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Magic

CJ McCollum scored 16 points in his first game back from a collapsed lung, Jusuf Nurkic added 21 points and a season-best 22 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Orlando Magic 98-88 Monday night.
McCollum missed 17 games over six weeks after being injured Dec. 4. The ninth-year pro started Monday but played on a minutes restriction. He made 7 of 13 shots and 2 of 4 3-pointers in 28 minutes.
&ldquo;I felt good because I had worked on my game,&rdquo; said McCollum, who was present for the birth of his first child while he was away from basketball. &ldquo;I worked extremely hard over the last two weeks to recondition, build my body back and getting up shots. And I think you can tell.&rdquo;
Portland beat the Magic for a 10th straight time dating to Jan. 13, 2017. The Blazers have won four of five games overall and are 4-14 on the road. The Blazers won their second straight road game after ending a nine-game road skid Saturday in Washington.
&ldquo;I thought we played well and a few of the things that we focused on trying to take away, we did a good job,&rdquo; Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;It was good to have CJ back. He didn&rsquo;t force anything. He was right back like he never left.&rdquo;
Ben McLemore added 14 points and four 3-pointers for the Blazers. Nurkic registered his team-best 18th double-double and finished one rebound shy of tying a career high.
Assistant Jesse Mermuys coached Orlando after head coach Jamahl Mosley and assistant Nate Tibbetts entered the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols Monday afternoon. Mosley became the NBA&rsquo;s 17th head coach put into the protocols this season.
Orlando never led after scoring the game&rsquo;s first basket and fell to 0-20 when failing to score 100 points. Franz Wagner and Mortiz Wagner each had 14 points.
The Magic lost their second straight after ending a 10-game losing streak Friday in Charlotte. Orlando hasn&rsquo;t won at Amway Center since Dec. 1 and dropped to an NBA-worst 2-16 at home.
&ldquo;We missed shots that we normally make,&rdquo; said Magic center Mo Bamba, who had nine rebounds and four blocks. &ldquo;In those situations we need to be able to fall back on our defense.&rdquo;
Orlando native Anfernee Simons played in front of several dozen family members but struggled throughout with just 13 points. He was coming off a 31-point effort in Portland&rsquo;s win Saturday. Fellow Orlando native Nassir Little added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers.
&ldquo;I thought Nas was incredible, just with the way he was crashing the glass and getting us extra opportunities,&rdquo; Billups said.
Orlando got within nine midway through the third quarter, but it was turned back by a 16-2 Portland burst. McLemore hit three 3-pointers and two free throws during the run.
McCollum scored Portland&rsquo;s first and last baskets of the first half and the Blazers led 54-40 at the break.
MCCOLLUM MAKES HIS RETURN
Even though he missed more than a month of game action, McCollum stayed in close contact with the team and regularly called and texted with Billups. The first-year head coach said the guard has been extraordinarily eager to get back on the floor following his lengthy absence.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just good to have him back on the floor; it&rsquo;s good to have him back around the locker room and around the guys because he&rsquo;s one of our leaders and he gives us life,&rdquo; Billups said.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Norman Powell has cleared COVID-19 protocols but missed his fifth straight game. Billups said the guard should play Wednesday. ... Nurkic registered the third 20-point, 20-rebound game of his career.
Magic: Mermuys said he spent most of Monday preparing for his first shot to be a head coach at the NBA level. &ldquo;Today has been a good day with a lot of reflection and its&rsquo;s under some tough circumstances, obviously. But I&rsquo;ve dreamt of being a head coach in the NBA for a really long time. This isn&rsquo;t that, but it&rsquo;s an opportunity, for sure.&rdquo; ... Wendell Carter Jr. missed his sixth straight game with a sore left hamstring.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Play at Miami on Wednesday night.
Magic: Play at Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

CJ McCollum scored 16 points in his first game back from a collapsed lung and the Blazers beat the Magic 98-88.

CJ McCollum returns, scores 16 points in Blazers' 98-88 win

The Raptors finally returned home to Toronto on the night Kyle Lowry got going in Miami.
The longtime star north of the border is now running the point in South Florida.
The first full night of NBA preseason action started with the Raptors playing in their own arena for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-107 on Monday in a game without the familiar starting point guards for either team.
Lowry now plays for the Heat and the 76ers don't know if or when Ben Simmons will rejoin them. He has not reported to the club this season while hoping for a trade.
The Raptors were on a road trip before the NBA season was suspended in March 2020 because of the coronavirus, then played the 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida, because of virus restrictions that prevented teams from traveling across the border.
Instead of coming back to Toronto with the Raptors, Lowry went to the Heat in a sign-and-trade deal. Toronto fans will see him again Feb. 3 when Miami makes its first trip there this season.
When they do, the Heat will arrive as a title contender if Lowry <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kyle-lowry-makes-early-impact-in-miami-heat-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fits like they expect</a>. They had to like what they saw Monday, as <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1445214731829133319?s=20">Lowry had seven assists</a> in 15 minutes of a 125-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
RAPTORS 123, 76ERS 107
OG Anunoby scored 21 points for Toronto and Justin Champagnie had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Scottie Barnes, the No. 4 pick in the draft, finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Precious Achiuwa, acquired from Miami in the Lowry trade, had 13 points and seven rebounds. Goran Dragic, whose number 7 in Miami is now being worn by Lowry, started and had eight points.
Andre Drummond, starting while Joel Embiid sat out, had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey scored 10 points starting in Simmons' spot.
HEAT 125, HAWKS 99
Tyler Herro scored 26 points and Bam Adebayo threw down five dunks before halftime as Miami rolled at home.
Herro shot 9 of 12 overall and 3 of 4 from 3-point range as the Heat finished 21 of 41 (51.2%) from deep.
The Hawks&rsquo; Trae Young left the contest early in the third quarter after he took a knee in the right thigh from Miami&rsquo;s Gabe Vincent. Atlanta reported Young sustained a right quad contusion, which was not considered serious.
Young, John Collins and Danilo Gallinari scored 14 points apiece for Atlanta.
Miami held Jimmy Butler out of action for rest. He brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich wrapped in a napkin into the Heat bench area to start the third quarter, giving it to Adebayo as an in-game treat. Adebayo, who wasn&rsquo;t playing in the second half, smiled a bit sheepishly when Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spotted the sandwich as he made his way to his seat.
WARRIORS 121, TRAIL BLAZERS 107
Jordan Poole scored 30 points and Otto Porter Jr. scored 19 and Golden State hoisted 69 3-pointers in a win over host Portland.
Poole finished 7 for 13 from deep, and Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins each scored 13.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"But Poole was still able to find his rhythm as Steph was still showing that he's still the man."<a href="https://twitter.com/Dennis3DScott?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dennis3DScott</a> explains to <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredSGreenberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaredSGreenberg</a> why Jordan Poole is so valuable to the <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a>. <a href="https://t.co/aF7bOg1A9o">pic.twitter.com/aF7bOg1A9o</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1445245864511868929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Damian Lillard buried five 3s in the first half to lead Portland with 19 points. Jusuf Nurkic scored 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Houston Rockets hold the NBA regular-season record for single game 3s taken with 70 in 2019.
CELTICS 98, MAGIC 97
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum scored 18 in Boston before Romeo Langford made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 14 seconds left.
Brown logged 26 minutes and Tatum 25 for new coach Ime Udoka.
Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, buried the preseason&rsquo;s first <a href="https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1445184315516674051?s=20">&lsquo;logo 3&rsquo;</a> with time winding down on the shot clock to give the Magic a 41-35 lead with 4:32 before halftime.
The rookie out of Gonzaga finished with nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.
Cole Anthony and Moritz Wagner each scored 16 points for Orlando. Mo Bamba had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
HORNETS 113, THUNDER 97
Rookie James Bouknight scored 20 points and Lamelo Ball had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in Oklahoma City.
Terry Rozier&rsquo;s pull-up jumper with 5:21 left in the first quarter sparked a 20-7 Hornets spurt for a 34-18 lead at the end of one.
Charlotte&rsquo;s Kelly Oubre Jr. left in the third quarter with a right lower leg strain and didn&rsquo;t return. Coach James Borrego said the injury wasn't serious and said the forward would be day to day.
Josh Giddey, the 6-foot-8 No. 6 overall pick out of Australia for the Thunder, led Oklahoma City with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, adding seven rebounds and three assists.
TIMBERWOLVES 117, PELICANS 114
D'Angelo Russell scored 19 points as Minnesota held on at home. Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Anthony Edwards, last season's runner-up for Rookie of the Year, chipped in 10 points.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 22 points and rookie Trey Murphy III made six 3-pointers and added 21.
Brandon Ingram had 14 for the Pelicans, who are without Zion Williamson as he recovers from a broken bone in his foot.
SPURS 111, JAZZ 85
Dejounte Murray and rookie Josh Primo each scored 17 points and rebuilding San Antonio distributed 22 assists on 40 made baskets against visiting Utah.
Primo, the No. 12-overall pick out of Alabama, was 7-for-8 shooting in his 18-minute debut.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Josh Primo showed out for the Spurs in his rookie preseason debut 😯 17 PTS, 7/8 FG for the youngest player in the NBA <a href="https://t.co/UXbbXX01Xs">pic.twitter.com/UXbbXX01Xs</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1445220054812004356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Absent Rudy Gay, Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles for the Jazz, San Antonio enjoyed a 60-47 rebound advantage with Jakob Poeltl finishing with 10.
Jared Butler scored 16 points for Utah. Jordan Clarkson scored 11 points and Donovan Mitchell added 10 on 5-for-19 shooting (0 for 6 from 3).
KINGS 117, SUNS 106
Harrison Barnes scored 18 points and Marvin Bagley III scored 15 as Sacramento beat visiting Phoenix.
Buddy Hield scored 14 and Tyrese Haliburton 11 for the Kings.
The defending Western Conference champs opted to sit Devin Booker, Jae Crowder and Chris Paul for rest.
Landry Shamet and Jalen Smith led the Suns with 13 points apiece.
CLIPPERS 103, NUGGETS 102
Terance Mann scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, and host Los Angeles rallied to beat Denver.
Markus Howard missed a deep, contested 3-pointer attempt at the horn for Denver. Michael Porter Jr. scored 21 of his 23 points in 16 minutes of the first half.
The Nuggets played without last season's MVP Nikola Jokic. The Clippers opted to sit Paul George.

The first full night of NBA preseason action started with the Raptors playing in their own arena for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020.

NBA Preseason: Raptors return home, Poole has 30, Langford hits winner

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; When the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s hopes of moving up in the NBA draft never materialized, they instead used their picks to select former Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs fifth and German forward Franz Wagner eighth.
Owners of two top-eight picks for the first time in franchise history, the Magic had hopes of packaging those selections and moving into the draft&rsquo;s top four. However, when they failed to find a trade to their liking, the Magic stood pat and chose Suggs and Wagner.
&ldquo;It was a great night for the Magic,&rdquo; Orlando President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. &ldquo;We added two talented, high-character, team-oriented players. It&rsquo;s not often you get to add, not one, but two of these guys on the same night.&rdquo;
Suggs, the USWBA National Freshman of the Year, famously banked in a winning, half-court shot in the NCAA Final Four semifinal game against UCLA. Suggs was excited to hear that fans at the Magic&rsquo;s draft party erupted with joy when his name was called at No. 5.
&ldquo;It means the world and it makes me so excited to get there and give them my all,&rdquo; said Suggs, who was dressed in a shimmering silver suit. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ll get nothing less than that from me. I can&rsquo;t wait to embrace the fans.&rdquo;
Wagner, who averaged 12.5 points in his one season at the University of Michigan, could join his brother, Moritz Wagner, in Orlando. Mo averaged 12.5 points in 11 games with the Magic this past season.
&ldquo;He was only there (in Orlando) the last couple of weeks of the season, but he told me he had a great time and he learned a lot,&rdquo; Franz Wagner said.
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The Magic missed out on a chance to select Orlando high school product Scottie Barnes when Toronto took the versatile forward at No. 4. Barnes was high school teammates with NBA top overall pick Cade Cunningham in the 2019-20 season at prep powerhouse Montverde Academy in suburban Orlando, Fla.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s our job to turn over every stone and make sure we&rsquo;re not missing anything, but I can tell you that we&rsquo;ve been comfortable with these picks for awhile,&rdquo; Weltman said of trade talks.
Suggs, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 14.4 points in his only college season. He scored 24 points in his first college game against Kansas and had 22 in Gonzaga&rsquo;s loss to Baylor in the national championship game. He&rsquo;ll join a youth-filled backcourt with Markelle Fultz, R.J. Hampton and Cole Anthony.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so motivated and ready to get on this flight right now to get there and meet everybody,&rdquo; said Suggs, who did not work out in Orlando prior to the draft.

“It was a great night for the Magic,” Jeff Weltman said. “We added two talented, high-character, team-oriented players."

Magic thrilled to get Jalen Suggs at No. 5, Franz Wagner at No. 8

<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/franz-wagner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Franz Wagner</a> is one of the most versatile prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft class. During his two years at the University of Michigan, Wagner honed his skills to become a true chess piece that an NBA team will be able to utilize in various roles.
During the 2020-21 season, Wagner averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 block per game while also showing potential to expand his shooting range. After stuffing the stat sheet for the Wolverines on a nightly basis, Wagner&rsquo;s stock exploded. Now viewed as a near-consensus lottery selection, Wagner views his versatility as one of his greatest assets.
&ldquo;Honestly, I think I fit in pretty well,&rdquo; Wagner told reporters on Monday. &ldquo;I think every team needs big wings that can move, that can shoot, make decisions with the ball, and play defense. And I think those are all things where I&rsquo;m good at, that are important for my game. The game is getting more and more position-less, so I think I'll fit in very well with my versatility.&rdquo;
Another feather in Wagner&rsquo;s cap is that he&rsquo;s not done growing yet. Entering his sophomore season at 6-foot-9, Wagner said he&rsquo;s now closer to 6-foot-11. A multi-positional wing with his size and two-way profile offers tantalizing potential to teams looking for any edge in today&rsquo;s pace-and-space game.
&ldquo;I would say I&rsquo;m almost 6-foot-11,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;Not quite there yet, but definitely grew a little bit this past year.&rdquo;
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The last name Wagner might sound familiar to the average fan, because he&rsquo;s actually the younger brother of Orlando Magic forward (and fellow Michigan alum) Moritz Wagner. Throughout Franz&rsquo;s college career and the pre-draft process, he&rsquo;s continuously picked Moritz&rsquo;s brain on what to expect on the professional level.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s helped a lot,&rdquo; Wagner said of having his older brother as a resource. &ldquo;Obviously, he&rsquo;s very busy too, but even the last three years, I&rsquo;ve asked him a lot. Obviously, I&rsquo;ve seen a lot when I&rsquo;ve visited him and stuff. I mean, there&rsquo;s a lot of things you need to know before you get there, but I think the most important thing he told me is that nothing can really prepare you for the NBA lifestyle. The business side around it, too. I&rsquo;m excited to be able to experience it soon.&rdquo;
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Another edge that Wagner holds on other prospects is playing under Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, who was an 19-year NBA veteran and the No. 5 pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. Howard&rsquo;s prestigious college run with Michigan&rsquo;s Fab Five captivated the nation, and his wealth of knowledge on and off the court have been a massive help for Wagner.
&ldquo;It was a great time,&rdquo; Wagner said of playing under Howard. &ldquo;I think Juwan was a great resource and is still for me &ndash; hopefully for a lot of players at Michigan, too. He&rsquo;s so open about everything, always wants to help, always reaching out, always wants you to ask questions, stuff like that. And I did that a bunch while I was there.
"I think not a lot of college players have that luxury of having a good college coach that has already been [at] and coached at the level you want to get to. Obviously, he played there for 19 years, I think. He talked to me a lot about the pre-draft process, just about the NBA life. Like Moe told me, his main message was, &lsquo;You gotta be ready for it. You gotta experience it to truly know what it is.&rsquo; So, I&rsquo;m happy that I can do that soon.&rdquo;
Wagner did not want to elaborate on which teams he&rsquo;s met with and worked out with during the pre-draft process, playing it &ldquo;close to the vest.&rdquo; However, he learned a lot during this long process, and even improved his overall game.
&ldquo;The draft process was definitely unique,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;I think for everybody it&rsquo;s little bit different, but I thought I had a good experience. I thought I improved throughout those two months, and at the end of the day, the goal was to show teams who I am &ndash; not just on the court, but also off the court what I worked on.&rdquo;
Wagner is currently projected to go No. 9 overall to the Sacramento Kings in BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s latest mock draft.

One of the most versatile prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft, Franz Wagner is ready to make the most of his NBA opportunity.

Franz Wagner gets NBA advice from brother, Moe, and coach Juwan Howard

The NBA released some key numbers to remember ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft:
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, July 29 at 8 p.m. ET at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.&nbsp;&nbsp;ABC&nbsp;will televise the&nbsp;first round of the NBA Draft&nbsp;for the first time, and ESPN will air both rounds.&nbsp;
Twenty draft prospects are scheduled to attend and have their once-in-a-lifetime experience on the biggest stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum will announce the selections for the first and second rounds, respectively.&nbsp;
Here is a by-the-numbers look at this year&rsquo;s NBA Draft:&nbsp;
History &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the NBA Draft Lottery began in 1985,&nbsp;four&nbsp;first overall picks have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs; first pick in 1987), Tim Duncan (Spurs; first pick in 1997), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers; first pick in 2003) and Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers; first pick in 2011).&nbsp;James won an NBA championship in his second stint with Cleveland. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the two-round format was adopted in 1989, Kentucky holds the record for the university with the most picks in an NBA Draft &ndash;&nbsp;six&nbsp;each in 2012 and 2015. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Barclays Center will host the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;eighth&nbsp;time.&nbsp;It last hosted the event in 2019 prior to the pandemic. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;11 &ndash;&nbsp;A college freshman has been the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in each of the last&nbsp;11&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;15 &ndash;&nbsp;This marks the&nbsp;15th&nbsp;consecutive year that Adam Silver will announce draft selections as either deputy commissioner (seven years) or commissioner (eight years including 2021). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1947 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will be held in July for the first time since&nbsp;1947, the year of the inaugural draft.
Prospects &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;In 2020-21, USC forward-center Evan Mobley became the&nbsp;first&nbsp;player to win the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, NBA G League Ignite guard Jalen Green and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs have won&nbsp;three&nbsp;gold medals together with USA Basketball in international play: 2019 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup, 2018 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup and 2017 FIBA U-16 Americas Championship. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;2021 NBA Draft prospects were teammates on the Montverde (Fla.) Academy team that went 25-0 during the 2019-20 high school season: Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, Arkansas guard Moses Moody and North Carolina center Day'Ron Sharpe.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7.6 &ndash;&nbsp;Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia) led Australia&rsquo;s National Basketball League in assists with&nbsp;7.6&nbsp;per game in the 2020-21 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;Besiktas forward Alperen Sengun (Turkey), the 2020-21 Turkish League MVP, turned&nbsp;19&nbsp;on July 25. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;48 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard&nbsp;Keon Johnson set the NBA Combine record with a max vertical jump of&nbsp;48&nbsp;inches.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75 &ndash;&nbsp;Last season, Cade&nbsp;Cunningham became Oklahoma State&rsquo;s first consensus All-America First Team selection in&nbsp;75&nbsp;years.
Teams &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2 &ndash;&nbsp;The Houston Rockets franchise is set to select&nbsp;second&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in 51 years.&nbsp;In 1970, the then San Diego Rockets selected five-time NBA All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich with the No. 2 pick. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder has&nbsp;three&nbsp;picks in both the first round (Nos. 6, 16 and 18 overall) and the second round (Nos. 34, 36 and 55 overall). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;The Toronto Raptors are poised to pick&nbsp;fourth&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time since selecting newly elected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at that spot in 2003. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7 &ndash;&nbsp;The Golden State Warriors&rsquo; first pick in the NBA Draft is at No.&nbsp;7&nbsp;overall, a spot where they have selected five-time NBA All-Star Chris Mullin (1985), two-time Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry (2009) and NBA champion Harrison Barnes (2012) during the NBA Draft Lottery era. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to pick third overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;49&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;51 &ndash;&nbsp;The Detroit Pistons are poised&nbsp;to make the first pick in&nbsp;the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;51&nbsp;years.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1970, the Pistons used the top pick to select eight-time NBA All-Star Bob Lanier, a longtime ambassador for the NBA Cares program.&nbsp;
Family Ties &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9.2 &ndash;&nbsp;Auburn guard&nbsp;Sharife Cooper&rsquo;s&nbsp;sister, Te&rsquo;a Cooper, is currently averaging&nbsp;9.2&nbsp;points per game with the Los Angeles Sparks in her second WNBA season.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;10 &ndash;&nbsp;Michigan forward Franz Wagner (Germany) and his brother, Orlando Magic forward-center Moritz Wagner, were both All-Big&nbsp;Ten&nbsp;Team selections with the Wolverines.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12 &ndash;&nbsp;Houston guard&nbsp;Quentin Grimes&rsquo;&nbsp;brother, NHL veteran Tyler Myers, was selected&nbsp;12th&nbsp;overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;33 &ndash;&nbsp;Boise State&nbsp;forward&nbsp;Derrick Alston Jr.&rsquo;s father, Derrick Sr., was the&nbsp;33rd&nbsp;overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and played three seasons in the league.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1984 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard Jaden Springer is the son of Gary Springer, who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the&nbsp;1984&nbsp;NBA Draft. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1992 &ndash;&nbsp;Loyola Maryland forward&nbsp;Santi&nbsp;Aldama (Spain)&nbsp;is the son of Santiago&nbsp;Aldama&nbsp;Ales&oacute;n, who was a&nbsp;member of the Spanish National Team that competed against the Dream Team at the&nbsp;1992&nbsp;Barcelona Olympics.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2015 &ndash;&nbsp;Gonzaga guard&nbsp;Joel&nbsp;Ayayi (France)&nbsp;is the brother of&nbsp;Valeriane&nbsp;Ayayi&nbsp;Vukosavljevic, who played in the WNBA in&nbsp;2015.&nbsp;
Global Game &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s Josh Giddey is poised to become the&nbsp;first&nbsp;NBA Academy graduate to be drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;Giddey attended NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;If NBA G League Ignite forward Jonathan Kuminga is drafted in the top&nbsp;six, he would be the highest-drafted player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo since Dikembe Mutombo was drafted fourth overall in 1991. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9 &ndash;&nbsp;Last year, a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;players from or with ties to Nigeria were drafted: Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, Aaron Nesmith, Precious Achiuwa, Zeke Nnaji, Udoka Azubuike, Desmond Bane, Daniel Oturu and Jordan Nwora. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;13 &ndash;&nbsp;Thirteen&nbsp;international players have been selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, most recently Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) in 2018. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;27 &ndash;&nbsp;A record&nbsp;27&nbsp;international players were selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, including a record 15 in the first round and a record-tying 12 in the second round. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;68 &ndash; Sixty-eight&nbsp;former Basketball Without Borders campers have been drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;This year&rsquo;s class features a number of potential draftees with BWB experience, including Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi (France; BWB Europe 2017), Western Kentucky forward-center Charles Bassey (Nigeria; BWB Global 2017 &amp; 2018), Paris Basket guard Juhann Begarin (France; BWB Europe 2019; BWB Global 2020), Zalgiris Kaunas guard Rokas Jokubaitis (Lithuania; BWB Europe 2017), Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia; BWB Asia 2018; BWB Global 2020), Texas forward-center Kai Jones (Bahamas; BWB Americas 2017), Seton Hall forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (Georgia; BWB Global 2017), KK Mega Basket forward-center Filip Petrusev (Serbia; BWB Europe 2017; BWB Global 2018), Alabama guard Josh Primo (Canada; BWB Global 2020) and Oostende forward Amar Sylla (Senegal; BWB Africa 2018; BWB Global 2019). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;215/25 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will reach fans live in&nbsp;215&nbsp;countries and territories in&nbsp;25&nbsp;languages on their televisions, computers, mobile devices and tablets. &nbsp; NBA G League &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;former five-star high school prospects who helped lead NBA G League Ignite to the 2021 NBA G League Playoffs are entered in the&nbsp;NBA Draft:&nbsp;Jalen&nbsp;Green, Jonathan&nbsp;Kuminga, guard&nbsp;Daishen Nix and forward Isaiah Todd.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 &ndash;&nbsp;Twenty-four&nbsp;of the 60 players who were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft played in the NBA G League during the 2020-21 season, including five first-round selections. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;Daishen&nbsp;Nix&nbsp;has a chance to join Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers and Trajan Langdon as NBA players who grew up in the&nbsp;49th&nbsp;state &ndash; Alaska.&nbsp; &nbsp; ESPN &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will air on both ABC and ESPN for the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time ever. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Five&nbsp;virtual technology cameras will be used for the telecast. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;ABC and ESPN&rsquo;s on-air talent will feature&nbsp;12&nbsp;reporters. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;ESPN will present the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;19th&nbsp;consecutive year. &nbsp; NBA TV &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;NBA TV&rsquo;s NBA Draft night coverage will include&nbsp;four&nbsp;former first-round picks: Rex Chapman, No. 8 in 1988; Brian Shaw, No. 24 in 1988; Jim Jackson, No. 4 in 1992; and Brendan Haywood, No. 20 in 2001. &nbsp; Partners &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;38&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Wilson was last used as the official basketball of the NBA&nbsp;38&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;Last seen on the court in the 1983 NBA Finals, Wilson basketballs will adorn the green room at the NBA Draft and will join the latest draft class on the court for the 2021-22 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft Cap from New Era features the commemorative NBA&nbsp;75th&nbsp;Anniversary Season logo and marks the first league-licensed product to carry the logo.

The 2021 NBA Draft: By the Numbers

The field for men&rsquo;s basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is set.
Following an unlikely victory over a Team Canada squad packed with NBA players, the Czech Republic defeated Greece and won a spot in Team USA&rsquo;s group in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament stage.
Canada&rsquo;s national team, which included Andrew Wiggins of Golden State for the first time, was eliminated by the Czechs 103-101 in overtime on Saturday night on a buzzer-beating game winner by Tomas Satoransky with 0.9 seconds left.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🇨🇿 <a href="https://twitter.com/satoransky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@satoransky</a> banks it to give Czech Republic the win over Canada in OT and advance to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAOQT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAOQT</a> Final! <a href="https://t.co/b6rrI4SFuu">pic.twitter.com/b6rrI4SFuu</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411451753271152640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Then on Sunday, the Czechs won 97-82 over Greece. The Greeks cut their deficit to five points in the third before the Czechs outscored them 29-7 during the rest of the frame. Jan Vesely had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
The Czechs will be going to the Olympics for the first time since the formation of their country in 1993, and it's the first time it will be a part of the Games since 1980, when it was a part of Czechoslovakia.
"They're a veteran team that took advantage of us in a lot of different areas. They dominated us on the glass 35-23, their assists were 25-12. The effort was there, but the game wasn't. But that's due to the brilliance of the Czech Republic. They were just much better than us," Greece head coach Rick Pitino said.
Keep that upset in mind when the Olympic Games begin, because strange things happen in FIBA tournaments.
Slovenia, Germany and Italy also qualified for the Tokyo Games, which begin July 24. Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s loaded Team USA plays its first game July 25 against France. The Americans are locks to get to the knockout phase, set to play the Czech Republic and Iran in the Group Phase, and their side of the quarterfinal bracket will include opponents to be determined after a draw on Aug. 2.
Based upon the qualifying tournaments, Slovenia will be one of the toughest opponents simply because they have Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks star took MVP honors in Kaunas, Lithuania on Sunday after putting up a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in front of 11,561 fans at the Zalgiris Arena in a 96-85 victory over Lithuania.
"We're making history for our country," Doncic said. "We can just go up from here."
Slovenia is going to the Olympics for the first time, knocking out a Lithuania team that has been qualifying for the Olympics and the World Championship/World Cup with regularity for three-and-a-half-decades. Doncic&rsquo;s teammates carried him off the court on their shoulders following the victory, which was fueled by a 14-0 run after Lithuania closed to 71-69.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🎵 M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P! 🎵 A historic night for <a href="https://twitter.com/luka7doncic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luka7doncic</a>, who helps 🇸🇮 book a ticket to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> with a triple-double performance! ✈️ 📊 31 PTS 11 REB 13 AST | 42 EFF <a href="https://t.co/QAXqv8AfwO">pic.twitter.com/QAXqv8AfwO</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411765468545753092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"I don't care about the MVP," Doncic said. "We won here. We're going to the Olympics, the first time in our country. It's amazing. I think every kid dreams about being in the Olympics. I did, too. So, here we are. We fought really, really hard, and I think we deserve to be here."
Slovenia will play Argentina on July 26, Japan on July 29 and reigning World Cup champion Spain on Aug. 1. The top two teams in each group, plus two wild cards, will make the Olympic quarterfinals.
The qualifying tournaments were played in Canada, Lithuania and Croatia, and all of the home teams failed to qualify. Croatia did not even make it to the final game, getting eliminated by Germany 86-76 on Saturday before Germany defeated Brazil 75-64 on Sunday in the Olympic qualification game.&nbsp;
Brazil, which qualified for London 2012 and hosted Rio 2016, won its first three games by 26, 27 and 28 points, but Germany got 28 points from Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic and several crucial defensive possessions in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. Isaac Bonga of the Washington Wizards did not play. Germany will be grouped with Italy, Nigeria and Australia in Tokyo.&nbsp;
The Aussies, aka the &ldquo;Boomers,&rdquo; have added Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers to a squad that already includes NBA players Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova and Patrick Mills.
In Belgrade, Achille Polonara, who plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey, picked up MVP honors after scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds, as Italy defeated home-team Serbia 102-95 in the final match. Italy will be heading to the Olympics for the 13th time, but the first since 2004 in Athens when it picked up the silver medal after losing to gold medalist Argentina.
The Serbians took the defeat hard.
"This is not a failure, this is a disaster. We wanted to make the people happy. I have to apologize for this. With this approach and this game, we do not deserve to go to the Olympic Games,&rdquo; said Nemanja Bjelica of the Miami Heat.
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, the MVP of the 2021 NBA season, opted not to play for the Serbian national team this summer.
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With the qualifiers over, here is the Olympic field:
<ul>
<li>Group A: United States, Iran, France, Czech Republic</li>
<li>Group B: Australia, Germany, Italy, Nigeria</li>
<li>Group C: Argentina, Japan, Slovenia, Spain</li>
</ul>
The Olympic men&rsquo;s basketball tournament begins July 24, and Team USA&rsquo;s first game will come against France at 8 a.m. EDT on July 25. The Americans play Iran on July 28 and the Czech Republic on July 31. The quarterfinals begin Monday, Aug. 2, and the gold medal game is Aug. 7 at the Saitama SuperArena.&nbsp;
Team USA opens training camp Tuesday with one of its <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-us-olympic-mens-basketball-team-2020-tokyo-olympics-games-japan-fiba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongest rosters ever</a>. Alphabetically, it is Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls, Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blzers), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jason Tatum (Boston Celtics). Gregg Popovich of the Spurs is the head coach.
On Saturday, Nigeria will play Team USA at 8 p.m. EDT at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the first of five exhibition games before leaving for Japan. If Booker, Middleton and Holiday go to a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, they will be flown to Tokyo by the American federation in time to be ready for the first game, outgoing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/boredom-is-one-enemy-team-usa-must-fight-at-2020-tokyo-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said last week</a>.

Chris Sheridan recaps this past weekend's qualifying round in FIBA men's basketball for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA to face Czech Republic at Tokyo Olympics after stunner in Canada

A mere 236 days ago, the Los Angeles Lakers hoisted their 17th NBA title in Orlando. But fast-forward eight months later, and things feel hollow in Hollywood.
The No. 7 seed Lakers lost in six games to the Suns with the final dagger coming last night, and even with LeBron James on the court, yesterday's outcome never seemed in doubt. Phoenix led by as much as 29 points, and never let the margin slim to single digits in the second half.
Anthony Davis left early in the contest after <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/irresponsible-los-angeles-lakers-medical-team-anthony-davis-robert-griffin-iii-team-doctors-second-opinion-athlete-injuries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempting to play through a groin strain</a>. James' impact waxed and waned throughout the night. L.A.'s supporting cast failed to step up. Now, for just the second time in 16 years, a James-led squad will watch the NBA conference semifinals from the couch.
Suddenly, the 2021 offseason looms large for a team hampered by injuries and inconsistency. Los Angeles must take stock of a number of key free agents, and decide whether to keep continuity or start fresh behind its two stars. Here's a quick primer on the Lakers' offseason itinerary:
<h3 style="text-align: left;">NBA Draft</h3>
The Lakers own the 22nd pick in the NBA Draft. As it stands currently, this would be the franchise's highest draft spot since selecting Lonzo Ball second overall back in 2017. L.A. hasn't made a pick in the first round since picking Moritz Wagner with the No. 25 overall choice in 2018.
Rob Pelinka and the front office will have to decide whether to use the pick on a rotation-ready player, a developmental talent similar to Talen Horton-Tucker or as a trade asset.&nbsp;
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Free Agency</h3>
With seven players entering unrestricted free agency and one restricted free agent, <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/yearly/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Spotrac</a>, the Lakers are in a pivotal year for roster construction. Among the free agents are:
Talen Horton-Tucker (RFA) --&nbsp;The lone restricted free agent, Horton-Tucker showed flashes of a strong, versatile scorer in his second year. The 20-year-old averaged 9.0 points, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds across 65 contests as a bench piece. His best performance came May 12 against Houston, when Horton-Tucker put up 23 points and 10 rebounds in a victory. He's one of the few true "prospects" on the team, but could be in line for a serious pay raise if another team wants to squeeze the Lakers.
Dennis Schroder (UFA)&nbsp;-- Schroder averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per game as L.A.'s starting point guard in the regular season, but went remarkably cold as the playoffs wore on. The 27-year-old reportedly <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/03/30/report-dennis-schroder-rejected-four-year-84m-contract-extension-from-lakers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned down a 4-year extension worth $84 million</a> back in March. It remains to be seen what Schroder wants as a free agent, and if the Lakers still wish to give him that kind of money in an extension.
Andre Drummond (UFA) -- As a prime buyout acquisition who fell out of L.A.'s rotation in the playoffs, Drummond sits in limbo. He's still one of the league's best rebounders (10.2 per game with the Lakers), but struggled mightily with efficiency and turnovers at the center spot. The team must decide if he's earned at least another offseason to help <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/andre-drummond-simplifying-the-game-producing-for-los-angeles-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acclimate with the roster</a>.
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Alex Caruso (UFA)&nbsp;-- The 27-year-old emerged as one of the team's best 3-and-D complements. Caruso played in 61 games, made over 40% of his three-point attempts and was one of the few bright spots during some of L.A.'s rough patches in the spring. He made just $2.75 million this past season, and will assuredly receive more lucrative offers as a free agent.
Wesley Matthews (UFA) --&nbsp;Matthews helped the Lakers become the league's best defensive team with his chops on the perimeter. But a 51.7% True Shooting Percentage was a career low for the veteran shooting guard, and he made just 10 of 33 playoff field goal attempts. The 33-year-old made $3.6 million in 2020-21 and should be valued by contending teams.
Markieff Morris (UFA) --&nbsp;In his second year with the purple &amp; gold, Morris dealt with shooting inconsistencies, hitting on just 31.1% of his threes. He averaged 9.5 minutes per game in the playoffs, and made a tad over $1.6 million this past season.
Ben McLemore (UFA)&nbsp;-- The Lakers signed McLemore in April after he was waived by the Houston Rockets, and the former 2013 lottery pick mostly contributed as a bench scoring spark. He played only 36 minutes in the postseason, making two of his nine field goal attempts.&nbsp;
Jared Dudley (UFA)&nbsp;-- At this stage of his career, Dudley's primary value comes from his voice in the locker room. The 35-year-old played just 12 games in the regular season and five total playoff minutes as a reserve.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Salary Cap Outlook</h3>
To be frank: the Lakers have no cap space. According to the <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/cap/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data at Spotrac</a>, Los Angeles will be shelling out over $116 million next season to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell (player option), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marc Gasol and Alfonzo McKinnie (non-guaranteed). And the franchise still has to pay Luol Deng $5 million in dead cap money after stretching his deal years ago.
Theoretically, the Lakers could nix McKinnie's non-guaranteed deal worth $1.9 million and hope Harrell declines his $9.7 million player option. That could put the team a hair under the estimated $112 million salary cap -- assuming they also renounce every other free agent mentioned above. The chances of all of those things happening seem pretty low, though.
Essentially, Hollywood cannot spend Hollywood money this year to mix up its roster. The Lakers will have to be cunning on the trade market, pick up veterans on minimum deals and navigate any mid-level exception contracts.&nbsp;
It's been a challenging year for the Lakers, who were faced with the shortest offseason in the NBA before opening 2020-21 as the defending champs.
But with the wound of a first-round loss still fresh, the hard work has only just begun.

The Lakers have eight potential free agents and the No. 22 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Ethan Fuller breaks down the decisions that must be made.

What do the Lakers have to address in the 2021 NBA offseason?

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cole Anthony made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining, giving him a career-best 26 points and the Orlando Magic a 112-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Anthony, a rookie who hit a game-winning shot earlier in the season against Minnesota, drilled the high-arching shot over the outstretched arm of Memphis guard Kyle Anderson. 
Anthony added eight rebounds and six assists for the Magic, who ended their home losing streak at nine games. 
Memphis led by 20 points in the third quarter before Orlando's furious rally in the fourth. The Magic tied the game at 109 on a 3-pointer from Moritz Wagner with 1:16 to play. 
After the teams traded misses, Memphis got possession on a ball out of bounds following a lengthy possession. Dillon Brooks then went to work and hit a 17-foot jumper over the outstretched arm of Orlando’s Dwayne Bacon to give the Grizzlies a 111-109 lead with 7 seconds to play.
Brooks scored 23 points, while Ja Morant added 22 points and seven assists. Anderson had 21 points, but did not score in the fourth quarter. Jonas Valanciunas notched his 43rd double-double of the season for Memphis.
The teams were playing for a second consecutive night after the Grizzlies won 92-75 in Memphis in a game where both teams failed to reach even 40% shooting. 
Currently eighth in the Western Conference standings, the Grizzlies fell three games back of Portland and had their lead over San Antonio drop to a half-game. 
Valanciunas finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds. He has notched a double-double in 43 of 55 games (78.1%) and is on pace to break Zach Randolph’s franchise record from the 2010-11 season (double-doubles in 71.8% of the games).
Wagner had a season-high 24 points in just his third game with the Magic. Bacon scored 23, while R.J. Hampton scored 18 off the bench.
CLIFFORD STILL OUT
Magic coach Steve Clifford, who led Orlando to the playoffs each of the two previous seasons, missed his fifth straight game because of COVID-19protocols. Clifford first tested positive for the virus last week, then tested negative twice and then tested positive again. Clifford’s first positive test came in between his two vaccination shots and he’s yet to experience any of the symptoms usually associated with the virus.
“From everything he has told me, he’s feeling fine, has no symptoms, no temperature and his oxygen levels are good,” acting head coach Tyrone Corbin said. “He’s feeling great and looking forward to coming back.” 
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Grayson Allen missed his second straight game with a hand injury. Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said Allen is trending toward returning by Monday. … The Grizzlies recently started a season-closing stretch of 11 games in 17 nights. The final 10 opponents have a .408 winning percentage prior to Saturday for the NBA’s second-easiest closing stretch. … A night after hitting just 3 of 12 shots, Morant made his first four shots.
Magic: The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation raised more than $150,000 at a charity golf tournament to benefit at-risk children in Central Florida. The money raised this week pushed OMYF’s total donated over the last 30 years to $26 million. … The Magic were once again without five players, including forward Chuma Okeke for a second straight game with a sprained ankle. …
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host New York on Monday night.
Magic: Play at Detroit on Monday night.

Cole Anthony's buzzer-beater gave him a career-best 26 points and the Magic a 112-111 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Anthony's 3-pointer gives Magic 112-111 win over Grizzlies

In addition to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., MVP favorite Nikola Jokic now has Aaron Gordon flanking him, and the Denver Nuggets are better than they were a year ago when they went to the Western Conference Finals.
They got JaVale McGee, too, which means Mike Malone can give The Joker a breather and not have to hold his breath, and so we put the Denver Nuggets squarely in the winners column of today's NBA trade deadline results.
The Portland Trail Blazers did well Thursday, too, acquiring Norman Powell from the Toronto Raptors as an eventful day went down without Kyle Lowry or Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside being dealt, although there were teams that were trying.&nbsp;
The Miami Heat kept their cap space for the summer and added Victor Oladipo and Nemanja Bjelica, and the Atlanta Hawks will be the newest place where Lou Williams will continue his illustrious career, joining a young group that has turned things around under new head coach Nate McMillan.
The Chicago Bulls not only landed Nikola Vucevic, but also Boston Celtics big man Daniel Theis and Al-Farouq Aminu from the Orlando Magic, as Arturas Karnisovas aced his first trade deadline. Even if they stick in 10th place and are a play-in team, Vucevic is an All-Star who will give them a puncher&rsquo;s chance should they make it out of the play-in and go up against one of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Their fans finally have hope.
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The Magic basically traded every good player they had on their roster, but does that necessarily make them losers? Once Markelle Fultz went down in the first month of the season, that franchise quickly came to realize it had topped out at the end of last season. The Jonathan Isaac injury made this year an exercise in futility, and general manager John Hammond did what he had to do -- get whatever he could for the three best players on his team in Vucevic (sent to the Bulls), Gordon (sent with Gary Clark to the Nuggets) and Evan Fournier (sent to the Celtics).
Hammond and Orlando received keepers in return, like Gary Harris, Wendell Carter and R.J. Hampton, so that grade is &ldquo;incomplete" because it was necessary. Perhaps more importantly, the Magic got a top-five protected 2025 first-round pick from the Nuggets, two first-round picks from the Bulls ('21 top-four protected, '23 with light protection) and a pair of second-rounders from the Celtics.
Boston was dealing from a position of strength because nobody else had the cap space (via the Gordon Hayward trade exception) to absorb Fournier&rsquo;s contract. We shall see if Moritz Wagner and Luke Kornet in the middle will be better than what they had in Theis. It could also mean more playing time for Robert Williams III.
Fournier gives the Celtics another player who gets the job done on both ends of the floor, and the core of his team (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart) is a proven commodity -- no matter what their record says. If Boston can gather a head of steam heading into the postseason, it will not matter what their seed is. So Ainge goes into the winners column, tentatively.
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The same goes for Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson and the Dallas Mavericks, who got themselves a pair of shooters in JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli, who can knock down threes when Luka Doncic drives and dishes. Redick is one of the strongest character guys in the league and a huge locker room voice. This trade is sneaky good.&nbsp;
The Philadelphia 76ers picked up George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder, giving them a veteran point guard to add to a rotation of a team that has somehow stayed atop the East throughout Joel Embiid&rsquo;s injury absence. And Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers did not have to trade Mike Scott, who was the only rotation player mentioned in pre-deadline trade possibilities. It appears we are down to Rivers vs. Monty Williams for Coach of the Year. (Sorry, Thibs)
We have to have some losers in this, don't we? By default, that distinction includes the New Orleans Pelicans, who were unable to find a taker for Lonzo Ball by virtue of the fact that he is going to be a restricted free agent in the offseason. Once the Bulls were out of the picture following the Vucevic trade, the team best equipped to give something up for him -- the New York Knicks -- made the wise decision to wait until free agency to see if they can get him that way. All that Leon Rose surrendered were spare parts in Austin Rivers and Ignas Brazdeikis; the Knicks will roll the dice in the postseason with Julius Randle doing everything in the meantime and Tom Thibodeau game-planning for whatever opponent they end up going up against.
It would be easy to throw Toronto into the losers column because they did not get much for Powell or Matt Thomas (Gary Trent Jr. could potentially bolt as a free agent, and they did not get anything for Kyle Lowry, who stayed put. But giving away a player of that caliber for less than a fair price represents Masai Ujuri standing his ground in the face of what he felt were subpar offers from the Heat, Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers. A sign-and-trade could be an option over the summer, and Lowry may even decide to stay with the Raptors.&nbsp;
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The thing about the trade deadline is that it is only one of three key transactional periods &ndash; draft night being the second, and the opening days of free agency being the third.
The Blazers have been a sleeper all season and now have Powell, a 27-year-old averaging nearly 20 points per game, who can continue to send out Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the years ahead. Neil Olshey did well. Trent and Rodney Hood were superfluous.
By the end of the season, it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see whether Powell to the Blazers or Gordon to the Nuggets ended up being the better trade. Both of those West contenders got a heck of a lot better, and the Lakers are clearly on notice with a bunch of teams gunning for them -- and that includes the Los Angeles Clippers, who cut bait with Lou Williams and will take their chances with Rajon Rondo.
New Orleans can still move Ball in a sign-and-trade, so the runaway winner of the loser portion is the Houston Rockets, who turned Victor Oladipo into Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and a potential ability to swap 2022 draft picks.
Let&rsquo;s not forget that Rockets general manager Rafael Stone could have kept Caris LaVert and Jarrett Allen from the Brooklyn Nets, or received Ben Simmons from Philadelphia earlier this season -- before the James Harden trade turned into a four-team deal. Instead, now with Oladipo off to Miami, the Rockets ended up with pennies on the dollar for a guy who may end up winning an MVP award and an NBA championship, depending on how the Nets do in the playoffs.&nbsp;
We shall wait and see if the Clippers join that column. What remains to be seen is whether Kawhi Leonard decides to exercise his player option over the summer. If he declines, he can go to the Heat (who did not take on any long-term contracts) or New York to write the next chapter of his career.
But for now, the winners outnumber the losers, and that makes this a good trade deadline day.

Chris Sheridan recaps a busy day in the NBA with who performed the best and who performed the worst at the 2021 trade deadline.

NBA trade deadline winners and losers

De'Aaron Fox scored 28 points and hit a jumper over Bradley Beal with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Sacramento Kings a 121-119 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes each added 18 points for Sacramento, which got its first win in the third of a six-game East Coast trip. The Kings have gone 4-4 since a nine-game slide that spanned most of February.
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De'Aaron Fox rises and WINS it for the <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SacramentoKings</a>❗️ <a href="https://t.co/l1S4n7s9Tr">pic.twitter.com/l1S4n7s9Tr</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1372361308503474178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;It was one of those moments where it could&rsquo;ve gone either way,&rdquo; said Kings coach Luke Walton, who started three players age 23 or younger, including the 23-year-old Fox. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I say, it&rsquo;s so good for these guys to be in these type of games.&rdquo;
Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists &mdash; his 12th triple-double of the season &mdash; for the Wizards, who have lost five straight since the All-Star break, the last four of those at home.
Beal scored 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting, but but missed all five of his 3-point attempts as the Wizards shot a season-low 16% (4 of 25) from beyond the arc.
Alex Len had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Washington.
Both the Wizards and Kings entered Wednesday in 13th in their respective conferences, three places back of the last playoff berth.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll say the same thing I said the first half of the year: Nobody&rsquo;s going to feel sorry for us,&rdquo; Beal said.
The Kings led by nine points after the third quarter and maintained their advantage for most of the fourth before a personal 6-0 run by Westbrook. His driving layup tied the game at 119 with 22.6 seconds left.
After a Sacramento timeout, Fox took the inbounds pass and ran down the clock before he dribbled left and sank a 19-foot jumper over Beal's outstretched arm.
&ldquo;First thought is always to get to the basket, and he tucked on that,&rdquo; said Fox, who scored the Kings' last nine points. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t get to the basket every time. So when I dribbled back, I was ready to shoot the ball.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kings pick up their first win of the 6-game road trip, struggle in the 4th quarter but De'Aaron Fox's heroics lift Sacramento over the Wizards. Hear from Fox, Tyrese Haliburton &amp; Luke Walton. FULL VIDEOS: <a href="https://t.co/noOdM7BDb0">https://t.co/noOdM7BDb0</a> <a href="https://t.co/P0mbJWBXKq">pic.twitter.com/P0mbJWBXKq</a>
&mdash; Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanCunningham/status/1372453022966505476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Said Beal: &ldquo;The only thing I probably could&rsquo;ve done is maybe cut off his left hand, force him right. But he had it going the last 10 possessions.&rdquo;
Washington called timeout to try and set up a miracle winning shot with less than a second to play, but Westbrook threw away the inbounds.
TIP-INS
Kings: Walton said the team is &ldquo;evaluating treatment plans&rdquo; for Marvin Bagley III (hand fracture). Bagley was forced out of Monday's loss to Charlotte with the injury. ... Rookie Tyrese Haliburton scored 17 points starting in place of Bagley. ... Holmes fouled out with 1:40 left. ... C Hassan Whiteside (health and safety protocols) and F Robert Woodward II (hamstring strain) were active, although Woodward did not play.
Wizards: Fell to 3-8 in the first of back-to-back games. ... G Raul Neto (bruised ribs) played after coach Scott Brooks said he would be a game-time decision. ... After making 15 consecutive starts, C Moritz Wagner has been active but unused in the last three games.
IRON UNKIND
While Westbrook was sensational late, he twice missed dunks off the back of the rim, the latter coming with 3:30 to play as Washington tried to close Sacramento's slim lead.
FOX HUNTING
Sacramento's improved play has coincided with more consistency from Fox. The third-year pro has at least 20 points in 10 straight games.
&ldquo;I'm just continuing to play, man. That's pretty much all it is,&rdquo; he said.
UP NEXT
Kings: Continue their trip Friday in Boston.
Wizards: Close their homestand Thursday against Utah.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

De'Aaron Fox scored 28 points and hit a jumper over Bradley Beal with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Kings a victory over the Wizards on Wednesday night.

Fox hits game-winner over Beal, Kings beat Wizards 121-119

They have the NBA&rsquo;s leading scorer, Bradley Beal, a guy who has dropped 30 or more points in 20 of 29 games. They Russell Westbrook, who has posted a league-leading 10 triple-doubles in just 24 games.
Not only that, but being a quarantined league laughingstock not so long ago, the Washington Wizards have won six of their last seven games, including two victories over the Nuggets, one against the Lakers and another over the Celtics prior to a 16-point victory vs. the Timberwolves last night. They play Boston again on Sunday, followed by the Grizzlies and Clippers on the final night of a five-game, nine-night road trip. Sweep those three, and they go into the break 16-18.
In that case, we would be talking about a team that is just two games under .500 with only three teams sporting winning records in the East.
That&rsquo;s right, three: The Nets, Sixers and Bucks. Everyone else, more or less, is not at that level.
The Raptors and Knicks are tied for fourth at .500, the Heat and Celtics are a game under .500 and the Bulls, Heat and Pacers are two games under .500 as play begins Sunday. This is not imbalance; this is the conference normal right now -- three good teams.
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So &nbsp;there is room for a fourth, which means we have to start looking at unlikely candidates. We shall today, toward one team with two very good players.
The Wizards got hit hard by COVID and had six consecutive games postponed, which means their schedule is going to be extra tough from a wear-and-tear standard the rest of the way. They have eight remaining back-to-backs, but they will play six games in nine nights coming out off the All-Star break, including two with the Sixers, one with the Bucks and one with the Jazz. After that, they get a matchup with the Nets, then play three games in four nights four times over the remainder of the season.&nbsp;
This makes the strength and conditioning team 10-times more important than anyone in D.C. not named Biden. The franchise will not have Thomas Bryant this season, nor is the organization getting what it expected from five-year, $80 million man Davis Bertans. Still, Sheppard has gone blue in the face telling anyone who will listen that Bradley Beal is not being traded anywhere. &nbsp;
What Sheppard and Brooks need to try to do is find a third key player on the trade market before the March 25 deadline. They have a few decent role players in Rui Hachimura, Robin Lopez, Raul Neto and Deni Avdija, but this roster would be hard-pressed to win a single playoff series, much less two, as presently constructed. But if you assume that recently-starting center Moritz Wagner, Jerome Robinson and Isaac Bonga are expendable and their expiring salaries can be packaged, their salaries add up to roughly $7.5 million. If Troy Brown Jr. were to get added to the mix, that is roughly $11 million, which can get you something. And they have Detroit&rsquo;s second-rounder (likely No. 31 or 32) as a trade sweetener.
A big man would have to be prioritized, because you will need one to defend Joel Embiid if you face the Sixers, and to be used offensively in the low post if you play the Nets or Celtics. If you face the Bucks, you wish &ldquo;good luck&rdquo; to Hachimura and have Alex Len use all six of his fouls if Giannis gets anywhere near the rim.
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So what can $7.5 or $11 million get you? (And remember, the salaries will have to match because Washington has a $132 million salary, the league&rsquo;s ninth-highest, and is only $813,000 below the luxury tax.) Only a bad team would give up on a big, and among those who could be presumably acquired and fit into these two salary spaces include JaVale McGee of Cleveland, Mason Plumlee of Detroit, Jabari Parker, Hassan Whiteside or Richaun Holmes of Sacramento and Dwight Powell or Willie Cauley-Stein of Dallas (not on a bad team, but superfluous). DeMarcus Cousins is also a free agent.&nbsp;
Washington ranks 29th in defense in terms of points allowed per game (119.3), so a rim defender such as Whiteside could help, in the abstract. He was having a career season with Portland last year before Jusuf Nurkic returned in Florida and was All-Bubble material.
It has been three years since the Wizards won a playoff series, and Beal is the only holdover from then. Andrew Nicholson was on the team at that time, and he is putting up numbers in China (24.4 ppg on 66.9 percent shooting for Fujian, whose season ends April 13. Maybe a reunion could be in order afterward?
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Scott Brooks did not acquire Russell Westbrook in order for the Wizards to be a middle-of-the-road team, and the season-ending torn ACL injury to Bryant was devastating.&nbsp;
But the East is three deep right now, and therefore somebody has the opportunity to rise up and be a conference semifinal team. There are more likely candidates, but it has to be somebody. &nbsp;
Of the Wizards&rsquo; 41 remaining games, 11 are against the Pistons, Cavs, Hornets and Kings. They've got three more until the All-Star break; if they come out on top in those, the noise will start to get louder.
Why not Washington? They could be one deal away from being that team.

Chris Sheridan believes that the Wizards could end up being the surprise team of the East, especially if they make one more move.

Sheridan: Why not the Wizards? Someone must be East’s dark horse

Ethan Fuller breaks down the NBA landscape with over half the league hovering close to a .500 record.

NBA Sour Rankings: How to understand the spectrum of mediocrity

This year, there were 107 international players from 41 countries on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA rosters feature 107 international players from 41 countries

Well, after over a year of NBA basketball and a postseason littered with uncertainty, surprises and even a brief refusal to play, we finally have our 2019-2020 NBA champions: the Los Angeles Lakers.
Notwithstanding the chaotic nature of the playoffs with the early exits of other championship favorites like the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers emerged victorious in what was a steadying semblance of destiny.
Unlike the number-one seed in the West, there are multiple middling teams within each conference with less-certain immediate futures than the champions. These are the teams that have found themselves both on the brink of contention and on the cusp of uncertainty; they are the ones with odd fits and inconsistent roster direction that invite us to deconstruct the perceived hopelessness, or hopefulness, of their futures. We'll start with the Eastern Conference's middling teams.
Philadelphia 76ers: 43-30, No. 6 seed (swept in first round by Boston)
Prior to the start of the last season, the Sixers were coming off of a second-round loss to the eventual-champion Toronto Raptors. Jimmy Butler provided the young Philadelphia squad with some much-needed leadership and accountability, and there was a prevailing feeling that, with the subsequent absence of Kawhi Leonard in the conference, the 76ers were the favorites to execute a swift run to the Conference Finals and represent the East in the Finals.
Butler, a player who has shone bright this postseason as one of the most dynamic wings in the entire league, instead walked his way over to the beaches of Miami in what seemed to be an easy decision. Philly ended up responding with the signing of former All-Star and Boston Celtics two-way hub Al Horford. Naturally, it was assumed that Horford&rsquo;s presence as a starting forward would provide the young Sixers some necessary minutes at center -- to negate the problems caused by the time Joel Embiid would spend on the bench, as well as load-managing a historically injury-prone body. Instead, we were met with a Philly team starting three floor-spacing liabilities, placing the tough onus on all offensive creators attempting to generate any decent shot. What Butler provided cannot be understated -- a distributor with the ability to finish, shoot, drive and get to the charity stripe.
Ignoring the disappointment of the season, which culminated in an injury to Ben Simmons and being on the wrong end of Boston sweep, all hope isn&rsquo;t lost. The contracts are ugly, especially the remaining three years on 34-year-old Horford&rsquo;s deal, but with smart personnel tweaks, the current core can be salvaged and maximized. The Sixers will likely try to move Horford for a capable pick-and-roll, ball-handling guard alongside Embiid and Simmons -- the only assumed, guaranteed components of next season&rsquo;s team. In turn, many factors would unfold as a result; the team would insert a perimeter threat, thus spacing the floor for their young stars, a requirement for a post player as talented as Embiid, and Tobias Harris would morph back into a catch-shooter after struggling with the increased demand to pull-up.
The easiest and most logical plug is Chris Paul. CP3 reinvented himself last season as the perfect veteran -- low usage, an accountable mentor and an offensive conductor. He also had a large contract, but Oklahoma City Thunder thrived under his two-way leadership, and Philly can too. One thing we know for sure is that the fixes required for the Sixers to succeed are pretty clear.
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Brooklyn Nets: 35-37, No. 7 seed (swept in first round by Toronto)
The Brooklyn Nets are a very unique case in the context of middling Eastern Conference teams. Their crescendo truly began in the 2018-2019 season, the year they established their image as the egalitarian, joyous, stylish -- albeit inadequate -- offense that nursed their image and drew the admiration of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Last season, Brooklyn was incomplete. Irving, the team's star guard, played a mere 20 games prior to being shut down for the season (and the restart) due to a series of injuries; Durant didn&rsquo;t take any chances. He didn't debut as a Net after the league&rsquo;s four-month hiatus like some had pondered aloud, and the current composition of the team is certain to be altered in order to truly fit around their newly-integrated superstars. &nbsp;
At the moment, Brooklyn is in a pretty excellent position. The team has multiple shooters, a promising young star in Caris LeVert, a fringe All-Star in Spencer Dinwiddie and a refreshingly-new face at head coach in Steve Nash. To many, it seems that after years of tireless culture building and a vastly underrated development program, the Nets are finally on the brink of reaping the rewards of their honest rebuild -- this after being robbed blind by the Celtics in a trade for multiple aging stars all those years ago. The Brooklyn bounce-back has been admirable, to say the least.
As for the moves we can expect to see, we must first assess the current roster. What is noticeably absent is the presence of a stretch four or five in order to act as both a low-usage, offensive partner to the stars and a defensive anchor for the team. Considering the high ceiling of the multiple young players currently on the Nets, this would be far from an impossible next step. A couple of the numerous fits include Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic and Bucks center Brook Lopez. Both can shoot, roll, play out of the post and, in the case of the former Net, play elite defense. This simple exchange would stress opposing defenses and create several avenues of attack for the team without placing the total offensive responsibility on the star scorers. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Orlando Magic: 33-40, No. 8 seed (eliminated in first round by Milwaukee)
The Magic are at a bit of a crossroads. The Game 1 killers (leaving the first-round in five games in back-to-back seasons) have concocted a system of sound defense, ranking 10th in the 2019-20 season. Considering the team&rsquo;s ability to severely minimize its fouling and maintain a solid collective defensive mindset, the Magic were incredibly disciplined despite their eighth-seed ranking. The struggle seems to lie within their offense.
All-Star center Nikola Vucevic breaks even as an improving defender and remains among the more talented and sound big men in the league. As a scorer, Vucevic has maintained his efficiency on a steady diet of pick-and-pop mid-range shots and threes -- doubling his attempts at the latter for this season.
The issue isn't Orlando's veterans. Evan Fournier was among the best shooters in the league this season, thriving from the extra attention his center yields. D.J. Augustin established himself as a luxury sixth man, and any contender in need of a bench orchestrator could use him.
The Magic must get more productivity out of their high-ceiling, offensively-underdeveloped young core in order to bring the team&rsquo;s offense up to par. This includes projects like Markelle Fultz, Aaron Gordon, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac.
Orlando has a decision to make this offseason, and the choice seems relatively obvious. To prepare for the future, the team should ideally trade the bulk of their vets in order to accumulate picks for the future. They should focus their efforts and energy on developing the offensive identities and general skill sets of the team&rsquo;s youth. In due time, the picks generated by trading a few vets -- and the time invested into their younger players -- will place them in a good position to eventually make a move for a capable star, or highly capable role players, to surround their gems with. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Washington Wizards: 25-47, No. 9 seed (missed playoffs)
The Washington Wizards ended the season a whole seven-and-a-half games outside of the eighth seed. The team&rsquo;s present has been complicated by a series of severe injuries to their lead point guard in John Wall, forcing the stress of the offense on the tremendously-talented Bradley Beal. Weirdly enough, such an underwhelming season was not without a few notable bright spots.
Former San Antonio Spurs forward and 6-foot-10 sharpshooter Davis Bertans exploded on the scene as a high-volume three-point threat (rather unprecedented at his height), nearly doubling his production whilst retaining elite efficiency from the perimeter. Beal continues to establish his dominance and ranks as an excellent, nearly unstoppable three-level scorer.
Ignoring the uncertainty of the last couple seasons in D.C., it would surely be within reason to take another run with their All-Star backcourt and assess how it holds up within the landscape of the current NBA. With the acquisition of a few defensively-focused players surrounding them, it would be wise for the front office to trust the development of Beal and Bertans and test out a season with those two together.
What's fascinating is that if this trial is a failure, the Wizards are well-positioned to trade their stars; re-signing Bertans to an appealing contract this offseason should be the first step. Beal, in particular, has been highly coveted and is expected to draw a ridiculous return in any potential trade. Such a pathway would allow the team to create a promising young core alongside Troy Brown Jr. (21 years old), Rui Hachimura (22), Moritz Wagner (23) and Thomas Bryant (23).
Interestingly enough, regardless of the perceived hopelessness of the Eastern Conference outside of the immediate contenders, a few of the middle-tier squads are in a great spot to aim for contention -- or, at the very least, put together an inspiring rebuild with lottery players for longtime fans to enjoy.

Yasmin Duale dives into the Eastern Conference's 'in-between' squads and what each club should do next year to improve.

What does next season hold for East's middling teams?

In today's NBA, there's a ton of player movement and the rumor mill is always churning. Last July, we saw Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, D'Angelo Russell, Mike Conley and Al Horford (among others) change teams over the course of 23 days.&nbsp;
Which NBA star will be traded next? We asked a number of NBA writers/analysts to weigh in:
Victor Oladipo: &ldquo;This is a tough one. My first thought was to go with either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons, but I think the Sixers will see if they can find a coach who can make it work before they split that pair. So, in that case, I'll go with Victor Oladipo. The Pacers kind of got used to life without him for a few months and it wasn't all that bad. With the sides unable to reach an agreement on an extension before this season, and his free agency approaching in 2021, Oladipo looks like the most getable star who&rsquo;s available for teams (cough, Miami) seeking another piece to push them forward.&rdquo;
-&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MrMichaelLee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Lee</a>, <a href="https://theathletic.com/author/michael-lee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>
Victor Oladipo: "The Indiana Pacers are in a difficult position, not dissimilar to where the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans found themselves with Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis, respectively. They have an All-Star who can opt out of his deal after the coming season, potentially leaving as a free agent. The Pacers are heavily invested in players like Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. They're not likely to spend into the luxury tax and since Oladipo is a significant flight risk, they need to look to get the best value they can in return before he leaves them high and dry. That Oladipo can scare off other suitors with the threat of free agency is a potential problem the Pacers may need to navigate through." -&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/EricPincus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Pincus</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/users/7951339-eric-pincus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bleacher Report</a>
Victor Oladipo: "There&rsquo;s been way too much smoke with Victor Oladipo to think he&rsquo;ll finish his tenure in Indiana. The will-he-won&rsquo;t-he element of his bubble involvement was odd to say the least. Once you add in all of his connections to Miami -- he&rsquo;s a part-owner of a gym there, he rehabbed there and he is pretty close with Heat legend Dwyane Wade -- it&rsquo;s not hard to put two and two together and get four."
-&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.basketballnews.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com</a>
Jrue Holiday: &ldquo;This is a tough call, as no one star seems likely to be traded this offseason. Jrue Holiday seems the most likely to me if he and New Orleans can't agree on an extension, since he can be a free agent in the summer of 2021 and he's older than New Orleans' core players.&rdquo;
-&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NateDuncanNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nate Duncan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/duncd-on-basketball-nba-podcast/id986901174" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dunc&rsquo;d On Podcast</a>
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Beal5_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
Bradley Beal: "Beal's name has been surfacing in trade rumors for quite some time, although the reports died down a bit since he signed a two-year, $72 million extension with Washington in October of 2019. However, coming off of a monster year in which he averaged career-highs in points (30.5), assists (6.1) and threes (3.0), Beal&rsquo;s trade value has increased. At 27 years old, Beal is several years older than the Wizards&rsquo; young core, which consists of Troy Brown Jr. (21 years old), Rui Hachimura (22), Thomas Bryant (23) and Moritz Wagner (23) among others. It&rsquo;s possible that Washington will keep Beal and hope that John Wall&rsquo;s return could lead to a playoff berth next year. However, many teams will be calling about Beal and Washington may decide to deal him for more young players and draft picks (especially if they get off to a slow start in 2020-21).&rdquo;
- <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA">Alex Kennedy</a>, <a href="BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a>
Bradley Beal: &ldquo;Of course, everyone seems to think that Bradley Beal will be the next star player who gets traded. For his sake, I hope so. He&rsquo;s too good to waste his career losing big in Washington.&rdquo;
- <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard">Chris Broussard</a>, <a href="https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/featured/the-odd-couple-with-chris-broussard-rob-parker/">Fox Sports</a>
Chris Paul: &ldquo;Devin Booker and Bradley Beal would both be attractive choices here for obvious reasons, but neither has been reported to be anything but committed to their team. Plus, in the case of Booker, there's excitement about continuing to build in Phoenix with the obvious culture change that's transpired. I'll caveat this by saying that the trades that usually happen are the ones we don't see coming. We were all floored by Russell Westbrook being traded to Houston, just as nobody foresaw Kawhi Leonard landing in Toronto, Kyrie Irving heading to Boston or Jimmy Butler ending up in Philadelphia. Call me crazy, but I think Chris Paul is a good trade candidate, despite the Thunder far surpassing all preseason expectations. Despite overachieving, the Thunder are a team fixated on their future, and Sam Presti has always been proactive with respect to moving out players if there are doubts about their long-term future with the team. Kevin Durant is the obvious exception, and I think he's too smart to let something like that happen again. Truth is, the Thunder probably would've dealt Paul this past season if he wasn't regarded by the rest of the league as damaged goods. He's proven everyone wrong and his value probably won't get any higher. Dennis Schroder is just 26 years old and the progression of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could make moving Paul the right choice if OKC can get some value (see: draft capital) in return.&rdquo;
-&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MokeHamilton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moke Hamilton</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://theathletic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>
C.J. McCollum: &ldquo;Star player movements can be hard to predict, but I'm going to go with C.J. McCollum. The Blazers' bubble run has been impressive and if they are all healthy, they are clearly a better team than their eighth-place finish suggests. However, an exit in round one might still necessitate a change. Damian Lillard is a bonafide star who has stuck it out in Portland and, at 30 years old, the clock may already be ticking. If the Blazers are going to give him a chance to win a championship, it has to happen right now, which means shipping off McCollum for someone who's a better fit alongside Lillard has to be on the table.&rdquo;
-&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Trevor_Lane" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Lane</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://lakersnation.com/author/trevor-lane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lakers Nation</a>
LaMarcus Aldridge: &ldquo;I think the next star player who will be traded is LaMarcus Aldridge. San Antonio missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Aldridge, 35, could be a missing frontcourt piece for a contender. DeMar DeRozan will likely exercise his $27.7 million player option for next season. If he doesn't, it will hasten a full rebuild in San Antonio. With Aldridge going into the final year of his contract at $24 million, trading him for assets now is the prudent decision if he won't be a part of San Antonio&rsquo;s long-term future. The Spurs can compete for one of the final playoff spots in the West if they keep Aldridge, but the upside is limited beyond that.&rdquo;
-&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://hoopshype.com/author/michaelascotto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype</a>&nbsp;

Which star player will be traded next? BasketballNews.com asked a number of top NBA writers/analysts to weigh in.