Miners

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

The madness of March: It&rsquo;s as exhilarating as it is exhausting, as mesmerizing as it is memorable. The abrupt ending of an entire career, a legacy defined in two to three seconds. It almost seems unfair, but that&rsquo;s the beauty of the win-or-go-home tournament.&nbsp;
Every game is a Game 7. The unpredictability, the passion, the tears, the celebration. The NCAA Tournament is one of the few sporting events that&rsquo;s more defined by the incomparable upsets than the eventual champion.
Even non-basketball fans get in on the fun each year, with office pools and bracket challenges. While college sports and amateurism are under a drastic transformation, &ldquo;The Tournament&rdquo; still has a nostalgic feel to it. The incredible buzzer-beaters are one of the many reasons why.
Narrowing this list down was a tall task, so before we get started, it&rsquo;s important that we establish the criteria:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">It has to be a game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">It has to be in the &ldquo;modern era&rdquo; (i.e. since the three-point line and shot clock).&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">The later in the tournament, the higher the stakes, the more the shot means.</li>
</ul>
With that being said, here are the 11 most memorable buzzer-beaters in modern men's NCAA Tournament history.
11. Michigan State vs. Maryland, Korie Lucious (2010 Second Round)
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In one of the rare times Tom Izzo didn&rsquo;t call timeout in the waning seconds of a game, it paid off for him big time. You might recognize that big fella bringing the ball up the court; that&rsquo;s a slightly heavier Draymond Green, doing what he&rsquo;s been doing for the last decade in the Bay, pushing the tempo, drawing attention and then getting the ball to a knockdown shooter.&nbsp;
Maryland never properly matched up, and Korie Lucious only needed one rhythm dribble to send the Spartans to the Sweet Sixteen.
10. Wisconsin vs. Xavier, Bronson Koenig (2016 Second Round)
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The Musketeers had the ball in a tie game but turned it over, which led to one of the smoothest walk-off game-winners you will ever see.&nbsp;
Looking like he was in the gym shooting all by himself, All-Big-Ten guard Bronson Koenig caught the ball on the sideline, smartly took an escape dribble and hit the corner three that sent the Badgers to the Sweet Sixteen.
9. Connecticut vs. Washington, Richard Hamilton (1998 Sweet Sixteen)
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This entire sequence was amazing. I love how the refs swallowed their whistle on the first two attempts. Those may have been foul calls earlier in the game, but not with the championship on the line. Washington had a huge frontline that year, but ultimately ended up one rebound short.&nbsp;
Also, this is good coaching by Hall-of-Famer Jim Calhoun. In college, you have to go early because the opposing team cannot advance the ball to halfcourt with a timeout, so there&rsquo;s no point in waiting too long and eliminating the chance of getting an offensive rebound.&nbsp;
Rip Hamilton would go on to win both an NCAA championship and NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons.&nbsp;
&nbsp;8.Valparaiso vs. Ole Miss, Bryce Drew (1998 First Round)
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This is definitely the most schematic of any buzzer-beaters on this list. The son of the coach coming through in the clutch seems perfectly scripted for a Disney movie.
As with most of these incredible shots, it involves missed free throws and an underrated pass. The defense on this play was phenomenal (which can&rsquo;t be said for another historic shot that we&rsquo;ll get to in a bit).
7. Michigan vs. Houston, Jordan Poole (2018 Second Round)
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Long before he was a spark plug off the bench for the world-champion Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole was hitting big shots in Ann Arbor. He drove Coach John Beilein crazy with his shot selection, but one of the reasons he earned such a long leash was his uncanny ability to hit shots from anywhere and at any angle.&nbsp;
6. UCLA vs. Mizzou, Tyus Edney (1995 Second Round)
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Every national champion has one of &ldquo;those&rdquo; games where despite having the superior roster, they probably should have lost. The Bruins were loaded! This roster featured eight guys who eventually played in the NBA. But the longer the game stays close, the more the pressure shifts to the No. 1 seed.&nbsp;&nbsp;
5. Michigan vs. Kansas, Trey Burke (2013 Sweet Sixteen)
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In 2013, Trey Burke was named the National Player of the Year and he carried the Wolverines all season long. The debate of whether to foul when up three points is for another column, but this was a Damian-Lillard-range three, and no one wants to risk a foul that far from the basket.&nbsp;
4. Kansas vs. Memphis, Mario Chalmers (2008 NCAA Championship Game)
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Mario Chalmers is a legend in Lawrence for as long as he lives. The Memphis Tigers were led by soon-to-be-first-overall-pick Derrick Rose and the silky smooth Chris Douglas-Roberts, and they had the game won until &ndash; and stop me if you have read this before &ndash; crucial free-throw misses opened the door for Kansas. This allowed Chalmers to force overtime, and the rest is history.&nbsp;
Coach Cal has gone on to win a national championship at Kentucky, but I bet if you caught him in a hotel bar on a recruiting trip, he would admit that he should have fouled Kansas before Chalmers even had the opportunity to hoist up this miracle three-point attempt.&nbsp;
3. Gonzaga vs. UCLA, Jalen Suggs (2021 Final Four)
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Gonzaga truly seemed like a team of destiny after Jalen Suggs hit the running bank shot against UCLA to remain undefeated and advance to the national championship game. While they would ultimately fall to Baylor two days later, the shot was ridiculous.&nbsp;
And unlike many of the plays on this list, UCLA didn&rsquo;t really do anything wrong. They didn&rsquo;t miss a free throw or look confused on defense. They lost on a straight-in bank from half-court, which even seemed to cause Gonzaga head coach Mark Few to feel a bit guilty.
2. Duke vs. Kentucky, Christian Laettner (1992 Elite Eight)
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Kentucky fans, look away. Hate him or really hate him, Christian Laettner was one of the greatest college players of all-time.&nbsp;
This game was one for the ages. Duke was the defending national champion. They were led by the aforementioned Laettner, All-American pest/point guard Bobby Hurley and budding superstar/future Hall-of-Famer Grant HIll.&nbsp;
Somewhat lost in the dramatic ending is the fact that Laettner was literally perfect on the night. He shot 10-of-10 from the field and 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, and he finished with a state line of 31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
1. Villanova vs. UNC, Kris Jenkins (2016 NCAA Championship Game)
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The dream of all dreams. This is the scenario that every boy or girl who has ever played basketball at any level has imagined hundreds of times. A few seconds left. The ball in your hands. A title on the line. Three, two, one&hellip; You drill the game-winner and become a champion.&nbsp;
On April 4, 2016, Kris Jenkins turned this dream into reality. The timing is an underrated aspect of this play. The pass was right on time, and right on target &ndash; soft and chest-high. This let Jenkins shoot in rhythm &ndash; a shot that he had made thousands of times before. You gotta love how Jay Wright showed the emotion of John Wick as he walked to shake Roy Williams&rsquo; hand.&nbsp;
HONORABLE MENTION
Connecticut vs. Clemson, Tate George (1990 Sweet Sixteen)
Duke vs. Connecticut, Christian Laettner (1990 Elite Eight)

With March Madness upon us, Basketball News revisits 11 of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in NCAA Tournament history.

March Madness: Ranking the top-11 men's NCAA Tournament buzzer-beaters

PARIS (AP) &mdash; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-basketball-las-vegas-6f4ac3d44f624ef36ddb00e314cf0401">Victor Wembanyama was sitting courtside,</a> the 19-year-old French phenom and presumed No. 1 NBA draft pick watching some of the players he&rsquo;ll go up against next season.
And a guy with a French surname put on quite a show.
Zach LaVine &mdash; who said his great-grandfather was French &mdash; scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls never trailed in a 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons at the NBA Paris Game on Thursday.
&ldquo;Maybe the air up here was good for me,&rdquo; LaVine said.
DeMar DeRozan added 26 points for the Bulls, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 25 points. Killian Hayes, the only French player on either roster, scored four points for Detroit on 2-of-13 shooting, but had a game-high eight assists.
Hamidou Diallo had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting for Detroit, while Saddiq Bey and Jaden Ivey each scored 16 for the Pistons.
&ldquo;It was a bit frustrating to not be the winners tonight," Hayes said.
It was the capper to several days of celebrating the NBA in France, after both teams took part in clinics, touristy events like visits to the Eiffel Tower, some upscale dinners and even a private show for the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-rodney-mcgruder-268c20ad7406e6f162bc0dc0f5a3a410">Pistons at the Paris Opera House</a>.
And while the game counted &mdash; Chicago (21-24) stayed in 10th in the Eastern Conference and what would be the last play-in spot with the win, while Detroit fell to 12-36, the second-worst mark in the NBA &mdash; it also was no mundane middle-of-the-season regular-season matchup.
The celebrity list included NBA greats like Magic Johnson, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Tony Parker; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-richard-hamilton-8002bc599b1b4e27789f6624d61de0cc">a Bulls legend and native French son in Joakim Noah;</a> the rising star that everybody can&rsquo;t stop talking about in Wembanyama; WNBA players like Gabby Williams; even Grammy winners and Formula 1 drivers.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to quite compare this to All-Star,&rdquo; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-france-government-africa-efc212a60bce5820d7673a54fd4bea5b">NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said,</a> &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s the closest thing to a European All-Star Game that we have.&rdquo;
It was also a celebration of the continued strength of the international footprint on today&rsquo;s NBA game. When the Bulls and Michael Jordan &mdash; along with B.J. Armstrong, then a Bulls guard, now an NBA agent who was at the game Thursday &mdash; played in Paris during the preseason in 1997, about 1 of every 14 NBA players was born outside the U.S.
Now, that&rsquo;s about 1 in 4.
&ldquo;It is special because we&rsquo;re representing not only Detroit, but the NBA,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;re trying to put the brand in a good place &mdash; in a place where basketball is taking off.&rdquo;
<a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1616197195878830089?s=20&amp;t=gIeSQODhSY64TYUk1bgQew">Wembanyama and his family</a> made their way to courtside seats about 15 minutes before tip-off, immediately attracting a huge crowd. When the camera found him and he was shown to the French fans on the big in-arena screens in the second quarter, he clapped and smiled, as did his mother seated one row back over his right shoulder &mdash; as the crowd positively roared in delight.
Both teams are flying home Friday.
&ldquo;It's great for people here in Paris to get an up-close look at the NBA," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;It makes you realize that the sport is followed so closely around the world. It was amazing. The place was sold out."
TIP-INS
Bulls: Derrick Jones Jr. had 12 points for Chicago, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1616196916945031181?s=20&amp;t=gIeSQODhSY64TYUk1bgQew">including four highlight-reel dunks</a> &mdash; no surprise for a former NBA dunk champion. ... Ayo Dosunmu scored 13 for the Bulls. ... Chicago shot 54%.
Pistons: Jalen Duren had an imperfect start to the trip &mdash; he misplaced his passport &mdash; then got that settled and had a perfect shooting game, 4-for-4 from the field on his way to a 11-point, 12-rebound effort. ... Isaiah Stewart grabbed 11 rebounds.
GLOBAL GAME
The NBA has teams in the U.S. and Canada, of course, and this game in France pushed the list of nations where the league has played or practiced this season to seven.
Mexico played host to a game between San Antonio and Miami last month. The Heat also had training camp in the Bahamas, and the league went to two other countries for preseason games &mdash; Golden State and Washington played twice in Japan, while Milwaukee and Atlanta played twice in the United Arab Emirates.
ROAD TRIP
It was a &ldquo;home&rdquo; game for the Pistons, even though Paris is about 4,000 miles from Detroit. As the home team, the Pistons got to bring a slew of staffers on the trip &mdash; including some game operations workers and members of the stat crew that works at the scoring table.
James Capers, Karl Lane and Natalie Sago got sent to officiate the game. All three referees had games Saturday in the U.S., then traveled to Paris.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Host Atlanta on Monday.
Pistons: Host Milwaukee on Monday.

Zach LaVine scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls never trailed in a 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons.

LaVine scores 30, Bulls defeat Pistons 126-108 in Paris

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

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 wanted the rest of our team to react to the results of the ever-so-eventful week.
Our writers have discussed their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winners</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-losers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losers</a> of the trade deadline. Now, in our latest Roundtable, we asked our writers the following question:
Which under-the-radar move from the NBA trade deadline is your favorite?
Alex Kennedy:&nbsp;Leading up to the trade deadline, I was really hoping that the Detroit Pistons would acquire Marvin Bagley III from the Sacramento Kings, because he seemed like the perfect buy-low addition for them. Bagley fits with Detroit's young core and this is the kind of low-risk, high-reward trade that I love. Bagley needed a change of scenery, and the Pistons only had to give up Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles and two future second-round picks to take a flier on the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Spencer Davies: It feels like Serge Ibaka to the Milwaukee Bucks could really pan out if the big man finds the footing he had last season prior to that untimely back injury. He&rsquo;s knocking down 38.7% of his triples, so he&rsquo;ll be able to stretch the floor. Defensively, he doesn&rsquo;t have quite the same lift as he did before, but he&rsquo;s a big body to get through on the interior. We should all remember that Ibaka is somehow still only 32 years old. Let&rsquo;s just hope he stays on the floor this time around and gets to play in the postseason. I&rsquo;m also a huge fan of what the Detroit Pistons did to snatch-up Marvin Bagley III. It wasn&rsquo;t that long ago that the young forward was making waves across the prospect world. It seemed he was stuck in purgatory in Sacramento, with no organizational continuity and different head coach after different head coach. Bagley is 22&hellip; Twenty-two. The Pistons acquired a potential long-term fit for free, essentially, next to Cade Cunningham. Treat it like a free draft pick.
Ethan Fuller: While the Celtics were one of my <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade deadline winners</a>, I do also really like the Derrick White trade from the Spurs' perspective. White was a questionable fit on the timeline of a San Antonio team loaded with young guards. The Spurs received a first-round pick this summer for the rebuild and a first-round swap for 2028, which is always a good gamble. Romeo Langford is another interesting flier for them to take. Add in the first-round pick from Toronto in the Thad Young trade, and San Antonio has seriously started a stockpile of potential young talent without giving up major pieces.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Moke Hamilton:&nbsp;It&rsquo;s hard to not be thrilled with the Los Angeles Clippers finding a way to walk away from the deadline with Norman Powell and Robert Covington. Assuming Paul George and Kawhi Leonard eventually return to form, they&rsquo;ll have an excellent two-way supporting cast that will have them considered among the NBA's favorites. As far as this season is concerned, I like the Bucks&rsquo; acquisition of Serge Ibaka. Serge is still trying to find himself after undergoing back surgery, but he&rsquo;s been showing signs lately. Bobby Portis has emerged as a starting-caliber center and Serge will give Milwaukee a very similar skill set coming off their bench. At this point, we don&rsquo;t know if Brook Lopez will be able to return to form, so Serge provides insurance in that regard as well.
Bryan Fonseca: Thaddeus Young to the Raptors. It'll be fun to watch him play regularly again, and he fits right into what Toronto does. They'll be even scrappier, somehow, and could win a playoff series against the right team.
Evan Sidery: Phoenix <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-running-it-back-with-torrey-craig-will-loom-large-in-postseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reuniting with Torrey Craig</a> was an underrated move on Thursday. Trading Jalen Smith, an unproven lottery pick who didn't pan out, plus their 2022 second-round pick to Indiana for Craig helps fill an immediate concern. The Suns will rely upon Craig&rsquo;s versatility as they try to go on another deep playoff run. JaVale McGee and Craig will bring havoc in the Suns' second unit, but another dimension is more small-ball possibilities. The Suns' second unit looks incredible on paper: Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Cameron Johnson, Torrey Craig and JaVale McGee. Phoenix can be so multiple now with their lineups &mdash; always a plus for a championship-chasing team.
Mat Issa: I think the Raptors came away like bandits snagging Thad Young for virtually nothing. He&rsquo;s always had a really additive and versatile skill set that has allowed him to morph himself into whatever role the team he plays on needs (energy guy, post scorer, playmaking hub, etc.) In Toronto, he&rsquo;ll provide some much-needed playmaking (he&rsquo;s probably already one of the five best passers on the roster) and add some more size to the mix.
Mark Schindler: I loved the Pistons adding Marvin Bagley III. They've truly lacked a real vertical threat around the rim on offense, and he adds that dynamic alongside Cade Cunnigham. He's made subtle improvements in his game this season &mdash; a change of environment could really be a boon for his further development.
Justin Lewis: Torrey Craig to Phoenix was nice. I was personally hoping that Memphis would snag him. The Suns look like the odds-on favorite to win it all, taking for granted the team's health. Adding Craig and Aaron Holiday to the mix just adds to their roster depth without messing with any of the chemistry.
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Which under-the-radar move from the NBA trade deadline is your favorite? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which under-the-radar trade is your favorite?

We're flipping our calendar at BasketballNews &mdash; but not before taking one look back at a memorable 2021.
Sports never cease to give us compelling storylines. Last year, they came from all places, from the pros in the U.S. and abroad, to college, to youth levels, and even off the basketball court. Below are some of our staff's best stories, arranged in several categories. Read the Best of BasketballNews 2021:
Best Features
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gary-payton-ii_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-raptors-905-gary-payton-ii-on-growing-up-in-fathers-shadow-we-have-two-different-paths">Gary Payton II on growing up in father's shadow: 'We have two different paths'</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Former NBA execs, Overtime Elite seek to revolutionize amateur-to-pro p</a><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reparation</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-daniel-gafford-washington-wizards-russell-westbrook-bradley-beal-tony-falce-arkansas-razorbacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Gafford, Wizards surging since trade: 'When I got here, it clicked automatically'</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-dozier-took-a-whirlwind-journey-to-the-denver-nuggets-starting-lineup">Two-way threat: PJ Dozier reflects on whirlwind path to Nuggets</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/g-league-finals-mvp-devin-cannady-remains-focus-bigger-goals">NBA G League Finals MVP Devin Cannady remains focused on bigger goals</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/theres-plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-for-frank-ntilikinas-failure">There&rsquo;s plenty of blame to go around for Frank Ntilikina&rsquo;s failure</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-vucevic-may-finally-get-credit-he-deserves-with-newlook-bulls">Nikola Vucevic may finally get credit he deserves with new-look Bulls</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/meet-juste-jocyte-15-year-old-phenom-and-professional-record-breaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kristaps-porzingis-renewed-confidence-leading-to-resurgent-season-with-mavericks">Kristaps Porzingis' renewed confidence leading to resurgent season</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scoot-henderson-aspirations-far-exceed-any-hype-we-can-give-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA G League star Scoot Henderson's aspirations far exceed the hype</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
Best Interviews and Q&amp;As
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/markelle-fultz_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team">Richaun Holmes Q&amp;A: 'I definitely feel I&rsquo;m deserving of the All-Defensive Team'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling">Magic's R.J. Hampton Q&amp;A: 'I don&rsquo;t think you can put a cap on our ceiling'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-8-episode-7-stephen-curry">The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins Episode 7 - Stephen Curry</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-10-episode-9-james-jones">The Rex Chapman Show: James Jones on Suns' culture change, player-to-GM leap</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">One-on-One: Derrick White, Spurs' youth trying to make a name for themselves</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-one-on-one-patrick-patterson-los-angeles-clippers-tyronn-lue-paul-george-kawhi-leonard-demarcus-cousins-kentucky-wildcats-basketball">One-on-One: Patrick Patterson opens up as Clippers begin playoff run</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing">Larry Nance Jr. Q&amp;A: 'I did not come out here to half-ass this thing'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jermaine-oneal-on-reconciling-with-ron-artest-i-didnt-know-about-mental-health">Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal on reconciling with Metta World Peace: 'I didn't know about mental health'</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/markelle-fultz-reveals-what-really-happened-with-his-shot-shoulder">Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-29-thad-young-on-getting-blindsided-by-trade-to-spurs,-dealing-with-recent-trade-rumors,-the-key-to-nba-longevity,-more-ep-29">Thad Young on being blindsided by Spurs trade, trade rumors, key to longevity</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
Best Player Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kyle-lowry_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/on-lock-how-jrue-holiday-became-the-nba-finals-xfactor-">On Lock: How Jrue Holiday became the NBA Finals&rsquo; X-Factor</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/enough-no-bag-talk-giannis-antetokounmpo-put-the-nba-on-notice-finals-mvp-champion">Enough 'no bag' talk: Giannis Antetokounmpo put the NBA on notice</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat">Film study: What Kyle Lowry brings to the Miami Heat</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dime-fest-breaking-down-courtney-vandersloot-historic-night-wnba-playoffs">Dime Fest: Breaking down Courtney Vandersloot's historic night</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/all-signs-pointing-to-marcus-smart-as-the-celtics-swing-player">What does Marcus Smart at point guard look like for the Celtics? </a>&nbsp; &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rudy-gay-is-injecting-the-jazz-with-funk">Rudy Gay is injecting the Jazz with funk</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-jaren-jackson-jr-a-star-in-making-or-something-else">Is Jaren Jackson Jr. a star in the making, or something else?</a> &mdash; by Matt Brooks
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dissecting-desmond-bane-role-memphis-grizzlies-offense">Dissecting Desmond Bane's growing role in the Grizzlies' offense</a> &mdash; by Jackson Frank
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-dave-bing-right-about-cade-cunningham">Is Cade Cunningham a franchise player the Pistons can build around?</a> &mdash; by Mat Issa and Bryce Simon
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-nba-all-star-case-for-cavs-big-man-jarrett-allen">Making the NBA All-Star case for Cavs big man Jarrett Allen</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best Team and League Breakdowns
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-to-tank-or-not-to-tank-analyzing-the-toronto-raptors-present-and-future">To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-draft-lottery-is-not-rigged-and-heres-why">The NBA Draft Lottery is not rigged, and here's why</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings">Why NBA bigs take more time to develop: 'They're used to imposing their will'</a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-the-offseason-revs-up-what-nba-teams-are-in-the-dead-money-doldrums">As NBA offseason nears, which teams are in the dead money doldrums?</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-create-unnecessarily-awkward-situation-not-signing-deandre-ayton-to-extension">Suns create unnecessarily awkward situation by not extending Ayton</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited">Length matters: The NBA's long-ball revolution may be coming</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grindhouse-how-the-grizzlies-are-winning-with-defense">The Grindhouse: How the Grizzlies are winning with defense</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tom-thibodeau-isnt-the-only-reigning-coach-of-the-year-to-struggle">Tom Thibodeau isn&rsquo;t the only reigning Coach of the Year to struggle</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-warriors-reclaim-top-spot-from-suns">NBA Power Rankings: Bulls are hot, Warriors reclaim top spot from Suns </a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Tommy Beer
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential">Hornets' embarrassing defense sinking their enticing potential</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
Best Opinion
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/draymond-green_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all">Injuries Galore: The NBA&rsquo;s all-too-soon return has made losers of us all</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-can-the-nba-do-to-prevent-ugly-fan-incidents">What can the NBA do to prevent more ugly fan incidents?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rachel-nichols-maria-taylor-incident-exposes-espn-racism-sexism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN&rsquo;s racism, sexism&nbsp;</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-discourse-around-nba-superteams-is-tiresome-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The discourse around NBA stars and super-teams is tiresome</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-beginners-guide-to-nba-stats-written-by-a-beginner">A beginner's guide to NBA stats: The three types of statistics</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-players-could-have-realistically-played-in-the-nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA players could have realistically played in the NFL?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-enhancement-necessary-the-nba-should-leave-well-enough-alone">No enhancement necessary: NBA should leave well enough alone</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nets-should-be-ashamed-of-themselves">The Nets should be ashamed of themselves</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/missing-the-forest-through-the-trees-on-christmas-day-games">Missing the forest through the trees on Christmas Day games</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/greg-monroe-and-the-brief-case-for-us-to-see-more-nba-veterans-this-season">NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best of the NBA Draft
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-bouknight_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-behindthescenes-look-at-james-bouknights-predraft-training">Behind the scenes with projected lottery pick James Bouknight</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-nba-draft-prospect-nahshon-bones-hyland-demands-your-attention">Q&amp;A: Draft prospect Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland demands your attention</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-2021-nba-draft-intel-with-lead-draft-analyst-matt-babcock-rumors-offseason">2021 NBA Draft: Matt Babcock on rumors, trades, risers, fallers</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller and Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-little-guy-from-bendigo-dyson-daniels-game-is-unlike-anyone-elses">The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate">2022 NBA Draft Q&amp;A: French big man Ismael Kamagate</a> &mdash; by Jason Filippi
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-jean-montero-scouting-report">2022 NBA Draft: Jean Montero scouting report</a> &mdash; by Doc Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcocks-takeaways-jabari-smith-patrick-baldwin-jr-matthew-cleveland-more">Babcock&rsquo;s Takeaways: Jabari Smith, Patrick Baldwin, Matthew Cleveland</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-the-evolution-of-kansas-guard-ochai-agbaji">2022 NBA Draft: The evolution of Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji</a> &mdash; by Derek Murray
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-getting-to-know-alabamas-native-son-jd-davison">2022 NBA Draft: Getting to know JD Davison, Alabama's native son</a> &mdash; by Grant Aqui
Best Player Pieces
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-posey_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-washington-wizards-troy-brown-jr-bradley-beal-russell-westbrook-outbreak-covid-19-coronavirus-virus-contract-health-safety-protocol">Behind the scenes of the Wizards' COVID-19 outbreak: 'It's been a wild season'</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/its-a-shame-carmelo-didnt-end-up-in-portland-sooner">It&rsquo;s a shame Carmelo Anthony didn&rsquo;t end up in Portland sooner</a> &mdash; by Kenyon Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-first-time-getting-traded-learning-what-its-like-to-be-dealt-in-the-nba">My first time getting traded: Learning what it's like to be dealt in the NBA</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kwame-brown-stephen-a-smith-stephen-jackson-matt-barnes-charlemagne-etan-thomas-washington-wizards-media">After 20 years of public degradation, Kwame Brown is fed up</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/paul-george-is-silencing-his-critics-los-angeles-clippers-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul George is silencing his critics</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-is-big-business-and-players-should-be-allowed-to-act-like-it">The NBA is a big business, and players should be allowed to act like it</a> &mdash; by James Posey
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-doesnt-seem-to-be-succumbing-to-father-time-just-yet">LeBron James doesn&rsquo;t seem to be succumbing to Father Time just yet</a> &mdash; by James Posey

BasketballNews highlights its best stories over the calendar 2021 year.

The Best of BasketballNews: 2021

The holidays are traditionally a time for reflection. And family. And NBA basketball.&nbsp;
While COVID has returned to rain on our collective parades, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has made it clear that, for better or worse, the NBA will not pause the season. And as long as the NBA continues playing, Basketball News is here to analyze the results, trades, rumors and more.
While Christmas Day was a major showcase for the league, the midway point of December also marked another key day for the league, as Dec. 15 is the trigger date that a player who was signed in the 2021 offseason can be traded. Considering the NBA trade deadline is Feb. 10, Christmas (and the weeks leading up to it) was an opportunity for teams to showcase players they would like to move.
Analyzing rumors broken by the likes of ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski makes up much of the discourse around the NBA&rsquo;s trade season, but we in the media rarely pontificate about we would like to see. Generally speaking, this is intuitive in that discussing non-substantiative rumors is essentially a trip to fantasy island.&nbsp;
Still, sometimes trade ideas are so tantalizing and obvious that we can&rsquo;t help ourselves. And that&rsquo;s where we find ourselves today.&nbsp;
With that in mind, let&rsquo;s discuss an unlikely trade that, in my opinion, would greatly benefit each team involved hypothetically. Salaries don&rsquo;t match perfectly, so it would be a bit more involved than a one-for-one deal, but it&rsquo;s too good to ignore. So, let&rsquo;s fast-track this one to the top of a late-Christmas and early New Years wish list.
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The New York Knicks are pretty darn polarizing. Their fans are absolute diehards, but New York receives an unfair amount of national attention considering that the team has qualified for just one postseason in the past eight years.&nbsp;
Still, even the haters had to admit that the Knicks looked like they were on to something last season. They ended the year 41-31 as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and they boasted their first All-Star selection since 2017-18 in Julius Randle. But they had an unforgiving first-round matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, who effectively game planned for Randle and showed the entire league how to neutralize New York's roster &mdash; and they&rsquo;ve been stuck in the mud ever since.&nbsp;
The Knicks are presently 15-18 (good for 12th in the East) with limited reason to be optimistic. It&rsquo;s simply not working as planned.
Even before COVID sidelined six of its players, New York was clearly out of sync. The team ranks 22nd in Defensive Rating (110.5), 27th in Pace (96.3) and has received very little from its offseason signings. Despite recent signs of life, Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier are both averaging near career-lows in minutes and points per game, as well as field goal percentage.
Still, there is enough of a track record to believe that head coach Tom Thibodeau will right the ship defensively; Walker was a relatively affordable signing, and Fournier is in the first year of a fairly pricey deal, meaning getting out of it would cost assets too.
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Unless the Knicks believe that adding some combination of peripheral pieces will make them a contender, there are limited ways forward. On the bright side, they have a young and vibrant supporting cast. On the not-so-bright side &mdash; and an oft-ignored point in and around New York &mdash; the Knicks were not going to compete for a championship with a roster built around Randle. So, while this proposal might irk some, remember that is allows New York to remain competitive, while becoming even younger.&nbsp;
Through 33 games, Randle has taken a step back from last season. He&rsquo;s averaging over four fewer points per game (19.9) and shooting significantly worse from behind the arc (33.7%). He&rsquo;s not fairing much better from inside the arc (47.3%), and he&rsquo;s turning the ball over more than ever before (3.5 turnovers per contest) too. On the whole, Randle is making bad decisions, dribbling into double teams and &mdash; as discussed by our very own Moke Hamilton &mdash; has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-a-franchise-player-julius-randle-has-left-a-lot-to-be-desired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set a bad example for his younger teammates</a>.&nbsp;
But there&rsquo;s a lot wrong in New York that&rsquo;s impacting Randle&rsquo;s play and attitude, and it includes the play of Walker and Fournier. RJ Barrett&rsquo;s poor shooting isn&rsquo;t helping either. Ultimately, though, Randle is easier to move than Fournier and returns far more in terms of talent and/or assets, and the idea of moving Barrett would be met with a full-on mutiny.
But Randle can still be an impressively productive player. He&rsquo;s strong, versatile, relatively young (27), helps initiate the offense and defends multiple positions. He just needs to play with a different mix of players.
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Enter the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers have made it clear that they are not interested in a full-on rebuild. But considering the bevy of rumors sounding off out of Indianapolis, it&rsquo;s clearly not all sunshine and rainbows either. Players involved in rumors include <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exploring-trade-destinations-for-domantas-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Domantas Sabonis</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-myles-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Myles Turner</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caris LeVert</a> &mdash; all of whom should be of interest to the Knicks. (Editor's Note: BasketballNews.com examined potential destinations for all three. Click the hyperlinks to read more.)
Sabonis is the only one of those three I would consider swapping for Randle.&nbsp;
Sabonis is still just 25. He&rsquo;s an absolute bull, averaging 20.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game last season. His numbers are down slightly this year, but it&rsquo;s hard to blame him considering that the wheels are falling off in Indiana. Sabonis can play the 4 or the 5, meaning swapping him and Randle would enable the Knicks to slide prized second-year player Obi Toppin into the starting lineup, too. It also would allow Fournier and Barrett to take on more in terms of initiating and creating, and would cut the overall payroll a bit this season and beyond.
But this isn&rsquo;t only beneficial for New York. In fact, it might be more beneficial for the Pacers.
Indiana would receive a more dynamic playmaker in return, and one who is signed at a moderately affordable number through at least 2024-25. The Pacers would, theoretically, trot out a core of Malcom Brogdon, LeVert, Randle and Turner &mdash; all of whom are beyond serviceable. It would free up Indiana&rsquo;s big man logjam and provides them with an elite scorer. Randle would probably look better alongside an established point guard, too, and Brogdon is just flat-out better than Derrick Rose or Kemba Walker at this stage of their careers.
Ultimately, Knicks and Pacers fans will both be furious with this idea. But as they sit at the 12th and 13th spots in the Eastern Conference, respectively, I reply by with this: Is either group happy with their teams&rsquo; chances of winning a championship?
Well, this move would put both on a better path toward doing so.

Drew Maresca ponders whether the Knicks should move Julius Randle and see if another struggling East team would be interested.

Making the case for the Knicks to trade Julius Randle

The first weekend of the 2021-22 NBA regular season is here, as every team has now played meaningful action to start off the campaign.
As much as we love the game of basketball, there are a number of things about the NBA that grind our gears, and we usually vent about these things on social media or among friends. However, today we're going to air out those frustrations here!
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
What is your biggest NBA-related pet peeve?
Alex Kennedy: I hate the constant whining for foul calls. It has gotten really, really bad. There were always a handful of players who would whine to the refs, but it feels like more and more players are doing it these days. Now, you see it in every game. The other day, I went to an NHL game and I kept noticing instances when a player could&rsquo;ve whined about the officiating or flopped, but it didn&rsquo;t happen. It made me miss the days when whining was less common in the NBA. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m alone here; I think this annoys a lot of fans, and I hope the NBA addresses this. (Getting rid of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-nba-is-trying-to-eliminate-unnatural-foulbaiting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unnatural foul-baiting</a> is a good start.)
Nekias Duncan: For the love of God, if a defense forces an airball that would result in a shot clock violation and they retrieve the ball, LET PLAY CONTINUE. DO NOT BLOW THE PLAY DEAD.
Spencer Davies: I've got two. The first I'm going to steal from our good friend Scott Hale: Biting on every pump fake. It's especially maddening when it's a veteran (like a Lou Williams, who does it every single game), yet the young guys who watch the tape to prepare for it still can't just stay on their feet! My second one is when shooters spot up in the corners and position themselves out of bounds. I know there's not much room there, but it drives me nuts.
Ethan Fuller: This goes out to the media: Stop leaning on criticizing work ethic, motor and heart when you do not have an intimate understanding of a player as a person. Do athletes have mental lapses or get frustrated on the court? Of course. But these are the 450-ish best basketball players on the planet, and the work they do day-in and day-out to even stay in the league is unfathomable. There are very rare cases where these criticisms actually have merit, but they're too often a lazy cop-out from actual analysis.
Moke Hamilton: The league addressed two of them for me: one was allowing three-point shooters to draw fouls by jumping into defenders and the other was having way too many West-coast games begin at 10:30 p.m. ET. Many of the national games have been moved up 30 minutes, so that helps a ton. I, like many other fans, still get annoyed by the thin line between a block and a charge, but I don&rsquo;t think that will ever not be a thing in the NBA. Maybe both FIBA and the NBA should consider removing the foul-out rule and instead levy harsher punishments against teams and players the more fouls they commit. For example, if a player commits a sixth personal foul, the opposing team gets three free throws plus the ball, and each subsequent foul he commits results in one additional free throw (or something like that). Fouling out doesn&rsquo;t rise to the level of a pet peeve for me, but it&rsquo;s something unique to basketball that does sometime ruin a team&rsquo;s chances of winning a game and the fan-viewing experience.
Jannelle Moore: One of my biggest pet peeves about the NBA is the way it's covered. In my opinion there's a purpose for everything in terms of coverage. We have analysis and straight-laced reporters for obvious reasons. We have people pushing narratives and takes for a reason. The problem is that there seems to be an imbalance &mdash; more coverage on storylines than the actual action on the court.
Evan Sidery: When a player obviously commits a foul and they look around in disbelief. The latest example was when Michael Porter Jr. stiff-armed someone like Derrick Henry driving towards the basket on Wednesday night, then he was stunned that a foul was called. Maybe the adrenaline is pumping so much that they don't notice, but when it's so obvious, it can definitely be a personal NBA pet peeve.
Blake Hairston: My biggest pet peeve for the NBA is all of the jersey rules. Since Nike has taken over the league's apparel, players have been wearing some of the coolest new styles as well as bringing back some classic styles as well. But why outside of the "Icon," "Association" and "Statement" jerseys do they have to change every year? Once a team has a jersey, they should be able to continue wearing it in the following years &mdash; in addition to any new jerseys if the players or fans like it. If a playoff team has achieved the "Earned" jersey, it should be in the equipment room and allowed to be worn for as long as Nike remains the apparel provider. It feels very regulated.
Alexander Cohen: I hate when preseason highlights are shown in career highlight reels. All of a sudden, we're saying a play that doesn't count is a crowning achievement of a career. Why not include practice highlights? Where do we draw the line?
Mark Gunnels: My biggest NBA pet peeve is all the threes teams shoot, even if they don&rsquo;t have good three-point shooters, because analytics say so.

What is your biggest NBA-related pet peeve? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: What is your biggest NBA-related pet peeve?

The NBA playoffs are here, which means roughly half of NBA fan bases have shifted their focus to the offseason and how their team can improve in 2021-22. With that in mind, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Who is the next big-name player that will be traded?
Imman Adan: The next star to be traded will be Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade. (A part of me is hoping if I say it enough, I&rsquo;ll jinx it and it won&rsquo;t happen). Everyone in Toronto had his bags packed at the deadline since there were four teams after him -- the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers -- and yet, no deal got done. After some potentially early playoff exits for a few of these contenders, maybe a price that seemed too high at the deadline becomes justifiable.&nbsp;
Alex Kennedy: I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s a current All-Star who&rsquo;s poised to be traded, so I&rsquo;ll go with a notable name that was mentioned quite a bit leading up to the 2021 trade deadline: Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins. Multiple outlets reported that Collins was available and that the Hawks spoke with a number of teams about a possible deal. Atlanta had an incredible second half of the season -- going 27-11 after March 1 -- so perhaps they&rsquo;ll stand pat. However, Collins believes he's a max player and he turned down the Hawks&rsquo; $90 million extension offer prior to the season. This offseason, he&rsquo;ll be a restricted free agent, so it wouldn&rsquo;t surprise me if he&rsquo;s dealt in a sign-and-trade if he wants more than Atlanta is willing to pay (especially since the additions of Danilo Gallinari and Onyeka Okongwu make him a bit more expendable).
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Ethan Fuller: I honestly don't see a Tier-1 superstar out there who could be on the move. The most likely candidate for me is in that next level of blossoming All-Stars. Zach LaVine has toiled away on losing teams in Chicago and Minnesota for his entire career, but still earned his first All-Star nod this past season while growing into an elite scorer with above-average facilitating chops. He's also on a very moveable, bargain contract and will be paid just $19.5 million next season. I don't know what Chicago's plans are -- the 26-year-old still barely fits into the franchise timeline -- but other teams in need of a dynamic top-two scoring option should be checking in. A trade will really depend on if the Bulls get to keep their first round pick (top-4 protected) this season.
Moke Hamilton: I wanted to say Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal or Kawhi Leonard or Karl-Anthony Towns, but I can&rsquo;t. Each of those players have expensive running mates and supporting casts that their teams have put around them. While any of them being traded is viable, I think the safest bet is Lonzo Ball. Lonzo was reportedly shopped this past deadline and is heading for restricted free agency. I am assuming that Lonzo will get a near-max offer this summer. New Orleans knows it and will opt to sign-and-trade him after concluding that he&rsquo;s simply a luxury they can&rsquo;t afford right now, not without them being at least a second-round playoff team.
Spencer Davies: Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal appear to be sticking with their respective franchises unless something drastic happens, so from a &ldquo;star&rdquo; perspective, we&rsquo;ll go with a relatively easy one since he&rsquo;s going to be a free agent anyway: a sign-and-trade of DeMar DeRozan by the San Antonio Spurs. There is a clear shift toward youth happening within this organization, as Derrick White <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">detailed to BasketballNews.com recently</a>. It&rsquo;s time for Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker and White to transition the Spurs into this new era. LaMarcus Aldridge is gone, and it would be best for San Antonio to try to receive some sort of compensation for DeRozan, because he has been an All-Star caliber scorer and a vastly underrated playmaker who can help any team in need of a second or third guy to push them over the edge.
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Chris Sheridan: There are a couple of players who come to mind who do not qualify as stars anymore -- Al Horford and Kevin Love being two of them -- but I believe Lonzo Ball qualifies on name value alone, and he will be a restricted free agent. With the Pelicans looking to shake things up after one of the most disappointing seasons of any team in the league, a sign-and-trade that sends Ball out makes sense. The destination will depend in large part on the decisions that teams make about their own restricted free agents, and with players on non-guaranteed deals. But Ball to New York or Chicago would put him in a major market, and the Knicks would probably have more to send back because they have a pair of future picks from Dallas.
Jannelle Moore: If the Blazers flame out again, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they trade CJ McCollum. Trade rumors involving McCollum are nothing new since it&rsquo;s believed that the backcourt of McCollum and Damian Lillard hit its ceiling. Portland needs a playmaker in the vein of a Ben Simmons or a Draymond Green to take pressure off of Lillard in terms of facilitating, or a wing who can create his own shots and defend.

Who will be the next big-name NBA player to get dealt? Our BasketballNews.com writers share their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Who's the next big-name player that will be traded?

Now that the 2020-21 NBA regular season is over, it's time to look back at some of the biggest surprises from this past year. With the shortened offseason, the condensed schedule, the health-and-safety protocols, the rash of injuries and the MLB-style series to limit travel, there's no question that this was a strange campaign. But now that we got through it, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers:
Which player or team surprised you most this season?
Alex Kennedy: I was so wrong about the New York Knicks. This team nearly doubled their win total despite playing 10 fewer games due to the condensed schedule. One year ago, imagine if you told someone, "The Knicks will bring back largely the same team and earn homecourt advantage in the 2021 playoffs." You would've sounded insane. Julius Randle went from being a solid starter to a legit star, averaging career-highs in points (24.1), rebounds (10.2), assists (6.0), steals (0.9), made threes (2.3), three-point percentage (41.1%), free-throw percentage (81.1%) and more. Immanuel Quickley, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel exceeded expectations too. Their turnaround still blows my mind, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-knicks-are-finally-winning-but-theyre-positioned-for-longterm-success-too" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they're positioned to have a really bright future too.</a>
Chris Sheridan: This will not be a popular answer, but Russell Westbrook brought the Washington Wizards back from the dead. These guys were 0-5, 11-18, 14-35 at various stages of the season. And now, they are the eighth seed in the playoffs (with 120-1 odds to emerge from the East). They may be entering the postseason with more momentum than any team in the East.
Ethan Fuller: I mean... it's the Knicks and everyone in the organization. Julius Randle has gone from a contractual hindrance to an All-NBA player. Derrick Rose is quietly having one of his best post-Bulls seasons ever. I ridiculed the decision to hire Tom Thibodeau, but he is rightfully a leading candidate for Coach of the Year. And New York might be the best defensive team in basketball. Who on Earth could have seen any of this coming?
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Spencer Davies: Since everybody is going to (rightfully) answer this question with the New York Knicks as their positive surprise, I&rsquo;m going to go in a different direction. To be honest, it doesn&rsquo;t feel like the Dallas Mavericks should be the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Kristaps Porzingis is back and healthy with postseason-terrorizer Luka Doncic, but it just doesn&rsquo;t seem as if this group reached its full potential -- at least during the regular season. Though we have to factor in how much the league's healthy-and-safety protocols for COVID truly affected things, it seems as if there has been a bit of a lull in terms of their sense of urgency. Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, certain players have starred in their roles such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Brunson and Josh Richardson, and they stole homecourt from the Los Angeles Clippers with their Game-1 win. But it&rsquo;s the carousel at the five that has me concerned at the moment, along with Luka&rsquo;s temper with costly techs.
Moke Hamilton: The Toronto Raptors, for sure. Their terrible season could be partially explained by having to effectively play an entire campaign on the road, and I think we all underestimated how much of an impact not going home to Canada would play on the mental health of the players. I&rsquo;m sure that was a factor, but I still would have expected better than 27 wins, especially coming off of their 2019-20 season, when they finished an impressive 53-19.
Sharon Brown: The Knicks. Tom Thibodeau got the players to buy in, Julius Randle has been playing out of his mind, and the team has a nice mix of veterans and young players.
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Check out our other Roundtable conversations on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-contract-is-the-biggest-bargain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA's biggest bargain contract</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-is-the-most-untouchable-player-in-the-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which NBA player is currently the most untouchable</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-role-player-will-step-up-in-the-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which role player will step up in the playoffs</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-has-the-best-young-core" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which team has the best young core</a>!
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Who were the biggest surprises of the 2020-21 NBA season? We asked our BasketballNews.com writers to share their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which team/player surprised you most this year?

Prior to this year's NBA Trade Deadline, BasketballNews.com rounded up its writers and asked them to share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Thursday's flurry of moves. Over the next few days, we'll be dropping a number of these Roundtable articles. Today, we asked our staffers:&nbsp;
Which team should be a seller?
Nekias Duncan: Aside from Toronto, it would be nice to see the Orlando Magic finally sell off some stuff. Aaron Gordon isn&rsquo;t a long-term fit, nor is Terrence Ross, Evan Fournier, Khem Birch&hellip; you get my drift. It&rsquo;s time to make some moves so that a long-term vision for this roster can become clear. Right now, there&rsquo;s no telling what the Magic are even trying to do.
Alex Kennedy: The Detroit Pistons have the second-worst record in the NBA at 12-31, and the team clearly isn't going to be competing for a playoff spot in the near future. With that in mind, I'd be looking to move veterans like Wayne Ellington (33 years old), Mason Plumlee (31) and Rodney McGruder (29) for young players and draft picks. Moving Derrick Rose for Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick was smart; that's exactly what this team should be doing. I loved the addition of Hamidou Diallo too. We'll see if Detroit continues to make these kinds of moves on Thursday.
Spencer Davies: You almost have to preface that question with its own question: &ldquo;Who has assets?&rdquo; It&rsquo;s no secret that the Houston Rockets want to get the most they can for Victor Oladipo. We&rsquo;ve heard the rumblings surrounding the Orlando Magic with Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier, as that era is likely coming to an end. Are the Sacramento Kings going to continue on that same path? Because Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes are good pieces that could return some value. It also wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see the Toronto Raptors cash in on Norman Powell&rsquo;s career season, as he&rsquo;s going to look for a big pay day in the summer.
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Chris Sheridan: The Orlando Magic. John Hammond needs to keep Nikola Vucevic and get whatever he can for Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier to engineer a quick rebuild built around Vuc, Jonathan Issac and Markelle Fultz. The Magic were a Murphy's Law victim this season, but even at full strength were never going to be a championship contender. They need one or two good, young coachable wing players and an extra first-round pick. Gordon is in demand, and I expect Hammond to be able to get good value in return -- the type of value that enables a quick turnaround.
Moke Hamilton: If you&rsquo;re a team that&rsquo;s under .500 without at least one young superstar-caliber player who can conceivably lead you to the playoffs, then you should be a seller. The Rockets seem to qualify, as do the Wizards and Magic. If I had to pick one, I&rsquo;d probably go with the Magic, though. You can only try with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon for so long before you decide to go in another direction, and each have enough value to get a decent return back in a potential deal. The Wizards at least have Brad Beal (and Russell Westbrook), while Houston has assembled a nice collection of future draft picks in recent months. It might be time for Orlando to embrace rebuilding (again) around Markelle Fultz and whichever of Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac or Mo Bamba gives them the look and feel of a cornerstone.
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Jannelle Moore: I think the Toronto Raptors should sell. Kyle Lowry will be a unrestricted free agent after the season and their best bet is trading him now to get a player (and picks) to help them rather than letting him walk in the offseason without getting anything in return.&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: This might be an off-beat pick, but the Indiana Pacers should absolutely sell. They are another East contender under .500, but don't have the star power to inspire confidence. What they do have are a number of solid rotation pieces (Myles Turner, Doug McDermott, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, T.J. McConnell and more) who could help teams chasing a title. It's time for Indiana to reload the prospect chest and raise the franchise's ceiling.
Danny Cunningham: The Toronto Raptors should be sellers this year, although it&rsquo;s unlikely that will actually happen. Banners hang forever, and that franchise will always have the magical playoff run of 2019, but it&rsquo;s probably time for Masai Ujiri to examine what the future of the team looks like and put in place building blocks around Pascal Siakam to try and open up another window of contention, because this just isn&rsquo;t their year.
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Jonathan Concool: The Orlando Magic. It&rsquo;s time to move on from Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. These guys are far too talented to be wasting their primes on a team that hasn&rsquo;t won a playoff series since 2010. Orlando could get real assets in return and start rebuilding from scratch, as a fresh start is desperately needed down in Central Florida.
Sharon Brown: I believe the San Antonio Spurs might be sellers and will finally get with the youth movement. LaMarcus Aldridge already isn't with the team. Is it possible that we could see them part ways with DeMar Derozan, Rudy Gay and/or Patty Mills next?
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MORE ROUNDTABLES:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-will-this-be-an-active-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will this be an active trade deadline?</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-who-is-the-biggest-name-that-will-be-moved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Who's the biggest name that will be dealt?</a>
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<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1habvwh r-i023vh"><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-which-team-is-in-desperate-need-of-a-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which team desperately needs a trade?</a></div>
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As the NBA trade deadline approaches, which teams should be sellers? BasketballNews.com's staff shares their thoughts!

NBA Trade Deadline Roundtable: Which team should be a seller?

Ethan Fuller evaluates the NBA landscape at the quarter mark of the season.

Derick