Saints

With the 2022 NBA Draft less than a month away, BasketballNews.com will have you covered from top to bottom. Last week's NBA Draft Combine began the pre-draft process for a number of hopeful prospects as they try to break into the league.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Alabama guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/keon-ellis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keon Ellis</a>, who averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game for the Crimson Tide this past season. We discussed his path from JUCO to Alabama, his game and last week at the Combine.
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Prior to your time at Alabama, you had deep Florida roots. Could you start off by giving us an idea of what your childhood was like growing up there?
Keon Ellis: "Growing up in Florida was pretty smooth. I mean, it was me, my three siblings and my mom. So we were all we had in that sense. I looked up to my older brother, a lot. You know, he kind of led the way for a lot of things; I wanted to be like him and play sports like him. I&rsquo;d say he&rsquo;s the reason I found out that I liked playing sports.
"After playing sports for a minute, I realized that I was actually kind of good. But I figured if I was going to do anything serious and in a sport, it was going to be basketball. So, I quit the football side of it and tried to focus on basketball, and I became pretty good. I played AAU for Team M.O.A.M. and we were under the radar as an Adidas Silver team, then ended up going to JUCO, made my way to Alabama, and to now to here (at the Combine)."
When you opted to go the JUCO route, what was the biggest takeaway from your time there, about that level of basketball?
Ellis: "It's definitely not what everyone thinks it is. When people hear 'JUCO,' they think it&rsquo;s a bunch of unorganized basketball or the kind of guys who aren't really skilled or good enough. JUCO definitely taught me a lot. I built some great relationships and am happy that I actually went that route. I learned a lot from that."
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When you decided to play for Nate Oats and Alabama, what was it about the program, or him, that enticed you to go?&nbsp;
Ellis: "Honestly, it didn't take much from the coaching staff. Alabama was my favorite school growing up. So once I got the offer from them, I knew I was going there because I mean, it's my favorite school. That was all the motivation I needed."
With your first year at Alabama being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, how did that season compare to your expectations?
Ellis: "It was the opposite of what I expected. I thought COVID-19 was going to go away a lot faster than it did and things were going to be normal. I didn't expect us to have the amount of team success we had in that first year. From the amount of success we had as a team, to the fans not even being in the stands, those were two things that were opposite of what I had imagined."
For those who haven't seen you play, how would you describe your game?
Ellis: "I describe myself as a 3-and-D player. I think I can do more than what people see. I&rsquo;m just trying to buy into a role and, you know, not play outside of what I can do."
What are some things that you worked on during your time at Alabama? And what other things are you improving in your game right now?&nbsp;
Ellis: "The biggest things that I worked on at Alabama were my three-point shooting, shooting off of moves and off screens. Handling the ball, making decisions with the ball as a primary ball-handler, making the right reads and my decision-making with the ball."
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What short-term or long-term goals do you have for yourself?
Ellis: "Well, short-term goal, obviously, I just want to land somewhere in the NBA. Get my feet in the door and start somewhere. A long-term goal is to sign that second contract. I think that's a goal for a lot of people."
What does your day-to-day routine look like right now as you're preparing for the draft?
Ellis: "Day-to-day routine, it kind of varies. I've been on the road a lot lately. On a regular day, if I'm back home training, I probably wake up to get some breakfast, go to the gym for a morning workout and lift after that. Then, get some food and refuel from that; then, I'd take a nap. Then, I&rsquo;d have a shooting session again and be done for the day."
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How has your week in Chicago gone? 
Ellis: "It's been good. I've seen a lot of players that I've played against, and now some of them are on my team. It&rsquo;s been good to get a new experience, as it&rsquo;s my first time ever in Chicago. All the stuff that I've been put through, like our stations, media training, whatever it's been. I think it's definitely a good experience to be a part of this journey."
What did you think of the scrimmage?&nbsp;
Ellis: "I think it went well. My team, obviously, got the win by a large margin and that&rsquo;s all I cared about coming in. A lot of the scouts already know what you do as a player. So in this setting for me, it&rsquo;s about coming in and doing what I'm capable of, doing what I will be expected to do. I'm just happy that my team got the win."
Who is one player, past or present, that you model your game after?
Ellis: "I wouldn't say I model my game after one player specifically. I try to pick up things from a lot of different players because different players do things differently, or better, than others. So I try to pick things from a lot of guys."
Alright last question, one you've probably been asked quite a bit here in Chicago. 
You're in an elevator with a general manager or decision-maker for a team, and you've got one 20-second pitch as to why you are their guy in next month's draft. What are you telling them?
Ellis: "I&rsquo;ll tell them that no one plays harder than me. I&rsquo;m a great 3-and-D player. I think every team needs that. No problems off the court &mdash; you will never get a late-night phone call about me. I&rsquo;m about the right stuff. I&rsquo;m a great locker room guy and willing to buy into the team's success."
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Derek Murray speaks with Alabama guard Keon Ellis about his start in basketball, his skill set and preparing for the 2022 NBA Draft.

2022 NBA Draft Q&A: Alabama's Keon Ellis on path from JUCO, his game

With a win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Dallas Wings recorded their first victory over the Sun in 1,064 days and snapped a seven-game losing streak against them in the process.
The Wings have put together solid games already this season, splitting a pair of games with the Washington Mystics and getting out to their best start of the season (4-2 prior to Tuesday) since 2015.
I had this matchup circled for the past week. Every Wings game this season has provided bright flashes and glimpses of what they can be. Yet, outside of the two games with the Mystics, the Wings hadn&rsquo;t quite faced one of the elite tests in the league, and Connecticut provided that and then some.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve seen intrigue and enticement from this young roster for a few seasons now, and often the flashes have been ousted. Dallas was the youngest team in the league last season, and it often played out that way with exuberant highs and dreary lows.
Down 39-27 at the half with the offense stuck in the mud, I contemplated whether or not this Wings team would be much the same as last year. Dallas went on to outscore the Sun 58-38 in the second half, including a remarkable run late in the third quarter with Arike Ogunbowale on the bench.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
WNBA average roster age (Multiple games played, still on roster, 10 mpg or more) SEA - 30.2 PHX - 29.78 CHI - 28.77 CON - 28.3 MIN - 27.6 LV - 27.6 WAS - 27.45 NYL - 26.1 ATL - 25.9 LAS - 25.64 IND - 24.8 DAL - 24.4
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1529467131066298368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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They&rsquo;re the youngest team yet again this season, but things feel different.&nbsp;
That second half was indicative of a team that finally was able to turn the page and cast aside some of the demons that plagued it last year. They didn&rsquo;t fold when they presented with perhaps their most difficult moment this year; down double-digits, on the road, against one of the best teams in the league.
Wings head coach Vickie Johnson echoed similar sentiments during her postgame availability.
&ldquo;The last five minutes, we are valuing the basketball more," Johnson said. "We have the patience to run our sets, to get good looks, we are not one pass, shot, like before. We have the patience to move the basketball and give up a good shot for a better shot. And now, we are knocking down open shots.&rdquo;
The Wings currently have the third-lowest turnover rate in the WNBA, per HerHoopStats. Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey were dynamic Tuesday night by getting into their pull-up games out of pick-and-roll, but also blending their ability to get into the paint and collapse the defense.
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This play was huge last night and speaks greatly to what Coach Johnson discussed after the game. Not that this pass wasn&rsquo;t made last season, but it feels like trust is there more. This could have been a contested layup, and heck, Arike may have hit it because she&rsquo;s that nice. But to fully collapse the defense and then make them pay with the wide-open three was an awesome process.
On that aforementioned third-quarter run (with Arike on the bench), Johnson went to a lineup of Mabrey-Allisha Gray-Kayla Thornton-Satou Sabally-Isabelle Harrison, and it outscored the Sun by 8 points in a five-and-a-half-minute stretch, per InStat.
The Harrison-Sabally frontcourt has really impressed since the latter returned from overseas play. Per PBP Stats, in the 18 minutes the duo has shared the court, the Wings have a 35.3 Net Rating, absolutely blitzing opponents on offense and stifling them on defense. They both have intriguing skills and coordination off the bounce. They can run dribble handoffs and make quick passes.
Harrison&rsquo;s confidence and aggression has her top-20 in the league in free-throw attempts per game, and 12th in makes at the line on the season.
&ldquo;Playing for AU (Athletes Unlimited) in Vegas helped her to become more of a leader, to think through the game a little more&hellip; I expect a lot from her. I put a lot of pressure on her and she is doing an amazing job," Johnson said of Harrison.
"She&rsquo;s getting to her spots and finishing in the paint and... In the first half she took three jump shots, and I ripped her kind of hard because they don&rsquo;t fear her outside the lane, they fear you when you get to the lane and make your move. She is one of the players who has multiple moves inside, so now she just has to use it and not settle for jump shots.&rdquo;
Harrison and Sabally got to the line seven times in that third-quarter stretch, and their mobility and quickness really gave Brionna Jones and the Sun's frontcourt problems. Catching on the perimeter or out to the high post gave them enough space to slice to the interior and draw fouls or finish at the rim.
The defense of this unit was the icing on the cake, however.
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Just bask in and admire that activity. This Dallas team relies heavily on timely and proper peel switches, along with activity and mobility from the bigs playing the screen. They shrink the court to minimize interior penetration.
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The Sun go to empty pick-and-roll, and Jones pops after the screen for Williams. Harrison stunts and shows to stop a drive, Mabrey gets back in front and the ball is contained.
Note how Sabally also steps in on the back end to contain a potential drive from Jonquel Jones. Harrison then recovers out, and Jones takes the shot. It's not perfectly contested, but that's also part of the point; don't give up the middle.
Speaking of that peel switching, watch this.
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Alyssa Thomas sets a back screen on Harrison as Jones wheels to the opposite corner. Harrison calls for the peel switch, Mabrey takes Jones and Harrison takes Mabrey's assignment in Courtney Williams. The play with multiple back screens flattens out, but the Sun get the switch they're looking for with Jones on the much smaller Mabrey. Gray rotates over to help, forcing the rotation as the ball gets kicked to Natisha Hiedeman.
Harrison is already peeling to Hiedeman, and Williams relocates to the slot while DeWanna Bonner sinks to the corner and gets the ball on a skip. Sabally avoids the Thomas pin-in, closes to Bonner and stays in front, and Gray has already recovered back across the court to take Williams. Jonquel still has Mabrey isolated, and as soon as she gets the post-entry pass, the Wings sink in to help (probably a slight overhelp off of Thomas, part of why the rebound gets into her hands) and Gray zones up on the back end as the Wings end up forcing a turnover.
That is a stellar defensive possession. The amount of things going on in unison and as the play develops highlights how in sync this Wings team has been on that end. They certainly can still make mistakes, but they're becoming less frequent, and when it mattered most last night, they put together a dominant defensive stand.
Gray is coming for an All-Defensive Team, both in her own mission expressed this season and with her play. She's been forceful pressuring on the ball, developing into Dallas' go-to stopper. Her recovery skills have been arguably as, if not more, impressive. She took the primary assignment of an All-Star forward in Bonner, and, in spite of a sizable height disparity, routinely forced her into awkward shots and contested her well.
Gray is 4th in The W in blocks per game (1.9), a ridiculous number considering every player in the top 10 besides her plays the 4 or 5.
Johnson called Gray "probably the best two-way player in The W right now," and while I can't quite get there, she's making a case for certain as she puts together her best all-around season.
Everything is clicking, everyone is finding some sort of footing in the rotation, and the Wings are out to a great start.
It's early in the season to be sure, but this Dallas team has a different verve and readiness in Year 2 under Vickie Johnson, and Tuesday night was fully emblematic of it.
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The Dallas WIngs are now 5-2 after a signature win over the Connecticut Sun. Mark Schindler analyzes their hot start.

Great start by young Dallas Wings signals improved readiness

The energy in The Bay was palpable, a crowd starved for its team's first Western Conference Finals berth since 2019. The dominant rule of this Golden State dynasty had been rudely interrupted by a once-in-a-generation global pandemic, a slew of untimely injuries and a superstar migrating across the country to skyscraping lands. Even the Chase Center flooring glimmered in anticipation.
The only thing that gleamed more was the twinkle in the eye of the Warriors' team defense.
The Warriors faced a new challenge in the West Finals, going from containing the quick-twitch athleticism strewn across the Memphis Grizzlies' roster to now containing the pick-and-roll craftsmanship of Luka Doncic, arguably the best player of the 2022 postseason. Luka's a nightmare to deal with, to say the least. He can attack your bigs or smalls on switches in isolation. He makes passes that only a select few across the globe can make should he even gain the slightest bit of an advantage. Most of all, he's a true-blue three-level scorer, geared up with step-back threes, post-ups with Dirk Nowitzki-legged fadeaways, sikly floaters and elongated layups at his disposal.&nbsp;
Containing a player of that ilk is not as simple as just throwing one perimeter player his way and hoping for the best. And while Luka's primary defender, Andrew Wiggins, did an admirable job on Wednesday of holding Doncic to 4-of-10 shooting, it was Golden State's medley of defensive coverages that kept Dallas at bay during the 25-point evisceration.&nbsp;
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Steve Kerr's crew threw out six different coverages in the first half &mdash; blitzes, hedge-and-recovers, a shallow drop coverage, pick-and-roll switches, a 3-2 zone and even a Box-and-1 &mdash; to stifle Dallas' second-ranked playoff half-court offense to a crawl. Golden State's coordinated chaos worked effectively, as Dallas put up just 78.8 points per 100 possessions in the half-court during Game 1 (10th percentile, yikes!), well below the 101.3 Offensive Rating that Dallas normally averages in this setting.&nbsp;
We'll touch on a few of those coverages momentarily, but it was Golden State's zone looks that were particularly interesting. The Mavericks haven't seen a ton of zones this postseason, especially coming off a series against the Phoenix Suns that featured mostly drop coverage or the occasional switch with Deandre Ayton manning the middle.
Interestingly, Golden State aligned its 3-2 zone so that Stephen Curry was atop the formation, meaning that he was typically Luka Doncic's primary defender. This goes against conventional thinking; normally, you'd expect the Warriors to hide Curry in the corners on one of Dallas' non-threatening options (think: how Miami deployed Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro in the 2020 postseason) instead of guarding the best mismatch-hunter on the floor. The Warriors, however, felt confident about shuttling defensive possessions to Curry at the point-of-attack, trusting their superstar to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stephen-currys-defense-continues-to-shine-for-the-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">utilize his best defensive attribute</a> &mdash; his quick hands&mdash; to frustrate Maverick ball-handlers.
Of course, it helps with Wiggins and Draymond Green situated at the nearby wings, able to sink down and contain should Doncic bullrush his way past the slighter Curry. That's exactly what happened during this first-quarter possession below; Curry bothered Doncic's dribble by sticking in an arm, and when Doncic gathered himself and prepared his attack, Wiggins provided assistance at the nail to erase the driving lane and coerce the kick out. Jalen Brunson, of course, misses the spot-up three (a trend on Wednesday night), and Golden State gets its desired result from the 3-2 zone.
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There's some irony in the Warriors &mdash; the same team that once complained about Toronto's "junk defenses" in the 2019 NBA Finals &mdash; throwing out Box-and-1s to fluster Dallas' heliocentric offense. And yet, a minute later, Golden State busted out that janky look, with Curry, Jordan Poole, Green, and Otto Porter Jr. spread across the lane lines to form the "box," and Wiggins smothering Luka from basically the mid-court line.
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When Maxi Kleber comes to set a screen for Doncic, Poole and Wiggins trap Luka and use the sideline as a third defender to force the pass. Dallas hot-potatoes the ball across the perimeter, frantically searching for a vialble option, and eventually the Mavs are left with a 27-foot three from Kleber. A result the Warriors will live with.
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The Mavericks mustered up just 18 total points in the first quarter, which effectively set the tone for the rest of Game 1. Looking ahead after the brutal loss, it begs the question: Where can the Mavericks go next?
Well, there's the obvious answer, for one: Make more friggin' threes. Duh. The Mavericks whiffed on 37 of their 48 total outside looks, with some of those misses being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT-vnjKYwf0&amp;ab_channel=MattBrooksNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretty dang brutal</a>. But there's more to the game than just blindly hoping for better results.
Thinning Out the Hedges
As mentioned, one of the coverages that Golden State threw at Luka was hedging and recovering on pick-and-rolls. Typically, this was done when Doncic and the Mavericks looked to target Curry in screening actions. Dallas would have Curry's defender &mdash; Reggie Bullock in the first clip; Spencer Dinwiddie in the second&mdash;set a screen on Luka's defender, Wiggins.
Rather than having Curry switch outright onto Doncic, Steph would instead jump out toward the 6-foot-8 ball-handler to buy Wiggins time as he recovered back to his assignment. Though it goes in, a tightly contested step-back three &mdash; which Luka is shooting just 32.1% on in the postseason &mdash; is a result the Warriors can stomach, especially with one of its smallest defenders (Curry) involved in the play.
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Thus, going at Curry with a slew of straight pick-and-rolls wasn't particularly profitable in Game 1. Golden State is too experienced, too disciplined and too even-tempered to be caught off-guard by opponents repeatedly targetting its superstar. After all, that's been the game plan since, what, 2015? Steph is well-versed in evading such narrow offensive game planning.
But Dallas has some unexplored avenues.
One such way could be to mix in more slips to the rim. Below, after Golden State pre-switches to initially neutralize the Doncic-Bullock pick-and-roll, Luka calls for a second screen from Brunson to bring Curry into the fold. When Steph hedges, Brunson then cuts to the rim instead of flaring out to the perimeter. And although the possession is smothered by Draymond Green audibling a switch with Curry and playing some free safety (goodness was he ever incredible in Game 1!), Dallas was able to get two feet into the middle of the paint to make decisions.&nbsp;
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Flipping the angle of the screen at the very last second, which is something the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grizzlies-flattening-out-the-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies did against the Warriors</a> in the second round, is a counter yet to be tested by the Mavericks' offense. When Dallas did elect to re-screen in Game 1, it was only because the initial screen failed to connect.&nbsp;
Dallas could also add some intricacy to its pick-and-rolls by forcing Golden State to navigate secondary screens. Screen-the-screener (STS) plays were, once again, something the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/memphisminnesota-game-5-was-a-masterclass-in-playcalling-wizardry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies tinkered with</a> in the earlier rounds of the postseason, and forcing Curry to navigate an off-ball screen before being dragged into a ball-screen for Luka could put him behind the play, thus throwing off the timing of his hedge.
All Doncic needs is a moment of hesitation to create for himself or others, so mixing in each of the following&mdash; re-screens, slips to the rim, ram screens and/or STS plays and straight pick-and-roll&mdash;to keep the Warriors on pins and needles could prove to make the difference going forward.
Sniffing Out the Proper Switches
So yes, scoping out Curry on pick-and-roll-induced switches didn't go as planned for Dallas in Game 1 given his comfort level with hedging those plays into oblivion; but that's not to say that Dallas failed to get any sort of traction when Golden State swapped assignments after ball screens.
Here's something that should keep Mavericks fans up at night: Dallas was hunting the wrong Warrior guard. Poole was tested by both of Dallas' secondary and tertiary options (Brunson and Dinwiddie), and he looked like a fish out of water on switches. Collectively, Dinwiddie and Brunson went 2-for-3 from the field when defended by Poole in Game 1.
Dinwiddie is both too tall and too quick to be even slightly bothered by Golden State's prolific 22-year-old, and Brunson's veteran craft left Poole stumbling. Jalen's portfolio of pump-fakes, B-Boy dancer pivots and up-and-unders was one hell of a handful for the third-year player.
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Even when Golden State attempted to hide Poole with hedges, he just wasn't disciplined enough to masterfully pull off this coverage with regularity. Here, he "shows" (or hedges) way, way too high up the floor against Brunson, who has yet to burn Golden State with pull-up threes, and Poole ends up getting flamb&eacute;d in isolation.
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Dallas' one-two punch of Doncic and Brunson also got off some pretty clean looks when served up Kevon Looney on a platter. Look, Looney had himself one hell of a Wednesday evening and was maybe the Game 1 MVP, but his lateral mobility was tested by Dallas' lead options. Take a look for yourself:
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Dallas should continue to hammer this home in the series. Though it's admirable that Looney feels empowered to pick up individual creators of Doncic and Brunson's ilk so high up the floor, his hip flexibility doesn't afford him the requisite oomph when changing directions on either player's array of dribbling moves. Doncic found relative consistency in forcing Golden State rotations and passing to open shooters after beating Looney off the dribble; Brunson, meanwhile, danced and jitterbugged his way to his spots to go 3-of-4 when defended by the Warriors' starting center.
It's integral that Dallas continues to exhaust Curry by involving him in a never-ending loop of pick-and-rolls. The more mileage put on his body defensively, the better. But there's also some value in getting some easy ones against guys like Looney and Poole.
Other notes:
<ul>
<li>Testing Klay Thompson, still fresh off two major injuries, is inherently not a terrible idea. Doing so by posting him up and allowing him to use his strong base and 6-6 frame, however, is not so brilliant. Doncic wasn't able to gain any ground against Golden State's sturdy wing, and the Mavericks would be better suited having the bursty Dinwiddie or even the guileful Brunson go at Thompson in space.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Speaking of Brunson, how often he can make Golden State pay via pull-up threes should be a major theme in the West Finals. Golden State regularly went under ball-screens against Brunson, daring him to shoot, and he responded with a whole bundle of record-scratch moments. Brunson has shot a combined 30.4% on pull-up three-pointers in the regular season and the postseason on just 105 total attempts, and if he continues to feign at chucking them up when the defense drifts underneath screens, Dallas' offense will sludge itself to death.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The Mavericks are one of those teams where you just wish they'd incorporate a little more movement into their offense. Dallas leaves food on the table with screening actions on the weak side of the floor, and it allows the low man to stay engaged when helping over should Doncic (or Brunson or Dinwiddie) discover a crack in the defense. That's particularly problematic against a team like the Warriors and Green, a hellish secondary defender to tangle with. Notice how Golden State preoccupies Luka, the low man in the clip below, with screening action between Wiggins and Thompson. When Looney slips to the rim, Doncic is late on his rotation because of the ensuing traffic on the weak side.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cRDrbXUmlTY" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It'd be great if Dallas could incorporate some of&nbsp;that&nbsp;stuff into their pick-and-roll heavy offense.
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Matt Brooks goes in-depth to break down what the Mavericks can improve on offensively against a stout Warriors defense.

How the Warriors' defense flummoxed Dallas, and where the Mavs go next

Drafted with the sixth overall pick by the New York Liberty last year, Michaela Onyenwere went on to win the 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year award and was the first player in franchise history to do so. But for her, it's about more than just basketball.
Giving back to her community, Onyenwere recently partnered with Mobil 1 and its &ldquo;Tune Up&rdquo; program to create a new basketball court at McCaffrey Playground in New York City with the help of Project Backboard.&nbsp;
&ldquo;From a young age, a basketball court is where I felt the most comfortable and most strength,&rdquo; Onyenwere told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;New York has only been my home for one year, but I am proud to partner with Mobil 1 to help give back to the community and provide a space that has given so much to me.&rdquo;
Onyenwere enlisted the help of Andrea Bergart, the artistic director of Downtown Girls Basketball &mdash; an all-female basketball league in New York City &mdash; and drew inspiration for her new court design from her experiences there.
&ldquo;As a New Yorker and basketball enthusiast, being involved in this project with Mobil 1 and Project Backboard is particularly exciting for me,&rdquo; explained Bergart. &ldquo;The artwork I developed for this basketball court explores ideas relating to fluidity and kaleidoscopic reflections; forms flowing into other forms and branching off and returning to the whole. Ultimately, I want to create imagery that offers the viewer a poignant experience that also acknowledges the strict geometry of a court.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/ab_1_lg.jpg" alt="" />
"I play basketball in New York for the Liberty. And so when this was brought to me to be able to refurbish old courts, which is really big culture in New York. It was kind of a no-brainer for me to be able to give back to the community &mdash; a community that's given me so much in such a short time," Onyenwere told BasketballNews.com. "It was really important for me to be able to be a partner of this organization, be a part of the Tune Up program, as well. &nbsp;I'm really excited to be able to have this partnership. And I think that, you know, all it does is provide just lasting positive impact in New York."
BasketballNews.com caught up with Michaela to talk about her partnership with Mobil 1, her need to give back to the community, the Liberty and more.
Why is it important for you to give back to the community?&nbsp;
Onyenwere: "It's so important because, like I said, New York has only been my home for about a year and some change. But I've just felt the love and support from every fan I've come into contact, with every person who really, really loves New York basketball. And so I feel like I've just been supported in that way. And so is our team. Everybody here loves New York Liberty, they love New York basketball and I feel that. And so just to be enriched in this culture, I feel like with me winning Rookie of the Year was really big for the city. And I felt the love, I felt the support. So, so important, just in the community to be able to do so and give back in that way."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/michaelaonyenwere_mobil_0504220078_lg.jpg" alt="" />
In your first season, you won Rookie of the Year. Going into Year 2, what are you most excited about?
Onyenwere: "I'm most excited for our team to kind of reach new heights. Obviously, last year, we made the playoffs for the first time in four or five years. That was a big kind of pedestal for us; but that's not where we want to stop. We would like to get past the first round of the playoffs and even more. So just create an exciting brand of basketball for New York again. Personally, I just want to do whatever I can to help my team on or off the court &mdash; just (make) an impact, be felt. And to have a really great year for me and my team."
What specific areas of your game did you focus on during the offseason in order to improve?
Onyenwere: "In the offseason, I had the opportunity to head out to Spain to play overseas, which was a good experience for me. I was able to play against a lot of other European talent, which I wouldn't probably have experience doing here in the States and that was cool. For me, I think it's definitely helped my game to improve; but for me personally, I want to improve on my three-point percentage. I think that's something that I did in Spain. And so hopefully I can bring that over to New York, but also just be more versatile as well. We have a new coaching staff who is asking something different of me. I'm really excited for that challenge to step up and accept that challenge and do what I can to help the team."
Your new coach Sandy Brondello brings that championship pedigree to the Liberty. What have you learned so far from her?
Onyenwere: "She just is so positive. Like every single day, she's always telling us that you can't get too high, you can't get too low. And that's such a great concept to live your life by; but also, obviously you go through basketball as well. And there's going to be highs, there's going to be lows. But as long as we stay neutral, that's when we can stay and be positive in that way. And she's really positive. We come to practice every single day really excited to work for her, because we see how excited she is to work for us. And so I think it's great that she's leading our team and heading our team in that way. I already love the new coaching staff, so I think it'll be a really great year."
What does success look like for you and your team this season?
Onyenwere: "For me, I would say more tangibly, you know, obviously, we got to the playoffs last year for the first time since 2017. But first as a team, I think we want to go past that. I think we have the experience under our belt for last year where a lot of our core group is back. We had that experience. Obviously, there were a bunch of highs and lows with that season. But ultimately, we want to build on that. Obviously, we made the past (postseason) which we're really grateful for. But we want to go further in that we know that we know, we have new pieces, we have a new coach and we all are bought into the idea that we can do so and just create progress and in that way."
What players do you model your game after like what players inspired you growing up &mdash; WNBA and NBA?
Onyenwere: "Growing up, it was definitely having that Nigerian heritage shared with Nneka Ogwumike, but also, I saw similarities in our game as well. People would always tell me you play similar to her as well. When I was growing up, I watched her and I'm like, I can see similarities. So I would definitely say her and she's just been like a great asset for the WNBA &mdash; being &nbsp;the WNBA president, and just what she's done for the league. And my favorite player is Elena Delle Donne. I just love her game. I love what she stands for. I love just how she lives her life. And she obviously is a WNBA champion as well, which is something I aspire to be as well. And so yeah, I'd say those two are pretty much the ones who have really modeled and followed in this game most closely. &nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Michaela Onyenwere knocks down the three just in time 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/yvEH4cgiJU">pic.twitter.com/yvEH4cgiJU</a>
&mdash; espnW (@espnW) <a href="https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1523080695169511425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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"That player that has inspired me the most is Kobe &mdash; just having that Mamba Mentality and he was a very big advocate for the WNBA and women's sports in general. I would certainly say him, just having that work ethic being wanting to be the best and everything you do at the highest level to the best of your ability. That's what he preached all the time."
What advice would you give young girls who have hoop dreams?
Onyenwere: "I will tell them three things. Be really confident in yourself &mdash; I think that especially with young girls, sometimes it can be easy to be detracted from a goal you may have or your dreams. But I think be very confident in yourself and what you want to do. Be very self disciplined &mdash; I think every single day you just show up and be your own personal accountability partner, that you're going to show up for every single day. Be really, really consistent.&nbsp;
"I think doing those three things helps in every single way. It allows you to be really successful, it allows you to have a chance at whatever you want to dream [for]. And I would say those three things are things that have helped me, and I continue to do even in my career now."
Women's sports have been getting more visibility lately. Do you think it's enough? Why do you think people should be invested in women's sports?
Onyenwere: "I mean, absolutely as many eyes as can be, I would love to have on the sport. And I think that the WNBA has done a great job of marketing itself and creating that visibility. Whereas like, when I was starting college, maybe like it really wasn't even where it is now. I see that people are excited to watch the WNBA. People are excited to be able to connect with players and connect to the stories of the players as well. Which then turns into more fans coming to the games. And so of course, I think that we've definitely increased from where we were, but there's always improvement to go. And people should watch the WNBA because there's so many different facets of people in the WNBA, there's so much visibility, there's so much representation. It's a league of 70%, almost, Black women in the league, it's not really common in the sports world. And so to see that representation to see people who can connect with fashion and whatever it may be clothing, or whatever it may be like we have that in our league.
"There's so many different avenues that you can focus on as a fan. And then again it&rsquo;s really, really high-level basketball. And, it's the best of both worlds. And I can see the change, I can see the investment, I can see the excitement for the sport, but there's always room for improvement."
Do you think The W needs to expand its rosters like that of the NBA?&nbsp;
Onyenwere: "Yeah, I think it's a continuous problem that comes up for the WNBA. It's very hard to get into the WNBA; it&rsquo;s only 144 of us. It's very hard to compete in this league. It is probably one of the toughest leagues to make a roster. We want to increase the number of players, because there's so many players that do get cut. And I don't know what it is it's going to take to be able to keep those players. But, I think for sure there has to be more roster spots or more teams. There's so much great talent that gets cut every single year. &nbsp;It's people who are good enough to make a roster but there are a bunch of issues with the salary cap and how salaries went up,
"In a perfect world, I would love that the rosters would expand, there'd be more teams and the cap would also increase as well so that people who, work so hard and who are talented enough to be in the league, can be. I hope that we can grow and we can invest in this league enough to where we don't have to worry about that in a few years. I know it'll take some time and the WNBA has made strides but ultimately, there's just so many people getting cut. It's really unfortunate that it is happening right now."
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Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere speaks on her Mobil 1 partnership, the Liberty and more with Sharon Brown.

2021 WNBA ROY Michaela Onyenwere on Liberty, giving back to New York

For a third of the NBA, summer break comes early.&nbsp;
Though 10 teams didn't make the playoffs, it's not all doom and gloom. Several NBA bottom-feeders took tangible steps forward in their rebuilding efforts, while others &mdash; well, they're not supposed to be here.
Every franchise enters the offseason with summer plans. As teams get eliminated from the postseason, I'll be rounding up every team's offseason outlook and posing one question they must answer over the summer. You'll see each squad's 2022 NBA Draft chest, plus their potential free agents, along with the central question.&nbsp;
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Let's get started!
DETROIT PISTONS 
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick (via Brooklyn)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Marvin Bagley III (restricted), Cory Joseph (player option), Hamidou Diallo (team option), Frank Jackson (team option), Luka Garza (team option), Carsen Edwards (team option), Rodney McGruder 
Central question: How do the Pistons build an offense around Cade Cunningham?
This was a pretty solid season for Detroit as far as rebuilding efforts go. Cade Cunningham emerged as a Rookie of the Year front-runner and two-way centerpiece who has fans ecstatic about his ceiling. The Pistons finished a solid 10-14 after the All-Star break, and have shown flashes of an improving defense. They did still finish with the 28th-ranked offense, per Cleaning the Glass, and one of the worst shooting rates in the NBA.
Cunningham had to carry a ridiculous offensive load in the latter stages of the season. Detroit has the power to change that in 2022-23, starting with its high draft pick. Maybe Jabari Smith's lights-out scoring means he's an ideal secondary option? Perhaps Paolo Banchero thrives as an additional creator, or maybe Chet Holmgren makes sense as a finisher and spot-up threat? The fun part about Cunningham is that his versatility creates so many pathways for the Pistons in the draft &mdash; whether or not the ping pong balls fall their way.
Detroit wields a cap hold of approximately $28 million on Bagley, and once that lifts (either via a new contract or letting him walk), the Pistons should have a solid chunk of cap space to add to the supporting cast.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), better of Brooklyn/Miami first-round picks
Potential free agents: John Wall (player option), Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando (restricted), Jae'Sean Tate (team option), Anthony Lamb (qualifying offer), Trevelin Queen (qualifying offer)
Central question: How patient is the front office willing to be?
Houston's 2021 draft strategy of "draft talent, figure out the fit later" appears to be working out. Jalen Green demonstrated an Anthony Edwards-esque leap post-All-Star break, Alperen Sengun is already one of the NBA's best passing bigs, and guys like Josh Christopher and KJ Martin routinely hinted at upside. Houston gets another prime shot at a franchise cornerstone this draft cycle. We're approaching Stage 2 of the strategy, though: figuring out how the pieces fit.&nbsp;
The Rockets were one of two NBA teams with bottom-five ratings on offense and defense. They led the league in rim frequency and were fourth in three-point frequency, but posted mediocre shooting clips. Houston evokes memories of the rebuilding Nets, who played a similarly extreme brand of ball for a few years as the team slowly reshaped into a fun playoff squad. Does the front office have the foresight to let head coach Stephen Silas work things out with his roster of young guns?&nbsp;
INDIANA PACERS
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How is there a &ldquo;rebuild&rdquo; to afraid of if it isn&rsquo;t a rebuild? <a href="https://t.co/0pDD7E6Mss">pic.twitter.com/0pDD7E6Mss</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1512127632758001664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (10.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick (if 15-30, via Cleveland), Second-round pick (via Houston), Second-round pick (via Phoenix)
Potential free agents: Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, Jalen Smith, Lance Stephenson, Nate Hinton (restricted), Oshae Brissett (team option)
Central question: How extreme is the incoming rebuild, and what veterans mesh with the future vision?
Notably unlisted among the potential free agents are Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell. All range from solid starters to rotational complements, and 3 of the 4 (not Turner) will be 30 next season. The Pacers are clearly retooling, as evidenced by their trade-deadline fireworks and Tyrese Haliburton's subsequent high usage. They also have publicly flip-flopped regarding the direction of the team; see the above Tweet.
Indiana doesn't have the pure depth of talent to straddle the line. The Pacers can trade many of these talented players and build up a chest of draft picks and young pieces, or they can charge ahead, turn their picks into win-now players and hope Haliburton is ready for the playoff push. But a middle ground doesn't exist in an Eastern Conference where just about every team has solidified its direction.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Draft assets: None
Potential free agents: Russell Westbrook (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Austin Reaves (team option), Stanley Johnson (team option), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Mason Jones (restricted)
Central question: What does team-building around two injury-prone superstars look like?
LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-i-dont-have-a-cap-on-how-long-i-want-to-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turns 38 next season</a>, and has played 60-plus games just once in the past four seasons. Anthony Davis has now missed more than half the season in back-to-back years. Sure, the Lakers were a mess regardless of their stars' health, but going forward, is pursuing fits next to James and Davis even worthwhile if the two won't consistently be on the court?
With just three players under contract (the aforementioned stars, plus Talen Horton-Tucker), the Lakers enter another offseason of a roster overhaul. This time, I'd recommend almost entirely forgetting about James and Davis when building the squad and simply try to assemble units that make sense together.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, could change based on Play-In results), Second-round pick via Boston and Charlotte (if 56-60)
Potential free agents: Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Arcidiacono 
Central question: What's going to happen with the veterans?
The top six moneymakers for the Knicks next season are all 27 or older, and I think many fans would say that out of the group, only Julius Randle should have started &mdash; and he seriously regressed this season. The young Knicks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-young-knicks-playing-chess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearly showed they're ready to take the mantle</a>.
So what happens with Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker? Is Tom Thibodeau prepared to reduce their (their meaning Burks specifically in this case) minutes and usage, will trades be coming, or will Madison Square Garden burn when Immanuel Quickley opens the season by playing 16 minutes off the bench? New York has drafted extremely well in recent seasons, but the ceiling of the young core is capped if these youngsters don't get a chance to prove themselves in meaningful situations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 
Draft assets: First-round pick (12.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via Clippers, First-round pick via Phoenix, Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Derrick Favors (player option), Mike Muscala (team option), Lu Dort (team option), Isaiah Roby (team option), Melvin Frazier (restricted)
Central question: What is the pathway in the frontcourt?
I've stanned Sam Presti's team-building strategy for years now, and I still think it's on track for a serious payoff. Josh Giddey slots in somewhere on your All-Rookie ballot, and draft classmates Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins flashed rotation-caliber play as well. It is simply a joy to watch a random young player have a breakout game on any given night, and OKC has already shown the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early stages of a prominent defense</a>.
Next up: Capitalize on a draft loaded with intruiging frontcourt players. Banchero, Holmgren and Smith are obviously the best of the best. But even if the Thunder slide in the lottery, they could pounce on an athletic shot-blocker like Jalen Duren, or use one of their later picks on a center like Mark Williams. I'm just spit-balling, but the point is that OKC has plenty of chances to find its big-man anchor and further flesh out its core.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Indiana
Potential free agents: Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Bol Bol (restricted), Ignas Brazdeikis (restricted), Admiral Schofield (restricted)
Central question: How do the offensive pieces fit together?
Orlando quietly logged a 17th-ranked defense this season, and an 11th-ranked unit since Feb. 1. A dismal offense ultimately doomed the Magic, who were riddled with inconsistent shotmaking and poor team efficiency marks throughout the half-court. We don't need to sound any player alarms; it takes time for young guards in particular to grasp the responsibilities of running NBA offenses.&nbsp;
But what if I told you Orlando has wielded bottom-10 offensive ratings every season for the last decade?&nbsp;
Change can start in the draft, again with some of the top offensive forward options like Banchero or Smith. Adding another ball-dominant guard in Jaden Ivey might be overkill, but AJ Griffin and Bennedict Mathurin feel like good wing fits at first glance. Spotrac estimates the Magic could have up to $30 million in practical cap space, leaving plenty of room for veteran players to accentuate the young talent.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
THE D IN DREW STANDS FOR DUNK DO NOT GOOGLE THIS <a href="https://t.co/2AojdAskYV">pic.twitter.com/2AojdAskYV</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1508636734900166659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (9.0% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via New Orleans (if 5-14), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Memphis
Potential free agents: Joe Ingles, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore, Anfernee Simons (restricted), CJ Elleby (restricted), Elijah Hughes (restricted), Keljin Blevins (restricted)
Central question: Is Portland actually trying to win "now" or win soon?
Some really great development happened for the Blazers during the "wash" portion of the season in the form of players like Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks. Add them to Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and the incomng draft picks, and Portland suddenly has... kind of a sneaky-deep prospect pool? There's real potential to mold this group into a rotation cast that gives Portland one of its deepest rosters in years.
That's why these <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant trade rumors concern me</a>. Giving up a possible lottery pick to try and piece together a short-term playoff team risks too much and keeps the Trail Blazers in the limbo they have lounged in for several years. Understandably, the franchise wants to build a contender while Damian Lillard is invested and in his prime. With some patience, Portland can without sacrificing sustainibility.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Draft assets: First-round pick (7.5% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick (via Chicago)
Potential free agents: Jeremy Lamb, Josh Jackson, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Neemias Queta (restricted), Trey Lyles (team option)
Central question: How does Sacramento turn into a competitive NBA defense?
The Kings have trotted out lackluster defenses for as long as I can remember. In fact, they haven't ranked above 20th in Defensive Rating since 2005-06 &mdash; notably, the last time they made the playoffs.
And that didn't change under interim head coach Alvin Gentry. (Gentry will not return as head coach next season, but is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-alvin-gentry-no-longer-interim-coach-of-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks for a front-office role</a>, per ESPN.) However, the on-paper roster actually shines some hope. Davion Mitchell made highlight reels out of his "Off-Night" defense. Justin Holiday is a solid individual defender, as is Harrison Barnes, and even De'Aaron Fox has his sporadic moments.&nbsp;
Can Sacramento find a head coach who turns a group of intriguing players with defensive potential into even an average squad? What draft and free agency options exist? Of course, the Kings would like to end their NBA-leading playoff drought. That'll come with changing the culture on defense.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, depends on Play-In results), Second-round pick (via Dallas)
Potential free agents: Bradley Beal (player option), Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Tomas Satoransky, Anthony Gill (restricted), Cassius Winston (restricted)
Central question: What style of guard play is a feasible best fit?
Okay, so obviously the biggest question mark surrounds Bradley Beal's free agency. But from a conceptual standpoint, Washington has tried and failed over the past few seasons to find Beal's best-fitting partner in crime. John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie were each supposed to provide the downhill juice Beal lacks. The Wizards either did this at serious expense of another skill area (Wall, Westbrook), or it just didn't translate their at-rim ability (Dinwiddie). All battled injuries as well.
"I think we need bigger guards," <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-outlines-what-wizards-need-build-contender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said in March</a>. "We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes."
I mean, Beal's needs make total sense. The problem is that every other basketball team on Earth also wants this type of guard.
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Ethan Fuller sets the offseason stage for each team that missed the NBA playoffs.

Summer plans for the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

The 2021-22 NBA season has been the hardest of CJ McCollum&rsquo;s career.
Entering this campaign, he had spent the entirety of his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, making the playoffs every year. Since getting drafted in 2013, he had only ever played for one head coach (Terry Stotts) and one general manager (Neil Olshey).
However, this season would be full of challenging firsts for McCollum.
Over the summer, he experienced his first coaching change, as the Blazers fired Stotts and his staff. Just as McCollum and his teammates were adjusting to new head coach Chauncey Billups, Portland announced that Olshey was under investigation after complaints of bullying, hostility and creating a toxic work environment. Shortly after, Olshey was fired, with Joe Cronin being promoted to interim GM midseason. McCollum was shocked and admitted that the turnover affected him.
&ldquo;This is different than anything I&rsquo;ve ever experienced because of the circumstances,&rdquo; McCollum told <a href="https://theathletic.com/3002581/2021/12/07/inside-the-mind-of-cj-mccollum-a-conversation-and-a-text-message-show-the-blazers-guards-current-struggle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a> in December. &ldquo;This is the first year of my career where we lost our whole coaching staff, brought in a new coach, a new staff, the GM gets fired in the middle of the season... all of that affects you on the court. But there is no excuses. I didn&rsquo;t come here to tell you, &lsquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of sh** going on...&rsquo; but yeah, there is. There&rsquo;s sh** going on every day. And I&rsquo;m a fu**ing human being. But look, at the end of the day, my job is to play basketball. So, I go play basketball.&rdquo;
The day after Olshey was relieved of his duties, McCollum suffered what he thought was a rib injury during the Blazers&rsquo; game against the Boston Celtics. However, a CT scan revealed that he had a collapsed lung, which would ultimately sideline him for six weeks.
Several weeks later, McCollum became a father when his wife, Elise, gave birth to their first child. Jacobi James McCollum was born at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 10, 2022. Becoming a first-time parent is scary enough, but there are additional concerns and stressors when your baby is born during a pandemic.
&ldquo;Try having a kid in the middle of COVID. That sh** ain&rsquo;t normal,&rdquo; McCollum told <a href="https://theathletic.com/3002581/2021/12/07/inside-the-mind-of-cj-mccollum-a-conversation-and-a-text-message-show-the-blazers-guards-current-struggle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a> in December. &ldquo;Now, try having a kid during COVID amid trade rumors in the middle of the season.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CJMcCollum</a> &amp; his wife Elise on the birth of their son, Jacobi James McCollum! 😍 (via 3jmccollum / IG) <a href="https://t.co/GSvzwkY1P6">pic.twitter.com/GSvzwkY1P6</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1482855754243706887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As McCollum mentioned, his name had been surfacing in trade rumors for much of the season. He wasn&rsquo;t a stranger to the rumor mill, but the rumblings had never been quite this intense. And with Portland struggling, a number of Blazers were looking over their shoulders and wondering what moves might be coming as the trade deadline approached.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d be lying if I told you that we don&rsquo;t hear it or that it doesn&rsquo;t affect us at all,&rdquo; Blazers forward Nassir Little <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-nassir-little-on-blazers-struggles-his-development-gm-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> in December. &ldquo;At the end of the day, we&rsquo;re people. I get the excitement of trades and the eagerness to talk about them, but you&rsquo;re talking about people having to move their families and basically break off relationships that they&rsquo;ve built over the course of time and they have to start a whole moving process and adapt to a whole new situation. It&rsquo;s just a lot of things that go into getting traded as a player and those things don&rsquo;t really get taken into account [by fans]... There are a lot of different dynamics that are very taxing on somebody&rsquo;s mental when you get traded.&rdquo;
On Feb. 8, less than one month after his son was born, McCollum was traded for the first time in his NBA career. The Blazers dealt McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell to the New Orleans Pelicans for Josh Hart, Tom&aacute;&scaron; Satoransk&yacute;, Nickeil Walker-Alexander, Didi Louzada, a protected first-round pick and two second-round picks.
In other words, McCollum and his family suddenly had to move across the country. After an athlete gets traded, it&rsquo;s emotional and stressful since you&rsquo;re relocating to a new city on very short notice. Sometimes, players will live in a nearby hotel until they find a place to rent or buy. Going through that adjustment with a newborn is less than ideal.
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After nearly nine years in Portland, McCollum was starting over with a new organization. Fortunately for McCollum, the Blazers&rsquo; front office gave him some say in where he ended up, so he was starting the next chapter of his NBA career in his preferred destination. Why was he drawn to New Orleans?
"It was a combination of things: the culture, the city, the people, the love &mdash; you can feel it, you know what I&rsquo;m saying? I felt it from afar,&rdquo; McCollum said on the <a href="https://youtu.be/AB-4HFR_jrE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knuckleheads Podcast</a>. &ldquo;I love the atmosphere. And if you do what you are supposed to do in a city like this, you will be loved forever. If you embrace them the way they embrace you, you can become legendary. I wanted to be where I was wanted, where I was needed. There's a lot of culture here, a lot of diversity and the food is fire. And they've got a lot of young talent. They&rsquo;ve got a lot of really good basketball players.&rdquo;
McCollum mentioned Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte&rsquo; Graham and Herb Jones specifically, while also shouting out head coach Willie Green, general manager Trajan Langdon and executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin.
&ldquo;There's a lot of talent on this roster, and I think I can get the most not only out of my career, out of my situation, out of my development, but also out of the guys,&rdquo; McCollum added. &ldquo;I know what it takes to be successful consistently. And I can not only tell you about it, but I can show you because I've done it. I think that I'm just what they've needed and they're just what I've needed, especially at this stage in my life. And I think there's no better time for me to [make this move]. I&rsquo;m 30 years old, I've been in the playoffs for eight straight years and I'm trying to make it nine.&rdquo;
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New Orleans is now 32-43, which is the ninth-best record in the Western Conference. Since adding McCollum to their lineup, the Pelicans have the NBA's 10th-best offense (117.4 points per 100 possessions) and 14th-best defense (114.3 Defensive Rating). That is a plus-3.1 efficiency differential, which is eighth-best in the NBA over that span &mdash; ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.
Through 19 games with the Pelicans, McCollum is averaging 25.9 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 50.1% from the field &mdash; all of which would be career-highs. He's also knocking down 2.8 threes per game on 38.4% shooting from beyond the arc.
Also, he&rsquo;s posting a career-best Box Plus/Minus (+5.9), Player Efficiency Rating (23.3), True Shooting percentage (59.0%), assist percentage (33.9%) and total rebound percentage (7.7%). His turnover percentage is just 8.9%, which is one of the lowest marks of his career despite the fact that he has a career-high usage rate of 29.5%.
McCollum&rsquo;s teammates are thrilled to have him in New Orleans and they rave about his impact.
&ldquo;I told CJ that I love him; he makes our job easy,&rdquo; Willy Hernangomez said. &ldquo;He makes everybody&rsquo;s job easy. Everybody pays so much attention to him. We just need to set the screens and play the right way... We&rsquo;re trying to build something different and something special here. Every day, we just try to be 1% better than the day before. It has been amazing having CJ, Tony and Larry. Their experience has been helping us a lot. I think we&rsquo;re going to keep going and getting better. We&rsquo;re having fun, and that&rsquo;s the most important thing.&rdquo;
&ldquo;[We&rsquo;re] definitely locked in. That starts with [CJ] and BI just coming out, being aggressive, being under control,&rdquo; Graham said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re making life easier for everybody.&rdquo;
"CJ is such an impressive human being," Nance <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> earlier this season. "He has his hands in a lot of different things, and he&rsquo;s just such an impressive human that, like, how could you not get along with a guy like that?!"
Ingram and McCollum have only played 11 games together (since Ingram was recently sidelined for three weeks due to a hamstring injury), but they have shown flashes of the dynamic one-two punch that they could become. Across those 11 games, McCollum and Ingram have averaged a combined 48.1 points, 11.9 assists and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 51.6% from the field and 35.6% from three-point range.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very similar in his approach, in the way he watches film, in the way he communicates. He&rsquo;s receptive of information,&rdquo; Ingram said of McCollum. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play here right now.&rdquo;
The Pelicans are getting healthier just in time for the Play-In Tournament. Ingram is back in the lineup and McCollum is healthy after missing a few games due to COVID-19 (which had to be scary with a newborn at home). Also, Nance just made his Pelicans debut last week.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, the Pelicans won&rsquo;t be at full strength until next year, as Williamson has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to his foot injury. In addition, Kira Lewis Jr. is sidelined after tearing his ACL in December.
Still, it's fun to think about how good this squad could be next year if everything comes together.
"I'm excited, man. I'm thankful to be here,&rdquo; McCollum said. &ldquo;I've said it a thousand times, but I like what we're building here, I like the way we're playing, I like the way we're executing, and the sky&rsquo;s the limit for us.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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This has been the craziest season of CJ McCollum's NBA career, but now the 30-year-old is thriving with the New Orleans Pelicans.

CJ McCollum excited for next chapter with Pelicans after chaotic year

Which top rookie in the class of 2021 will end up being the best long-term? Mat Issa breaks down the case for each young stud.

Why they are all special: A guide to the top-five NBA rookies

The NBA offseason is packed with entertaining events. In a matter of three or so months, the league undergoes free agency and trade season &ndash; and that&rsquo;s almost immediately after the Finals and the draft. And while everyone gets to experience all that is great about the NBA in a relatively short amount of time, it makes for a busy and pressure-filled time for NBA front offices &ndash; that can result in miscalculations.
The 2021 offseason had some abnormalities to contend with. The uncertain financial impact of COVID-19 and the free agent signings in the months leading up to free agency resulted in an underwhelming offseason.
Still, free agent signings and trades happened, even if it was on a smaller scale than normal. And what must surely result from NBA transactions? Regrettable transactions.
After seeing more than 40% of the season we can realistically judge the offseason&rsquo;s transactions with a modicum of accuracy. Sure, multi-year deals can&rsquo;t be graded in their entirety after less than half of a season, but slumps rarely persist for almost half a season, too. That leaves us in a gray area of sorts. Still, the impact of adding a player to a team&rsquo;s present and near-future salary cap is very real. So, after observing approximately half of a season, let&rsquo;s identify the worst deals of the 2021 offseason.
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Evan Fournier Sign-and-Trade to the New York Knicks
Entering this season, Fournier was widely seen as an above-average scorer and playmaker. He represented a relatively big upgrade from Reggie Bullock for the Knicks, providing much needed offensive versatility. So, while the pairing felt a bit off (given the Knicks defensive-mindedness), the four-year, $73 million contract seemed like only a minor overpayment.
Fournier kicked off his time as a Knick with a bang, scoring 32 points in an opening night win against the Boston Celtics &ndash; but the honeymoon was short-lived. Through 38 games, Fournier is averaging just 13.5 points with an Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG%) of 52.5%. Comparatively, he averaged 17.1 points in 2020-21 and 18.5 in 2019-19 with eFG% of 56 and 56.5 respectively. He&rsquo;s also shooting a near-career worst 38.1% on threes attempts.
The fact that the Knicks are in such hot water indicates a degree of buyer&rsquo;s remorse. So, while their future is still quite bright thanks to their younger players, their salary cap optimism has probably been muted. The fact that Bullock was lured away by the Dallas Mavericks for a three-year, $30.5 million contract only adds to the team's frustrations. And while that&rsquo;s a hefty contract, too, considering it&rsquo;s netted just 6.0 points per game on 28.7% shooting from deep, it&rsquo;s quite a bit less than the Knicks are paying Fournier. But Bullock aside, the Knicks might wish they could get a redo on this one (although maybe not quite as much, after Thursday night's career-high scoring effort from Fournier).&nbsp;
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Russell Westbrook trade to the Los Angeles Lakers 
Did anyone outside the Lakers&rsquo; front office really think this was a good idea? Westbrook is a dynamic, albeit polarizing, player who&rsquo;s produced some of the most amazing individual seasons we&rsquo;ve ever witnessed. But he was never a fit for the Lakers &ndash; and, namely, not a good fit alongside LeBron James.
On a positive note, Westbrook's contract is up after next season. So, the long-term impact is limited, even if he is still owed more than $90 million between this season and 2022-23.
But there is significant downside, too. Let's start with Westbook's play &ndash; it's not great. Westbrook's scoring (19.5 points per game), assists (8.1) and rebounds (8.1) are all down. So is his PER (15.9), which is the second-worst of his career. His turnovers (4.6) are still up and he's still struggling on threes (30%).&nbsp;
There's also the fact that the Washington Wizards are in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, and their depth has a lot to do with that. Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell are averaging at least 25.4 minutes per game. Harrell is actually posting a career-best 25.1 PER. The Lakers could use that depth. Just look at their top minute getters: James (36.9 per game), Westbrook (35.8) and Anthony Davis (35.4) lead the way. After the Big Three, it gets messy thanks in part to COVID. Talen Horton-Tucker gets 28.2 per game, Carmelo Anthony receives 27.1 and Stanley Johnson &ndash; who was just signed last week &ndash; is averaging 25.2. Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington and Austin Reaves are all averaging more than 20 minutes per game, too. Now imagine if they had a more talented rotation of role players&hellip;
Next, there are the rumors that the Lakers were in advanced talks with the Sacramento Kings about swapping Kuzma for Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield instead. Hield-to-Los Angeles makes so much more sense. He&rsquo;s the type of player who does well in a catch-and-shoot role. Hield is shooting better than 40% on threes across his 424 game career. Plus, the Lakers would have kept Harrell and Pope, meaning that the 15th best long-range shooting team could have added a top shooter (while subtracting a seriously subpar shooter in Westbrook ). Not to mention, they could have hung on to two quality role players.
And finally, there&rsquo;s the reality of James&rsquo; age and career trajectory. James is still playing insanely well, especially for a 37-year-old. But let&rsquo;s be honest, it won&rsquo;t be that way forever. In all likelihood, he will show more signs of aging over the next season or so. Unfortunately, Westbrook being signed through the end of 2022-23 eliminates cap flexibility, meaning that additional help will be hard to find until 2023-24, at which point James will turn 39. That's not a great outcome for a team hoping to win at least one more championship with their current core.
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Duncan Robinson re-signs with the Miami Heat
As the NBA season approaches its midway point, the Heat are pretty much exactly where we thought they would be. They&rsquo;re currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, boasting the seventh-best defensive and offensive ratings. And Kyle Lowry has fit perfectly with Miami&rsquo;s culture. But one thing isn&rsquo;t working, Robinson &ndash; and it&rsquo;s surpassingly due to a lack marksmanship.
Robinson signed his first big deal this past offseason to the tune of five-years and $90 million. And while that&rsquo;s a lot of money, Robison&rsquo;s shooting touch nearly warranted it. He shot 40.8 percent on 8.5 long-range attempts last season and 44.6% on 8.3 attempts per game in 2019-20.
But Robinson has struggled to replicate such performances. He&rsquo;s shooting just 34.6% on threes this season, and he hasn&rsquo;t made up for his slump elsewhere. He's down to 79.3% on free throws after shooting 82.7% last season and 93.1% in 2019-20. And he&rsquo;s connecting on just 52.2% of two-point attempts, after shooting 61.4% last season and 66.7% in 2019-20.
Ultimately, the bounce back performance of Tyler Herro is overshadowing Robinson&rsquo;s poor play, and the law of large numbers will probably win out with Robinson bouncing back at some point. In fact, there is a glimmer of hope in that he shot 37.6% on threes in December, which is less than ideal but better than he did in October and November.
A five-year, $90 million contract sounds like a lot, but to be fair Joe Harris signed a four-year, $75 million deal in late 2020, and Davis Bertans signed for five years and $80 million. Ironically, both players have been mentioned as being available this season, but Robinson signed at the going rate for a great knock-down shooter. If Robinson can get his shot back, this deal becomes infinitely more bearable.
The fact that players are assets is an unfortunate truth of professional sports. Love them or hate them, if players underperform for long enough it will inevitably draw the ire of their teams. What happens from there varies from team to team, but the business of basketball wins out more than not.

Drew Maresca takes a look trades and signings from the 2021 offseason that some teams might rather take back.

2021 Offseason redos: Decisions teams wish they could take back

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kemba Walker couldn&rsquo;t have envisioned this Christmas.
Less than two weeks ago, his coach wouldn&rsquo;t even call his name.
On Saturday, his hometown fans were chanting it.
Walker became the seventh NBA player with a triple-double on Christmas, and the New York Knicks beat the depleted Atlanta Hawks 101-87 for their first win on the holiday in a decade.
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<div class="Component-adTitle-0-2-29">&ldquo;It was amazing,&rdquo; Walker said. &ldquo;Those are moments that you dream about. It&rsquo;s kind of hard to put it into words, to be honest.&rdquo;</div>
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Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks in a matchup of teams that met in the first round of last season&rsquo;s playoffs. But the Hawks were missing Trae Young among nine players in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, so it wasn&rsquo;t much of a rematch of Atlanta&rsquo;s five-game victory.
Walker finished with 10 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot guard raced around the floor trying desperately for his 10th rebound for much of the second half, finally getting it in the fourth quarter when Mitchell Robinson&rsquo;s block came to him.
It was the first triple-double on Christmas since Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green in 2017, continuing Walker&rsquo;s strong stretch since going from a nine-game stint out of the rotation to back in the starting lineup when the Knicks were short-handed.
He said he couldn&rsquo;t have foreseen things turning so quickly.
&ldquo;This is not how we pictured it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t complaining, either.&rdquo;
Fans in the sold-out crowd chanted &ldquo;Kemba Walker! Kemba Walker!&rdquo; for the New York native, who scored 44 points in a loss to Washington on Thursday.
&ldquo;As a teammate, as a brother, I&rsquo;m happy for him that he&rsquo;s able to come out and be who he is,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure when he signed to come here this is kind of what he envisioned, playing the type of basketball that he&rsquo;s playing right now.&rdquo;
Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes each scored 15 points for the Knicks, who snapped a six-game Christmas skid. They are 23-31 in their league-high 54 appearances, but hadn&rsquo;t won one since 2011.
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<div id="div-gpt-ad_site_article_midarticle2" class="DFPSlot Component-ad-0-2-28" data-key="ad-placeholder" data-google-query-id="CMPY4p-JgPUCFcMLiAkdFOQFXA">
<div id="google_ads_iframe_15786418/APNews/site/article/midarticle2_0__container__">John Collins and Delon Wright each scored 20 points for the Hawks, who were playing on Christmas for the first time since 1989. They had their six-game road winning streak snapped.</div>
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Young starred in his first playoff series last spring against New York, ignoring profane taunts by Knicks fans and getting the last word when he bowed to them near the close of Atlanta&rsquo;s clinching Game 5 victory.
But he couldn&rsquo;t clear protocols in time for a coveted spot on the calendar, and playing short-handed caught up with the Hawks. Coach Nate McMillan said some players even asked to be subbed out of the game, which he said never happens.
&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a lack of energy,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;I think our guys are tired. They&rsquo;ve been logging a lot of minutes.&rdquo;
The Knicks made their first seven shots and raced to a 19-3 lead on Randle&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:48 left in the first quarter.
They blew it open in the third quarter, and consecutive 3-pointers by Grimes and Taj Gibson to open the fourth gave New York its biggest lead at 87-66. From there the only drama was whether Walker would get one more rebound.
The Hawks&rsquo; injury report took three tweets from the team&rsquo;s official account to list, and besides Young featured key players such as Kevin Huerter, Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari. Clint Capela returned from protocols and had six points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Knicks are getting healthier. RJ Barrett returned to the starting lineup and Grimes made his first appearance since setting a Knicks rookie record with seven 3-pointers and scoring 27 points against Milwaukee on Dec. 12. He was then placed into protocols and missed the last five games.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Signed guards Anthony &ldquo;Cat&rdquo; Barber and Malik Ellison, both playing this season for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta&rsquo;s NBA G League affiliate, to 10-day contracts. Ellison is the son of former No. 1 draft pick Pervis Ellison.
Knicks: Hall of Famer Bernard King, who set the Christmas record of 60 points playing for the Knicks in 1984, was at the game. ... The Knicks are down to just Nerlens Noel, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims in protocols. Immanuel Quickley and Kevin Knox II have been cleared but need to regain their conditioning before playing.
CHRISTMAS TRIPLE-DOUBLES
Besides Walker and Green, the other players with Christmas triple-doubles are Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Oscar Robertson, Billy Cunningham and John Havlicek. Robertson did it four times.
HOLIDAY HOOPS HISTORY
The Hawks fell to 9-12 on Christmas. They are 2-1 against the Knicks, with both victories coming when they were based in St. Louis.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Chicago on Monday.
Knicks: Visit Minnesota on Tuesday to begin a four-game road trip.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Walker posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the victory.

Kemba Walker’s triple-double leads Knicks over Hawks, 101-87

Following the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; 107-83 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, Anthony Davis didn&rsquo;t mince words when discussing his team&rsquo;s struggles &mdash; particularly in the third quarter (when Los Angeles was outscored 40-12 by Minnesota).
"We sucked," Davis said. "No defense. Can't score. That's not just this third quarter; every third quarter we've played this season, we&rsquo;ve come out slow, lackadaisical offensively and defensively. We got to get it together. Why? I can't tell you. But we gotta do a better job. I mean, we scored 12 points in the third quarter, and they scored 40. That&rsquo;s the game right there."
Davis is right: The Lakers have been outscored in the third quarter in eight of their 13 games (including five times by double digits). On the season, Los Angeles has been beaten 408-321 in third quarters.
&ldquo;Obviously, our effort hasn't been good enough in the third quarter consistently throughout this season," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. "We&rsquo;re talking about it and we&rsquo;re challenging our guys to be better. We were getting beat to loose balls, we weren&rsquo;t keeping our man in front of us, we weren&rsquo;t taking pride in protecting the rim, and I think we lost four or five loose balls consecutively. We gotta be better with that.&rdquo;
Davis said that this defeat felt very similar to the Lakers' loss against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 6, since the team played with barely any effort or energy in both contests.
&ldquo;We gotta decide who we want to be. A championship team? That's not us right now,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;We're not winning a championship the way we're playing. We have to be better, and we have to care more for our wins at home and our wins in general. That was embarrassing. To be up five at the half&hellip; obviously, this team shoots a lot of threes and they have guys who can score the basketball, but there was just no effort in the third quarter.&rdquo;
&ldquo;No sense of urgency,&rdquo; Wayne Ellington said. &ldquo;We come out slow, trying to get into the game instead of coming out at full speed. It's been a struggle for us and something that we gotta be better at. Tonight, there was no excuse. We were all disappointed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Sometimes, we come out and are fine; sometimes, we don't,&rdquo; Russell Westbrook added. &ldquo;The inconsistency is a problem.&rdquo;
The Lakers are now 7-6, which puts them in the Western Conference's seventh seed (and 4.5 games back from the first-place Golden State Warriors). 
Los Angeles currently has the NBA's 23rd-ranked offense (scoring 102.7 points per 100 possessions) and 14th-ranked defense (allowing104.4 points per 100 possessions).
&ldquo;What we can't do is point the finger [like], 'It was you! It was you! This play was you!' We have to stay together,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;And we stay together, but we also got to learn from the film. Film tomorrow is going to be big for us, to have another heart-to-heart about these types of games. We hate feeling this way. Obviously, we're going to lose games; everyone loses games. But [it's about] doing it the right way, having a team actually beat us and not beating ourselves. Those are the frustrating ones, when we beat ourselves&hellip; We hate losing games like that. But we have to learn from it and, most importantly, we have to stay together.&rdquo;
While the Lakers were missing LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and Austin Reaves on Friday night, Davis and his teammates felt that they still should&rsquo;ve won this game.
&ldquo;It's still fairly early &mdash; it's only game 13 &mdash; and we still don't have all of our guys back. But we have enough guys to win basketball games and we gotta continue to do what we do and play Lakers basketball,&rdquo; Davis explained. &ldquo;Some games we see it, some games we don&rsquo;t. We&rsquo;ll see it for a half, but the other half we don&rsquo;t&hellip; We gotta put together a stretch of games where we&rsquo;re playing our style of basketball for 48 minutes and live with that result.&rdquo;
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no excuse for us to come in and have a performance like we did tonight,&rdquo; Ellington added. &ldquo;That team is not better than us.&rdquo;
While the team is frustrated about these recent struggles, it&rsquo;s important to realize that the Lakers are going through an adjustment period after bringing in so many new players. Only three players returned from last year&rsquo;s squad: James, Davis and Horton-Tucker. They&rsquo;ve added 14 new players and while some are familiar faces &mdash; like Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, who were on the team as recently as the 2019-20 championship season &mdash; it&rsquo;s taking time for this group to get on the same page.
&ldquo;We know that we&rsquo;re a good team," Davis said. "You think about the long-term and that big-picture goal, but we want to win now. And it just sucks because we don't know our full team, our full capability of what guys can bring to the team. But when we get everybody back, we know that we'll be a great team. But we still gotta do what we do, no matter who's on the floor. We still have to follow our principles on both ends of the floor.&rdquo;
"It's all new, man," Ellington explained. "We're all getting adjusted and we're all still learning each other. Obviously, we want to win games while we learn each other, but [it&rsquo;s tough]... Guys have been in and out and we really haven&rsquo;t had a steady lineup yet this season, and we understand that. We see the big picture. But at the same time, we feel like we could be jelling a bit better. But we also understand that it takes time and that this is a marathon. We have a veteran team [with] guys who have played a lot of games in this league, and nobody is ready to go crazy&hellip; It's a process, man. We're all learning each other and it takes time; it don't happen overnight... But I feel like it&rsquo;s going to start coming together, for sure.&rdquo;
The Lakers will look to bounce back on Sunday afternoon as they host the San Antonio Spurs, followed by a date with the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.&nbsp;

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Nekias Duncan previews the Pacific Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Pacific Divison

NBA teams can typically anticipate where most of their production will come from and, barring injury, most are usually correct. But sometimes, players surprise us, taking a leap that suddenly changes their career trajectory. Sometimes, it&rsquo;s a relatively unknown veteran who establishes himself as a dependable role player. Other times, role players or young prospects grow into stars.
No matter the cause, breakout seasons are fun. They keep us on our toes and lead us to question how we assess talent. As is the case every season, there will inevitably be breakout players in 2021-22 &ndash; but who? Let&rsquo;s look around the Association to identify&nbsp; the five most likely candidates to have breakout seasons, ranked in order of likelihood.
ODDS: VERY LIKELY
OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors, 24: As was alluded to above, there are different types of breakout campaigns. Some guys make a name for themselves, while others escalate their existing profile. Anunoby is absolutely a case of the latter. He seized the opportunity created when Kawhi Leonard left for Los Angeles in 2019, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game in 2019-20. Anunoby made another relatively big jump last year, averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in his fourth NBA season. He&rsquo;s gone from an average, low-volume three-point shooter to a moderate-volume, above-average shooter, connecting on 39.8% of his deep attempts last season. His ball-handling is also worlds better than it was when he first came in the league, and so is his defense.
Still, there&rsquo;s a case to be made that Anunoby is not done demonstrating growth. Anunoby came on strong toward the end of last season, averaging 18.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 33 minutes per game across his final 20 contests, while scoring 20 or more in six of his final seven. If he continues performing like that, he will be in the All-Star conversation. And there&rsquo;s no reason to think he won&rsquo;t take <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-is-poised-to-break-out-next-season">the next step in his development</a>. staff&nbsp; Anunoby doesn&rsquo;t turn 25 until July and while he&rsquo;s been given a little more opportunity with each professional season, the departure of Kyle Lowry, the first full season without Normal Powell and the fact that Pascal Siakam will miss the first month or so of the season should result in even more production. So, get ready for your close up, Mr. Anunoby.&nbsp;
Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets, 21: Porter, like Anunoby, already took a relatively big step between his rookie and sophomore seasons. The former USC Trojan averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 assists per game last year, his first with the Rockets. He even put the league on notice with a 50-point outing. But Porter hasn&rsquo;t been nearly efficient enough to warrant mass praise&hellip; yet. Porter shot just 31.1% on three-point attempts, posting a 49.3 effective field goal percentage last season. He&rsquo;ll look to improve on his sub-par defensive numbers too; ESPN&rsquo;s defensive RPM stat ranked him last in the entire NBA.
But Porter is entering his third season &ndash; one that talent evaluators widely agree is a make-or-break season for young pros &ndash; with a lot of momentum. He was always seen as a top-tier talent, league executives just weren&rsquo;t sure if he was mature enough to handle the NBA. The guard, who was once traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers for nothing more than a heavily protected second-round pick, could make a lot of teams regret not selecting or trading for him. And that could happen as soon as this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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ODDS: LESS LIKELY, BUT STILL A GOOD BET
Devonte&rsquo; Graham, New Orleans Pelicans, 26: Graham already had a breakout year, but he can really make a name for himself this season. Graham was in an interesting situation in Charlotte, where he was obviously the odd man out. But even before the arrival of LaMelo Ball, it wasn&rsquo;t an ideal situation for Graham. Sans Ball and Gordon Hayward, the Hornets just weren&rsquo;t talented enough for Graham to prosper and starting alongside Terry Rozier meant one of the two undersized guards would have to guard a shooting guard.&nbsp;
New Orleans offers Graham a far better situation to flourish. Less will be asked of him and he&rsquo;ll play alongside a more balanced lineup with Nickeil Alexander-Walker (who is a true shooting guard), Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas &ndash; and this is the most talented roster he&rsquo;s been on. Graham will be able to take what the defense gives him without having to force production, and he&rsquo;ll be able to play freely without looking over his shoulder, which was probably an issue to some degree last season. While nothing is guaranteed, I believe in the Pelicans roster this season, and believe that Graham will look even in New Orleans.&nbsp;
ODDS: LONG SHOTS
Malik Monk, Los Angeles Lakers, 23: Monk has had a disappointing start to his career since being selected No. 11 overall pick in 2017. He was never an ideal fit in Charlotte, and he didn&rsquo;t really begin carving out a role for himself until last season (his fourth in the league). If you look closely, though, Monk did begin to realize some of his potential last season. Specifically, he averaged 14.6 points in 23.5 minutes per game on 47/42/83 shooting splits between January 27 and March 26, notably torching the Miami Heat for 36 points on February 2 and again for 32 points on March 26.
Monk will play a very different role for the Lakers, playing alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers will get Monk far more easy looks and while he&rsquo;ll battle for minutes with Wayne Ellington, Kendrick Nunn and Talen-Horton Tucker, his shot-making ability should be a differentiator. Considering Monk has only received an average of 17.8 minutes per game across four seasons, he already understands how to impact a game in a limited role. He should be able to thrive as an under-the-radar option and get his career back on track.
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Obi Toppin, New York Knicks, 23: Toppin is shooting at an entirely different basket than any of the aforementioned players, figuratively speaking. Toppin enters his second NBA season as an older-than-normal sophomore, and his rookie season was certainly less successful than he would have liked. But it wasn&rsquo;t all his fault. Head coach Tom Thibodeau loves veterans and he was slotted behind breakout star Julius Randle. What&rsquo;s more, Toppin couldn&rsquo;t play in Summer League last season because there wasn&rsquo;t a Summer League thanks to the pandemic, and he was slowed down by a calf injury suffered in the very first game of the season.&nbsp;
Last season, Toppin looked lost at times. But this summer, he proved that he is a different player when healthy and confident. Toppin dominated in Summer League, averaging 21.0 points and 8.3 rebounds with 45/34/89 shooting splits. Granted, the competition is less accomplished than what it will be night-in and night-out in the regular season (and the playoffs), but Toppin demonstrated all the skills that led to the Knicks selecting him eighth overall in 2020. He certainly won&rsquo;t enter the All-Star discussion this season, but he is primed to take a profound step forward &ndash; even if it&rsquo;s in a reserve role. And as much as the third season is the one that front offices look to for evidence of growth and star potential, most players build off momentum from their sophomore seasons &ndash; and Toppin should be in a prime position to have a strong second year.&nbsp;
Predicting breakout players is never easy, but Anunoby, Porter Jr., Graham, Monk and Toppin seem like solid bets.

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Showtime is back.
The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to become a top-notch squad in 2021-22 behind their star trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Hollywood&rsquo;s Big Three is going to make some massive waves, and their on-court chemistry will be the main storyline to follow with the Lakers.
Although LeBron is entering his age-37 season, he&rsquo;s showing no signs of slowing down. Averaging 25.0 points, 7.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds last season, James should have an even more efficient campaign with Westbrook taking some of the creation burden off his shoulders. If everything clicks into place, with Westbrook and James completely buying in as running mates, there&rsquo;s real sleeper upside for The King to be in the MVP discussion. The Lakers are prime candidates for a massive bounce back to the top of the Western Conference standings, and James will be a key figure in that equation.
Basketball News&rsquo; own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-russell-westbrooks-fit-with-the-los-angeles-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan dissected Westbrook&rsquo;s looming fit</a> in the purple and gold earlier this offseason, and he showcases exactly why the potential is so high for Brodie to thrive. Playing alongside James and Davis, Westbrook will slide into a role where he doesn&rsquo;t have to do everything on the court to make winning happen. The triple-doubles will still fly in at warp speed, but he doesn&rsquo;t need to do so at an inefficient clip.
Westbrook will be able to slide on and off-ball, where he should produce as a cutter and one-on-one scorer near the basket. Westbrook&rsquo;s bounce is nowhere close to dropping off, so he&rsquo;s positioned to really up his own value with complete buy-in to the fit alongside James and Davis.
Imagine the possibilities for the Lakers with Westbrook bringing the ball up the court while LeBron and AD are running at full speed in transition. It&rsquo;s an unstoppable proposition, one that will surely vault the Lakers&rsquo; overall tempo. Last season with the Washington Wizards, Westbrook helped boost them to No. 2 in transition frequency at 18.2%. Meanwhile, the Lakers checked in right in the middle of the pack at No. 14 overall with 15.4% of their possessions involving transition opportunities.
Although the frequency difference was notable, Washington and Los Angeles both scored 1.14 points per transition possession. Westbrook loves to put his foot on the gas pedal, and it should lead to the Lakers utilizing this weapon more than ever before.
Davis is still the 1B to LeBron&rsquo;s 1A, but he&rsquo;s the fulcrum to the whole operation. As the Lakers&rsquo; anchor on defense, plus an ever-improving scorer, Davis&rsquo; equity is immense. If Los Angeles deploys more lineups where Davis is at the five-spot, where he&rsquo;s been reluctant to play throughout his career, it opens Pandora&rsquo;s box for their two-way dominance.
It remains to be seen if that happens after bringing aboard Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, but it&rsquo;s a thought that needs to become reality soon enough for the Lakers. Davis reportedly told James and Westbrook he would embrace playing center more often, and it&rsquo;s a real asset to allow more spacing around the trio&rsquo;s lack of perimeter shooting. Davis&rsquo; speed for a big coupled with his athleticism makes him a modern-day force at the five.
For the Lakers to really take the necessary steps forward and become one of the NBA&rsquo;s elite teams in 2021-22, the Big Three needed to be surrounded by above-average-to-elite three-point shooters. Well, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka certainly made that his top priority following the Westbrook blockbuster move on draft night.
All of the following players shot above 40% from downtown last season, and will now play integral roles in Los Angeles&rsquo; rotation: Wayne Ellington (42.2%), Carmelo Anthony (40.9%), Kent Bazemore (40.8%), Malik Monk (40.1%). All four of these players will see minutes alongside James, Davis and Westbrook to allow them to wreck havoc around the rim.
Los Angeles has the oldest roster in the Association, but one that actually fits very well around one another. Although L.A. appears to be banking on LeBron and AD to be potential Defensive Player of the Year candidates, given the lack of versatility surrounding them on that end of the court, the offense should produce fireworks consistently. Let&rsquo;s take a look at the Lakers&rsquo; 2021-22 roster, one that looks to be well-constructed to make their Big Three&nbsp; flourish:
Starters: Russell Westbrook, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
Bench: Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol
Penciling Ellington and Bazemore into the starting lineup is a projection on my end to best help out the floor-spacing potential around LeBron, AD and Brodie. With so much depth at the guard and wing spots, many of these players will see significant run throughout the season next to the stars.
Where exactly does Los Angeles stack up in the West? Honestly, right near the top. They Lakers are in the top tier of a loaded West, alongside the defending conference champion Phoenix Suns and No. 1 seed Utah Jazz.
If everything clicks immediately for Westbrook within the Lakers&rsquo; system, there&rsquo;s a real opportunity for the Lakers to take back the top spot once the playoffs arrive. Maxmizing the window for LeBron in his late 30s is exactly what the Lakers are doing. The addition of Westbrook not only raises their floor, but the ceiling over the next two years is through the roof.
If the best-case scenario happens for Los Angeles, we're potentially talking about back-to-back Finals appearances. That's certainly on the table, especially if Westbrook blossoms in his new role alongside LeBron and AD.
Everything is in place for the Lakers to make another run to a Finals. With LeBron showing no signs of slowing down, Davis still coming into his own entering his true prime years, plus Westbrook hitting the ground running as a complimentary teammate to open up the offense, Los Angeles has all the ingredients in place to have a special 2021-22 campaign. Now, all that needs to be done is to bake it all in the oven for perfect results throughout a rigorous 82-game regular season schedule.

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There have been plenty of fireworks during the 2021 offseason. From blockbuster trades to notable free agents changing teams, the 30 teams around the Association have given us plenty to talk about.
Recently, our staff discussed <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this summer's most underrated moves</a>. Today, we asked our writers:
Which NBA team had the best offseason?
Nekias Duncan: They&rsquo;re another minor move away from rounding out the roster, but I think the Heat were pretty big winners. Being able to snag Kyle Lowry without giving up a pick or their best prospect is a win. Adding frontcourt depth, young (Omer Yurtseven) and old (P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris) was smart. Bringing back Victor Oladipo on the minimum is the kind of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low-risk, moderately-high-reward move</a> that could swing some games in the second half of the season.
Alex Kennedy: After being super aggressive at last year's trade deadline, Nikola Vucevic <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bulls-nikola-vucevic-qa-were-built-to-be-successful-for-years-to-come" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that the Chicago Bulls "sent a strong message to the rest of the league that they really want to win now." This offseason, they doubled down and were even more active &mdash; adding <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-chicago-bulls-form-a-perfect-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lonzo Ball</a>, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ayo-dosunmu-ready-to-seize-the-moment-as-he-becomes-complete-player-nba-draft-prospects-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayo Dosunmu</a> to their core of Vucevic, Zach LaVine, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Williams</a>, Coby White and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-freeagency-destinations-for-lauri-markkanen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauri Markkanen (RFA)</a>. Prior to the Vucevic trade, there was a month-long stretch where LaVine was averaging nearly 33.0 points. While it was incredible to watch LaVine put the team on his back, it was clear that he needed help. Now, just five months later, the roster looks completely different and the supporting cast is significantly better. This is the most talent that LaVine and Vucevic have ever had around them, and Chicago seems like a lock to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 (and perhaps win a series for the first time since 2014-15). Last year, LaVine <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2020/04/28/nba-zach-lavine-chicago-bulls-michael-jordan-the-last-dance-season-workout-staying-shape-paul-seattle-arturas-karnisovas-marc-eversley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that he's "extremely hungry" to make his postseason debut and now it's absolutely within reach. (Also, getting Derrick Jones Jr., a lottery protected first-rounder and a future second-rounder back in the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade is a win.)
Jackson Frank: The Heat acquiring Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker, while retaining Victor Oladipo, give them the nod in my eyes. They went from a first-round out to a team that could make a deep playoff run. Lowry is a fringe All-Star and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offers significant offensive versatility</a> that should help reignite a stagnant attack. Tucker, although circumstantial defensively and rather limited offensively, remains a useful rotational big who helps maintain Miami&rsquo;s defensive ethos. Oladipo&rsquo;s offense is highly dependent on his jumper these days, but the defense was quite good last season and he clearly seems to want to be in Miami. Health is a looming question mark, but he can help them when out there.
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Jesse Blancarte: The Los Angeles Lakers entered the offseason with Dennis Schroder hoping to leverage the team&rsquo;s limited cap flexibility into a $100 million contract. The Lakers passed on Schroder, opting to trade for Russell Westbrook, re-sign Talen Horton-Tucker and fill out the roster with solid veterans on minimum deals (including Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington). The Lakers even snagged a few talented, younger players with upside in Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn. L.A. loses some points for reportedly not doing much to re-sign Alex Caruso, but the team added significant depth. Age will be an issue for this roster, but the talent and depth are there for another championship run.
Spencer Davies: This may be an unpopular opinion since all of their additions came via trades, but the Washington Wizards intrigue me as a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. Spearheaded by the acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie &mdash; who should fit like a glove next to Bradley Beal and take some of the playmaking load off the three-time All-Star &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wizards-retooling-led-to-a-competent-roster-surrounding-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the team has retooled well</a>. Something tells me that Kyle Kuzma will be able to breathe a little easier in D.C., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is easily the best sniper with defensive upside that Washington has thrown out there in years. Montrezl Harrell is going to be highly motivated after being dealt away, and perhaps he can develop a rapport with Aaron Holiday as a part of an energetic second unit. Let&rsquo;s not forget that Deni Avdija and Thomas Bryant will return at some point from their injuries too. Throw in a growing Rui Hachimura and Daniel Gafford &mdash; plus a new head coach in Wes Unseld Jr. &mdash; and the Wizards have some real firepower and could make a solid push.
Imman Adan: It&rsquo;s definitely the Nets; they managed to get better despite already being the favorites. However, I&rsquo;m going with the Miami Heat because they got their guy &mdash; Kyle Lowry &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t have to give up very much to get him. They also managed to pick up P.J. Tucker and, if he has anything left in the tank, he can help fill the void Jae Crowder left.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Evan Sidery: Although it remains to be seen how exactly all the new parts fit together, credit to the Chicago Bulls for finally going for it. Lonzo Ball is a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-chicago-bulls-form-a-perfect-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perfect backcourt complement</a> for Zach LaVine, while DeMar DeRozan provides a legit scoring punch as well. If 2020 No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams takes a leap &mdash; and Summer League is showing that&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a strong possibility</a> &mdash; Chicago looks the part of a top-six team in the Eastern Conference. Ever since Derrick Rose&rsquo;s prime, Chicago has been yearning for a competitive team. In 2021-22, they have an opportunity to make noise.
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Ethan Fuller: The Miami Heat reeled in the biggest available free-agent name in Kyle Lowry without giving up a treasure trove of talent. Sure, Precious Achiuwa is a tough loss for an aging team, but Lowry is a clear upgrade over Goran Dragic in the short-term. The Heat also signed two underrated additions in P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris without losing rotation players of consequence. Miami is older, more expensive and potentially injury-prone, but the squad is also more talented and more potent as a defensive unit.
Drew Maresca: Shockingly, the Washington Wizards. Most importantly, they got out from under Russell Westbrook&rsquo;s contract, swapping Westbrook for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell. They also added Spencer Dinwiddie, who better complements Bradley Beal than Westbrook did &mdash; a hugely important aspect of his addition. If Dinwiddie bounces back to his old self, the Wizards will compete for a playoff spot in a newly competitive Eastern Conference &mdash; and that might enough to convince Beal to extend.
Chris Sheridan: It is a close call between the Nets, Heat and Lakers... so close that I am going to make it a three-way- tie. I absolutely love Brooklyn's acquisition of Patty Mills. He is a fourth star, if you ask any Australian. They needed a second perimeter defender aside from Bruce Brown, whom they were lucky to keep, and they needed someone off the bench to replace Jeff Green. Miami got Kyle Lowry, which is HUGE, along with Markieff Morris on a one-year deal, which should incentivize him to play to his full potential. Also, they got P.J. Tucker, which I feel is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the offseason's most underrated move</a>. For the Lakers, acquiring Russell Westbrook may go down in history as the biggest and best move they could have ever made to facilitate another championship run with LeBron James. He is a vast upgrade over Dennis Schroder, who ended up being too greedy for his wallet's own good. The other role players the Lakers added seem to fit nicely, especially Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington for perimeter shooting and Dwight Howard for messing with the minds of opposing centers. They will miss Alex Caruso's defense (and it remains to be seen who can provide that), but they had an impressive offseason.
Jannelle Moore: The Lakers had the best offseason because they knew they didn&rsquo;t have much salary-cap space, but they got creative and still managed to land a star in Russell Westbrook. Many people doubted whether the Lakers could make a splashy move, but they managed to pull off a blockbuster trade with the Wizards. Carmelo Anthony and the role players they brought in were great additions as well.

Which team is the big winner of the 2021 NBA offseason? Our writers share their thoughts.

Roundtable: Which NBA team had the best offseason?

Russell Westbrook is a Los Angeles Laker.
We got draft night magic on Thursday, with the Washington Wizards sending Westbrook and two second-rounders (2024, 2028) to the Lakers for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and the 22nd pick of this year's draft (Isaiah Jackson). Jackson was later traded to the Indiana Pacers for Aaron Holiday and the 31st pick of the draft (Isaiah Todd).
But enough pick minutiae: Westbrook is slated to share the floor with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers entered the offseason looking to revise the roster, and kicked things off with one heck of a splash. Adding that level of star power without giving up a premier asset -- Kuzma is fine, but far from a blue-chipper -- is always a win on the surface.
But basketball teams aren't built on the surface, nor can they really be evaluated on paper.
Westbrook is, and has been for quite a while, a polarizing player in the league. If there's a list of surefire Hall-of-Famers that have been more heavily scrutinized than him -- including by your's truly -- then there's no way it's longer than, like, three people.
The early takes on the Westbrook-to-LA deal have been on opposite ends of the spectrum. It's either #GameOver for the rest of the league, with Westbrook expected to thrash teams as a theoretical third option; or, this is shaping up to be a utter disaster due to spacing and decision-making concerns.
Like most things in life, the truth is somewhere in the middle. There's reason to be excited for Westbrook's addition to this roster; concerns about the fit are also valid. Let's take a look at the specifics of what he brings to -- and takes off -- the table for the Lakers.
WHAT HE BRINGS
The Lakers' formula in the LeBron-Brow era has been simple: we will outsize you, rebound every miss, bludgeon you at the rim, and crowd the paint on the other end. On the surface, Westbrook fits the mantra.
He's a powerful (and explosive) 6-foot-3 at the 1, allowing him to generate advantages practically on a whim. The rim prowess remains, even at this stage of his career. He's averaged north of seven rim attempts per game in six-of-the-past-seven seasons; that number dropped to 5.0 last season, though that comes with the context of him working through a quad injury for a large chunk of the season.
At his best, Westbrook can still get downhill. He can come off a ball screen and kick things into high gear; he can clear a side after forcing a switch and get to the cup. He adds occasional value as a post-up threat against smaller defenders. In transition, Westbrook can push after outlet passes, or grab-and-go himself.&nbsp;
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For a Lakers team that struggled in the half-court last season -- they ranked 23rd in efficiency, per Cleaning The Glass -- one way to mitigate those concerns is to play a little faster. Westbrook's ability to generate early offense by his lonesome could be an asset.
He isn't just a threat to score, either. He's one of the league's most prolific playmakers, a skill accentuated by the attention he draws as a driver. There isn't a pass in the book that Westbrook can't make, though he's much more comfortable as an interior passer than a kickout artist. Get him downhill, and he'll feed bigs with an assortment of lobs, wrap-arounds, and traditional dump-offs.
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Westbrook should slot in nicely as an early offense playmaker. Early drag screens with Davis (or LeBron, for that matter) should be fruitful. There are plenty of transition hit-aheads in Westbrook's film, which should vibe with Davis' ability to run after misses and seal his defender early. If Westbrook could get Rui Hachimura and Daniel Gafford early buckets, LeBron and Davis will absolutely get some freebies.
Westbrook also adds juice as a live-dribble passer. The amount of velocity he places on his dimes unlock windows that aren't available to everyone. Placement can be an issue at times -- he'll go high when he isn't completely under control -- but he should help the Lakers generate more corner threes than they <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shooting/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;sort=Corner%203%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did last season</a> (8.1, 17th). In fact, Westbrook ranked fourth in <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/nba/player?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">corner-three assists</a> (77) this season despite the injury woes and missed games.
But everything starts with the rim pressure with Westbrook. That's the primary appeal, and where the fit alongside LeBron makes sense. While LeBron is a top-three player in the league at worst, we've approached the point where he isn't a blow-by-literally-anyone guy anymore. At the very least, it's not fair to expect that from him on a game-by-game, possession-by-possession basis.
It's why the initial addition of Dennis Schroder was key for the Lakers; he was a guy who could get to the rack and take some of the on-ball burden off of LeBron. Replacing Schroder with Westbrook is a sizeable upgrade, even if there are shooting concerns present (more on that later).
Beyond that, the <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612747&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=2544&amp;OnlyCommonGames=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">non-LeBron minutes</a> were a bit of a mess last season. Injuries played a part in that, but even the good-and-healthy version of Schroder isn't quite offense-onto-his-own good. Westbrook is a lot closer to that status. Combine his singular talent with the shooters the Lakers have added thus far in free agency, and it's easy to see a pathway to Westbrook-led second units having success.
REASONS FOR CONCERN
Even with some workarounds, it's still hard to look past the shooting.&nbsp;
When factoring in volume, Westbrook is one of the worst three-point shooters the NBA has seen at the guard position. In a league that has become so dependent on shot creation -- and specifically, pull-up shooting -- it's fair to question what may happen to Westbrook's effectiveness once playoff time comes around.
The mid-range shooting isn't great, either. He <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;sort=Mid-Range%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led the NBA</a> in attempts (6.1) last season, and only hit those at a 38.1% clip. Westbrook has knocked down 40.7%, 31.8%, 39.8% and 36.3% of his mid-range shots in the four seasons prior to this one, while ranking no lower than sixth in volume.&nbsp;
That, uh, isn't great.
It's one thing to be a poor shooter, with teams ducking under picks and hitting you with soft closeouts on the perimeter. It's another thing entirely for teams to practically ignore you from outside the arc. There are only so many empty-corner looks, dunker-spot relocations, and slot cuts you can muster to make that work.&nbsp;
The Lakers have done their part to add shooting -- Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony just to name a few -- but none of those guys should be considered good defenders. Striking the shooting/defense balance around Westbrook will be key to the Lakers' postseason success.
(I should add: Monk quietly made strides defensively last season in Charlotte, but you get my overall point.)&nbsp;
Speaking of defense, Westbrook is a mixed bag -- and has been for quite some time. When locked in, he can be a legitimate positive. He possesses the lateral quickness to mirror guards, and the strength to absorb blows from all but the elite power wings in the sport. He can&nbsp;get in a stance, cut off drives, then finish possessions strong with a healthy contest.
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He just hasn't been able to consistently put those possessions together. Some of it is injury. Some of it is role -- it's hard to be a lockdown guy with a ton of offensive responsibility. But a lot of it is Westbrook.
Screen navigation is a problem for him. The angles he takes when defending ball screens can be described as adventurous; even when taking solid angles, he often fails to stay connected to the ball-handler.&nbsp;
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Off the ball, Westbrook can be a demon in the passing lanes. He attacks the ball with the same fervor that he attacks the rim. Errant passes can and will be picked off. And when engaged, he can occasionally provide value as a dig-and-recover guy (his hands are quick and&nbsp;strong, leading to strips) or a rim protector.
But Westbrook often gets caught ball-watching. Being an event creator on defense is nice, but not if it's offset by losing cutters and relocating shooters.
The Lakers are making a couple of bets with Westbrook here. They're hoping that with less of an offensive burden, Westbrook will be able to put more positive plays together at the point of attack. With Schroder and Alex Caruso gone, he will have to fill that void.
On the flip side, the Lakers are trusting their backline. In the event that Westbrook proves not to be up to task, having LeBron and Davis -- two of the best off-ball defenders in the sport -- should be quite the insurance policy.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>There will be some staggering at play with this sort of Big Three. All need their touches in different areas, so it'll be on Frank Vogel to shape the rotation in a way that maximizes everyone. One thing I would expect, however, is a lot of Westbrook-Davis minutes. Davis will need an on-ball creator to help him, and Westbrook will need that kind of security blanket on the other end.</li>
<li>The Lakers slipped from sixth to ninth in defensive-rebounding rate last season; let's just say Westbrook should help with that.</li>
<li>I'm interested to see what inverted ball screens with LeBron and Westbrook will look like. Do you trap those and give Westbrook some of the 4-on-3s he saw in the second half of his Houston stint? Space the floor right, and you may have a money combo to work with late in games. Add in Davis chilling in the dunker spot and... whew.</li>
<li>While I'm on the Westbrook-as-screener kick, the Lakers' Elbow action with LeBron at the elbow, and Westbrook screening for Davis cutting from the corner should be something they experiment with. If you aren't familiar, it's the play they ran for Davis to get him a go-ahead bucket against the Sixers before Tobias Harris hit the actual game-winner.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Laker fans, LeBron fans, and Westbrook fans under the same roof should make for an entertaining Twitter experience. And by entertaining, I mean absolutely awful.</li>
</ul>

Nekias Duncan digs into Russell Westbrook's fit with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Examining Russell Westbrook's fit with the Los Angeles Lakers

Backyard-style 3-on-3 hoops is making its debut as an Olympic sport this summer. But you won't see a Team USA men's team in Tokyo.
Team USA failed to qualify for men's 3-on-3 basketball after floundering in qualifying games. Back in May, the group was ranked second in the world, but stumbled in the qualifying tournament and <a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/31537772/team-usa-falls-netherlands-quarters-fails-qualify-olympics-3x3-hoops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ultimately lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.</a>
The roster did not feature a single active NBA player.
Robbie Hummel, a college standout for Purdue who suited up for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2014-16, and Dominique Jones, who played for the Dallas Mavericks from 2010-2013, were the only players with NBA experience on the team. The other two members had played overseas: Joey King, who played collegiately at Minnesota, and Kareem Maddox, who played four years at Princeton. (Maddox quit his job <a href="https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/listen-podcast-kareem-maddox-basketball-3x3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as a podcast producer</a> to chase his dream of winning a gold medal).
While the men's squad won't be competing in Tokyo, the women's squad is off to an impressive start. Team USA rolled through France (17-10) and Mongolia (21-9) on Saturday to <a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/31876615/us-women-knock-top-ranked-france-3x3-olympic-basketball-debut-go-2-0-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open pool play 2-0</a>, then kept up the momentum Sunday with victories over Romania (22-11) and the Russian Olympic Committee (20-16).
The group features four WNBA talents in Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces, as well as Chicago Sky center Stefanie Dolson and Dallas Wings guard Allisha Gray.

The men failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after falling in May.

Why you won't see Team USA in men's 3-on-3 basketball at the Olympics

With each rebound that Enes Kanter added to his new Portland record, his teammates on the bench wildly cheered.
Kanter had 24 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds, and the Blazers beat the Detroit Pistons 118-103 on Saturday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Enes Kanter recorded the third 20+ point/30+ rebound game in the last 20 years last night! 👏 24 PTS - 30 REB - 2 BLK - 68 FPTS<a href="https://t.co/kruaM8P79y">pic.twitter.com/kruaM8P79y</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1381260755115286534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Kanter bested Sidney Wicks' Portland record of 27 rebounds set in 1975. Kanter also surpassed his own career-high of 26 set while with the Knicks in 2018.
The raucous sideline cheers were a fitting tribute to Kanter, who has served as both a backup and a starter this season as needed.
&ldquo;I was so happy when I looked at the bench and everybody was up, everybody was cheering, everybody was smiling, everybody was supporting their teammates. That's what we're all about," Kanter said. "That's what Blazers basketball is all about, just supporting each other.&rdquo;
Damian Lillard had 27 points and 10 assists and CJ McCollum added 26 points for the Blazers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Josh Jackson had 21 points for the Pistons, who trailed by as many as 24 points. Frank Jackson finished with 17 points
Center Jusuf Nurkic was not available for the Blazers because it was the first of a back-to-back. The starting center had knee swelling that kept him out of a game earlier this week against the Clippers.
Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the game that Nurkic would be available for Sunday night's game at home against Miami. Kanter started in Nurkic's place.
&ldquo;When you look at the effort that it takes to rebound, the persistence at both ends, the beating that you have to take, all of those things are tough to do,&rdquo; Stotts said. &ldquo;And the fact that Enes is such a great guy &mdash; you can tell by the benches' reaction, how happy the team was for him &mdash; but to get a rebound record speaks a lot about the person's will and drive.&rdquo;
Nurkic gave a shoutout to Kanter on Twitter following the game: <a href="https://twitter.com/bosnianbeast27/status/1381101201639436291"> &ldquo;The Turkish Tank&rdquo; </a>
The Pistons, also playing the first of a back-to-back, rested Wayne Ellington. Mason Plumlee returned after missing Thursday night's victory at Sacramento because of concussion protocol.
Carmelo Anthony's jumper put the Blazers up 43-27 in the second quarter, but the Pistons closed the gap with a 14-2 run to get to 45-41.
Portland led 59-50 at the break. Kanter had 11 points and 16 rebounds, while Lillard led all scorers with 14 points.
CJ McCollum's floater put the Blazers up 74-59 in the third quarter and they stretched the lead to 97-76 early in the final period on Derick Jones Jr.'s tip shot.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be a consistent 3-point shooting team. You saw how easy it was for those guys tonight. They didn&rsquo;t even shoot it well and they still shot 45%,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;That and the rebounding that led to 24 second chance points was the difference in the game tonight.&rdquo;
Detroit made just nine of 26 attempts from beyond the arc.
TIP INS
Pistons: Jerami Grant sat out of the second straight game because of a sore right knee. ... &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough league. It's competitive as heck so you&rsquo;ve just got to be ready for your moment when you&rsquo;re number is called,&rdquo; Frank Jackson said about his performance off the bench.
Trail Blazers: It was the second and last meeting between the two teams. The Blazers won the first, 124-101, in Detroit on March 31. ... It was Kanter's team-high 29th double-double this season.
KANTER TO START?
After the game Stotts was asked whether he'd consider starting Kanter, given Nurkic's issue with his knee. The coach said he'd consider it.
&ldquo;I don't know what Nurk's minute restrictions are going to be (Sunday),&rdquo; Stotts said. &ldquo;If Nurk continues to be at a 20-minute limit, I think it's something I would consider.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
The Pistons visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday for the first of a two-game set. The second is Wednesday.
The Trail Blazers host Miami in the second of their back-to-back on Sunday.

Kanter bested Sidney Wicks' Portland record of 27 rebounds set in 1975. He also surpassed his own career-high of 26 set while with the Knicks in 2018.

Enes Kanter has 30 rebounds with 24 points, Blazers beat Pistons 118-103

The NBA trade deadline is now nine days away, and while we can safely assume that all 30 teams want to get better, we must proceed expecting two teams --the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks -- to play big roles in dictating what the market will look like.
There are lots of big men available, and anybody who tells you that Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside or JaVale McGee would not make a difference in an Eastern Conference playoff series has not been paying attention. Or as Gregg Popovich would say: &ldquo;Living in a phone booth.&rdquo;
Also, those who assume the Knicks (with $15.7 million in cap space) are not in win-now mode do not understand Tom Thibodeau. The guy is married to a basketball, and he is anxious to do in New York what he was unable to do in Minnesota and, to a lesser degree, in Chicago.
And then we have the Celtics, who are sitting on the largest trade exception ($28.5 million) in NBA history and are worse off that they were a year ago when they made the Eastern Conference Finals. Danny Ainge cannot stand pat and expect to get past the Nets, Sixers, Bucks or Heat.
The rumor mill will be churning between now and March 25, and every contending team in the East will be scheming to make an addition that attacks the weaknesses of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, while every Western team will try to find a way to compete with the three-point shooting of the Utah Jazz and the depth and experience of the Los Angeles Lakers.
So let&rsquo;s go through the league alphabetically and assess each team&rsquo;s needs, expectations and expendables.
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ATLANTA HAWKS: Nate McMillan is 5-0 as head coach, and the most active team in the weeks leading up to training camp remains built (if fully healthy) to advance if all of the pieces can fit together with almost zero practice time. John Collins is entering restricted free agency and is not as productive as he was a year ago, but he makes just $4.1 million. Put him in a deal with Tony Snell, though, and those combined salaries equal $16.3 million, which can get you a nice player.
BOSTON CELTICS: What made them special a year ago was the ability to get offensive production from three All-Star caliber starters: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. But Hayward is gone, Enes Kanter is doing big things in Portland (remember how he was a game-changer for Boston in the postseason a year ago?) and Kemba Walker is shooting 38% in his 10th season. Standing pat is not an option.
BROOKLYN NETS: At some point they will need a third center to join DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton, but the buyout market or the China market (the CBA season ends before the NBA playoffs) may be the easiest way for Sean Marks to add an extra big body if they cannot get a big man whose contract fits into their $5.7 million disabled player exception. Spencer Dinwiddie is the only superfluous player on the roster, but he is out for the remainder of the season, and the Nets have no future draft picks to throw into a deal. They used them all in the Harden trade.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Michael Jordan&rsquo;s team is 100-1 to win the East despite having the lock for Rookie of the Year, a four-game winning streak and a roster chock full of young and hungry players who, for the most part, lack postseason experience. At a certain point, they have to realize they could have done better than Cody Zeller ($15.4 million) with the fourth pick of the 2013 draft. It might be time to sacrifice a future first-round pick or two to upgrade at center. Malik Monk has been playing well lately, otherwise, we would predict his imminent departure. The Hornets have an open roster spot and $4 million in cap room.
CHICAGO BULLS: It would be delusional of them to think they can advance beyond the first-round of the playoffs, which is why they have to consider getting a good young player from a contender in exchange for Thaddeus Young ($13.5 million), who is the leading candidate to finish a distant second to Jordan Clarkson in Sixth Man of the Year voting. &nbsp;Tomas Satoransky ($10 million this year and next year) is 29 years old and could be combined with Young to bring in a good young player. Here is an idea:
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Who says no? <a href="https://t.co/Pc61DX8jQV">pic.twitter.com/Pc61DX8jQV</a>
&mdash; Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/sheridanhoops/status/1371826941804883973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Aside from the inevitable Drummond and McGee moves (best offers arrive at 2:59 p.m. on deadline day), Koby Altman will probably keep quiet after acquiring Jarrett Allen from the Nets and sending Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rockets. Kevin Love is going to be dead money for two more seasons and Cedi Osman is looking like he will be in the same category, though not quite as expensive. It&rsquo;ll be a long road back.
DALLAS MAVERICKS: They should be better than their record (20-18), but the West is tough. Dwight Powell ($11 million this season and the next two) is not worth what he is being paid and could be packaged with more future No. 1 picks (the Mavs can&rsquo;t trade their own first-round draft pick until 2025 because they owe the Knicks their 2021 and 2023 picks), if mortgaging the future is something Mark Cuban is cool with. Powell and James Johnson for Drummond works cap-wise.
DENVER NUGGETS: A rumor is out there that the Nuggets have spoken to the Magic about acquiring Aaron Gordon, and the price would include Bol Bol. They currently do not look like they have enough to come out of the West, and JaMychal Green has not been an adequate replacement for Jerami Grant. To a lesser degree than Boston, standing pat does not seem like the most prudent option. They have a $9.6 million trade exception, so expect them to make some sort of acquisition that improves the roster. They are one player away from being one player away.
DETROIT PISTONS: Troy Weaver might have already made his &ldquo;deadline deal&rdquo; in getting Hamidou Diallo from the Thunder. Wayne Ellington is superfluous, and one would think teams might like a 14-year veteran who shot 42% from three-point range with a manageable $1.6 million salary&hellip; But the Knicks couldn&rsquo;t find a taker for him a year ago.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Limbo sucks, but Klay Thompson will be back next season. In the meantime, the best they can do is hope that the Wolves&rsquo; pick is not top three and they can get another high lottery pick to put next to James Wiseman for the years ahead. Kelly Oubre Jr., Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker and Marquese Chriss are all on expiring contracts. Their combined salaries total $20.6 million. The Warriors can acquire a player into Thompson&rsquo;s $9.25 million disabled player exception.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: We are seeing a flurry of Victor Oladipo trade rumors, which is strange because he was the biggest piece they got in the Harden trade. If they are disappointed in him (and his expiring $21 million contract) they must not have been watching Pacers playoffs games the past few seasons. Kevin Porter Jr. was a nice pickup, and Rafael Stone is probably on the hunt for another player who has worn out his welcome for non-basketball reasons. P.J. Tucker is headed somewhere. Dante Exum (expiring $9.6 million contract) didn&rsquo;t quite work out for a fifth overall pick, eh?
INDIANA PACERS: Acquiring Caris LaVert for Oladipo as part of the Harden trade will go in Kevin Pritchard&rsquo;s trophy case, so the question now becomes &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; aside from waiting for T.J. Warren&rsquo;s broken foot to heal. They are in 10th place, which wasn&rsquo;t exactly what they had in mind for this season. Still, Indiana has a nice mix of players in their mid-to-late 20s. Doug McDermott (expiring $7.3 million) and T.J. McConnell (expiring $3.5 million) could be a useful shooter and pest duo for a playoff team willing to give up a draft pick and a matching expiring salary. Indiana is probably better off keeping both and rolling the dice in the play-in postseason.
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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: They have everything they need except the Lou Williams they had gotten used to over the past three seasons. His scoring average is down almost six points. Serge Ibaka (scoring average down 4.5 points) is showing his age at 31 and has a 15% trade kicker. Both still have plenty of playoff experience, but Jerry West likes to make trades when he can find the right ones. The Clippers are an interesting team to watch at the deadline because they have an open roster spot, but they are also within a $500,000 of the hard cap, which limits their options.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: They need nothing except for Anthony Davis to be healthy, so the Lakers are the winner of the &ldquo;Most Unlikely To Make A Trade&rdquo; award. They are option No. 1 for pretty much everybody getting a buyout after the deadline.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: More than a year later, we are still trying to figure out the Justise Winslow acquisition. Taylor Jenkins&rsquo; rotation goes 10 deep, not including the team&rsquo;s highest-paid player in Gorgui Dieng -- $17.2 million. They are young and they are not a good team, yet they are still in contention for a play-in spot, so that incentivizes them to get creative.
MIAMI HEAT: The rule of thumb used to be &ldquo;Pat Riley hates making midseason trades,&rdquo; but he went out and got Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder last season and built an NBA Finals team. So you would think they would be predisposed to tinker despite their recent run of 11 victories in 12 games. Kelly Olynyk ($12.6 million) and Moe Harkless ($3.6 million) are on expiring deals, and Avery Bradley is gathering dust. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is worthy of it, but that would likely involve trading a starter (Olynyk). They also have a $7.5 million trade exception but owe Oklahoma City two first-round picks.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Veteran Bucks writer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-sheridan-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-16-gery-woelfel-on-milwaukee-bucks-chances,-possible-trade,-other-east-contender">Gery Woelful said on my most recent podcast</a> that he fully expects the Bucks to try to find an upgrade from Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard. The salaries of DiVincenzo and D.J. Wilson add up to $7.5 million, and it is hard to see Jon Horst moving anyone else on this roster. They are not last year&rsquo;s Bucks, but they theoretically have enough to get to the NBA Finals. They are very close to the hard cap and cannot trade any more picks after using so many in the Jrue Holiday acquisition.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The team is for sale, so do not expect Gersson Rosas to take on any long-term money. They have already changed coaches, and they have nothing anybody would want except for Karl Anthony-Towns, who isn&rsquo;t going anywhere. Okay, they have Ed Davis, who may be somebody&rsquo;s consolation prize as contending teams search for bigs. Nominations for the Dumpster Fire Award are now closed.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are not available. You can safely assume that everyone else is, and David Griffin does not need to hold anybody else up because he already did that to Horst. This was not supposed to be a throwaway season, but it is. The Pelicans would like to get J.J. Redick closer to his family, who live in Brooklyn. Exactly how close? Well, when Redick played for the Sixers, he commuted to Philadelphia. So &ldquo;close&rdquo; is a relative term. Boston is drivable from Brooklyn.
NEW YORK KNICKS: As mentioned above, they are the team to watch most closely. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is someone who can tolerate Thibodeau&rsquo;s coaching style, and they would bring in a player on an expiring contract if they believed that player&rsquo;s Bird rights would be of value over the summer. Leon Rose is one year away from having a top-three team in the East if he plays his cards right a week from Thursday.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: Sam Presti likely has George Hill, Trevor Ariza and Mike Muscala available to the highest bidders. Hill was an important piece of the Bucks last season and could help a playoff team needing a bench shooter and veteran voice in the locker room. At a certain point, Presti is going to have to package together some of the 20 extra first and second-round picks he has accumulated through trades, but that point is probably a couple of years away as the rebuild runs its course. Important: If Houston&rsquo;s pick is in the top four, the Thunder get it. Also, Presti has three trade exceptions; the largest is $27.6 million.
ORLANDO MAGIC:&nbsp; Aaron Gordon trade rumors are everywhere, which makes sense because the time to cash in on their seven-year investment is now. They need to get younger and acquire assets to build around Markelle Fultz, Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac. Their ceiling should not be the kind of first-round exits they have been producing the past two seasons, and they have not won a single playoff series since 2009-10. So, it would be shocking to see them keep Gordon, who is only 25 years old and can bring a lot in return. Gordon is a good guy who needs a change of scenery and deserves one. Same goes for Evan Fournier.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: They wanted James Harden and did not get him, and Doc Rivers still somehow kept Ben Simmons committed to the team. That is pretty huge, because players who know they have been shopped usually resent it. They are in first place in the East and have a roster with the proper pieces to match up with Brooklyn. Mike Scott&rsquo;s expiring $5 million deal and the Knicks&rsquo; 2021 second-round pick are Elton Brand&rsquo;s most movable trade assets, but Scott has been playing well lately. Terrence Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and Tony Bradley are on expiring contracts but would bring little in return.
PHOENIX SUNS: Acquiring Chris Paul checked the &ldquo;monster trade&rdquo; box, and the NBA&rsquo;s most overachieving team will likely abide by the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke, Don&rsquo;t Fix It&rdquo; rule. That being said, if an on-the-ball defender capable of defending LeBron James is out there somewhere, you kick the tires on just about anything that does not include Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul. Ariza would seem to be a fit.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: Like Dallas, they should be better than their record&hellip; and would be if C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic had not gotten injured. At full strength, they are going to be a tough out in the postseason. Gary Trent Jr. is on an expiring contract and they may fear losing him, so keep that in mind with these guys. They are sleepers.
SACRAMENTO KINGS: What they can get for Whiteside will be interesting to see, because he was killing it for the Blazers last season. Then, Nurkic returned in the bubble. Whiteside does not exactly have the best reputation around the league, which is why he played in Lebanon and China before resurrecting his career. There are also a lot of Harrison Barnes rumors out there, and like the Magic and Gordon, it may be time for the Kings to cash in on the three-year investment they made in Barnes after acquiring him from Dallas. He makes $22.2 million. Does Nemanja Bjelica have any value? Same question has to be asked of Jabari Parker.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The LaMarcus Aldridge era is in its final days, and you have to wonder if the Patty Mills era is, too. Derrick White is signed long-term and Dejounte Murray is damn good. The expiring contracts of Aldridge and Mills add up to $37.2 million, and if you include Rudy Gay&rsquo;s expiring deal that number becomes $51.2 million. They are 20-16, yet, as currently constituted, not good enough to do much in the postseason. R.C. Buford wins the award for the league executive most overdue to make a trade.
TORONTO RAPTORS: The name that is out there now is Kyle Lowry, who has spent nine seasons of his 16-year career playing for the team that now calls Tampa its home. Having lost five in a row and sitting in 11th place in the Leastern Conference, Masai Ujiri must determine whether it is time to turn Lowry&rsquo;s expiring $30.5 million contract into something of value. At 35 years old, Lowry can still play and, percentage wise, is hitting threes, twos and free throws better than he has over the past four seasons. But this would not be a giveaway, and a sign-and-trade in the offseason is still possible.
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UTAH JAZZ: Like Phoenix, the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke , Don&rsquo;t Dix It&rdquo; rule applies. They are in first place in the West, are making threes better than anybody and have Rudy Gobert finding new and incredible ways to never, ever be mentioned in the MVP debate. None of their nine rotation players is going anywhere, and no one else on the roster has either a big contract or much trade value. Still, someone on the team could be a giveaway because the Jazz are $1.9 million over the luxury tax line. They have already traded five of their next seven second-round picks (they don&rsquo;t have one until 2025).
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: You&rsquo;ve got to feel bad for Tommy Sheppard, one of the best guys and better GMs in the league -- he was able to turn John Wall into Russell Westbrook but then lost Thomas Bryant and had his team put on ice because of COVID issues. They are now playing the busiest second-half schedule of any Eastern Conference team, and they theoretically have a puncher&rsquo;s chance against practically anyone in the conference if Westbrook keeps triple-doubling (he leads the league with 11). But they have lost four in a row and rank 12th. Robin Lopez and his expiring $7.3 million contract is their best trade asset. If they combined Lopez with Ish Smith&rsquo;s expiring contract, that totals $13.3 million.

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