his foot.
Their schedule is incredibly soft down the stretch. Starting March 1, 15 of their last 20 games are against teams that are currently at or below .500. &nbsp;There are plenty of wins available to make the playoffs. That should be the goal: get in the playoffs and see what happens.
But the team needs more. It&rsquo;s a seller&rsquo;s market with teams holding sky-high prices for players they're open to moving (you can thank Minnesota and the Rudy Gobert trade for that). Those demands should come down a little as the Feb. 9 trade deadline gets closer.
There are moves to be made for the Lakers.
Turner might not be available, but Hield could be, especially considering all of young, talented shooters the Pacers have. Take on Daniel Theis and his salary, and something could be there.
Giving up one of those aforementioned first-rounders to Detroit for Bojan Bogdanovic, who is having a career-year, and backup big Nerlens Noel? Sure.
What about a package from the Hornets including Terry Rozier and PJ Washington? Rozier is owed $48 million over the next two seasons, but that could help with the price of getting a deal done. (Plus, Charlotte is reportedly set on a rebuild, per The Athletic.)
Yes, it would mean the Lakers would be giving up their projected $30 million in cap space this offseason, but it would behoove the team to do something with Westbrook now, since he is on the books for $47 million &mdash; a net of $17 million more would be available to use for players that L.A. could lose come summertime.
The clock is ticking. The season is more than halfway over.
Does this Lakers front office want to bank on this current roster and risk missing the playoffs yet again, or will they dive into the deep end of the pool? Time will tell.

Brian Fritz explains that, in spite of the Lakers' inability to improve the roster over the summer, the team can still right the ship.

Despite an offseason failure, it's still not too late for the Lakers

One month into the 2022-23 NBA season, the Utah Jazz have exceeded all expectations. After trading Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O&rsquo;Neale and replacing head coach Quin Snyder with 34-year-old Will Hardy, Utah was expected to plummet down the standings and enter the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
Instead, the Jazz are 10-6, with wins over the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers among others. Utah currently has the NBA&rsquo;s seventh-best offense (scoring 111.4 points per 100 possessions) and 12th-best defense (allowing 108.7 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
They have a balanced attack, with six players averaging double-digit points: Lauri Markkanen (21.3), Jordan Clarkson (17.9), Collin Sexton (13.3), Kelly Olynyk (13.2), Malik Beasley (12.3) and Mike Conley (10.7). This team plays extremely hard and makes a ton of hustle plays.&nbsp;
And unlike the other franchises that were projected to tank entering this season, the Jazz aren&rsquo;t a super young team. Utah&rsquo;s roster has an average age of 25.86 years old, which is significantly older than the youngest teams in the league &ndash; the Oklahoma City Thunder (23.14), Houston Rockets (23.58), San Antonio Spurs (23.84) and Orlando Magic (23.94). While the Jazz are assembling an impressive young core, they&rsquo;ve gotten huge contributions from experienced players like Markkanen, Olynyk, Clarkson, Beasley, Sexton, Conley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Entering this week, Utah sat atop the Western Conference standings. However, after losing three-straight games, the Jazz have slid to fourth-place in the West.&nbsp;
Was Utah&rsquo;s early-season success a fluke or can they sustain this level of play going forward? Will they keep this core together or eventually trade away some of their veterans for additional draft picks and prospects? BasketballNews.com reached out to an anonymous NBA scout and picked their brain about Utah&rsquo;s impressive start to this season.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re off to such a hot start, and they&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who are really confident,&rdquo; the anonymous NBA scout told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a big Jordan Clarkson guy and he has really emerged. He&rsquo;s always been a scorer, but I think he knows that he has to be good night in and night out and he has to lead the charge for this team. Lauri Markkanen is killing it, and I&rsquo;m really happy for him. This is what we thought Lauri Markkanen would be when the Bulls took him [No. 7 overall]. It took some time, but this is the guy we thought he might become. I think Kelly Olynyk is a great veteran, and so is Mike Conley. They have a solid bench with Collin Sexton. I&rsquo;m a Walker Kessler guy; I think he&rsquo;s actually going to be a really good big. And then they&rsquo;ve got Talen Horton-Tucker... When they acquired Ochai Agbaji and Leandro Bolmaro, I thought those guys would get an opportunity to play, but they really haven't gotten opportunities because there&rsquo;s so much depth! They have a lot of veterans who have been very productive.
&ldquo;I just feel they made a lot of nice moves, even though they weren&rsquo;t considered &lsquo;sexy.&rsquo; They weren&rsquo;t [additions] that many people thought would make this huge difference, but they&rsquo;re all playing really well together. I like their team, and I think they are coached really well. I think [their early success] is a testament to their coaching staff and the great job that they&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;
Is this sustainable? That&rsquo;s the question that everyone is asking about this year&rsquo;s Jazz. The NBA scout thinks that Utah is for real.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s sustainable,&rdquo; said the NBA scout. &ldquo;They hear all of the noise [about tanking], and they heard it going into the year, but they&rsquo;ve got a bunch of guys on that roster who know how to compete and play hard, they&rsquo;ve got good leadership from their vets, they&rsquo;ve got a lot of talent and guys who can play, and they have a lot of guys who have faced adversity at some point in their career. They&rsquo;re just kind of built in a unique way.&nbsp;
&ldquo;As for what I&rsquo;ve seen from them, obviously they can score on you in bunches. They have multiple guys who can initiate offense. They have bigs who can stretch the floor. They have shooting. One area that really matters once you get to the playoffs is legit rim protection, so hopefully Walker Kessler can be that for them. I think there are a few areas to circle and keep tabs on, but they&rsquo;re playing really well. They play hard and bring so much energy.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_19273543.jpg" alt="" width="699" height="466" />
The scout had a ton of praise for Will Hardy, who is a first-time head coach.
&ldquo;I think the coaching staff deserves a ton of credit. I think there&rsquo;s a bunch of buy-in and trust,&rdquo; the anonymous NBA scout said. &ldquo;And when they have a deficit or they struggle in different phases, it seems like they always break through. They have a really good way of fighting through those struggles, and I think that&rsquo;s always a sign of a good team. It&rsquo;s a reason why they&rsquo;re one of the best teams in the league. They&rsquo;ve won close games, and they&rsquo;ve finished games where they didn&rsquo;t play well and found ways to win. I think that&rsquo;s a testament to the coaches and everyone over there.
&ldquo;You look at everything that went on over this offseason, losing Quin Snyder was a big deal; I think Quin Snyder is a great coach. But it can&rsquo;t be overlooked the job that Will is doing. Will is a great example of a young coach who got his opportunity and made the most of it. You look at how these guys respond to him and what he&rsquo;s done so far, it&rsquo;s really impressive. I think there&rsquo;s a lot of great young coaches and assistants out there who are emerging, and that should be a bigger story. I think it&rsquo;s a great thing. As much as we talk about the young talent in the league and how the NBA is in great hands, it can&rsquo;t be overstated how good these young coaches have been and Will is a great testament of that. There are so many young coaches who are showing that they really know what they are doing, and I think that&rsquo;s great for the league.&rdquo;
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Before this hot start, many people around the NBA expected the Jazz to continue moving their veterans for draft picks or young talent. The general consensus was that rival executives from playoff teams would be circling Conley, Clarkson and Olynyk like vultures, and that Utah would look to continue stockpiling draft capital. Now, is it possible that Danny Ainge and Co. decide to keep this core together and see if they can make a run? Or, given that these veterans have increased their trade value, is Ainge more likely to wheel-and-deal?
&ldquo;I think you ride it out with these guys because they&rsquo;re playing so well,&rdquo; the NBA scout said. &ldquo;Entering the year, I think there was a lot of thought around them having some movable players and movable assets. Knowing what they were doing and [how they were positioned] going into the year, it felt like this is just what Danny does. Now, the fact that they are winning games and this new coaching staff [is succeeding], you&rsquo;re building a culture. You build a culture by winning games. You can&rsquo;t overlook that in this process.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I know team-building is the bigger picture here, but they&rsquo;ve put themselves in a great position; I think what they got back in their trades &ndash; particularly in the Rudy trade &ndash; was just next level, and I was not expecting that. I think they&rsquo;re in a great spot and they&rsquo;re winning games &ndash; and that&rsquo;s still a good thing! I think too often, we shy away from teams winning games to &lsquo;rebuild,&rsquo; but it&rsquo;s not a bad thing to continue winning games and build your culture.&rdquo;
Only time will tell whether the Jazz can keep this up, but there&rsquo;s no question that they have been a fun story and pleasant surprise in recent weeks.

The Jazz are the NBA's biggest surprise. Alex Kennedy talks to an NBA scout about Utah's hot start and whether it's sustainable.

Can the Jazz keep this up? NBA scout weighs in on Utah's hot start

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid scored a career-high 59 points, had 11 rebounds and eight assists to carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.
Embiid also blocked seven shots and has clearly rounded back into form over the last week after recovering from an illness. The reigning NBA scoring champion dropped 42 points a night earlier in a win against Atlanta.
Malik Beasley scored 18 points for the Jazz.
With the Sixers up 101-98 and 1:19 left, Embiid blocked Collin Sexton's driving layup and then the All-Center came right down and hit a little jumper that sealed the victory.
Embiid shook off nagging injuries to post his breakthrough game of the season on the second night of a home back-to-back. He made 19 of 28 shots from the floor, 20 of 24 free throws and kept the Sixers from folding against the upstart Jazz.
Tyrese Maxey chipped in 18 points for the Sixers but they had only 10 points from their other three starters. Embiid scored 13 points in the first quarter, 11 in the second and nine more in the third.
Embiid sank two free throws with 4:56 left in the fourth for a 96-94 lead and he matched his career high with 50 points. Embiid had twice before scored 50 points. The 7-footer hit two more free throws at the 4:17 mark for a 98-96 lead.
He had Sixers fans chanting &ldquo;MVP! MVP! and one yelled &ldquo;He&rsquo;s gonna get 60!&rdquo;
So close.
The Jazz gave him every opportunity with a string of fouls down the stretch and the big man kept knocking 'em down from the line. He missed just his fourth free throw attempt late in the game that made it 101-98.
TIP-INS
Utah: Went 4-3 on a stretch of six of seven games on the road. ... Missed 8 of 13 free throws in the first half.
76ers: Embiid scored 24 points in the first half, the 30th time since the start of last season he has scored 20-plus points in a half. ... Matisse Thybulle had five steals.
AINGE TRIBUTE
Doc Rivers was in the midst of an 18-game losing streak as coach of the Boston Celtics during the 2006-07 season and wondered if perhaps a coaching change was on the horizon. Instead, team President Danny Ainge often apologized for his role in putting together the roster. Rivers said Ainge would tell him, be patient, hang in there. Patience paid off, Ainge and Rivers would win the NBA championship with Boston in 2008.
Ainge is now Utah&rsquo;s CEO and has preached similar patience as he was set to undergo a rebuild this season. He&rsquo;s also put his faith in rookie coach Will Hardy.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s never very emotional with his reaction,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;As a young coach, as a first-time head coach, that&rsquo;s very calming. He&rsquo;s never too riled up. He&rsquo;s been unbelievably supportive and I definitely feel like I have his trust.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
76ers: Have the next four days off until another back-to-back home set against Milwaukee on Friday and Minnesota on Saturday.

Joel Embiid had a career-high 59 points along with 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocks to lift the 76ers to a 105-98 win over the Jazz.

Joel Embiid scores career-high 59, leads 76ers past Jazz 105-98

Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball is coming relatively soon — with new players.

Allisha Gray, NaLyssa Smith headline Athletes Unlimited new additions

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; The Utah Jazz have signed general manager Justin Zanik to a multiyear deal as he continues the franchise's roster makeover.
Zanik just finished a busy offseason after dealing All-Stars <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-utah-jazz-nba-sports-rudy-gobert-8326697cf6a2a137825b0885958af7c9">Rudy Gobert</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-nba-sports-utah-89dc63d503bb5c9d83c4423a4d86ce5d">Donovan Mitchell</a> and breaking up the nucleus of a roster that had been to the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. The franchise also parted ways with veteran coach Quin Snyder, bringing in former Spurs and Celtics assistant Will Hardy.
Gobert was dealt to the Timberwolves while Mitchell is now with the Cavaliers.
Zanik is entering his fourth season as the general manager. He came to the franchise in 2013 as an assistant general manager before taking the same role with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016. He returned to the Jazz in 2017 and was elevated to GM in 2019.
&ldquo;Justin&rsquo;s basketball acumen, ability to create meaningful relationships throughout the league, and management of our front office are invaluable assets,&rdquo; Jazz executive Danny Ainge said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re thrilled that he&rsquo;ll continue to lead the team.&rdquo;

Justin Zanik just finished a busy offseason after dealing All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Jazz GM Justin Zanik to continue rebuild, signs multiyear deal

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes how Chris Webber's decision-making unlocked the Kings' revolutionary offense.

Blazing the Trail: Chris Webber, the read-and-react king

With Jae Crowder still absent from the Phoenix Suns' bench, it appears that the team will not play hardball with Crowder and instead move toward a trade for the veteran forward. <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/the-suns-curious-handling-of-jae-crowder-creates-more-questions-than-answers-135459778.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Fischer broke down the rumors and movement in his most recent piece</a>, and a multitude of options seem to be available for both parties involved.
The 10-year veteran is believed to be asking for yet another three-year extension in the ballpark of $30 million, which the Suns have yet to budge on offering. The Suns have kept bench forward Cameron Johnson far and away from trade talks, as they now plan to replace Crowder with him in the starting lineup. Johnson is also extension eligible, and with the Suns heading deeper into the luxury tax, the projected extension of four years and $72 million makes trading Crowder even more important if he chooses to continue to sit out.
Multiple contending teams are interested in Crowder. The Miami Heat will have problems matching his salary with the newly-signed Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon until they become trade-eligible in a few months. Despite this, Heat officials have expressed that Miami is Crowder's preferred destination, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/the-suns-curious-handling-of-jae-crowder-creates-more-questions-than-answers-135459778.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Fischer</a>.
Crowder's past teams have been linked to him as well. The Memphis Grizzlies have an injured Danny Green to toss out, but the Suns are looking for players who can help them win now in return. The Boston Celtics seem to be holding out on offering Grant Williams an extension, and the Suns have shown interest in Derrick White, but for now, Boston is reportedly out on the Crowder sweepstakes.
The Atlanta Hawks have had talks about Crowder with the Suns this summer, as they have also made calls around oft-injured swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic. A potential trade of Landry Shamet and Crowder for Bogdanovic has made its rounds through NBA front offices, although Fischer's sources have claimed that Shamet has not been involved in the Suns' talks with Atlanta.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson seems to be available due to the state of the rebuilding Jazz franchise, and the Suns have recently made calls around him and his potential to help their bench. However, this would likely require further draft compensation on top of Crowder, something the Suns have been hesitant to include in recent trades.
Dallas, a team often thrown into trade talks for wings, is reportedly not interested in Crowder, per Fischer.
Whatever trade happens, it's important to note that it appears the Suns operate on a year-to-year schedule. They won't mortgage all of their future assets in trades, and may only use distant draft picks to make moves on the margins to improve their roster. It's likely that they'll look at trades that require them only moving Crowder, and not assets on top of him, to improve their roster.

The Phoenix Suns and Jae Crowder are working towards a trade, and the options are open.

Suns, Jae Crowder exploring trade options as the season nears

Nekias Duncan thoroughly breaks down all five teams in the Northwest Division ahead of the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Not too many NBA first-timers get to take over a reigning conference champion and <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oddsmakers&rsquo; favorite</a> to win an NBA title.
Joe Mazzulla knows he&rsquo;s one of the lucky ones.
&ldquo;I felt like I was coaching a great team that wanted to win, that was fun to coach,&rdquo; the newly promoted Boston Celtics coach said on Sunday after making his debut in a 134-93 preseason victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
&ldquo;Just grateful for it. Grateful because it&rsquo;s the Celtics. Grateful that it&rsquo;s great players,&rdquo; Mazzulla said. &ldquo;Not many people in my position get that opportunity.&rdquo;
Ten days after the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/celtics-udoka-suspended-for-multiple-policy-violations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celtics suspended coach Ime Udoka</a> and less than a week after the team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-boston-celtics-media-day-notebook-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-ime-udoka-joe-mazzulla-marcus-smart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported to training camp</a>, Mazzulla and the Celtics opened their exhibition schedule by romping to an easy victory in front of a sold-out &ndash; but perhaps skeptical &ndash; TD Garden crowd.
Mazzulla got little reaction from the Boston fans when his name was announced with the starting lineups.
But the players noticed.
&ldquo;I thought he was composed. I thought he had some excellent play calls coming out of timeouts,&rdquo; said guard Malcolm Brogdon, who also joined the team in the offseason. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to continue to get tougher for him, continue to get tougher for us.&rdquo;
Wearing a white Celtics pullover and chomping on gum, Mazzulla spent much of the first half standing in front of the bench and barking out instructions. In the second, when the Hornets never got within 20 points and trailed by as many as 46, the 34-year-old Rhode Island native spent more time in his seat.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a yeller; he&rsquo;s not a screamer. He&rsquo;s very deliberate and very direct. He&rsquo;s not a guy that&rsquo;s going to over talk you,&rdquo; Brogdon said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be very direct and honest with what he wants from you, which is everything an NBA player wants from a coach.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown scored 24 points in 24 minutes, Jayson Tatum had 16 and Noah Vonleh had nine rebounds for the Celtics. Brogdon received a big cheer when he entered the game midway through the first quarter and finished with 11 points and nine assists.
Boston&rsquo;s only draft pick, J.D. Davison, finished out the game as the point guard and picked up four points and four assists in six minutes. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 for Charlotte, which played its first game in coach Steve Clifford's second stint with the team.
Media arriving at the game found the box score from Game 6 of the NBA Finals still displayed on the statistics terminals. The Celtics lost 103-90 to Golden State to give the Warriors their fourth title in eight seasons.
So much has happened since then.
The Celtics toyed with the idea of trading for Kevin Durant &ndash; talks that went nowhere but lingered long enough to leave Brown wondering about his future in Boston. They signed veteran forward Danilo Gallinari &ndash; and then lost him for the season to a torn ACL. Center Robert Williams III had knee surgery and will also miss the start of the season.
The franchise also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bill-russell-nba-obit-48db4e1f37deb6e6574263c9f42dee46" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said goodbye to Hall-of-Famer and civil rights pioneer Bill Russell</a>, who died this summer at the age of 88. The NBA announced that it will retire Russell&rsquo;s No. 6 across the league, and the Celtics have tributes planned throughout the season. (Sunday was the first look at the &ldquo;6&rdquo; painted in the free throw lane at both ends of the court.)
The team added veteran big man Blake Griffin last week. Although the deal has not been officially announced and he was not on the Celtics roster for the game, he was in the building greeting his new teammates.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jaylen welcoming Blake Griffin to TD Garden🔥🤝<a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCHWPO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/blakegriffin23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blakegriffin23</a> <a href="https://t.co/een7zyctrT">pic.twitter.com/een7zyctrT</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1576590637322981377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

But the big surprise came three days before the start of training camp.
Just a year after Udoka was hired in a surprising offseason shakeup that saw team president Danny Ainge depart and coach Brad Stevens move up to the front office to replace him, the Celtics suspended Udoka for an improper relationship with a woman in the organization.
Mazzulla will replace him for the season, if not beyond. His last game as a head coach was at Division II Fairmont State in 2016.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still figuring it out,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s preseason right now. Super early, so we're still figuring everything out, getting a feel for each other. But preseason or not, I think that was a good start.&rdquo;

Mazzulla and the Celtics opened the preseason with an easy win in front of a sold-out – but perhaps skeptical – TD Garden crowd.

Newly promoted Joe Mazzulla wins preseason debut for Celtics

With Rudy Gobert in Minnesota and Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland, the air in Salt Lake City has that new car smell.
Whether it be a plethora of players or new head coach Will Hardy, the Utah Jazz have brought a number of fresh faces this offseason to clear the slate and start from scratch. Speaking on Monday, Utah general manager Justin Zanik and executive Danny Ainge spoke to the optimism they both have for the franchise.
"I think the fans can expect fun and excitment, energy," Ainge <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1569770567624196096?s=20&amp;t=9YQ0klLR2vblKxACqtH__g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Jazz play-by-pay announcer Craig Bolerjack</a>. "I feel it in the gym already this summer. There's so much enthusiasm. We have youth, we have two first-round picks (one lottery pick)... I think there's a lot to be excited about."
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s this really good vibe and excitement in the gym,&rdquo; Zanik <a href="https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/zanik-ainge-tout-good-vibe-and-excitement-surrounding-utah-jazz-roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really good work environment. It&rsquo;s a really good place to come to work.&rdquo;
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Though much of the attention in the city was on Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji's opening press conference on Tuesday, Basketball News had the chance to catch up with another one of Utah's up-and-coming talents, Jarred Vanderbilt.
The 23-year-old was a key acquisition for the Jazz from Minnesota for Gobert, particularly because he's coming off a career season where he averaged 6.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 25.4 minutes per game in his first full year as a starter.
In the following Q&amp;A, Vanderbilt shared his thoughts on being a part of the big trade, the Jazz's direction, gaining more experience as a player and what his next steps are.
How have you spent your summer? What kind of things have you been working on?
Vanderbilt: "Just working on my overall game. Doing a lot of finishing, a lot of shooting, a lot of ball-handling. [I've been] watching a lot of film and just seeing where I can grow on the court, and then also, just mentally.
Are you viewing this opportunity as a fresh start? What are you hoping to bring?
Vanderbilt: "For sure. Any time you go to a new team, it's a fresh start, it's change and it's an opportunity to continue to grow. That's what I'm looking forward to."
It&rsquo;s a brand new beginning for the organization as well. What have Will Hardy and the front office said to you since the move?
Vanderbilt: "That we're just building something special. It's an opportunity for me and them as well just to grow individually, as a team and as an organization. It's a fresh start for everybody &mdash; new staff, new coaches, a lot of new players. So right now, we're just getting to know each other."
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In what ways are you hoping to grow?
Vanderbilt: "In every way. Being able to grow my offensive game as well. Being able to become a better finisher, better shooter, better defender. Pretty much just [getting] better in every aspect of my game. I feel like I've made the jump every single year that I've been in the NBA, so I just want to continue that upward path."
Is it easier on you personally having Malik Beasley there? You guys have been teammates your whole career everywhere you&rsquo;ve gone.
Vanderbilt: "Yeah, it's always easier when you're traded with a familiar face. I've been with Beas since I started. We've been on three teams together and pretty much have been in every single trade together as well, so it's always good to have a familiar face and some familiarity with a player that you've been around and played with.
"We joked about it the other day. We were playing pickup and we did a pick-and-roll. He threw a lob to me, and he was like, 'Yeah, that's that three-team connection' (laughs). We definitely have a lot of chemistry together just from playing for so long. We've been playing together almost five years, so we've just got that connection."
You only played against Collin Sexton once in school, but you&rsquo;ve met a few times in the pros. What are your impressions of him? Have you guys talked?
Vanderbilt: "He's a dawg. He's a great dude. I've been knowing him since high school. He's been a super competitor. One thing about me, I love dawgs. I love guys that like to compete, and ever since the first day I met him, I noticed that about him. He's been an extreme competitor, hates to lose, and he just competes every time down. I can go to war with a guy like that any time of the day."
For you, it seems you&rsquo;ve really established yourself the last couple years as far as solidifying yourself as a legitimately impactful NBA player. In what ways have you matured, and what&rsquo;s helped the most?
Vanderbilt: "I think I've matured in every way. I think what helps that is just experience. You can't beat experience, especially for me. I missed out on a lot of basketball due to some injuries from high school to college. So just being able to play, get games under my belt, there's nothing like experience. And just with age [too]. You get better with age and experience. You can see the difference each year. I've grown in the mental aspect of the game, just learning the game, your IQ grows. Just everything. Like I said, just being able to play basketball and get that experience, it goes a long way."
In particular, what did that experience in the playoffs do for you in Minnesota? I'm sure that's a different lens.
Vanderbilt: "It just gave me a sense of that next level, that next step. Obviously, we had a great year last year [in Minnesota] and we made the playoffs, but it kinda gave us an understanding that it's levels. Obviously, we were just a young team; we made a lot of young mistakes, and that was our first playoff run. So like I said, experience goes a long way. You watch the Grizzlies their first playoff year, they kinda had the same little young mistakes that we made [in Minnesota]. And then next year, when they played against us, you could kinda see the growth that they did in just that short period of time. That experience goes a long way. You can just tell.&nbsp;
"The playoffs are about details and execution. Every little play matters, every little thing matters, and you don't really understand that until you get there and you're actually playing it live and going through it and watching that film like how every play really matters. You've gotta be really disciplined, really detailed and really efficient."
&nbsp;
Speaking of last season, I want to gauge your reaction to the Gobert trade. How did you feel and how did you find out?
Vanderbilt: "I kinda found out right before it happened. I wasn't going to say I was really surprised about it. I knew at that point anything could happen with new management and stuff. This is my second time getting traded, and ironically, by the same person (former Denver Nuggets general manager and current Minnesota Timberwolves president Tim Connelly), so it wasn't really as much of a shocker like it was the first time. After that first time, I just realized it's a business and it's part of it.&nbsp;
"Now, I always just try to look at the positives like I'm able to go to a team that's allowing me to grow and continue to grow and expand my game. Like I said, I always try to look at the bright side and positive things. And honestly, the fact that another team wanted you, being in this league. I was able to showcase my game last year, so that's all that matters to me."
You&rsquo;re still only 23 and going into your fifth year. That&rsquo;s unique because there are some rookies and second-year guys that are older than you! Considering you&rsquo;re quite far into your development, how much further do you feel you have to go individually to get where you want to be?
Vanderbilt: "I feel like I have a long way to go. But being here in Utah, they're giving me the opportunity to expand and grow those aspects of my game. Last year, I was just able to get my feet under [me]. Even though it's my fifth year in the league, I've only played legitimate minutes probably about one or two years. Those first few years were just like a learning experience and me getting my feet under me and stuff like that. So I'm excited about this year just having a good, fresh start and just being able to contribute and grow. I'm excited."

Spencer Davies chats with Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt about the trade from Minnesota, Utah's new direction, his game and more.