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Bulls

BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock presents a series that will peel back the curtain from his time as a sports agent, giving a glimpse at some of his personal experiences working in the sports agency business for over a decade.
In the third entry of the series, Babcock discusses his search for coaching jobs prior to entering the sports agency business, ultimately leading him to go abroad.
Within several months, I left the University of Arizona and completed a summer internship at Wasserman Media Group in Los Angeles, California, which was an exciting summer and excellent learning experience. However, the real world was knocking on my door, and I needed to find a full-time job &mdash; a typical situation for a 22-year-old right out of college.
I had ambitions of being a basketball coach, not a sports agent, which was something I had planned on my entire life. Once my internship ended at Wasserman, I tapped into my family's network (with the help of my dad) in hopes of landing an entry-level coaching job &mdash; ideally with an NBA or D-League team. Although I had some interest from teams, I couldn't secure any legitimate offers. I realized then how tough it is to break into professional sports, even if you are well connected.
For better or worse, I'm not one to sit back and wait for anything to unfold organically. I felt that I needed to think outside of the box and be assertive &mdash; so that's what I did. I came up with the idea to pursue jobs with professional teams overseas. I ran it by my dad, and he thought it was a good idea.
We started making calls to people within our network that could help facilitate that sort of deal. We talked with Max Ergul, an agent from Turkey who worked with Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova. We had gotten to know Max because he had moved to Milwaukee when Ersan joined the Bucks, the team my dad had worked for (and still does). Max liked the idea and began to pursue opportunities for me. Before I knew it, he found a team in Istanbul, Turkey that wanted me to be an assistant coach with an emphasis on player development.
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The terms of the deal were unique: I would not get paid a salary, but they would cover all of my expenses (flights, food, housing, transportation, etc.). The team wanted me to fly to Istanbul in August and be there for the entire season. I had only a few months of work experience under my belt, but in my mind, I was ready to conquer the world; all I needed was an opportunity just like that. I had made up my mind that I would take the deal. I was set to start my coaching career in Istanbul.
However, before I formally agreed to the deal in Turkey, I called Sam Goldfeder, an agent with Excel Sports Management. Sam had been kind enough to let me stay in his mother-in-law's guest house in Beverly Hills for the summer while I did my internship with Wasserman. My intent in calling Sam was to thank and update him on my job status, but the conversation did not go as I had expected.
Me: Sam, I wanted to thank you again for everything you did for me this summer. I also wanted to let you know that I plan to accept a coaching position with a professional team in Istanbul, Turkey.
Sam Goldfeder: "What?! Have you signed anything yet?"
Me: No, I have not.
Sam: "Okay, don't! I'll call you back."
He abruptly hung up the phone, and I thought: "What was that?" However, I trusted Sam, so I waited anxiously for his call.
Within a day or so, my phone rang. It was Sam.&nbsp;
Sam: "I have good news. I talked with our collaborating partner in Italy, Matteo Comellini. I told him about your offer in Turkey, and he spoke to the team in his hometown of Bologna, Italy. They would like to match the offer."
Me:&nbsp;No way, that's amazing!
Sam: "Yes, it's a great situation. The team's name is Virtus Bologna. They are one of the best teams in Italy. It's a terrific place &mdash; I think you will love it!"
Me: Thank you so much, Sam! But first, let me talk to my dad, and I'll get back to you.
After some consideration, I decided to accept the deal in Italy, and just like that, my plans were overhauled. I packed up all of my stuff, purchased a couple of Italian phrasebooks and gave my mom a hug and kiss, and I was off. I boarded the plane to Italy without speaking to anyone from the team, as all of the communication had been through Sam and Matteo.
I wasn't quite sure what I had signed up for, but one thing was for sure: I was a soon-to-be Italian resident and assistant coach of a professional basketball team.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-past-life-as-a-sports-agent-the-2006-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the last entry of this series</a>: "My past life as a sports agent: "The 2006 NBA Draft."
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
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Matt Babcock discusses his search for coaching jobs before entering the sports agency business, ultimately leading him to go abroad.

My past life as a sports agent: An aspiring coach goes abroad

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 18 of his career-high 29 points in the third quarter to help the Detroit Pistons erase a 22-point deficit and beat the Utah Jazz 126-116 on Monday night. 
“I have to give all the credit to my teammates, who kept encouraging me and getting me the ball,” said Cunningham, who made 10 of his last 12 shots after an 0-5 start. “I'm new to this league, but I've been playing basketball for a long time. I know what I'm capable of doing to help a team win once I get into a rhythm.”
Saddiq Bey added 29 points for Detroit, which is 4-2 in 2022 after finishing 2021 with 18 losses in 19 games. Lead assistant coach Rex Kalamian took charge with coach Dwane Casey having entered COVID-19 protocol.
“That's the first game ball I've gotten in 28 years,” said Kalamian, who has been an NBA assistant coach since 1995. “I wanted to get the win for the players, but it is a great feeling to get my first one as a head coach.”
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points for Utah, and Hassan Whiteside had a season-high 21 points as well as 14 rebounds. 
“Give them credit, because they did a lot of good things in the second half, but we didn't do much right at all in the second half,” Mitchell said. “They made a lot of shots, but we were making it too easy for them. You can't get up more than 20 points and lose. You just can't.”
Utah (28-13), which had won 10 straight against the Pistons, led by 22 in the second quarter but was outscored 94-62 in the final 2 1/2 quarters. Rudy Gobert was still out in health and safety protocols, but Utah coach Quinn Snyder didn't use that as an excuse.
“When you don't have the defensive player of the year on the floor, you aren't going to be as good,” he said. “But we are still good enough to do a lot better than we did in the second half of the game. There's no reason for us to play as poorly as we did.”
Utah trailed 90-84 in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but scored the next nine points to take a 3-point lead with 9:53 to play. Trey Lyles and Cory Joseph hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Detroit up 102-96, and although Utah scored on its next two possessions, Cunningham answered with a 3-pointer, a layup and a free throw.
That put Detroit up 108-100, and the Jazz never got back within one possession.
“I'm really proud of what Cade did, because he's a rookie who missed his first five shots,” Kalamian said. “When a guy gets off to a start like that, they have to have a short memory. If they are 0-4, they have to focus on making the next four to get to 4-8. That's exactly how Cade approached it tonight.”
Jazz guard Mike Conley said there was a defensive breakdown. 
“We weren't communicating about when we needed to help and when we needed to stay in place," he said, "and there were too many possessions where we were leaving guys wide open for easy baskets.”
The Jazz led 54-32 midway through the second quarter, thanks to 18 points from Whiteside. The Pistons answered with a 16-6 run. It was 61-48 at the half. Cunningham continued the Detroit rally in the third, putting up 18 points and three assists as the Pistons took the lead.
“We had a lot of moving pieces tonight with Coach Rex behind the bench and getting down 13-2 in the first few minutes,” Bey said. “When we were down 22 in the second quarter, we knew we had to get back into the game. When it was within 13, we had a chance.”
TIP INS
Jazz: Utah finished its five-game road trip with a 2-3 record despite starting with wins in New Orleans and Denver. It lost to Toronto, Indiana and Chicago.
Pistons: Detroit hadn't beaten Utah since Jan. 25, 2016, when Reggie Jackson had 29 points and Ersan Ilyasova added 16. None of the Pistons who played in that game are still on the roster.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host Cleveland on Wednesday.
Pistons: At Chicago on Tuesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Cade Cunningham scored a career-high 29 points and the Detroit Pistons pulled away late vs. the Utah Jazz, winning 126-116.

Cunningham's career-high 29 leads Pistons over Jazz 126-116

The Chicago Bulls have signed Ersan Ilyasova to a hardship exception.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473370496989290503?s=20">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: Ilyasova last played in the NBA for the Utah Jazz last season in which he averaged 3.8 points per game over 17 contests.
The 13-year pro has averaged 10.1 points and 1.1 threes per game across his NBA career.

The Chicago Bulls have signed Ersan Ilyasova to a hardship exception.

Bulls sign veteran Ersan Ilyasova to hardship exception

As COVID-19 continues to rip into NBA rosters, more and more teams have been forced to look outside their organization to simply fill out minutes on the court.
You've probably been seeing your NBA notifications blowing up with transactions recently. Franchises can take advantage of the "hardship exception" in the NBA's by-laws, which state that if four or more players on the active and inactive rosters are dealing with injuries and illness, a team can sign and substitute a player. Since so many franchises are dealing with COVID-induced absences that typically last about 10 days to two weeks, dozens of free agents are inking 10-day deals to jump in for the short-term.
Meanwhile, for better or worse, the regular season chugs along. The pop-up signings can end up making an impact on rebuilding teams or playoff contenders. With some rotations pushed to the brink, hardship-exception signees might find meaningful minutes right away.
With that in mind, how are NBA teams approaching who they sign, and what types of players have been called into action?
Most of the additions have some level of NBA experience. Of the <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-covid-fallout-lance-stephenson-isaiah-thomas-tyler-johnson-among-list-of-players-on-10-day-contracts/">over 35 players (and counting)</a> who have signed recent 10-day contracts, only a small handful have never appeared in a regular-season game before this season. This includes: Ade Murkey (Kings), Tyler Hall (Knicks), Aleem Ford and Hassani Gravett (Magic), Mac McClung (Bulls) and Malcolm Hill (Hawks). All but McClung turned pro at some level before 2021.
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The other end of the spectrum is also limited. Though Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson might be the biggest names among hardship deals, they're two of the older players signed to date. The oldest player currently added is 34-year-old CJ Miles, who joined the Celtics after having recently signed with the G League Ignite, and last played with the Wizards in 2019-20. Miles, Thomas, Stephenson, Ersan Ilyasova, Tim Frazier and James Ennis are the hardship players to date over age-31.
Interestingly, teams have thus far been averse to adding bigs, even if they've become thin at the position. The only true centers who have been reportedly signed are Wenyen Gabriel (to the Nets), Luke Kornet (Cavaliers), Marquese Chriss (Mavericks) and Freddie Gillespie (Magic).&nbsp;
Chriss and Raptors signee Nik Stauskas are the highest former draft picks to be signed; both were selected No. 8 overall. They're also the only two former lottery picks that teams have inked deals. So, no, front offices are not using the hardship exception as some kind of way to take a swing on a castoff top selection.
What does appear to matter, however, is recent production. Thomas obviously got his shot with the Lakers after a 42-point outburst in his first G League appearance with the Grand Rapids Gold.
Others have used a longer stint in the G League Showcase period to audition. Five of the top-10 G League Showcase per-game scoring leaders have signed contracts this month: BJ Johnson (Magic), Justin Jackson (Celtics), Trevelin Queen (two-way deal with Houston), Stauskas and Jared Harper (Pelicans). Four of the other five already have their rights held by NBA franchises. Let's see who signs Kyle Guy.
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The Nets and Raptors make good example cases. Brooklyn has added four players as of this writing. Langston Galloway and James Ennis are two steady veterans who contributed to NBA teams last season, and can both bring an instantly-translatable skill with their shooting. Gabriel is averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a physical presence in the G League. Then there's Shaquille Harrison, one of the peskier defenders in pro hoops, period. All of them are low-usage, specialist contributors with multiple year of pro experience.
Toronto, meanwhile, has safety blankets for others on the roster should they enter league protocols. Tremont Waters and Brandon Goodwin are steady facilitating guards; Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn are reportedly now ineligible. Stauskas can replicate Svi Mykhailiuk's role to a degree. Juwan Morgan is a hybrid forward in the same vein (at least positionall) as Precious Achiuwa. The moves make sense.
My general conclusion seems to be that NBA teams are largely playing it safe with their hardship signings. Few franchises appear to be using this circumstance as a chance to swing for the fences on a young player or a comeback veteran. Most simply want to patch holes.
And though the NBA is obviously in a confusing, frustrating, possibly dangerous situation with the pandemic, it will be interesting to see who capitalizes on their small window of opportunity.

NBA teams have had to dig into 10-day signings with COVID-19's impact on rosters.

How are NBA teams using the hardship exception?

We're now nearly a month into NBA free agency, and as expected, all of the big names are off the market. But the 2021 free-agency class was so large, that even weeks later, a number of quality pros remain available.
At this stage, your favorite squad isn't likely to sign a game-changer. But there are plug-and-play veterans and young castoffs who can provide value to any roster. Paul Millsap headlines the remaining best available players, and dozens of others are worth taking a peek at.
Below are some notable unsigned players for each of the three umbrella positional groups.&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Guards</h2>
Wesley Matthews (UFA)
Matthews has now played for five teams in three seasons. The 34-year-old most recently suited up for the Lakers in 2020-21, averaging 4.8 points per game in a bench role. Matthews provides toughness on both ends as a 3-and-D veteran.
J.J. Redick (UFA)
Redick can still shoot it (37.1% from three last season) but has lost much of the explosiveness off the ball that made him such a threat throughout his career. The 37-year-old played for the Pelicans and Mavericks last season, and could help a team searching for an offensive spark. Redick has said that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jj-redick-to-bypass-training-camp-could-be-a-midseason-roster-addition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he will likely take his time</a>, skipping training camp and signing with a team in a few months.
Avery Bradley (UFA)
Bradley was traded from Miami to Houston at the March 25 trade deadline, but did shoot 42.1% from long range during his short stint with the Heat. The 30-year-old has been part of a number of successful teams, including the Lakers' championship squad in 2020. He'll be able to provide adequate shooting and defense wherever he lands.
Langston Galloway (UFA)
Galloway played a minor bench role for the Suns in their trip to the NBA Finals. The 29-year-old did what he was asked: he shot well from the perimeter (42.4%) and turned the ball over just 13 times in 480 minutes. He'll be a valuable and reliable reserve wherever he goes.
Frank Ntilikina (UFA)
The 2017 No. 8 overall pick never found his groove with the New York Knicks. Ntilikina's minutes were halved in his fourth season (just 9.8 per game) as he battled on the outside of Tom Thibodeau's rotation. He's still only 23 years old, though, and is an NBA-caliber perimeter defender. Ntilikina also made 23 of his 48 three-point attempts in 2020-21, a 47.9% clip albeit on a small sample size.
Others Include: Isaiah Thomas, E'Twaun Moore, Brad Wanamaker, Jordan McLaughlin, Dante Exum, Dennis Smith Jr., Tyler Johnson, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Wings</h2>
James Ennis (UFA)
The journeyman wing has taken the court for seven franchises in his seven professional seasons. Ennis has made 36.0% of his threes in his career, but canned 43.3% of those looks with the Orlando Magic in 2020-21. He can operate as a mini microwave scorer, and floor-spacing wings will always have value in today's NBA.
Stanley Johnson (UFA)
Johnson worked his way to increased playing time with the Toronto Raptors last season, even starting 13 games for the team. It was a mixed bag &mdash; he shot just 37.8 percent from the field &mdash; but the former 2015 lottery pick had some bright moments, including a 35-point, 10-rebound effort in a May 13 loss to Chicago. Johnson has improve notably as a defender and may be one of the better free agent "flier" options.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (UFA)
If a team is looking for a defensive spark plug, they should start with Hollis-Jefferson. The 26-year-old can guard both forward spots and even some smaller bigs with his length and energy. Hollis-Jefferson has a rough offensive foundation, but he wouldn't need to be relied on as more than a finisher.
Others include: Denzel Valentine, Garrison Mathews, Paul Watson Jr., Gary Clark, Justin Jackson, Theo Pinson, Michael Beasley, Deividas Sirvydis
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Bigs</h2>
Paul Millsap (UFA)
Millsap has slowly regressed with age, and at 36 years old, is no longer the Swiss Army knife he has usually been on both ends. But he's still a versatile piece that teams can plug in at power forward or center while shooting the ball respectably. Millsap spent his last four seasons with the Denver Nuggets., and the <a href="Isaiah%20Thomas,%20E'Twaun%20Moore,%20Brad%20Wanamaker,%20Jordan%20McLaughlin,%20Dante%20Exum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Warriors and Nets have reportedly demonstrated recent interest</a>.
Jarred Vanderbilt (RFA)
Timberwolves fans were intrigued by Vanderbilt last season. The 22-year-old made 30 starts and generally battled on defense and on the glass. Vanderbilt also made 71.7% of his attempts around the rim, and still radiates potential.
LaMarcus Aldridge (UFA)
It appears that the veteran Aldridge, who retired just a few months ago due to a heart condition, has consulted with medical personnel and decided to attempt a return to the NBA (<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31959203/former-all-star-forward-lamarcus-aldridge-seriously-considering-return-nba-season-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>). Just based on the finesse center's face-up capabilities and ability to stretch the floor, he should draw plenty of suitors. He last played for the Nets.
Isaiah Hartenstein (UFA)
The Nuggets traded Hartenstein to the Cleveland Cavaliers at last spring's deadline. He seemed to find a groove in Cleveland, averaging 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Hartenstein is still only 23 and was a second-round pick in 2017.
DeMarcus Cousins (UFA)
Cousins fell out of the Clippers' playoff rotation because he simply wasn't up to par with the smaller, faster matchups he often faced. Injuries have drained the 30-year-old of his athleticism. But Cousins quietly became a knockdown, low-volume shooter (42.1% on 1.2 threes per game), and that could be a way to keep his NBA stock afloat.
Others include: Aron Baynes, Bismack Biyombo, Ed Davis, Harry Giles, T.J. Leaf, Patrick Patterson, D.J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova, Alen Smailagic, Luke Kornet, Tacko Fall

Paul Millsap headlines the list of remaining free agents.

Which notable NBA free agents are still unsigned?

If you blinked even once, you might have missed most of the NBA free-agency drama.
After two days of the moratorium period, many of the best available stars have locked up new contract agreements. Kyle Lowry is taking his talents to South Beach via sign-and-trade, and DeMar DeRozan is off to Chicago in the same scenario. Chris Paul has re-upped with Phoenix.
Dozens of free agents jumped off the board, but plenty of quality players are still searching for a new squad. If you've lost track of who's available, we have you covered here. Here are the best options remaining at each of the positional groups.
Updated 8/6/21*
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Guards</h2>
Dennis Schroder (UFA)
Schroder reportedly turned down a four-year extension worth $84 million during the season. At this stage, it is unclear where he could sign, or for how much. Schroder started all 61 regular-season games played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
Wesley Matthews (UFA)
Matthews has now played for five teams in three seasons. The 34-year-old most recently suited up for the Lakers in 2020-21, averaging 4.8 points per game in a bench role. Matthews provides toughness on both ends as a 3-and-D veteran.
J.J. Redick (UFA)
Redick can still shoot it (37.1% from three last season) but has lost much of the explosiveness off the ball that had made him such a threat throughout his career. The 37-year-old played for the Pelicans and Mavericks last season, and could help a team searching for an offensive spark.
Hamidou Diallo (RFA)
Diallo was traded somewhat surprisingly from Oklahoma City to Detroit last year. With the Pistons, the athletic guard averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Still just 23 years old, he's a worthwhile flier, though the Pistons can match any offer.
Avery Bradley (UFA)
Bradley was traded from Miami to Houston at the March 25 trade deadline, but did shoot 42.1% from long range during his short stint with the Heat. The 30-year-old has been part of a number of successful teams, including the Lakers' championship squad in 2020. He'll be able to provide adequate shooting and defense wherever he lands.
Langston Galloway (UFA)
Galloway played a minor bench role for the Suns in their trip to the NBA Finals. The 29-year-old did what he was asked: he shot well from the perimeter (42.4%) and turned the ball over just 13 times in 480 minutes. He'll be a valuable and reliable reserve wherever he goes.
Others include: Frank Ntilikina, Isaiah Thomas, E'Twaun Moore, Brad Wanamaker, Jordan McLaughlin, Dante Exum
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Wings</h2>
Kawhi Leonard (UFA)
Leonard is still technically a free agent, and there have been no reports of him agreeing to a new contract yet. But all signs have pointed to him <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31936595/source-kawhi-leonard-declines-36-million-player-option-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">staying with the Los Angeles Clippers</a>, hence the lack of chatter. Unfortunately, it'll be a while before we see him in game action as he recovers from the ACL injury suffered in the 2021 playoffs.
Josh Hart (RFA)
Hart has not had the same perimeter success as he did coming out of Villanova in 2017. He made just 32.6% of his attempts this past season, and is below 35% from the arc in his career. The 26-year-old does rebound well for his position; Hart averaged 8.0 per game last year.
Justise Winslow (UFA)
It just hasn't quite clicked yet for the former 2015 lottery pick, who fought the injury bug and appeared in 26 games for the Grizzlies in 2020-21. He finished the regular season strong with 25 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a win over the Sacramento Kings. But Winslow shot just 35.2% from the floor on the year.
Svi Mykhailiuk
The former Jayhawk played 36 games for the Detroit Pistons before being dealt to OKC. Mykhailiuk had a down year shooting the ball (33.4% from deep in total), but profiles as a sharpshooter with room to grow.&nbsp;
Jarred Vanderbilt (RFA)
Timberwolves fans were intrigued by Vanderbilt last season. The 22-year-old made 30 starts and generally battled on defense and on the glass. Vanderbilt also made 71.7% of his attempts around the rim, and still radiates potential as a 6-foot-9 combo forward.
Isaac Bonga (UFA)
Bonga is still just 21 years old despite being drafted in 2018. He's another interesting name as a versatile defender who can handle the ball a bit at 6-foot-8. The German forward is also a non-shooter at this stage, but could develop into a rotation piece with the right developmental support.
Others include: James Ennis, Denzel Valentine, Garrison Mathews, Paul Watson, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Gary Clark
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Bigs</h2>
Lauri Markkanen (RFA)
Markkanen's offseason has reached a confusing place. He was not part of the Chicago sign-and-trade that netted DeRozan, and the Bulls still have their qualifying offer in place, making Markkanen a restricted free agent. But with Nikola Vucevic locked down at center and Patrick Williams likely penciled in at power forward, it's tough to see where Markkanen fits if he were to return to the Bulls.
Paul Millsap (UFA)
Millsap has slowly regressed with age, and at 36 years old, is no longer the Swiss Army knife he has usually been on both ends. But he's still a versatile piece that teams can plug in at power forward or center while shooting the ball respectably. Millsap spent his last four seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
LaMarcus Aldridge (UFA)
It appears that the veteran Aldridge, who retired just a few months ago due to a heart condition, has consulted with medical personnel and decided to attempt a return to the NBA (<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31959203/former-all-star-forward-lamarcus-aldridge-seriously-considering-return-nba-season-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>). Just based on the finesse center's face-up capabilities and ability to stretch the floor, he should draw plenty of suitors. He last played for the Nets.
Aron Baynes (UFA)
The Toronto Raptors waived Aron Baynes today, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1422980538030297093" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>. His run in Canada was underwhelming after a breakout season with the Phoenix Suns, but Baynes still combines physical interior defense, rebounding and a dash of perimeter shooting &mdash; all skills that benefit a modern-day big.
Isaiah Hartenstein (UFA)
The Nuggets traded Hartenstein to the Cleveland Cavaliers at last spring's deadline. He seemed to find a groove in Cleveland, averaging 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Hartenstein is still only 23 and was a second-round pick in 2017.
DeMarcus Cousins (UFA)
Cousins fell out of the playoff rotation because he simply wasn't up to par with the smaller, faster matchups he often faced. Injuries have drained the 30-year-old of his athleticism. But Cousins quietly became a knockdown, low-volume shooter (42.1% on 1.2 threes per game), and that could be a way to keep his NBA stock afloat.
Bismack Biyombo (UFA)
Biyombo has spent the past three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He started 36 games this season, and much of his value lies as a rim protector and finisher. Biyombo has averaged 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes over his career.
Ed Davis (UFA)
Davis is a well-liked veteran who suited up for 23 games with Minnesota during 2020-21. He rebounds ferociously, averaging 5.0 boards in just 13.0 minutes per game last year, but doesn't offer much as an offensive player.
Others include: Harry Giles, T.J. Leaf, Patrick Patterson, D.J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova, Alen Smailagic, Luke Kornet, Tacko Fall

A number of quality rotation players are still up for grabs in free agency. Here's what is left in the NBA's free-agent pool.

Which NBA free agents are still available?

Matt Babcock concludes his series by detailing the post-2001 years in Milwaukee and his father's role in finding talent deep in drafts.

Growing up a Buck: From Ray Allen to Giannis, my dad remains in Milwaukee

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a career-high 48 points to rally the Utah Jazz past the Denver Nuggets 127-120 on Friday night.
Bogdanovic went 16 of 23 from the field &mdash; making a career-high eight 3-pointers &mdash; to lead the NBA-leading Jazz to their fourth straight victory. He also had eight rebounds.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A CAREER NIGHT FOR BOJAN ‼️ Bogdanovic becomes the first <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahjazz</a> player EVER to score 45+ points on 8+ 3PM. 48 PTS (career-high) 8 3PM (ties career-high) 61.6 FPTS (career-high) <a href="https://t.co/GGAq1GyN3j">pic.twitter.com/GGAq1GyN3j</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1390873313287757827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Jordan Clarkson added 21 points and eight assists. Rudy Gobert had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Georges Niang chipped in 13 points &ndash; all in the second half.
Michael Porter, Jr. scored 31 points for Denver. Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds, Paul Millsap had 20 points and Austin Rivers 18.
Utah did not trail over the final 11:22 of the fourth quarter after Niang hit back-to-back shots to give the Jazz a 103-99 lead. Denver scored just one basket over a six-minute stretch and couldn&rsquo;t quite erase the resulting deficit.
The Nuggets cut it to 121-118 on a free throw from Rivers. Clarkson answered with a stepback 3-pointer with 51.7 seconds left and Bogdanovic hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
Both offenses sizzled during the first quarter. Denver shot 68% from the field and Utah shot 67%. The two teams combined for 81 points and 31 total baskets in the quarter.
Denver made 11 of its first 13 shots from the field and staked out a 24-13 lead midway through the first quarter. The Nuggets repeatedly blew past perimeter defenders and scored five layups over the first six minutes &ndash; culminating with a reverse layup from Gordon that put Denver up by 11 points.
Utah answered with a 19-6 run to erase Denver&rsquo;s lead before the end of the quarter. Clarkson hit three 3-pointers to level the score. Ersan Ilyasova made another 3-pointer and hit a pair of free throws to finish off the run and give the Jazz a 40-36 lead.
Denver pulled ahead again before halftime. The Nuggets built up a 58-49 lead behind a 17-6 run capped off by a Jokic jumper. Bogdanovic kept Utah within striking distance. He hit three 3-pointers to help the Jazz erase the deficit a second time and pull even at 67-67.
TIP INS
Nuggets: Austin Rivers is 15 of 19 from 3-point range in three games against Utah this season. Rivers went 5 of 7 from long distance on Friday. &hellip; Denver coach Michael Malone was whistled for a technical foul midway through the third quarter after an unsuccessful coach&rsquo;s challenge. &hellip; Jokic made his first seven shots before missing a jumper with 38.4 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jazz: Clarkson has made a 3-pointer in 89 straight games. &hellip; Bogdanovic surpassed his previous season-high of 34 points during the third quarter. &hellip; Niang did not attempt a shot in the first half. Utah is 17-1 this season when he scores at least 10 points. &hellip; Joe Ingles finished with a team-high nine assists.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host Brooklyn on Saturday.
Jazz: Host Houston on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Bogdanovic went 16 of 23 from the field — scoring a career-high 48 points — to lead the Jazz to their fourth straight victory.

Bojan Bogdanovic is first in Jazz history to score 45+ points with 8 made threes

Like many of his Utah teammates, Matt Thomas felt like he couldn&rsquo;t miss &mdash; and he was right. Seven shots, all makes, on the way to 17 points in a mere nine minutes.
&ldquo;It's awesome,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;As a shooter and as a scorer it always feels good when the ball is going in the basket. Tonight was one of those nights where the basket looked pretty big to me.&rdquo;
So much for the idea that the Jazz are easing up in their march to the playoffs.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points, Utah made 24 3-pointers, and the short-handed Jazz bounced back from consecutive losses and set a franchise scoring record in a 154-105 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
📹| 24 threes ⤵️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/podiumpostgame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#podiumpostgame</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/PodiumHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PodiumHQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/WpUD578E94">pic.twitter.com/WpUD578E94</a>
&mdash; utahjazz (@utahjazz) <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1387627353900163075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points and Georges Niang scored 19 with five 3s for Utah.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m probably in the minority, but I thought we played well (Monday) night and didn&rsquo;t shoot well,&rdquo; Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. &ldquo;Tonight we played well in a different way. The ball moved. We were solid tonight. Obviously we made shots.&rdquo;
Utah shot 64% overall and went 24 of 41 on 3s, two nights after missing 41 in the second of back-to-back losses to Minnesota.
The West-leading Jazz jumped on the Kings and never let up. Utah outscored Sacramento 46-17 in the second quarter, built its lead to 54 points and rolled to its most lopsided win of the year.
Utah&rsquo;s previous record for points in a game was 153, set in 1977-78 when the franchise was in New Orleans.
&ldquo;All of us were a little bitter after losing two straight to Minnesota, so we really wanted to come out here and make a point,&rdquo; Niang said.
Buddy Hield had 18 points and seven assists for Sacramento. The Kings&rsquo; fading postseason hopes took another blow with their 12th loss in 15 games.
&ldquo;It got bad quickly there after the first quarter,&rdquo; Kings coach Luke Walton said. &ldquo;That is an elite championship-contending team coming off a couple tough losses and they took it out on us. At times, it felt like grown men having their way out on the court.&rdquo;
Both teams played with banged-up backcourts.
Utah was without injured All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. Mitchell is nursing a sprained right ankle, while Conley aggravated a hamstring injury that sidelined him for 11 games earlier this season. Sacramento point guard De&rsquo;Aaron Fox is in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocol.
Snyder&rsquo;s team still easily rolled past the Kings and improved to an NBA-best 45-17.
Utah led by 32 at halftime and continued to pull away in the third with its starters on the bench. Derrick Favors scored all eight of his points in the period, and Ersan Ilyasova made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it 116-74.
Thomas made a pair of buckets sandwiched around an Ilsyasova 3-pointer to push the Jazz lead to 135-83.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Favors had 11 rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
Kings: Fox has missed the last three games. &hellip;. Harrison Barnes (left adductor) did not play.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Face the Suns on Friday in a matchup of the top teams in the West. Phoenix has won two straight against Utah.
Kings: Open a four-game trip in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Friday night. The teams split a pair of games at Golden 1 Center earlier this season.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Utah’s previous record for points in a game was 153, set in 1977-78 when the franchise was in New Orleans.

Jazz set new franchise scoring record, snap skid in 154-105 rout of Kings

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dennis Schröder hit the tying basket to force overtime and finished with 25 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 127-115 on Saturday in a game between short-handed teams.
Schröder got by Royce O’Neale for a layup with 3 seconds remaining to tie it at 110 and force overtime after the Lakers got outscored 28-16 in the fourth.
Andre Drummond added 27 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 25 points for the Lakers, who blew a 14-point lead early in the fourth before outscoring Utah 17-5 in the extra session.
“We clicked on all cylinders and we didn’t allow adversity to get us out of our game,” Drummond said. “The chemistry is getting there.”
The NBA-leading Jazz were without injured starters Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert. Mitchell will be out at least a week with a sprained right ankle he sustained in a win over Indiana on Friday night. An MRI showed there was no structural damage.
Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 27 points against his former team. Ersan Ilyasova added a season-high 20 points before fouling out in overtime and Joe Ingles had 20 points and a career-high-tying 14 assists. Bojan Bogdanovic had 19 points as Utah’s two-game winning streak ended.
“We’re missing four pretty important guys,” Ingles said. “For most of the game, we did a pretty good job. We were one stop away from winning the game.”
Injured Lakers superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James watched in street clothes. But the Lakers had new addition Drummond and Markieff Morris back in the lineup, along with Kyle Kuzma and Schröder. All four had been dealing with various ailments.
“He’s always in the moment,” Morris said of Schröder. “Tonight we needed him to score more. He made some great plays at the end of the game. We’re getting to the point where everybody knows each other’s game. We need that camaraderie.”
Clarkson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left in regulation. He had 10 points in the fourth, when the Jazz opened with an 18-4 run to get within two. Schröder scored the Lakers' final six points of regulation.
“We made more in-game adjustments than we have all year just to counter their attack,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “To have a team storm back and take the lead and (us) not panic is definitely something we can draw on going forward. We'll have this experience to know that we’ll prevail.”
The Lakers took the game’s first double-digit lead on a jumper by Morris late in the third, capping a 7-0 run and stretching their lead to 84-74. The Jazz was held to 20 points, their lowest quarter of the game.
Los Angeles put on a dunking exhibition for the 1,710 fans in the stands. Drummond dribbled in from half-court and put down a one-handed jam to open the third, one of his three in the quarter. Alex Caruso and Montrezl Harrell had showy slams, too. Schröder tried to get in on the action, charging in but missing. He ended up sliding head-first out of bounds to end the period with the Lakers ahead 94-82.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Ilyasova made five of his career high-tying six 3-pointers in the first quarter, hitting three in a row to start the game. ... Gobert missed his first game of the season because of a right knee contusion. ... All-Star Conley also sat out for the first time with right knee soreness. 
Lakers: Davis isn't expected back for the rematch. ... Neither team led by more than five points in the first half when there were 10 ties. ... Their two-game home losing skid ended. ... Caldwell-Pope passed Eddie Jones for fifth on the franchise's career 3-point list with his 490th. ... Kuzma overtook Rick Fox for seventh on the 3-point list. 
FAMILIAR SIGHTS, SOUNDS
The victory triggered purple-and-gold streamers falling from the ceiling and “I Love LA” blaring on the sound system. The pared-down and socially distanced Laker Girls have been relegated to an upper level, with their live dancing intermixed with old video performances. 
Still, Drummond is enjoying taking it all in as a Laker. 
“It's kind of a surreal moment for me,” he said. “It’s definitely a great feeling and something I want more of.”
UP NEXT
The Jazz remain in Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Andre Drummond led the Lakers to a win over the Jazz, 127-115, as he continues to get acclimated to his new team.

Drummond leads Lakers past Jazz: 'The chemistry is getting there'

My name is Matt Babcock and I was recently hired to be the lead NBA Draft analyst for BasketballNews.com. In this role, I will be responsible for managing the day-to-day efforts of covering the NBA Draft, in addition to evaluating prospects at various levels.&nbsp;
Prior to joining BasketballNews.com, it&rsquo;s possible that you may have seen me or my work at Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports HQ or Babcock Hoops. It&rsquo;s also possible that you might have seen or heard me as a guest on your favorite podcast or publication, as I have been heavily involved in the sports media world over the last few years. Here&rsquo;s the funny thing: it was never my intention to become a media member, so I&rsquo;d like to tell you about my unorthodox path that has led me to this point of my career.
From a broader scope, my story really began before I was even born because, essentially, I am just an extension of my family. The fact of the matter is that I would be remiss if I failed to mention my family&rsquo;s basketball story before I shared my own.
In 1962, my grandfather retired from the Air Force and moved his family to Phoenix, Arizona. It was there that my uncles (Pete and Rob) and my dad, Dave, all became standout players at Maryvale High School, played at colleges in the Phoenix area and ultimately became coaches at nearby high schools and universities -- none of which is all that atypical. However, much credit can be attributed to my oldest uncle, Pete, as he was the one that took my family&rsquo;s involvement in basketball to an entirely different level.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, my uncle Pete was a high school basketball coach in Phoenix. Although he enjoyed coaching at the high school level, he had lofty dreams of one day working in the NBA, as he detailed in an article that he wrote for Babcock Hoops:
&ldquo;I loved coaching high school basketball, but I knew that I wanted to work in the NBA somehow. I had no idea how to get there and I had no contacts in the league to ask for help. I decided to study the NBA on my own by recording as many games as I could. I broke down the tapes by charting offensive sets and out of bounds plays. I wrote evaluation reports on players and built files on each team. At the end of the season, I decided that the teams would know best if my reports and files were worthwhile. I sent a report to each team with a cover letter that simply stated I was a high school coach in Phoenix, Arizona, and if they thought there was any merit to my reports, I would like to volunteer to scout for them. Some never responded to my letter, some wrote back and said &lsquo;Thanks, but no thanks&hellip;&rsquo; and then I received my break. The New Orleans Jazz responded that they would allow me to work for them without compensation. Former NBA player and Hall-of-Famer Elgin Baylor was the head coach, and veteran NBA executive Bill Bertka was the general manager. I was elated and eager to prove myself.&rdquo;
My uncle Pete turned that opportunity with the Jazz into a 42-year NBA career. He went on to work for the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, San Diego Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a general manager for more than 20 years, was the director of the NBA Draft Combine, served on a number of high-profile committees and won a championship ring. I could keep listing off his accomplishments, but I think you get the point -- his dreams became a reality.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/pete45-1_lg.jpg" alt="Pete Babcock and Jerry Krause" width="594" height="AUTO" />Pete Babcock with Jerry Krause
My uncle Pete&rsquo;s success opened the door for my uncle Rob and my dad to follow in his footsteps, with me and my cousins after them.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gettyimages-50951320-1_lg.jpg" alt="Rob Babcock" width="594" height="AUTO" />Rob Babcock
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/456700_10101538049563242_655866478_o-1_lg.jpg" alt="Nate Babcock (left), Matt Babcock (center) and Chris Babcock (right)" width="594" height="AUTO" />Nate Babcock (left), Matt Babcock (middle) and Chris Babcock (right)
Unfortunately, my uncle Rob passed away almost two years ago after a courageous battle with cancer. However, that was not before he had a 28-year career in the NBA that saw him serve in various front-office positions with the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors, where he was the general manager. His two sons (my cousins, Chris and Nate) currently serve in coaching positions with the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks, respectively.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/dave_babcock-1-1_lg.jpg" alt="Dave Babcock with Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova" width="594" height="AUTO" />Dave Babcock with Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova
After 15 years of being a college coach, the youngest Babcock brother, my dad, Dave Babcock, is about to wrap up his 24th year working in the NBA, and 23rd year working with the Milwaukee Bucks. He is currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Bucks, and yes, he played an integral role in the team drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Well, that&rsquo;s my family&rsquo;s story, but what about me? My personal story within basketball is not nearly as linear as my dad&rsquo;s, uncle&rsquo;s or cousins&rsquo; journeys. Let me explain.
I became obsessed with the game of basketball from the time I could remember, and made a lifelong commitment to the game internally at a young age. My entire life has subsequently been consumed with chasing short and long-term goals that I have set for myself, all within basketball. My self-identity has always revolved around whatever my current role was at the time. I went from being a coach&rsquo;s son and an NBA kid to a player, and then, a coach. However, in 2007, my career trajectory of following in my family&rsquo;s footsteps went awry, and my new identity would be something no one -- including myself -- ever expected. I became a sports agent. &nbsp;
I was only 23 years old, but I was working as an assistant coach for Virtus Bologna, a top professional basketball team in Bologna, Italy. After only a short while overseas, I became homesick. I decided to leave the team prematurely to accept a position with Excel Sports Management, a sports agency in Los Angeles, California (now in New York). The job was an entry-level position that would set me on a completely new path, a path to become a sports agent.
The next thing I knew, I woke up one day and 10 years had passed. Memories flashed in front of my eyes of my career in the agency business. I thought of being a young junior agent sharing a condo with Marreese&nbsp;Speights in Las Vegas, managing Ron Artest (a.k.a. Metta World Peace) and Andrew Bogut&rsquo;s marketing, getting certified by the NBPA and FIBA, signing my first NBA player in Jodie Meeks, starting a basketball division of a prominent hockey agency, negotiating Jordan Mickey&rsquo;s second-round contract with the Boston Celtics (the most lucrative contract for a second-round pick in NBA history, at the time) and starting my own agency, Babcock Sports. I also thought of many of the other friends and memories that I made along the way.&nbsp;
Although I had many great times, I also thought about many of the hard ones as well. A business notorious for being cut-throat and crooked, the stress of being an agent wore me down. After 10 years, I looked in the mirror and questioned my place in the world.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m not one to usually have regrets, as I generally look at every experience as an opportunity to learn and grow; however, at that moment, I regret ever leaving Italy and dramatically changing the course of my career. I asked myself, &ldquo;Is it too late for me to get back on track?&rdquo;&nbsp;
At some point or another in my life, I have been exposed to just about every angle of basketball. However, in large part due to the vantage point I was given to see my dad&rsquo;s job on a day-to-day basis, I have always had a particular affinity for the NBA Draft. It was clear to me that I wanted to carve out a career that would have me evaluating NBA Draft prospects.&nbsp;
While I was still an agent, I verbally agreed to leave the agency business to become a college scout for an NBA team. Although the opportunity would have required me to take a bit of a step back financially, I looked at it as an opportunity to recreate myself and get back on track to follow in my family&rsquo;s footsteps.&nbsp;
The assistant general manager of the organization said his boss was on vacation, and that when he returned, the team would call me to get my contract finalized. Two weeks or so had passed, and the assistant general manager called. He said, &ldquo;Matt, I have bad news: I have been demoted, and I might be getting fired. Unfortunately, we will not be hiring you.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Well, it was back to the drawing board for me.&nbsp;
Not too long after that call, Lawrence Frank of the Los Angeles Clippers called me for an informal interview for a scouting position they were looking to fill. The call didn&rsquo;t go well. He questioned my experience, how well I knew the upcoming prospects and pretty much told me he wasn&rsquo;t interested. He did me a favor, though, as it was a wake up call. I came to the realization that perhaps the basketball community did not view me as an &ldquo;NBA lifer&rdquo; and &ldquo;true basketball guy&rdquo; quite like I viewed myself. I became fearful that I was only looked at as an &ldquo;agent&rdquo; -- and that didn&rsquo;t sit well with me.&nbsp;
That was my trigger point. I knew I had to make a drastic move. After speaking to my wife and family, I decided to relinquish my certifications as an agent, dissolve my agency and help all of my clients find new representation.
I was out.&nbsp;
But what would be next?
Well, the truth is I didn&rsquo;t really have a sophisticated plan in place, but I knew I needed to gather as much pertinent information on prospects as I could and gain exposure simultaneously. I was prepared to do whatever I needed to do to learn the players and create value for myself.&nbsp;
I called my friend, Ryan Blake, the owner of Marty Blake &amp; Associates, a scouting service that his dad Marty had started for the NBA years ago. I asked him if I could scout for him for the season; I told him that I didn&rsquo;t need any compensation, but if he could provide me media credentials to games, I would send him reports. He agreed.&nbsp;
I spent the following months driving to as many games as I could and using whatever frequent flyer points I had saved from my time as an agent to see as many NBA prospects as I possibly could. I loved it, but I must admit that I had some tough days and nights during that time, where I questioned if I had made a mistake leaving the agent business. I was working for free with no clear end in sight. I had several NBA teams call me that were interested in hiring me (some even showed significant interest), but nothing ever came to fruition -- so I kept grinding.
Following that college season, I received a call from an old friend, Jake Fischer, a journalist with Sports Illustrated at the time. To my surprise, he and his editor were interested in having me write a series of articles about the NBA pre-draft process from an agent&rsquo;s perspective. l had pretty much zero experience with formal writing, but I agreed to their offer. Although I had received some media credentials via Marty Blake &amp; Associates, Sports Illustrated was my real entry point into the media. I wrote a handful of articles for Sports Illustrated and really enjoyed it. The feedback was surprisingly great, too. To be published in Sports Illustrated, a magazine whose covers could be found all over my bedroom walls as a kid, was just incredible!
But while the experience with Sports Illustrated was great, I still needed to figure out my long-term plan.&nbsp;
After getting a decent lay of the land in the scouting and media world, I decided to launch Babcock Hoops, a basketball website with an emphasis on the NBA Draft. I&rsquo;m pretty sure that my family thought I was nuts, but I went for it anyway. I got some of my friends involved, including Luca Desta, Jeff Feld, Jason Fillippi and Matt McKay Jr., all of whom had NBA scouting experience and were figuring out the next steps in their careers. The concept that I put together was for my guys to use the platform to get access to players and games, so that they could stay informed and also get exposure, all while they searched for their next landing spot. In return, they provided me information and content.&nbsp;
Well, the plan worked. Luca Desta was snagged up by the Lakers within months as a college scout, Jeff Feld was tabbed as general manager of the Northern Arizona Suns (Phoenix&rsquo;s G League affiliate) and Matt McKay Jr. successfully launched Pro Insight, a high school scouting database and service.&nbsp;
Before I knew it, I started to get a lot of attention. Interview requests came left and right, and our group started to get credentialed to all different types of exclusive games and events. I gradually stopped thinking about working for an NBA team so much, and instead, began focusing on building my career as an NBA Draft Analyst.
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Over the last few years, I had been a guest on Alex Kennedy&rsquo;s podcast on HoopsHype several times, and he requested quotes from me for articles he wrote on various NBA topics, somewhat regularly. He and I became friends during that span. Prior to the 2020 NBA Draft, Alex called me and told me that he was leaving HoopsHype to become the Chief Content Officer for a new startup basketball website called BasketballNews.com. He asked if I would have interest in running their NBA Draft coverage. I agreed to contribute to the site on a temporary basis while we figured out if doing something more involved made sense.
During that time, Scott Hale, the CEO of BasketballNews.com, and I had a chance to get to know each other. A basketball junkie, like myself, Scott and I have bonded over some epic conversations about hoops, business and life. It became apparent to me that Scott is an ambitious visionary and my kind of guy.
When discussing our potential partnership, Scott intently asked me, &ldquo;What do you want out of this?&rdquo; I told him, &ldquo;I want to be the best.&rdquo; From there, it was clear we were on the same page.
The rest is history.

BasketballNews.com's Matt Babcock shares his family's history in basketball and his journey from NBA agent to NBA Draft analyst.

Matt Babcock: Let me introduce myself

Veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova is signing a deal with the Utah Jazz for the remainder of the 2020-21 NBA season.&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1369374263396950027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/Twitter</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Ilyasova had been unsigned this season after spending the prior two years with the Milwaukee Bucks. The 33-year-old spent 12 seasons in the NBA with a number of different franchises and has developed a reputation as a hard-working stretch forward who is unafraid to take a charge on the defensive end. Ilyasova averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds off the bench for Milwaukee last season.&nbsp;

Ilyasova last played with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019-20.

Ersan Ilyasova signs with Utah Jazz for remainder of the season

Sure, Montrezl Harrell is a mammoth of a man and tenacious defender, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was already oozing with confidence by the time he got the switch.&nbsp;
The young Canadian had already made a fool of Dennis Schroder on a few possessions, so when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came with a hard show to trap the Oklahoma City Thunder&rsquo;s young star, Shai crossed over from left to right, faking the two defenders out of their shoes. He slithered to the rack and threw down a two-handed dunk.
Somewhere, Chris Paul was smiling.
Gilgeous-Alexander, of course, spent last season as Paul&rsquo;s understudy. And although Paul would&rsquo;ve probably finished the play off by finding a backdoor cutter, the entire sequence had Paul&rsquo;s fingerprints on it.
So know this: the journey to becoming a superstar in the NBA isn&rsquo;t as simple as giving a kid the ball and the keys to a franchise. More often than not, young players with promise have to learn as they go. Just like Gilgeous-Alexander did. Just like RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley will.
Above all else, that&rsquo;s why the New York Knicks&rsquo; decision to run it back with Derrick Rose -- especially considering what they had to give up in exchange for him -- was a no-brainer.
It&rsquo;s disconcerting the extent to which NBA fans allow themselves to be peddled falsities. Once upon a time, we were told that tanking was the best way to building a contender. Not too long ago, we were led to believe that hoarding cap space was the way to sign impact free agents and more recently, for some reason, many have been led to believe that players with promise need to be force-fed the ball for 40 minutes per night.
You know what young players really need more than anything else? Guidance and experienced wisdom.
Neophytes need to learn how to win games and see, first-hand, what kind of commitment it takes to be successful in the NBA. They don&rsquo;t need to be on the receiving end of 30-point blowout losses or to be torn apart by the likes of Jrue Holiday or Patrick Beverley. They need veteran players whose attitudes and habits help them get to the next level. They need a coaching staff that connects with them and helps them develop their talents, and they need to be properly primed before they&rsquo;re entrusted with the marbles.
They need to marinate, and they need players who've been there and done that before them help with their seasoning. For the gross majority of players, this is fact even if&nbsp;some players &nbsp;-- LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic to name a few -- are ready from Day 1.
Far more players have been brought along slowly and surely. In a basketball culture that is often fooled into thinking there&rsquo;s only one way to do things, the want to see immediate dividends on the investment in a player with potential is understandable... It&rsquo;s just not usually the reality.
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About 25 years ago, a young backup guard named Sam Cassell was instrumental in helping deliver two NBA championships to the Houston Rockets. Nonetheless, he couldn&rsquo;t find a starting role playing behind a bevy of accomplished veterans that included Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell and Clyde Drexler.
Humbled, Cassell studied under the veterans, learned some lessons and applied the teachings in his subsequent stops. He ended up enjoying a fruitful career, to say the least.
The late, great Kobe Bryant became a starter in his third season, but only after it became apparent that he was the franchise&rsquo;s future and that Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and Derek Fisher didn&rsquo;t quite have the same gifts.
In more recent times, Draymond Green, CJ McCollum, Jaylen Brown and Fred VanVleet are examples of players who spent their first couple years fighting for their keep. Before Giannis Antetokounmpo was a two-time MVP, he was playing behind the likes of Ersan Ilyasova, John Henson, Larry Sanders and Zaza Pachulia. Same with Stephen Curry, who has preached patience with rookie James Wiseman and <a href="https://twitter.com/ThompsonScribe/status/1351418668131864577?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed out</a>&nbsp;that Curry himself "used to get benched for Acie Law."
In other words, most young NBA players are like seeds. They need to be planted, given proper conditions and some time. Not everyone comes into the league 100 percent ready, and that&rsquo;s fine. Nobody likes force-ripened fruit, anyway.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/roe_lg.jpg" alt="" width="796" height="AUTO" />
That&rsquo;s exactly where players like Derrick Rose come in.
Given his relationship with Tom Thibodeau, the early returns suggest that he&rsquo;ll fit right in by providing the Knicks a much-needed attack guard who can help make the game easier for the team's youngsters, who&nbsp;Rose will ultimately help bloom.
At this point in his career, on an individual level, the former MVP is a player who has gone from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the barrel and back. Through it all, he&rsquo;s kept a positive attitude and persevered. A step slower and less athletic than he was 10 years ago, he's come to rely more on his ability to see through defenses and penetrate them than his blinding athleticism. At 32 years old, he plays the game more like an aging halfback who has to plan his cuts rather than a greyhound chasing a rabbit. As he&rsquo;s aged and enjoyed his renaissance, Rose has naturally become more methodical about his game. Those are qualities that any young guard would be wise to develop.
Serving as understudy worked out quite well for Gilgeous-Alexander. There's no reason to believe the same fate doesn't await Quickley and the Knicks' other promising youngsters.
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Although far from a front-office lifer, Leon Rose has spent a lot of time around the Knicks organization. In the recent past, New York has always sought the shortcut. In the end, they discovered that the only thing shortcuts are good for is making you bleed.
The road to respectability in the NBA -- a long, windy, treacherous one -- can only be successfully traversed with steps on the court.
Today more than ever, players watch one another, talk, share war stories, form relationships and create alliances, but nobody wants to join a sinking ship. No franchise-altering player will proactively take his talents to a losing franchise more renowned for its off-court shenanigans than on-court promise. So the first step toward helping the Knicks regain some respect around the NBA is to string together some wins, show some sort of developmental culture and overachieve relative to the individual parts. It&rsquo;s precisely <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-brooklyn-nets-los-angeles-clippers-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-learn-mistakes-culture-kenny-atkinson-doc-rivers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what the Brooklyn Nets did</a> and, if you look closely, it seems to be precisely what the Knicks are attempting to do. Rose is a means to that end.
Despite the Knicks' inclusion of Charlotte's second-round draft pick, trading Smith for Rose is a no-brainer. Rose provides the club with attributes they need that Smith didn&rsquo;t possess, and the 11-year veteran gets them closer to the playoffs than Smith would have.
For a franchise attempting to find its way, the Rose acquisition is a low-risk move with a potentially high reward, especially if Rose is able to impart any of his wisdom or teachings to Thibodeau&rsquo;s young and impressionable group of players.
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<div>So the next time Jaylen Brown draws praise or Gilgeous-Alexander impresses you, remember when they were seeds. Realize that now, in New York, they&rsquo;ve just begun planting.</div>
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With his experiences and wisdom, at this point in his career, Derrick Rose is properly cast on a young, upstart Knicks team.

Second time's the charm: Derrick Rose trade was right decision for Knicks

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for February 8, 2021.
sNOw Excuses
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I won't truly believe it's Ersan until he takes a charge from a snowman <a href="https://t.co/kXX8dO5hP3">https://t.co/kXX8dO5hP3</a>
&mdash; Div B (@statcenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/statcenter/status/1357726361255821312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Illy's caption was too good not to steal. Shout out to the vet for rocking a t-shirt, shorts and high-tops in the middle of a blizzard. Ball is life.
Stop The Count? 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
WE WON THIS GAME <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TRAILBLAZERS</a>, BY A LOT! <a href="https://t.co/EOwNw24bco">pic.twitter.com/EOwNw24bco</a>
&mdash; Daryl Morey (@dmorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/dmorey/status/1357793163876925440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
Four Seasons Landscaping stock must be BOOMING.
Like Father, Like Daughter 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
my twin 🖤 <a href="https://t.co/66Ijb89wRB">https://t.co/66Ijb89wRB</a>
&mdash; Ja Morant (@JaMorant) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1357786987802095616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
Maybe little Kaari wants to follow in her daddy's footsteps? Her aunt and Ja's sister, Teniya, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiF5M-I7truAhXFRTABHd46BdsQFjAMegQIAxAC&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commercialappeal.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Fteniya-morant-sister-ja-morant-ready-her-basketball-journey%2F4183671001%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw3m3fmtWXjgNOVJGrPTP4LP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is doing that</a>!
Carbonation Sensation 
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KD sent a video of him opening a fresh Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Adam Silver sent back a 👍
&mdash; Dub (@WMsDiary) <a href="https://twitter.com/WMsDiary/status/1357861809194164231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
I mean hey, it cures everything.
Manu McConnell 
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T.J. McConnell is the first bench player with 15 Ast in under 30 minutes of playing time since Manu Gin&oacute;bili did it on March 1, 2013. Other than Gin&oacute;bili, the last player to do this was John Lucas in 1988. <a href="https://t.co/wcnNYtYqv0">pic.twitter.com/wcnNYtYqv0</a>
&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1357884235911151618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
Since Jan. 14, McConnell is averaging 8.1 assists in 25 minutes per game off the bench for the Pacers. The new father has had 13 straight games with six or more assists. No, he's not quite Mr. Ginobili, but that's a quality backup point guard that can run an offense.
The Kid Doesn't Miss 
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I spotted Popeyes... <a href="https://t.co/VVh2lM4h1W">https://t.co/VVh2lM4h1W</a> <a href="https://t.co/jg1znFE1h5">pic.twitter.com/jg1znFE1h5</a>
&mdash; Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaneMooreNBA/status/1358310949619458050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
It seems like every game Anthony Edwards has a viral moment. And when you can get a tasty postgame dinner delivered to you, why not eat it while it's hot?
Kiss From A Rose 
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Thibs also thinking of calling up his high school sweetheart. <a href="https://t.co/UdXAhtGOjd">https://t.co/UdXAhtGOjd</a>
&mdash; Daniel Reynolds (@aka_Reynolds) <a href="https://twitter.com/aka_Reynolds/status/1358475784877449223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
Does this man love his vets or does he love his vets?
Giannis Got Jokes
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I heard Shakira and JLo are not performing because it&rsquo;s The Weekend...they don&rsquo;t work on Sunday?
&mdash; Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) <a href="https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34/status/1358576855926849546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
If you needed any more evidence that Giannis is a dad, feast your eyes on this. Greek Freak? More like Geek Freak. (I'm so, so sorry)
See a tweet that should be featured in tomorrow's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our staff scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Feb. 8, 2021.

NBA Tweets of the Day: McConnell matches Manu with 15 bench dimes

With training camps starting in a week, the NBA's 2020 free-agency period has moved very quickly. Nearly all of the marquee free agents are off the board, aside from Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram (RFA). However, both stars are expected to re-sign.
On Day 5, who are the top remaining free agents at each position?&nbsp;
GUARDS: Reggie Jackson, Shabazz Napier, Quinn Cook, Shaquille Harrison, Evan Turner, Dion Waiters, Marco Belinelli, Emmanuel Mudiay, Yogi Ferrell, Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Jeremy Lin, Jordan McLaughlin (RFA), Chris Chiozza, Thabo Sefolosha, Jordan McRae (RFA), Courtney Lee, Troy Daniels, Brandon Knight, Andre Roberson, Allonzo Trier, Ky Bowman, Gary Payton II, Naz Mitrou-Long, Treveon Graham, Ian Clark, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Frank Mason, Ty Lawson, Shabazz Muhammad, J.R. Smith, Chasson Randle
FORWARDS: Anthony Davis, Nicolas Batum, Frank Kaminsky, Glenn Robinson III, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Wilson Chandler, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, John Henson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Taj Gibson, Jared Dudley, Ersan Ilyasova, Bruno Caboclo, Lance Stephenson, Kenneth Faried, Kenrich Williams, Anthony Tolliver, Cheick Diallo, Dante Cunningham, Donatas Motiejunas, Justin Anderson
CENTER: Hassan Whiteside, Kyle O'Quinn, Ian Mahinmi, Noah Vonleh, Skal Labissiere, Tyson Chandler, Thon Maker, Kosta Koufos, Andrew Bogut, Caleb Swanigan, Ekpe Udoh, Miles Plumlee
Who would you like your favorite team to add? Leave a comment below.

Here's a position-by-position look at the top players who remain unsigned on Day 6 of NBA free agency.

The NBA issued a memo to all teams outlining the league&rsquo;s free-agency rules, including what team employees can and cannot say and do between now and the start of free-agency negotiations on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
The memo, a copy of which was obtained by BasketballNews.com from a league source on the condition of anonymity, was sent to teams on Monday morning by Michael Levine, the NBA&rsquo;s senior vice president of entertainment and marketing. It outlines permissible and non-permissible language that teams can use regarding their intentions regarding free agents, citing language from the collective bargaining agreement.
It comes as all 30 NBA teams were gearing up for a busy week that includes the 2020 NBA Draft and Friday&rsquo;s start of free agency communications, and it is explicit when describing what teams can and cannot do and say.
&ldquo;Note that teams may communicate with current or impending free agents beginning at 6:00 P.M. (ET) on November 19&nbsp;solely&nbsp;for the purpose of scheduling a meeting to take place at or after 6:00 P.M. (ET) on November 20.&nbsp;Prior to 6:00 P.M. (ET) on November 20, teams are prohibited from making public statements regarding any such scheduled meetings or attempts to schedule any such meetings,&rdquo; the memo reads.
This was sent out prior to the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings agreeing to terms on a sign-and-trade deal that will send George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson to Sacramento for Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin James (although the deal is now dead).
The trade, first reported by ESPN, involves a restricted free agent (Bogdanovic) and thus couldn&rsquo;t become official until Sunday at 6 p.m. EST when the free-agency moratorium is lifted.
It is unknown whether the Bucks or Kings will be impacted by details of the deal becoming public prematurely. The NBA is reportedly investigating the situation.&nbsp;
The memo outlines what teams should say in response to media inquiries regarding free agents.
&ldquo;Examples of prohibited conduct include (but are not limited to) public statements by team personnel on the impending free agency of a team&rsquo;s own player that address:
- The likelihood that the team will offer the player a contract during free agency;
- The amount or length of a potential future contract offer, including whether the player may be offered a 'max' contract; or
- Whether the team would be willing to go above the Salary Cap or the Tax Level in order to retain the player.
&ldquo;If a team representative is asked by the media prior to 6:00 P.M. (ET) on November 20 about the free agency of a team&rsquo;s own player, it is permissible to state the team&rsquo;s general desire for the player to continue with the organization and/or the team&rsquo;s intention to begin contract negotiations with the player beginning at or after 6:00 P.M. (ET) on November 20,&rdquo; the memo states.
&ldquo;Please note that while the above CBA provision permits teams to state they &lsquo;desire,&rsquo; &lsquo;hope,&rsquo; or &lsquo;want&rsquo; to retain a Restricted Free Agent, it does&nbsp;not&nbsp;permit teams to state that they &lsquo;will do everything under the CBA to retain&rsquo; or that they &lsquo;will retain&rsquo; a Restricted Free Agent, because such statements amount to a prohibited statement that the team will match any future Offer Sheet for the player,&rdquo; the memo reads.
Several team executives said the NBA has become lenient in recent years regarding media reports of upcoming trades, but there have been some tampering fines. The Los Angeles Lakers were fined $500,000 in 2017 after the Indiana Pacers filed a tampering complaint regarding communications between general manager Rob Pelinka and the agent for Paul George.
In 2018, Magic Johnson was fined $50,000 for these fairly innocuous comments he made regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2018: &ldquo;With his ball-handling skills and his passing ability. He plays above the rim. I never could do that. But in his understanding of the game, his basketball IQ, his creativity of shots for his teammates. That&rsquo;s where we [have the] same thing. Can bring it down, make a pass, make a play. I&rsquo;m just happy he&rsquo;s starting in the All-Star game because he deserves that.&nbsp;And he&rsquo;s going to be like an MVP, a champion, this dude he&rsquo;s going to put Milwaukee on the map. And I think he&rsquo;s going to bring them a championship one day.&rdquo;
The Minnesota Timberwolves were fined $3.5 million and were forced to forfeit three future first-round picks in 2000 for secretly reaching a future free-agent agreement with Joe Smith.
The memo issued Monday also mentioned the possibility of a $250,000 fine for teams &ldquo;considering, using, discussing or referring to data collected from wearable devices in negotiations regarding a player contract or other player transaction (e.g., a trade or waiver).&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-2020-free-agent-agency-tracker-offseason-trades-player-movement-teams">Check out BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s Offseason Tracker so you don&rsquo;t miss any of transactions.</a>

In a memo obtained by BasketballNews.com, the NBA outlined what teams can and cannot say prior to the NBA's free-agency period.

NBA issues memo to teams outlining tampering rules

The Milwaukee Bucks have waived Ersan Ilyasova, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1329513949423951879?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS: Well, this is interesting. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-free-agency-trade-Milwaukee-Bucks-Bogdan-Bogdanovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ilyasova is supposed to be a part of the Bucks' trade with the Sacramento Kings that lands Bogdan Bogdanovic in Milwaukee</a>. As we now know, Bogdanovic never agreed to those terms and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-free-agency-Bogdan-Bogdanovic-sacramento-kings-milwaukee-bucks-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still expects to hit the market as a restricted free agent</a> -- despite the reported deal. Keep an eye on that situation.
As for Ilyasova, the veteran stretch forward's playing time has shrunk drastically over the last two seasons. He's still a reliable sharpshooter that can space the floor though, shooting over 36 percent from deep in back-to-back years.

Ilyasova is supposed to be a part of the Bucks' trade with the Kings that lands Bogdan Bogdanovic in Milwaukee.

Bucks waive Ersan Ilyasova

The reported trade that sends Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Milwaukeee Bucks may have hit a snag, and the outcome of the deal is currently "unclear."
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/kfippin/status/1329185101524082690?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sam Amick/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS: According to Amick, Bogdanovic did not agree to join the Bucks before the deal was agreed upon, and that element has become "a major issue." The initial deal sent Bogdanovic to Milwaukee in exchange for Donte DiVicenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson

The 28-year-old reportedly did not agree to join the Bucks before the deal was approved.

Bucks-Kings' Bogdanovic trade in jeopardy?

Giannis Antetokounmpo holds the NBA world in his abnormally large hands.
Fresh off his second-straight MVP and first Defensive Player of the Year award, Giannis is entering his most important offseason to date. He&rsquo;s eligible for a super-max extension, easily the most lucrative deal of his young career and one that would (theoretically) tie him to the Milwaukee Bucks for the next five years.
He&rsquo;s been relatively consistent about his desire to stay in Milwaukee, provided the Bucks make moves to prove their seriousness in building a championship-caliber unit. The Bucks did just that in the wee hours of Monday night, trading for All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, then landing wing Bogdan Bogdanovic (and Justin James!) in a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings.
Gone are Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilysaova, DJ Wilson and enough picks to make a grooming kit for peak Ben Wallace. In come two talented perimeter players with distinct skill-sets that the Bucks hope will help them 1) get over the hump in the Eastern Conference and 2) entice Giannis to re-sign long term.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jrue_1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
WHAT HOLIDAY BRINGS TO THE TABLE
Bledsoe is one of the best guard defenders in basketball. He was an important, if not underrated part of Milwaukee&rsquo;s elite defensive profile over the past couple of seasons. His ability to fight over screens and contest from behind made Milwaukee&rsquo;s drop defense much tougher to score against.
Holiday is that same kind of screen evader, but in a slightly bigger package. He&rsquo;s a dog defensively, able to bust through picks and attach himself to the ball-handler in a pinch. At his best, he&rsquo;s able to overwhelm enemy dribblers with a rare mix of physicality and hand speed.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jruegif1.gif" alt="" width="533" height="AUTO" />
That&rsquo;s Holiday flustering Luka Doncic, one of the best playmakers in the sport. It&rsquo;s also worth noting that Luka is a big wing creator, which gives you a brief look at the positional versatility that Holiday has. He can hold his own against Luka-sized wings, but also has the quickness necessary to pick on guys his own size. Like, say, Donovan Mitchell:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jruegif2.gif" alt="" width="537" height="AUTO" />
Holiday is quick enough to defend small guards, long enough to bother wings, and strong enough to bang with bigs in a pinch off switches. There are maybe four players on the planet -- Giannis, Marcus Smart, Ben Simmons, Bam Adebayo -- that offer the type of versatility that Holiday does. He gives Milwaukee the ability to stick to their drop scheme, ramp up the pressure with blitzes or switch everything and allow Holiday to fend for himself.
Offensively, Holiday represents a more pronounced upgrade from Bledsoe. He doesn&rsquo;t offer the same high-end speed that Bledsoe does as a driver, but compensates by doing a better job of shifting gears in the half court. He feels out the defense better, and possesses the passing chops to toss darts to the corner, fit in pocket passes or connect on lobs when the situation calls for it.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jruegif3.gif" alt="" width="538" height="AUTO" />
If he needs to score, Holiday is able to bump-and-grind his way into the paint for buckets. Per Synergy, Holiday has ranked in the 60th percentile or better as a half-court finisher in four of the past five seasons. He&rsquo;s able to generate inside leverage with his broad shoulders pretty consistently. From there, he&rsquo;s able to use his strength to wield off his defender to generate good looks at the rim, or spin away to create a new window:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jruegif4.gif" alt="" width="538" height="AUTO" />
More importantly, Holiday is a flat-out better shooter than Bledsoe. He&rsquo;s converted roughly 37 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples over the past five seasons, according to Second Spectrum tracking data. Bledsoe has knocked down 33.5 percent of those looks in the same time span.&nbsp;
You won&rsquo;t confuse Holiday for a Splash Brother, but teams can&rsquo;t blatantly ignore him off the ball in the way that they can with Bledsoe. Even a soft close-out would be enough for Holiday to attack, and, again, he has the passing chops to beat a scrambling defense.
WHAT BOGDANOVIC BRINGS TO THE TABLE
It would be easy to point to Bogdanovic&rsquo;s three-point percentage -- he&rsquo;s a career 37.4 percent marksman -- and dub him as a much needed spacer for the Bucks. He is a reliable spacer, able to cash home the catch-and-shoot opportunities that are created for him. Heck, he just posted a career-high in three-point rate (57.6), and over 85 percent of his triples last year were assisted.
But it&rsquo;s important not to confuse him for a stationary threat. He&rsquo;s coming off a career-high 15.1-points-per-game campaign in Sacramento, with most of those buckets coming off some sort of movement. Nearly a quarter of his possessions came out of pick-and-roll, via Synergy, where he consistently shredded drop defenses whenever he was able to turn the corner.
Give him too much space, and he can burn you in the intermediate area:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/boggif1.gif" alt="" width="538" height="AUTO" />
Play too far up and he&rsquo;ll get to the rim, using his body to shield off his defender:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/boggif2.gif" alt="" width="538" height="AUTO" />
Bogdanovic isn&rsquo;t an explosive finisher, but he&rsquo;s an effective one. He converted over 56 percent of his shots at the rim in the half court, per Synergy.&nbsp;
The real fun part of the Bogdanovic Experience is his passing chops. He marches to the beat of his own drum on drives, routinely putting defenders on his hip while surveying the action. He probes until a big nudges up or the help defender cheats off his man or falls asleep altogether. The magic happens from there.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/boggif3.gif" alt="" width="538" height="AUTO" />
That&rsquo;s mostly tremendous defense from LeBron freakin&rsquo; James on this early transition ball-screen action. He fights over the Harry Giles screen and stays attached to Bogdanovic. But after Bogdanovic turns the corner, he&rsquo;s able to use his third dribble and first step in his gather to gain inside leverage on LeBron. From there, he somehow leaves a touch pass for Giles to grab, avoiding the outstretched arm of JaVale McGee in the process. It&rsquo;s tough to teach that kind of placement, but Bogdanovic has it.
Half-court creation, or a lack of it, has plagued the Bucks in each of the past two postseasons. Giannis has his own warts to work through -- get a reliable middy, young man! -- but the roster has lacked the juice around him to get over the hump. Replacing a sometimes-erratic Bledsoe with Holiday, and adding some off-the-bounce flair with Bogdanovic should help alleviate those issues.
The Bucks still have work to do. They&rsquo;ve sent out a ton of picks and a solid chunk of their rotation from last season. With Bogdanovic being acquired via sign-and-trade, the Bucks are now hard capped, and will need to grab value from the bargain bin. Still, they&rsquo;ve made strides to address their biggest issue and may have wooed Giannis in the process. Within that context, it&rsquo;s hard not to see their Monday night tradefest as a win.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Bucks' acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic and how they fit with Milwaukee's roster.

How Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic help the Bucks

Milwaukee is landing Sacramento's Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade deal, sources tell ESPN. The Bucks will send over Donte Divincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and DJ Wilson in the deal for Bogdanovic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. 
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1328580779966914561" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: After <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1328569200479178756" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans,</a> the Bucks continued to be aggressive in making improvements to their roster. Bogdanovic is one of the premier shooters in the NBA and will be a great addition for the Bucks as they try to convince Giannis to stay. Bogdan put up 15 points per game on 44% shooting from the field during his 2019-20 campaign with Sacramento.

After dealing for Jrue Holiday, the Bucks have landed Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade deal.