Boston Celtics

Three contending NBA teams for next season &ndash; the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Atlanta Hawks &ndash; have each made significant roster moves this offseason.
In separate deals reported by ESPN&rsquo;s NBA insider Shams Charania, all three teams are signaling aggressive shifts in direction ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
The Houston Rockets are going all‑in this summer. After acquiring Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Suns, Houston shored up its core by re-signing Fred VanVleet on a 2‑year, $50M deal (with a player option), extending Steven Adams, and re-upping coach Ime Udoka. Now in free agency, they have landed veteran 3‑and‑D forward Dorian Finney‑Smith (4 years, $53M) to improve perimeter defense along with his reliable floor-spacing skills. Then they signed Clint Capela for more depth at their center position, and with $14M in cap space remaining, Houston is finalizing its championship roster.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets addressed frontcourt depth by trading for center Jonas Valančiūnas from Sacramento in a straight-up swap for Dario Saric. Valančiūnas, averaging 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, will provide Nikola Jokić steady backup minutes and additional interior toughness. Despite moving Saric&rsquo;s cap hit, Denver stays under the first tax apron, preserving financial flexibility.
However, the biggest story of Denver&rsquo;s offseason has been acquiring Cam Johnson, who was traded in for Michael Porter Jr. and a future first-round pick. Moreover, the Nuggets have brought back former Nugget champion in 2023, Bruce Brown, on a minimum deal.
The Atlanta Hawks focused on spacing and backcourt versatility. They completed a sign‑and‑trade for wing Nickeil Alexander‑Walker (4 years, $62M, with player options and Trae Young playing a recruit role), and signed sharpshooter Luke Kennard to a 1‑year, $11M deal to boost 3‑point range off the bench. These moves aim to complement Trae Young while improving perimeter defense and shooting.
ANALYSIS: For the Rockets, they have dramatically elevated their ceiling, as Durant adds star power, VanVleet brings court leadership, and Finney-Smith and Capela shore up their defense. The franchise is firmly in win-now mode. The Nuggets have secured Valančiūnas to add size behind Jokić, and then Johnson and Brown are strengthening their bench rotation and sustaining their championship window. For the Hawks, these perimeter additions in Alexander-Walker and Kennard mean they prioritize spacing and two-way flexibility after also trading for Kristaps Porzingis days earlier. This is signaling readiness to support Young in a deeper push.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
These strategic moves reflect each team&rsquo;s goals: Houston&rsquo;s aggressive contender build, Denver&rsquo;s championship continuity, and Atlanta&rsquo;s roster refinement. The summer&rsquo;s first wave sets a sharp tone &ndash; expect these teams to command attention come next season.

Three contending NBA teams for next season – the Rockets, Nuggets, and Hawks – have each made significant roster moves.

Rockets, Nuggets, Hawks retool rosters with major offseason shakeups

As the 2025 NBA Playoffs begin, the Western Conference presents no shortage of compelling narratives and unanswered questions. Each team comes in with a storyline that could define their entire postseason. From young squads making their playoff debut to experienced rosters led by superstars, here's the biggest question facing each Western Conference playoff team.
Oklahoma City Thunder &mdash; Can their historic defense carry over to the playoffs?
The Oklahoma City Thunder have fielded the league&rsquo;s best defense this season, boasting a 106.6 defensive rating &mdash; the lowest mark in the NBA and one of the best over the past decade. Anchored by a core of versatile perimeter defenders like Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with interior enforcer Isaiah Hartenstein and shot blocker Chet Holmgren, the Thunder built a defensive identity predicated on length, switchability, and relentless pressure.
But as history has shown, regular-season defense doesn&rsquo;t always translate to playoff dominance. Matchups become more intentional, rotations tighten, and elite scorers are given room to manipulate even the best schemes. For a team like OKC that leans heavily on team defense rather than individual stoppers, their system will be tested in a postseason series where adjustments are key. Moreover, the Thunder&rsquo;s youth &ndash; despite being a strength in the regular season &ndash; may also be a vulnerability when the game slows down and every possession is magnified.
This Thunder squad has the makings of a historically great defense, but now comes the true test: whether that same system can hold up when a superstar like Luka Doncic or Steph Curry start hunting matchups in isolation. If OKC can sustain their defensive intensity in a seven-game series, their path to a deep run remains wide open.
Houston Rockets &mdash; Will their inexperience hinder them from going too far?
After years of rebuilding, the Houston Rockets are finally back in the playoffs &mdash; and this time, with a young core brimming with talent. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson are all making their playoff debuts, and they&rsquo;ve formed a competitive group that finished with the fifth-best defense in the league (110.3 DRtg) and earned the second seed. Their turnaround under head coach Ime Udoka has been remarkable, fueled by a defense-first identity and the emergence of Sengun as one of the best passing bigs in the league.
However, playoff basketball is a different beast. It&rsquo;s about adjustments, discipline, and poise under pressure &ndash; things young teams usually need time to learn. In their first-round matchup, the Rockets face the battle-tested Golden State Warriors, a team that features championship experience across the board. Houston&rsquo;s youth could be exposed if the moment becomes too big, especially with Golden State&rsquo;s ability to dissect inexperience through smart off-ball actions and defensive schemes.
Players like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets&rsquo; veterans, will be counted on to provide leadership and stabilize the team when things go sideways. But this postseason will ultimately serve as a litmus test for how ready the Rockets&rsquo; young stars are to take the leap. Even if they fall short, the experience could be invaluable moving forward.
Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; How viable is their roster construction?
The Lakers shocked the league by acquiring Luka Doncic midseason, pairing him with LeBron James and Austin Reaves to form a high-powered offensive trio. Since then, they&rsquo;ve leaned heavily into small-ball, often starting lineups with Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith alongside the core trio, while Jaxson Hayes remains their only true center. First-year head coach JJ Redick has installed a modern, five-out system that prioritizes spacing and switchable defense &mdash; a style tailor-made for the postseason.
But viability is still a concern. While the offense has thrived, their defense has some slippages, particularly when LeBron and Luka are on the floor together. Their lack of rim protection and size could be exploited by teams that boast elite drivers to the rim. Additionally, the wear-and-tear of postseason play could take a toll on their aging core, especially LeBron, who is playing his 22nd season and logging heavy minutes in the postseason
Ultimately, the Lakers&rsquo; playoff ceiling hinges on whether their current roster configuration &ndash; heavy on wings, light on bigs &ndash; can hold up when the game slows down and physicality ramps up. If it works, Redick could be hailed as a tactical genius. If it doesn&rsquo;t, questions about roster balance and long-term direction will resurface.
Denver Nuggets &mdash; Do they have enough help around Nikola Jokic?
Nikola Jokic is once again doing everything for the Denver Nuggets &mdash; and doing it at an MVP level. He finished the regular season averaging a triple-double and top 3 in every major statistical category. His ability to control the game as both scorer and facilitator remains unmatched, and he remains the engine of everything Denver does offensively. But after a sluggish finish to the season, the biggest concern for the Nuggets is whether Jokic has enough help to mount another deep playoff run.
Jamal Murray has battled through injuries and hasn&rsquo;t quite looked like the same dynamic scorer from their 2023 championship run. Michael Porter Jr. has been inconsistent, while Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s offensive impact has waned due to multiple injuries. Denver&rsquo;s bench has also taken a step back this year, with limited contributions outside of Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson.
If Murray can elevate his game and Porter Jr. can knock down shots consistently, Denver remains a title threat. But the margin for error is much slimmer than last year. Jokic can only carry so much weight &ndash; the Nuggets need their supporting cast to deliver, or another early exit could be looming.
Los Angeles Clippers &mdash; Can we see James Harden and Kawhi Leonard lead this team to playoff glory?
After losing Paul George to free agency last summer, many assumed the Clippers&rsquo; title window had slammed shut. But the resurgence of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard has breathed life back into their playoff hopes. Harden has embraced the role of primary playmaker, averaging 22.8 points and 8.7 assists per game, while Leonard has quietly had one of the most efficient scoring seasons of his career in recent years, shooting 49.8% from the field and 41.1% from deep.
The Clippers finished the season strong with their offense clicking and defense holding steady. Yet the question remains &ndash; can their two stars carry them through the gauntlet of the Western Conference? Leonard&rsquo;s health has always been a question mark, and Harden&rsquo;s playoff track record has been a mixed bag at best.&nbsp;
This postseason may be one of the last chances for this iteration of the Clippers to make a real push. If Harden and Kawhi can replicate their regular-season success and stay healthy, they could make noise. Along with steady role players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers are darkhorse contenders and will be dangerous out in the West.
Minnesota Timberwolves &mdash; How will Julius Randle perform in the playoffs?
Minnesota shocked many by acquiring Julius Randle at the trade deadline, moving on from Karl-Anthony Towns in the process. The Wolves hoped that Randle, a more physical and downhill-oriented forward, would provide a better playoff fit alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. However, Randle&rsquo;s postseason history raises concerns &mdash; in 15 career playoff games, he&rsquo;s averaged just 15.6 points on 34.4% shooting from the field.
Minnesota will need more than that if they hope to build on last year&rsquo;s conference finals run. Randle must adapt his game to playoff basketball, where defenses are better prepared and isolation-heavy play often becomes less efficient. His ability to stretch the floor, make quick decisions, and play through contact will be tested, especially against elite defenses like OKC.
If Randle rises to the occasion, Minnesota could have one of the most balanced starting fives in the conference. But if he reverts to his inefficient playoff habits, the Wolves could find themselves stalling in critical moments &ndash; a risk that looms large in what could be a defining postseason for the franchise.
Golden State Warriors &mdash; How far can Jimmy Butler take them?
The Warriors made arguably the boldest trade of the deadline by acquiring Jimmy Butler from Miami, forming a star duo with Stephen Curry. Since the move, Golden State has looked rejuvenated, going on a tear to close the regular season and boasting the third-best net rating in the league during that span (+7.2). Butler&rsquo;s leadership, defense, and shot creation have given the Warriors a legitimate second option and re-energized their playoff outlook.
Butler has a proven playoff track record &ndash; he led the Heat to two Finals appearances in four years &ndash; and is widely regarded as one of the most clutch postseason performers. His fit with Golden State has been seamless, and the team&rsquo;s defense has improved significantly, ranking 6th in opponent points per game since the trade. The question is how far Butler can carry this version of the Warriors, who still lean heavily on their aging core.
If Butler can replicate his past postseason heroics and stay healthy, the Warriors have a real shot to upset higher-seeded teams and return to the Finals.
Memphis Grizzlies &mdash; Can they survive this tough season?
No team has faced more adversity this year than the Memphis Grizzlies. Between Ja Morant&rsquo;s on-court antics, injuries to key players, and coaching instability and firing, Memphis stumbled to a slump at the end of the regular season but managed to squeak into the playoffs as the 8-seed. Despite the chaos, the team has shown remarkable resilience, with Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Zach Edey emerging as bright spots with their improved play.
Now they face the top-seeded Thunder in a first-round matchup that few give them a chance to win. But if there&rsquo;s one thing the Grizzlies have shown, it&rsquo;s that they won&rsquo;t go down without a fight. Their defense could keep them competitive, and their physical style of play may pose problems for the Thunder.
Ultimately, the playoffs may serve more as a building block than a real title push. But if Memphis can steal a game or two &mdash; or even push OKC to the brink &mdash; it would be a testament to the team&rsquo;s grit and foundation heading into next season.

Breaking down the biggest question each Western Conference team faces heading into the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

2025 NBA Western Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question in the playoffs

The article was initially published on BasketballNews on April 6, 2022.
Anyone else love going back and looking at old box scores and falling down afternoon-long rabbit holes, or am I the weirdo?
You might&rsquo;ve read the headline and either recalled this event actually happening, or are befuddled at how such a thing could take place, even in that NBA.
This article, published on April 6, 2022, marks 25 years since the Del Harris-led Los Angeles Lakers held Jim Cleamons and his Dallas Mavericks to 2 points in the third quarter of a regular-season game.
The contest was held at the LA Forum, where a 50-24 Laker team met a 22-53 Mavs squad with two weeks remaining before the playoffs started. Staples wasn&rsquo;t that big yet, and Crypto didn&rsquo;t exist. (Some might say it still doesn&rsquo;t, but you can fight about that amongst yourselves.)
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A large-ass, Biggie verse-having, All-Star center named Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal had been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/14/sports/injury-to-o-neal-is-a-blow-to-lakers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out with a knee injury</a> suffered that February, which he returned from five days later. Something tells me, if you made it here, you&rsquo;ve heard of him. Also on the Lakers, quite famously, was a talented rookie named Kobe Bryant, who had been playing regular rotation minutes at 18 years old, but wasn&rsquo;t yet Kobe.
The Mavericks had traded a controversial-but-talented point guard in Jason Kidd earlier in the season &mdash; along with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer &mdash; to the Phoenix Suns for a package highlighted by Michael Finley, Sam Cassell and A.C. Green. They also dealt Jamal Mashburn to the Miami Heat several weeks later for Kurt Thomas, Sasa Danilović and Martin M&uuml;&uuml;rsepp.
And right before the deadline, Dallas rerouted Cassell as part of a five-man package including Jim Jackson, George McCloud (who wound up on the Lakers retroactively), Eric Montross and Chris Gatling for Shawn Bradley, Khalid Reeves, Robert Pack and Ed O&rsquo;Bannon &mdash; famously the Most Outstanding Player of the 1995 Final Four, and <a href="https://www.primerus.com/business-law-articles/ed-obannon-shines-a-light-upon-student-athletes-right-of-publicity-624201.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killer of EA's NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball video game franchises</a>. This move not only cemented Dallas&rsquo; rebuild, but it officially made way for a <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2018/06/06/flashback-jamal-mashburn-on-what-really-happened-between-jason-kidd-jim-jackson-and-toni-braxton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toni Braxton-less future in Texas</a>.
The Mavericks, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/1997_games.html">who came in as losers of 10 straight heading into this game</a> &mdash; a lengthy skid that never saw the team score more than 92 points &mdash; went into Hollywood and started Pack, Finley, Green, Bradley and Derek Harper. Without Shaq, the Lakers began with Derek Fisher, Eddie Jones, Jerome Kersey, Corie Blount and Sean Rooks, who played a game-high 43 minutes (33 over his season average).
<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199704060LAL.html">The Mavericks led 30-17 after the first quarter and 51-37 at halftime</a>. The teams combined to attempt 12 threes in the first half, which most teams would typically combine to do in a quarter today. The Mavericks shot 21 of 44 from the field and outrebounded the Lakers 24-16 while holding L.A. to 12 of 32 shooting.
Bryant and Robert Horry went a combined 2 of 9 off the bench, and Rooks had logged 10 points and 7 boards to that point. Harper and Finley combined for 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while Bradley had 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Okay, now let's get to why you&rsquo;re here.
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Not only did the Mavericks score 2 points in the entire third quarter, but the points came from a pair of Harper free throws with 1:51 left in the quarter. So it took over 10 minutes to even get on the board in this period.
Anyway, the Mavericks shot 0 of 15 from the field for the quarter and missed all 4 of their three-balls. They also had 9 turnovers and only made one substitution over the entire 12 minutes, removing Pack for Sa&scaron;a Danilović about halfway through the third. That meant Green, Harper, Finley and Bradley were each a minus-25 for the quarter, and Pack was a minus-20.
For good measure, the Mavericks third quarter could be summed up like this:
<ul>
<li>Points: 2</li>
<li>Fouls: 3</li>
</ul>
The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 27-2 and still just led 64-53 after three. L.A. shot 10 of 17 in the quarter, made 5 of 7 triples, only needed to pull down 8 rebounds and turned the ball over just twice.
The Mavs outdid their horrific third quarter only 48 seconds into the fourth with two layups. They even cut their deficit to as close as 7 points in garbage time before the Lakers pulled away with a 87-80 win.
Fisher scored 21 points &mdash; not even close to a career-high for him &mdash; but to that point, his highest point tally had been just 14. In fact, the 21 points would remain a career-best mark for Fisher until he netted 26 points on March 13, 2001 in a win over the Boston Celtics four years later.
Sean &ldquo;2019 Bam Adebayo&rdquo; Rooks ended the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Bryant logged about 22 minutes off the bench, netting 13 points on 3 of 9 shooting, also finishing with 3 steals and going a perfect 5 of 5 at the free-throw line.
Harper led the Mavs with 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting. Finley only put up 9 shots in over 34 minutes of play. The next time he put up just 9 shots in that many minutes? <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200203310WAS.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March 31, 2002</a>.
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So, what ended up happening to these two teams? Glad you asked!
The Lakers finished 56-26 and fourth in the Western Conference, sweeping the Kenny Anderson, Isaiah Rider, and Rasheed Wallace-led Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1. Then, in the West semifinals, L.A. fell to the No. 1 seed Utah Jazz, who eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 NBA Finals. The Lakers still had a few more years of Harris before Phil Jackson eventually came to clean things up prior to the 1999-2002 three-peat era.
The Mavericks finished 24-58 and were actually still fourth in the Midwest Division among seven teams, completing 1996-97 with only the sixth-worst record in the league. Unfortunately, they didn&rsquo;t own their own draft pick, but fortunately, the Celtics &mdash; who had it at No. 6 &mdash; used it on Ron Mercer, so it wasn&rsquo;t an egregious miss.
Tracy McGrady did go No. 9 overall, and the Mavs did settle on Kelvin Cato at No. 15, but they landed with a kid named Dirk Nowitzki in the 1998 NBA Draft after another 20-win season.
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Bryan Fonseca revisits when the Mavericks only mustered a measly 2 points in the third quarter against the Lakers.

Revisiting the time the Mavericks scored just 2 points in a quarter

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and the Brooklyn Nets withstood a late rally and another triple-double by Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-120 on Sunday.
Nic Claxton had 20 points and Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie added 15 points each for Brooklyn, which has won five of its last six games.
Jokic had 35 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists for his league-leading 27th triple-double of the season but missed a contested 14-foot jumper with 5 seconds left that would have given the Nuggets the lead.
Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points for Denver, which matched a season high with its third consecutive loss.

Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and the Nets withstood a late rally to beat the Nuggets 122-120 on Sunday.

Mikal Bridges, Nets hold off late rally to beat Nuggets 122-120

For basketball fans, the NBA trade deadline is one of the most exciting days of the year. It&rsquo;s fun to track the rumors, react to trades and root for your favorite team to make moves.
However, for the players involved in these trades, it can be very stressful and emotional.
Most players spend deadline day looking over their shoulder, and there&rsquo;s a lot of anxiety and nerves around this time of year. There aren&rsquo;t many professions where your employer can ship you across the country without any notice, but that comes with being a professional athlete.
To get a sense of what it&rsquo;s like to be traded, Basketball News spoke to several former NBA players who opened up about getting dealt and what the process entailed.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyqvPS02_Y&amp;t=2886s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAY ALLEN</a>: &ldquo;When I got to Seattle, [here&rsquo;s] the way the trade went down. I was in Milwaukee playing for the Bucks and we flew to Seattle, and we had a practice that day. It was coming up on the trade deadline, and everyone was talking about Tim Thomas being traded. So we were on the Key Arena floor in Seattle and the media came rushing in. I'm sitting on the floor stretching and I'm looking around and as I turn [toward the media], all of these lights come on. And I'm like, 'What's happening? We're about to have practice.' And then I turn around and I'm like, 'What's going on?' And they're all looking and pointing at me. I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Me?!&rsquo; [The media members] are like, 'Yeah! You!' So we're stretching on one end and the other team is stretching on the other end, and [Bucks head coach] George Karl is down there on the other end. I kind of look around and I&rsquo;m looking up [at Coach Karl], and he takes off. So, I walk over to the media and said, &lsquo;What&rsquo;s going on?&rsquo; They were like, &lsquo;There was a trade.&rsquo; I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Who got traded?&rsquo; They were like, &lsquo;You.&rsquo; I go into the locker room and check my phone and it's blowing up. I got traded for Gary Payton. It was crazy to be traded to Seattle in the middle of the season. I go back [to Milwaukee], get my stuff, take my physical and fly back in. And my first game [as a Sonic] is against the Detroit Pistons.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I remember going out to lunch with Brent Barry, who was so great the whole time. He was such a jokester on the sly; he always had his little sarcasm that he'd add to any situation. He goes, 'Ray, just so you know, people aren't coming to the game to see you. They're coming to see the Barry brothers match-up.' Because Jon [Barry] was on Detroit. That was always Brett, with his dry humor. (Laughs) So, I'm watching the [Sonics'] film and Gary was &lsquo;The Glove&rsquo; &mdash; everybody knew how ferocious he was on defense. In Milwaukee, we had schemes, and I was used to that. But watching [the Sonics&rsquo;] film, Gary would come from one side of the floor and just start guarding a guy. And I was like, &lsquo;What scheme is that?&rsquo; And they were like, &lsquo;No, that&rsquo;s Gary&rsquo;s scheme.&rsquo; I noticed how the team was built around him, because a lot of the young players, they had kinda just waited on Gary to do whatever Gary did. So when I got there, Rashard [Lewis] was young and impressionable. We had Ansu Sesay, Reggie Evans, Jerome James and all of these young guys, and they all kinda just went as Gary went. So when I got there, I was like, 'Yo, get your shots up! I need you!' I was passing them the ball; I was flirting with triple-doubles like every other game. But I was like, 'You guys gotta [do something]!' They would just sit around, and I could tell the hole that Gary left &mdash; these guys were used to playing a certain way and kinda expecting him to do everything.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Rashard emerged because he started watching me come to the gym early every day and he would always say, 'Man, I want to make the money that you make and have the success that you've had. I really gotta start focusing in and taking this seriously&hellip;&rsquo; So, Rashard started getting to the gym early. He saw the work that I put in, and he saw that it was something that he could do and something he wanted for himself. I like to think that some of that money that he got from Orlando, he could have passed some of it [to me] on the side, but that didn&rsquo;t happen. (Laughs) But he was a great partner to have because he did get significantly better &mdash; so much better &mdash; from the time I got there to when we parted ways with him going to Orlando and me going to Boston. [I never talked to Coach Karl about him running away] and since then, George has always taken shots at me through the media or in writing his books. It's just the strangest thing because I always thought that we had a strong relationship as a player-coach.&rdquo;
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-etan-thomas-wpfw-dc-roundtable-drew-gooden-tony-massenburg-dave-zirin-john-wall-russell-westbrook-trade-washington-wizards-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ETAN THOMAS</a>: &ldquo;I have a story from when I was with the Wizards. I was in [general manager] Ernie Grunfeld&rsquo;s office. We&rsquo;re talking about me going to big-man camp because they used to send a big man down to Florida to IMG Academy to work out with Robert Parish and Clifford Ray. So I&rsquo;m in there in the summer, and I&rsquo;m talking to him about big-man camp. And I&rsquo;ve heard a little bit of trade rumors, I&rsquo;ve heard whispers and stuff like that, but nothing major. So he&rsquo;s telling me, 'Yeah, you&rsquo;re coming back from your injury, we&rsquo;re looking forward to next year. We want to send you down to big-man camp and you&rsquo;re doing all this stuff, and Robert Parish is great to work with and Clifford Ray is this, and we&rsquo;re looking forward to everything with you and we&rsquo;ll see how you and Brendan [Haywood] can work together,' and all this different stuff. It was this whole long speech, right?
"Now I&rsquo;m driving from the Verizon Center home to PG County. I&rsquo;m not even off Route 50 yet, and I get a call from my agent who says, 'You just got traded.' I was like, 'Are you serious?' I was like, 'No, that has to be a mistake! I was just in Ernie Grunfeld&rsquo;s office like 10-15 minutes ago!' So, I had to do a U-turn, go back to the Verizon Center, clear out all my stuff, and then he shook my hand and said, 'Thank you for everything,' like the whole conversation 15 minutes ago never happened."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/pos2.jpg" alt="" width="689" height="466" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/heres-the-story-on-the-time-the-nuggets-traded-me-and-didnt-tell-me" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAMES POSEY</a>: &ldquo;I was in my fourth season with the Denver Nuggets, and things hadn&rsquo;t really gotten off to the best start, to say the least. We were 6-18 and knew we were gonna have our hands full that night. Our opponent? The Dallas Mavericks. With Mike Finley, Steve Nash, Raef LaFrentz and Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas was no joke. They began the season 21-3, so in our morning shootaround, we were definitely engaged. Afterward, I showered and changed, went back home, took my pregame nap and was on my way back to the arena. I&rsquo;m driving and going over the gameplan in my head when I get a call from my agent. He said he was calling to 'check on me.' He asked me how I was doing and where I was. I thought the questions were a little strange, but didn&rsquo;t really think much of it. 'I&rsquo;m going to the arena, we got a game,' I said. 'You&rsquo;re going where?!' And that&rsquo;s how I found out I&rsquo;d been traded. We were both shocked, and for the same reason.
"Nobody communicated with me. I was literally a couple miles from the arena. Getting traded is a part of life as a professional athlete. And fortunately for me, I was young and, outside of the team, hadn&rsquo;t really had any family roots or ties to Denver. But that didn&rsquo;t completely remove the sting. I just considered myself lucky to not be in a situation where I also had to move a wife and three kids in the middle of the school year. Not every player is that fortunate. One minute, you&rsquo;re driving on the highway. The next minute, at a moment&rsquo;s notice, you have to start packing and prepare to make a new life in a new city. It&rsquo;s the hardest part of the job, and it&rsquo;s one that we all accept. But damn. When I got the news &mdash; again, I was literally five minutes from the arena and had done shootaround that morning with my teammates and coaches &mdash; I had mixed emotions. My initial reaction was just genuine shock, and even though resentment might be too strong of a word, I definitely felt some kind of way. 'They couldn't even tell me?'
"I can&rsquo;t speak for everybody, but I can definitely understand how being traded and not being told could make a player feel really disposable. Sometimes, people forget that players are people too. As far as I know, there&rsquo;s no specific rule about when you are no longer able to communicate with the coaching staff or the front office of a team that trades you, but in most instances, there would at least be a phone call or a text message from your old coach or GM or whoever. Just a, 'Thank you for your service, we wish you the best of luck,' something like that. From Denver, I got nothing. All those thoughts and feelings raced through my mind in the 30 seconds it took me to process everything and turn my car around. Then, naturally, I asked my agent the question everyone in my situation would ask. 'Where did I get traded to?' When he told me Houston, I perked up and immediately pressed the gas... I actually moved in with Nick Van Exel after the trade. He had a crib in Houston, so I stayed with him. When I found out about the trade, I just packed up as much of my clothes as I could and went to Nick&rsquo;s house. I stayed there until the end of the season, then I got my own spot. But yeah, if my agent hadn&rsquo;t called, I would've showed up at the arena and they probably wouldn't have even let me in.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-etan-thomas-wpfw-dc-roundtable-drew-gooden-tony-massenburg-dave-zirin-john-wall-russell-westbrook-trade-washington-wizards-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DREW GOODEN</a>: &ldquo;I got drafted as the No. 4 pick in Memphis. Jerry West, it was his first year being the president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, and I was his pick at No. 4, and I would say three or four months into that season, we were stockpiled at my position. We had Stromile Swift (who was drafted as the No. 2 pick two years prior to me), Pau Gasol (who was the No. 3 pick the year before my draft) and Shane Battier (who was the No. 6 or No. 7 pick that same year) and then the following year, they picked me at No. 4. So we had a lot of young talent, but we just could not put the pieces together to make something right. I heard the trade rumors. Rumors are rumors until they actually happen. It&rsquo;s funny, this story, because when I was hearing the rumors about me being traded, me and my agent had the discussion with Jerry West.
"Jerry West said, 'Drew, this is ridiculous, we have no intentions of trading you. Don&rsquo;t read the papers, you&rsquo;re going to be here a long time. So plan on wearing a Memphis jersey for a long time.' So I was like, 'Alright, that&rsquo;s cool; Jerry West gave me a straight-up answer, man! We&rsquo;ve got nothing to worry about! Let&rsquo;s just see what happens, man, let&rsquo;s ride this season out.' A day later,&nbsp;less than 24 hours later, I get a call from Dick Versace, who was an assistant general manager at the time saying, 'Drew, we&rsquo;ve got some news.' He said, 'You&rsquo;re on your way to the Orlando Magic; we just traded you for Mike Miller, the reigning Rookie of the Year.' And I was like, 'Wowww.' I was happy, don&rsquo;t get it wrong, I was happy that I was traded, but I was like, 'Wowww, Jerry West just told me that I was not going to get traded less than 24 hours ago, and then he has somebody else call me to tell me I was traded?!'"
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-tj-ford-james-posey-interview-qa-milwaukee-bucks-toronto-raptors-indiana-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T.J. FORD</a>: "The way I got traded, I felt it was just cold-blooded. Getting traded for the first time is just a unique experience. I got traded in the summer, I think after Hurricane Katrina and all that; it was when the Essence Festival was in Houston for the first time. Somebody bought my house and I was supposed to move out a week later, but they told me they wanted me out on Friday. Now, I've got an appearance in Milwaukee on Saturday that I'm supposed to fly to on Friday&hellip; So I get to Milwaukee and I speak at Michael Redd's camp, but he wasn't there. It was just a strange day. Who comes to somebody's campand then they ain't there? That just didn't make sense to me. [I&rsquo;m thinking], &lsquo;Gosh, something ain't right.&rsquo;
"I ended up having dinner plans with Skip [Robinson], the public relations guy. He helped me do a lot of great things in Milwaukee. We go to dinner and I didn't really have no power at my house, so at the restaurant I&rsquo;ve got my phone and my charger, but they&rsquo;re not next to me. Skip answered his phone and he's sitting directly across from me and I just hear him go, 'No! No! You've got to be kidding me.' Then, he's like, 'Here, the GM wants to talk to you.' So, I'm like, 'What's going on?' The GM's like, 'How do you feel about going to Toronto?' I'm like, 'What are you talking about? Stop playing with me. Stop fuckin' with me. Seriously, what's going on?' He's like, 'No, for real. We just traded you for Charlie Villanueva and it hasn't hit the news yet and it probably won't tonight.' I'm like, 'Yo, Skip, he just told me he f*ckin' traded me. He must be joking with me.' So, I handed him the phone. I get my phone and I've got a bunch of missed calls from my mom.
"So I called my mom and she's like, 'Your agent has been trying to call you! He's been saying something about a trade?' I was like, 'I know! The GM just told me that he traded me, so it must be a joke or something. I don't know. I'll call you right back.' I called my agent right away. But before I was able to do that, they got a TV at the bar in the restaurant. And, remember, the GM just told me that nobody knew about it. But it had just hit the news. Not ESPN, I'm talking about the local news at 10. I'm like, 'Ah man!' It was the worst day, man. Worst day. I was hurt. That was a tough one&hellip; I was fortunate to always get traded in the summertime. I probably would've been really shocked if I had to move midseason. I felt like I was pretty blessed to get traded in the summertime, when you can really process it."

Basketball News spoke to several former NBA players who opened up about getting dealt and what the trade process entailed.

NBA veterans open up about getting traded: 'It was the worst day'

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton matched his career high with 35 points, Devin Booker scored 19 in his first game since Christmas and the Phoenix Suns held off Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets 116-112 on Tuesday night.
The 21-year-old Thomas led a late charge and finished with 43 points, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with three straight 40-point games. He had 44 and a career-high 47 points in his previous two games.
Mikal Bridges had 17 of his 21 points in the second half and played a key role in the defensive effort that cooled off Thomas just long enough for the Suns to build a 12-point lead with 2:25 remaining.
Booker missed the previous 21 games with a strained left groin. but had a strong stretch after the Suns led by just three midway through the fourth quarter. He scored six points and set up Ayton for another basket during a 13-4 run that pushed it to 109-97 with 2:25 to go.
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Thomas rallied the Nets mostly from the free-throw line, and his intentional miss with 4.1 seconds remaining left the Suns with a 114-112 lead. He then fouled Ayton, who finished it off with two free throws after going 14 for 18 from the field and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Nic Claxton and T.J. Warren had 17 points each for the Nets, who lost on back-to-back nights after trading Kyrie Irving and fell to 5-9 without the injured Kevin Durant. They opted not to play Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, the players they acquired from Dallas in the trade for Irving.
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TIP-INS
Suns: Chris Paul surpassed 2,500 steals, a mark reached by only John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Michael Jordan. He had nine points and 12 assists.
Nets: Brooklyn was also without Seth Curry (left adductor strain) and Yuta Watanabe (back tightness). ... Coach Jacque Vaughn said Durant continues to progress well in his recovery but still hasn&rsquo;t been involved in the any portions of practice where there is contact. Vaughn said he didn&rsquo;t know when Durant would take that step, and he won&rsquo;t play before he does. The Nets only have four games remaining before the All-Star break.
DINWIDDIE AND DORIAN
Dinwiddie spent five seasons with the Nets and recalled when he signed a multiyear deal in December 2016 after coming into the league as a second-round pick who battled to prove he was more than a G League player.
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&ldquo;My career&rsquo;s been hard, and that right there kind of solidified knowing, like, my family&rsquo;s going to be fine,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said.
He said there was nostalgia being back in Brooklyn, where he averaged a career-best 20.6 points in 2019-20, and praised Finney-Smith&rsquo;s ability to be an important contributor to the team.
&ldquo;Understanding that we may not be the best trade package, but we are the best-looking and the Nets needed some help in that department,&rdquo; he joked.
ANOTHER TRADE
The Nets dealt forward Kessler Edwards to Sacramento for the rights to 2016 second-round pick David Michineau and cash. Edwards began last season on a two-way deal before playing well enough to earn a standard NBA contract, but had appeared in just 14 games this season.
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Deandre Ayton scored 35 points, Devin Booker added 19 in his return and the Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-112.

Ayton has 35, Suns hold off Thomas, Nets in Booker’s return

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2023, including several high-profile, first-time nominees including Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade and the 1976 U.S. Olympic Women&rsquo;s Basketball Team. &nbsp; A first look at the list of eligible nominees was provided by &ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; on ESPN; the complete list of eligible candidates can be found below. &nbsp; Finalists from the North American and Women&rsquo;s committee for the Class of 2023 will be announced on February 17, at 5:30 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City, Utah, during NBA All-Star Weekend. &nbsp; The entire Class of 2023, including those selected by the direct-elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Houston, Texas, on April 1, in a nationally televised broadcast at 11 a.m. EST.
NORTH AMERICAN NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ken Anderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Beilein (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Bess (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Chauncey Billups (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Chambers (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Clougherty (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Cooper (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joey Crawford (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Curran (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Eaton (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cliff Ellis (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Finley (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pau Gasol (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leonard Hamilton (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lou Henson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed Hightower (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; David Hixon (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Jackson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marques Johnson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Keady (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Larranaga (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Maurice Lucas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shawn Marion (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rollie Massimino (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Motta (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dirk Nowitzki (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jake O&rsquo;Donnell (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tony Parker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Phelan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gregg Popovich (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bo Ryan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stan Spirou (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Reggie Theus (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dwyane Wade (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Buck Williams (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Williamson (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Westhead (COA)
WOMEN&rsquo;S NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leta Andrews (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jennifer Azzi (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gary Blair (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Bruno (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Hammon (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Martin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Debbie Miller-Palmore (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kim Mulkey (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Still (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marian Washington (COA) &nbsp; INTERNATIONAL DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jackie Chazalon &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mirza Delibasic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dusan Ivkovic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Semen Khalipski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vladimir Kondrashin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Eduardo Lamas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marcos Leite &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shimon Mirrahi &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Amaury Pasos &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Manuel Sainz &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Togo Soares &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ranko Zeravica &nbsp; WOMEN&rsquo;S VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1976 US Olympic Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1982 Cheyney University NCAA Final Four Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Alline Banks Sprouse (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Edmonton Commercial Grads (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Head (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Yolanda Laney (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nashville Business College (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lometa Odom (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Harley Redin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hazel Walker (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Walker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dean Weese (COA)*
CONTRIBUTOR DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pete Babcock &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Baumgartner &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Henry Bibby &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marty Blake &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vic Bubas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Collins &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wayne Duke &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Foster &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Gibbons &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Simon Gourdine &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tim Grgurich &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Junius Kellogg &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Johnny &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Kerr &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Konchalski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bobby Lewis &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred McCall &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McCloskey &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jon McGlocklin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Speedy Morris &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dennis Murphy &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Curly Neal &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Powers &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Will Robinson &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Shue &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Valvano &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donnie Walsh &nbsp; VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1936 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1972 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Barnett (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Blackburn (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sid Borgia (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Freddie Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Coleman (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Eckman (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leroy Edwards (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leo Ferris (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hy Gotkin (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Travis Grant (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Hartman (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cam Henderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Robert Hopkins (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Keinath (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Greg Kelser (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kentucky Wesleyan 1966, 1968, 1969 (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Love (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Loyola of Chicago (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Billy Markward (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed McCluskey (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McKinney (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Melchionni (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Francis Meehan (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lucias Mitchell (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donald &ldquo;Dudey&rdquo; Moore (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joe Mullaney (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Willie Naulls (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; North Catholic High School Junior Varsity (Philadelphia, PA) (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Don Otten (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Philadelphia SPHAS (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kevin Porter (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Glenn Roberts (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lennie Rosenbluth (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kenny Sailors (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred Schaus (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sam Schulman (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Silas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lambert Will (CONT)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Max Zaslofsky (PLA)

Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich and Dwyane Wade are among the candidates for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Basketball Hall of Fame announces candidates for Class of 2023

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Dorian Finney-Smith had someone in his ear after missing a late 3-pointer.
It was Luka Doncic and his message was straightforward: Shoot it again if the opportunity arises.
He followed Doncic's directions. He wouldn't miss.
Finney-Smith hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds remaining and the Dallas Mavericks rallied after squandering a late lead to beat the Denver Nuggets 116-115 on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;Him just giving me confidence, that means a lot,&rdquo; Finney-Smith said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just happy we got the win.&rdquo;
Not that it would be easy.
Nikola Jokic had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining, but missed the first of two free throws. Spencer Dinwiddie hit both free throws to help seal the win for the Mavericks.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 29 points and Doncic recorded his 52nd career triple-double with 22 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Mavericks hardly looked weary as they played the second game of a back-to-back. They beat the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns the night before.
&ldquo;A lot of great things happened,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;It was a great game.&rdquo;
Aaron Gordon had 27 points, while Jokic added 19 points, eight assists and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who dropped their third straight game on a night when they committed 17 turnovers.
&ldquo;There are no moral victories,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;I feel the guys played hard, we competed and gave ourselves a chance.&rdquo;
Dallas appeared to have the game well in hand after taking a 111-101 lead with just over 4 minutes remaining. But the Nuggets went on an 11-0 run and jumped in front on Bruce Brown's 3-pointer.
All it did was set the stage for Finney-Smith, who finished with 19 points.
The Mavericks finished 27 of 31 from the free throw line. Hardaway missed both attempts with 4.2 seconds remaining, setting up a desperation heave from Jamal Murray at the buzzer that missed the mark.
&ldquo;Would love to have had a timeout at the end of the game so we could, make-or-miss on those Hardaway free throws, could've advanced the ball and get a better, quality shot," Malone said. "That&rsquo;s on me. You can&rsquo;t beat yourself.
&ldquo;We know that they are an offensive firepower, a team that&rsquo;s loaded. They have shooting everywhere.&rdquo;
Nuggets guard Bones Hyland had a big bounce-back performance with 20 points after being benched last game for the second half. Malone said he chatted with Hyland and emphasized how big of a role he plays on the second unit.
&ldquo;They call my name and I&rsquo;m going to go out there and just do what I do," Hyland said. &ldquo;Try to put the team in the best position.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Mavericks: The Mavericks are 2-3 in the second game of a back-to-back. ... Christian Wood had 14 points.
Nuggets: F Michael Porter Jr. (heel) missed a seventh straight game. ... F Jeff Green returned after missing seven games with a knee injury. He had seven points.
DISPERSING MINUTES
Kidd was asked about social media posts and fans who wonder why younger players such as Jaden Hardy don't receive more minutes.
Simple answer: not enough to go around.
&ldquo;Maybe we should bring Luka up, and ask, does he want to play less? Or Spencer?&rdquo; Kidd explained. "You just have to be patient. I know society isn&rsquo;t patient or Twitter isn&rsquo;t patient, because they want it now &mdash; fantasy leagues and all that. My job is to put those guys in a position to be successful. Right now, we&rsquo;ve got a good thing going. ... Twitter isn&rsquo;t the coach or the player.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host Milwaukee on Friday night.
Nuggets: At Portland on Thursday night.

Dorian Finney-Smith hit a go-ahead three with 17.3 seconds remaining and the Mavericks rallied after squandering a late lead.

Finney-Smith's late three helps Mavs to 116-115 win over Nuggets

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes the offensive splendor of Dirk Nowitzki and the dramatic evolution of his career.

Blazing the Trail: Dirk Nowitzki, the unicorn that became world champion

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

While the Knicks have seemingly become the frontrunner to land Jalen Brunson in free agency, the point guard will be talking with several teams before he makes his decision.
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-jalen-brunson-to-meet-with-knicks-mavericks-before-making-free-agent-decision-220533408.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo! Sports' Chris Haynes</a> is reporting that Brunson is scheduled to meet with the Knicks, Mavericks, and the Heat when free agency begins on Thursday at 6PM ET.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, head coach Jason Kidd, team executives Nico Harrison and Michael Finley and possibly several of Brunson's teammates will be present at their meeting.
Dallas is expected to have a hard time convincing Brunson to not leave for the Knicks who have cleared cap space to offer him a four-year deal expected to be worth $110M along with a starting position. The Mavericks are the only team that can offer Brunson a five-year deal.
The Heat are a surprise entrant in the Brunson sweepstakes and can only acquire him through a sign-and-trade agreement.

Jalen Brunson is scheduled to meet with the Knicks, Mavericks, and the Heat when free agency begins on Thursday at 6PM ET.

Jalen Brunson to meet with Mavericks, Knicks, Heat

The Toronto Raptors have expressed interest in trading for Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari, according to <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-cj-mccollum-anfernee-simons-robert-covington-dorian-finney-smith-danilo-gallinari-jakob-poeltl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto of HoopsHype</a>.
The 33-year-old is averaging 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 threes in 23.1 minutes per game for the Atlanta Hawks, while shooting 41.6% from the field, 38.8% from three and 91.7% from the free-throw line.
Scotto mentions that a handful of teams have inquired about Gallinari, who is earning $20,475,000 this season and is set to make $21,450,000 next year.
The Raptors are looking to move Goran Dragic's $19,440,000 expiring contract, which could potentially be used to match Gallinari's salary.
As Scotto notes, Gallinari has history with Raptors president Masai Ujiri from their days with the Denver Nuggets. Ujiri ended up trading Danilo to the New York Knicks as part of the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster.
It remains to be seen if the Hawks are open to moving Gallinari or what they'd want in return. Atlanta is currently 25-27, which puts them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded Raptors are 28-23 and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/raptors-looking-to-acquire-center-jakob-poeltl-myles-turner-high-on-their-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">looking to be buyers</a>.

The Toronto Raptors have emerged as buyers, and they have expressed interest in Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari.

Raptors have expressed interest in trading for Danilo Gallinari

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell added 22 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-105 on Sunday in another matchup between short-handed teams dealing with recent COVID-19 issues.
Dallas, already without star guard Luka Doncic, placed two players in the health and safety protocols the past two days. Minnesota added Josh Okogie to the protocols and Anthony Edwards and Taurean Prince each missed their second game while in the protocols.
The Mavericks then lost forward Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter with right foot soreness. Porzingis finished with 13 points and three rebounds.
Jaylen Nowell provided a much-needed injection of shooting with a season-high 16 points off the bench for Minnesota, which has won four in a row.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 28 points for Dallas. Dorian Finney-Smith added 23 and Jalen Brunson finished with 18 points and 11 assists.
The Timberwolves led for much of the game, but Dallas closed the third quarter on an 18-7 run to take an 88-86 lead. The Mavericks outscored Minnesota 38-30 in the quarter, but Porzingis left the game with 4:59 left in the third and didn&rsquo;t return.
Minnesota turned to Nowell, who hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth as the Timberwolves recovered with a 13-5 run.
Without Edwards and with Michael Beasley&rsquo;s continued struggles shooting, the little-used Nowell was a perfect relief. He scored in double figures for the second straight game and the third time in five games.
COVID-19 STRIKES AGAIN
A day after placing Reggie Bullock in the health and safety protocols, Dallas added Josh Green to the protocols before the game. Coach Jason Kidd also said assistants Darrell Armstrong and Jared Dudley are in the protocols.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who have also lost several players to the protocols, played the Mavericks on Dec. 15 in Dallas&rsquo; last game.
Previous to playing Los Angeles, the Mavericks didn&rsquo;t have many cases of COVID-19 to enter into the protocols. Trey Burke, in late October, is the only player to previously be in the protocols.
Before the game, Kidd said he wasn&rsquo;t making any medical determinations, but &ldquo;some who are into betting or guessing, some would say that&rsquo;s where it came from,&rdquo; he said, regarding the Lakers&rsquo; game.
Coincidentally, Edwards and Prince missed Friday&rsquo;s game against Los Angeles and Okogie was added after playing 13:29 in the game.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Hardaway moved into the starting lineup for the first time in 10 games. Bullock had started nine straight games. G Sterling Brown (left foot soreness) returned after missing six games. &hellip; Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons), Frank Ntilikina (illness) and Eugene Omoruyi (right foot injury) were also unavailable for Dallas. &hellip; Finney-Smith was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul in the third quarter on a hard takedown of Towns.
Timberwolves: Beasley started his second straight game for Edwards and scored 13 on 4-of-13 shooting. &hellip; Towns made his first 11 free throws. He finished 11 of 13 from the line. ... With Nowell leading the way, Minnesota&rsquo;s bench outscored Dallas&rsquo; reserves 36-17
UP NEXT
The team&rsquo;s finish back-to-back meetings on Tuesday in Dallas.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, D’Angelo Russell added 22 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Mavericks.

Wolves beat Dallas 111-105; Mavs lose Porzingis to injury

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has agreed to sign a landmark five-year, $207 million supermax rookie extension, agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports told ESPN on Monday.
Doncic, one of the most accomplished players in NBA history at 22 years old and rapidly evolving into the future face of the league, becomes the first player eligible for the designated rookie max extension upon signing because he's already twice been voted first-team All-NBA.
Source: <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31994570/luka-doncic-agrees-five-year-207-million-supermax-rookie-extension-dallas-mavericks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN </a>
ANALYSIS: Wojnarowski added that the deal includes a player option in the final year.
Here is Luka Doncic on signing the supermax extension (via ESPN):
"Today is a dream come true," Doncic told ESPN in a statement. "The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places. I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks and appreciate the support of my fans."
The Mavs front office reportedly flew into Slovenia to formally present Doncic with the contract extension in person. According to ESPN, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison, coach Jason Kidd, assistant general manager Michael Finley, special adviser Dirk Nowitzki and director of player health and performance Casey Smith all made the trip to Slovenia.

According to ESPN, Luka Doncic has agreed to a five-year supermax extension with the Dallas Mavericks, worth $207M.

Luka Doncic, Mavs agree to five-year supermax extension worth $207M

Every offseason presents an opportunity. Teams can stay the course or shift directions, completely shaking up their team or just making moves around the edges. It starts with the NBA Draft and trickles into free agency, as rosters receive a facelift (for the most active organizations).
But as teams tinker by adding fresh faces to the mix, what happens to the players who previously had a significant role on the team? Unfortunately, when new talent comes in, that means somebody is going to lose out. Whether that means scaled-back playing time or a change of scenery, there will be altered roles for some going into the 2021-22 campaign.&nbsp;
Here are some of those players who could fit the bill.
Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio Spurs
It&rsquo;s no secret that the San Antonio Spurs are currently in an odd position. With DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge no longer present, in addition to the departure of longtime veterans Patty Mills and Rudy Gay, their longest-tenured players will be Dejounte Murray and Derrick White. Given the moves, you'd think that Lonnie Walker, entering his fourth season, would be a focal point for this ball club. And yet, it seems like the Spurs don&rsquo;t have the trust in him yet, and that&rsquo;s backed by the moves they&rsquo;ve made so far this summer.
For starters, San Antonio drafted the youngest player in the 2021 class in Josh Primo. The Alabama freshman not only slots in as a shooting guard, but has plenty of size at the position at 6-foot-6. Then, on Wednesday morning, the team decided to bring back Bryn Forbes on a deal. Couple those moves with the signing of Doug McDermott (who will probably play a lot of small forward based on current roster construction), and where is there room for Walker? Surely he&rsquo;s not going to supersede Dejounte Murray and Derrick White in the rotation. Keldon Johnson is playing for the Team USA men&rsquo;s squad. And don't forget, they selected Devin Vassell at No. 11 overall last year. It&rsquo;s tough to find a pathway to significant, consistent minutes for Walker, who scored 11.2 points per game and increased his three-point shooting volume tremendously last season. Any team looking for a guard/wing with athleticism who takes care of the ball and has plenty of time to mature on the floor should give R.C. Buford a call.
Josh Jackson, Detroit Pistons
We had to see this one coming, and unfortunately, Josh Jackson may very well be the odd man out again. With the Pistons drafting Cade Cunningham, Jerami Grant coming off a career-season and Saddiq Bey lighting up the eyes of everybody in Motown, Jackson is going to have to fight with Hamidou Diallo (granted he comes back on a matched offer sheet or qualifying offer) as a backup 2 or 3.&nbsp;
Jackson came in with promise after rediscovering his game with the Memphis Hustle in the G League and the Grizzlies, and looked to have found his footing with Detroit in the first few months as a slashing, rim-pressuring presence who oftentimes had the ball in his hands. While his three-point shooting leaves much to be desired and he&rsquo;s prone to turning the ball over at times, his defensive abilities are incredibly intriguing. Jackson hasn&rsquo;t had much organizational stability since coming into the NBA, and is just 24 years old with four seasons of experience. Given his 6-foot-8 frame, team-friendly contract and potential that&rsquo;s still there, it&rsquo;d be wise for teams to contact Troy Weaver and inquire about his availability.
Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic
Regarding the Magic&rsquo;s guard room, there were already too many cooks in the kitchen before the NBA Draft came around and now they add Jalen Suggs as well. Sure, it's "a good problem to have," but&hellip; maybe not so much for the players in the room. New head coach Jamahl Mosley will have the following at his disposal in the Orlando backcourt: Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Terrence Ross, Michael Carter-Williams and potentially Gary Harris and Dwayne Bacon pending on rotations... plus Markelle Fultz. The former No. 1 overall pick got off to a great start in the 2020-21 season before going down with another devastating injury that cut his campaign short before it could even get started.
Knowing that Suggs is likely the face of the franchise moving forward, and that he plays point guard along with many others on the Magic roster, where exactly does that leave Fultz? It&rsquo;s not as if he&rsquo;s a great player yet off the ball or can consistently shoot. Fultz can explode to the rim and is somebody who can turn the corner well, but you&rsquo;d have to imagine his usage will decrease if he stays there. Remember, he was brought in to play alongside the likes of Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier under Steve Clifford, so who knows what John Hammond and his front office have in mind for Fultz. Luckily for him, he still fits the &ldquo;rebuilding&rdquo; timeline at just 23 years old; finding the right niche for him, though, will be easier said than done.
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Coby White, Chicago Bulls
After an exciting finish to his rookie season, Coby White found himself in the starting lineup in Year 2. He had a brand new coach in Billy Donovan, plus a determined and motivated Zach LaVine as his backcourt partner. White took a small step forward in the scoring department (15.1 points) and came close to doubling his assist output (4.8). However, the defensive side of the ball is still a work in progress for the 21-year-old guard, and now with Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan coming to the Windy City, one would be inclined to think that his role will be reduced if he stays on the team.
White averaged over 31 minutes per night this past year and started in 54 games. It&rsquo;s probably not out of bounds to say that those figures will take a hit, in addition to his production in general. It&rsquo;s unfortunate for White, whose development will take a back seat to a Bulls squad that's clearly aiming to win now.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks
This may be a stretch considering the previous names mentioned, but hear this out. The Mavericks just re-signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a long-term contract, brought in Reggie Bullock on a three-year deal that pays upwards of $10-11 million annually and the team has a brand-new head coach in Jason Kidd. Although we know how important Finney-Smith is on the defensive end of the floor, is it possible that his already-low usage dips even more?&nbsp;
Bullock typically will assume some of that role and be more aggressive as a scorer and shooter, likely similar to what Seth Curry brought to the table two seasons ago for Dallas. We know that Kristaps Porzingis is still on the roster, so that means that power forward is likely a spot that&rsquo;s commandeered by a mixture of the 7-foot-3 Latvian and Maxi Kleber. In addition to acquiring Moses Brown, the Mavs re-signed Boban Marjanovic and Willie Cauley-Stein, so that could shift the bigs rotation a bit. Unlike the aforementioned names, Finney-Smith still makes sense on this team &mdash; just maybe not in quite as large of a role.

Spencer Davies lists several players who may see their role negatively affected following the NBA draft and free agency.

Breaking down 5 NBA players whose roles may be diminished

<div>
<div>
<div id="tweet-text" dir="auto" lang="en">Former Mavericks All-Star Michael Finley, already a member of the team's brain trust as vice president of basketball operations, has immediately emerged as a candidate in the club's search for a new head of basketball operations @NYTSports has learned.</div>
<div dir="auto" lang="en">&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="auto" lang="en">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1405316949026934784" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter)</a></div>
<div dir="auto" lang="en">&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="auto" lang="en">ANALYSIS: <a href="In%20addition%20to%20Michael%20Finley,%20Dallas%20will%20be%20interviewing%20external%20candidates%20after%20hiring%20a%20search%20firm,%20as%20reported%20earlier%20today.%20That%20firm%20is%20Sportsology,%20which%20is%20headed%20by%20the%20longtime%20English%20soccer%20executive%20Mike%20Forde,%20who%20has%20emerged%20as%20a%20go-to%20consultant%20to%20NBA%20teams." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stein also noted</a> that Dallas is expected to interview a number of external candidates and has brought on a search firm, Sportsology, to aid in the effort. Still, Finley, who spent the majoirty of his playing career with the Mavericks and has worked in the team's front office since 2012, would prove an obvious candidate should they promote from within.</div>
</div>
</div>

Michael Finley has emerged as a candidate to replace Donnie Nelson as the Dallas Mavericks' head of basketball operations

Michael Finley emerges as candidate for Mavericks' GM

The Los Angeles Clippers head to Dallas tonight to take on the Mavericks in a do-or-die Game 6 spot.
Luka Doncic continued his brilliant play in Game 5, going off for 42 points, and more importantly, a Dallas road win. But, if there&rsquo;s one thing to know about Kawhi Leonard, it&rsquo;s that he&rsquo;s one of the best postseason players ever, so you know he is going to bring it tonight, which is why tonight&rsquo;s matchup will be a fun one to watch from a fan and bettor&rsquo;s perspective.&nbsp;
The Mavericks win has once again shifted the series odds with Dallas now favored to win the series at -182 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Can the Clippers force a Game 7 and bring the series back to Los Angeles? Let&rsquo;s take a look at who has the edge in Game 6 and find out which side and total <a href="https://betql.co/nba/odds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetQL&rsquo;s NBA best bet model</a> is picking in this game.
Game Preview 
Los Angeles Clippers (-3, 216.5) at Dallas Mavericks
Doncic is putting on a show this series, averaging 35.0 points, 9.4 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. He&rsquo;s also shooting 47.6% from the field and 40.4% from three-point land. If the Clippers want to have any chance of winning this game tonight, they are going to need to come up with a way to slow down Dallas&rsquo; superstar. On the other hand, the Mavericks will need someone other than Doncic to step up offensively if they want to close out this series. One player to keep an eye on tonight for that role is Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavericks big man was flat out bad last game, but if the Clippers double or trap Doncic tonight, he will need to help pick up the load. Porzingis is averaging just 13.8 points per game this series, but scored 20.1 points per game during the regular season &mdash; he's a big part of this offense. He also scored 21.5 points per outing at home and 16.5 PPG against the Clippers during the regular season.
On the flip side, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kawhi-leonard-paul-george-commandeering-of-los-angeles-clippers-offense-is-yielding-results-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be counted on</a> by Los Angeles to come through in the clutch. Leonard, whose first four games of the series were great, is coming off of a tough outing, at least by his standards. Kawhi went 7-for-19 from the field and a putrid 1-for-7 from long range. Leonard is one of the most consistent players in the game, so look for him to bounce back in this spot.&nbsp;
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Speaking of consistency, PG has actually played well in this series, scoring 20 or more points in all five games. But he also made two crucial turnovers down the stretch in Game 5, and they didn&rsquo;t help. This is the playoffs, so fans and bettors expect more out of George in these types of situations, and understandably so. The Clippers were huge favorites coming in, so to be on the brink of elimination in Game 6 is a tough pill to swallow. Both Leonard and George will need to carry the load offensively and lock up defensively for Los Angeles to defeat Dallas.
The Mavericks finished the regular season with a 21-15 home record, while the Clippers were 21-15 on the road. Offensively, Los Angeles scores 3.2 more points at home than they do on the road.
Dallas leads this series because of their offense, which is scoring 116.3 points per 100 possessions. Offensively, the Mavericks rank ninth in offensive rating and they love to shoot threes. Dallas ranks sixth in three-point attempts and eighth in three-pointers made, so look for them to continue to let it fly from deep. If the Clippers do try to take away Doncic, that should open up the floor for Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith to all get good looks from distance.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_16181937_lg.jpg" alt="" width="730" height="456" />
Stats-wise, Game 5 was pretty even, so tonight might just come down to who wants it more.
Loose balls and hustle points may make the difference, and Dallas has to prove it can actually win a game at the American Airlines Center. Neither team has won a home game yet in this series, which is very rare.
Gambling wise, bettors are expecting the Clippers to tie up the series, with 63% expecting Los Angeles to cover in this spot.
With an opportunity to close out the series, this game may play out similarly to Nuggets-Blazers Game 6. Everyone was expecting Portland to take it to seven, but Nikola Jokic dominated, and he was able to get help from Michael Porter Jr to close it out. Doncic should be able to get his, so if Porzingis can step up, watch out.
BetQL Model Predictions &amp; Picks 
BetQL&rsquo;s NBA model has run 10,000 simulations of this game to provide insight on how the game will pan out, and after all those simulations, the model leans the Mavericks +3. Currently, the point spread of this game sits at +/- 3 with Los Angeles as road favorites, but BetQL&rsquo;s model would have placed the line at Clippers -2, meaning there is some betting value on the Mavericks in this game at +3. Keep reading below to get picks from the experts at BetQL. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Against the Spread Pick:
The model is leaning towards the Mavericks with a 2-star rating on the game, and projects the final score to be Clippers 110.5, Mavericks 109. As highlighted with some stats and insights above, it&rsquo;s hard to argue with the model on this pick. This series has gone back and forth, but look for Doncic to continue to cook.
BetQL is backing the model and betting Dallas +3, and <a href="https://betql.co/nba/sharp-picks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the sharp bettors</a> they are backing the Mavs as well, but be sure to check back with BetQL to see the most updated odds, lines, and spreads for this game before tip.
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Over/Under Pick:
The over/ under for this game is set to 216.5 points. The BetQL model recommends taking Over 216.5 for this game. This is a must win situation for the Clippers, so they will scratch and claw until the very end. That should mean some late free throws for Dallas if Los Angeles is down late in the fourth quarter. Doncic and his teammates should play better at home than they have in this series too. For all those reasons, betting with BetQL&rsquo;s 3-star pick and taking the over is the way to go.&nbsp;
If you want to check out BetQL&rsquo;s <a href="https://betql.co/nba/odds/totals-spread" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over-under picks</a> for the rest of the NBA playoffs make sure to check out their site for those picks.
Prop Bet Spotlight
The BetQL computer model has identified a good 3-star prop for tonight&rsquo;s matchup in Nicolas Batum under 5.5 rebounds. Batum averaged 4.7 boards per game during the year and five rebounds per game vs. the Mavericks during the regular season. His rebounding output has been up-and-down on a game-to-game basis, so this should be close... But you can confidently back the model here.&nbsp;
Pick: Back the model and take Batum under 5.5 rebounds tonight.
As a Basketball News reader you can get access to BetQL for 30% when you use the code BBN30, check out BetQL and win the rest of your bets for the playoffs

Here's a betting guide for Game 6 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.

Everything you need to know ahead of Clippers-Mavericks Game 6

Hi, hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
BETNIJAH LANEY IS HERE
Can you win Most Improved Player two years in a row? We may need to start asking that question about Betnijah Laney.
While guard Sabrina Ionescu, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roaming-the-baseline-sabrina-ionescu-jayson-tatum-teaira-mccowan-nba-wnba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently mentioned in this space</a>, has gotten well deserved flowers for her blend of scoring and playmaking, Laney's offensive prowess can't go overlooked.
We're a year removed from her breakout campaign with the Atlanta Dream, a season in which she averaged a career-high in points (17.2), rebounds (4.9), assists (4.0), and steals (1.6). She's made yet another leap as a scorer this season, torching the nets to the tune of 22.7 points.&nbsp;
The most impressive part is the efficiency. She's one of two players (Jonquel Jones is the other) in the W averaging north of 20 points with a True Shooting percentage above 60.
Laney's a smooth operator, able to flow into jumpers almost at will. Ducking under a screen is an invitation to be lit up. To be caught on a screen is to concede a pull-up.
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Laney's release is quick, giving very little time for defenders to react to her stop-and-pops. Even if they're able to stay attached, she has comfort putting a defender on her hip and flowing into un-blockable fadeaways.
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The threat of her jumper, as well as the general amount of spacing the Liberty deploy at any given moment, allows her to generate paint touches.
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The self-creation from Laney is obviously important. I'm also impressed with her off-ball usage. She isn't just a great shooter, though a 52.2% clip from deep is nothing to sneeze at. She's a smart mover, able to find cracks in the defense to stress weakside defenders.
There's also sneaky value being added as a screener in some of the Liberty's more intricate sets. Ionescu doesn't have an <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1393578582467809281?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening night game winner</a> without <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1393381638025908225" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help from Laney</a>.
WELCOME TO LUKA'S TORTURE CHAMBER
As my colleague Spencer Davies <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-spectacle-of-luka-doncic-in-nba-playoffs-is-unfolding-dallas-mavericks-los-angeles-clippers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently wrote</a>, the Clippers haven't been able to slow down Luka Doncic.
Like, at all.
He's averaging a smooth 35-9-9 through two games, and even that doesn't do it justice. There's an inevitability about the way Luka is playing right now. He's dictating terms against the Clippers' switching; he's carving them up with passes whenever they trap.&nbsp;
Poor Ivica Zubac is probably seeing Luka step-backs in his nightmares at this point. The shotmaking from the perimeter has truly been amazing to watch.
This might be my favorite part of the Luka explosion, though.
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The first clip was the fun one. Luka just tosses Patrick Beverley into the hamper. His exclamation -- "TOO F****** SMALL" -- isn't a taunt. It's a warning shot.
Mr. Lue, you're not going to be able to put small humans on me.
The second shot is the scary one. It's a clear side against Kawhi Leonard, one of the greatest perimeter defenders the NBA has ever seen. Luka puts him on his hip, takes a couple of strength-testing dribbles, then sprinkles in a moonshot.
The man doesn't get sped up at all.
Luka has generated nearly 1.3 points per possession on post-ups (passes included) through the first two games of the series, per Synergy. We know that Luka has the stepback whenever he wants to go to it. We also know that he can cause chaos on drives, as a passer or scorer. Having this kind of intermediate prowess makes him virtually unsolvable in the half-court.
Best of luck to the Clippers.
JONQUEL JONES &amp; THE ART OF INVERSION
I can't get this play from the opening weekend out of my head.
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That is 6-foot-6 Jonquel Jones grabbing a defensive board, going coast-to-coast, then finishing with a Eurostep-adjacent move while drawing the foul. That's not normal.
Jones is back after opting out of last season due to COVID-19 concerns. She was one of the most high-profile players to make that decision, an MVP-caliber talent whose absence played a large part in the Sun's 10-12 record last season.
She's back now, filling up the stat sheet like she never left. It's easy to get lost in her work inside the arc. She's a natural menace on the offensive glass, ranking just outside of the top-10 (2.3). Her post game can be brutish when necessary, though her level of touch allows her to sprinkle in fadeaways without much resistance.
The shot versatility for someone her size is honestly absurd. How many bigs are getting these kind of actions ran for them?
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Even that undersells her. The drives to either side of the floor, hooks, up-and-unders, and even step-back jumpers are part of Jones' arsenal. There just isn't much you can do with her right now.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>Jackie Young may be figuring things out for the Aces. She finished the second half of last season on a high note. Outside of a 2-for-9 dud against the Sun earlier this week, Young has continued to make an impact as a driver.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I highlighted Dorian Finney-Smith as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pressure-points-the-battles-that-will-decide-the-first-round-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an X-Factor in the LAC-DAL series</a> because of how he'd be defended. He's one of six (!!!) Mavericks shooting north of 40% from three through two games.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on Lynx big Damiris Dantas, one of the underrated stretch options in the W. After two-straight seasons of shooting north of 39% from three, she's gotten off to a slow start (21.4% on 4.7 attempts).</li>
<li>It's two games of course, but I didn't expect Derrick Rose to hold up with this sort of minute load (38.2). He's given the Knicks an important blend of scoring and playmaking.</li>
<li>It's less of a "hmmmm" and more of a sigh. Kemba Walker (16.0 points, 37/30/90 shooting split) has made me sad. He just hasn't been able to get busy against Brooklyn. Not that it would really matter with this kind of talent gap between the two squads.</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
Hawks Go To Spain
Be still, my beating heart.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Atlanta Hawks Spain Pick-and-roll -- 3 straight possessions in clutch offense, 3 straight buckets, all assisted by Trae Young - Trae lob to Capela - Trae skip to Bogdanović open corner 3 - Trae behind the back to open De'Andre Hunter pop 3 <a href="https://t.co/8zwghvzsUL">pic.twitter.com/8zwghvzsUL</a>
&mdash; Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) <a href="https://twitter.com/bgeis_bird/status/1396654409355075584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There's nothing like a well-executed Spain pick-and-roll. I'm sorry.
HORNS on Main
Turn this all the way up.
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The Nuggets look like they're setting up some Elbow action out of HORNS, only for it to turn into a double-screen set-up for Michael Porter Jr.&nbsp;
The Blazers switch the initial screen from Aaron Gordon, and that's all it took for this possession to go downhill. Gordon immediately dives to the basket with Norman Powell on his backside. The ball finds Nikola Jokic, who then pings it inside to Gordon for the easy bucket.
On a Loop
Just watch Kahleah Copper, man.
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Sets a hard screen to force the switch, then curls tightly around the screen to keep the Dream (and especially Chennedy Carter) off balance. While that's happening, Courtney Vandersloot and Astou Ndour-Fall flow into a quick-hitting pick-and-roll.
The Dream put two to the ball to force Vandersloot to pick up her dribble; that also leaves Carter splitting two defenders. Copper capitalizes, lifting back up to the wing for an open triple.
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or... well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTjarks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Tjarks</a> wrote, well, <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTjarks/status/1395375202176053251?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just read it</a>. And also keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We're all rooting for you.
<a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seerat Sohi</a> with a <a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi/status/1396846950461280257?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tremendous debut feature</a> on The Block Heard 'Round The Bubble.
<a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Ellentuck</a> dug deep on the <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1397219127505326087?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liberty's hot start</a>, then <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1397938916653776901?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bounced around the W</a> with general observations.
<a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caitlin Cooper</a> took a break from the Pacers beat to give us the <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1397578630277079042?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">goods on Jonas Valanciunas</a>.

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