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Kings

Following the Phoenix Suns&rsquo; shocking postseason exit, all eyes are now on Deandre Ayton's free agency.
After the Suns declined to sign Ayton to a five-year, rookie-scale max extension before the 2021-22 season, restricted free agency is now on the horizon for the athletic big man. During the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Ayton&rsquo;s agent Bill Duffy discussed Ayton's future on SiriusXM&rsquo;s NBA show.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re disappointed. We wanted a max contract,&rdquo; Duffy <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1527772160923619328" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;He went out and was a solider the whole year, played well, improved his statistics. So, we&rsquo;re proud of him. A lot of guys handle things differently, but he was very mature about it. Things will work out for Deandre. He&rsquo;s a valuable player. There&rsquo;s other teams in the league as well. He&rsquo;s a restricted free agent, so we&rsquo;ll see how this process unfolds.&rdquo;
Ayton averaged 17.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 blocks on a career-high 65.6% True Shooting percentage during the 2021-22 campaign. Ayton was a key asset for the Suns on both ends of the court, especially around the basket as an easy lob threat and defensive anchor. Ayton has been a key piece for the Suns, but is he worth a max contract? Based on Duffy&rsquo;s comments earlier this week, it sounds like Ayton&rsquo;s camp won&rsquo;t settle for anything less than the max entering free agency.
From the Suns&rsquo; perspective, they saw improvement from the 2018 No. 1 overall pick this season before the team's disappointing postseason showing.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s shown that he&rsquo;s improved each year, helps us on both the defense and the offense,&rdquo; Suns owner Robert Sarver told <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> recently about Ayton. &ldquo;I think offensively, you see this year he&rsquo;s taken another good step in terms of his touch and his ability to score around the basket. So, he&rsquo;s been a key part of what we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Taking all of this into consideration, what if Ayton's days in Phoenix are numbered? Here's a look at the most realistic sign-and-trade destinations for Ayton this summer.
Note: It's important to remember that sign-and-trade deals rarely return the same value as a traditional trade. The Suns have let it be known that they won't simply let an asset like Ayton walk for nothing. If Ayton&rsquo;s time in Phoenix is indeed over, the Suns won&rsquo;t be leaving the relationship empty-handed.
San Antonio Spurs
Spurs receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Jakob Poeltl, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones
San Antonio is one of the few teams this offseason with secured max-level cap space. All that needs to be done in order to chase Ayton is renounce the restricted rights to Lonnie Walker.
Being at the bottom of the NBA standings is new for the Spurs. After being one of the league's model organizations for over two decades, they have officially hit a playoff drought. San Antonio was hoping for some lottery luck, but now they have to try another plan to bring in a star.
San Antonio&rsquo;s dynamic young duo of Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson is so fun to watch, but the they need a third game-changer to take this rebuild back into playoff mode. Ayton would be an ideal solution, mainly because of his excellent two-way fit in the Spurs&rsquo; system. Dropping Ayton into the Spurs&rsquo; player-development program could make some in Phoenix worry about the long-term consequences of this deal.
For Phoenix, cooperating with a long-time rival would hurt. However, if the relationship between team and player becomes fractured, the Suns won&rsquo;t have much of a choice if he finds a max offer on the open market.
The Suns won&rsquo;t let Ayton leave Phoenix unless they receive strong assets in return. The Spurs can actually provide a solid package that helps in the short and long-term.
In this deal, Phoenix could land one of the most underrated big men in the Association as well as two young players who have shown flashes. The Jalen Smith experiment was a disaster for the Suns after taking him No. 10 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, and Vassell went one pick later. Phoenix can right that wrong while also obtaining an intriguing point guard to develop in Jones.
This feels like a win-win for both sides. San Antonio would have a new Big 3 in Ayton, Murray and Johnson, while the Suns could acquire their new starting center and two pieces to bolster the bench unit.
Charlotte Hornets
Hornets receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Terry Rozier, PJ Washington and draft compensation
There might not be a team with a more dire offseason need than the Hornets and their hole at center. Charlotte was one of my NBA League Pass teams this season due to their fun offensive pace, but the defense often bordered on disastrous. Montrezl Harrell and Mason Plumlee aren&rsquo;t going to cut it, so it&rsquo;s time for Charlotte to get aggressive.
Given Charlotte&rsquo;s roster, they would have to move some salaries around to make an Ayton chase realistic. Offloading Gordon Hayward&rsquo;s contract is going to be a tough task and they may even have to relinquish one of their top-15 picks to do so, but it would have to happen in order for them to pursue Ayton. Hayward is due $61.6 million over the next two seasons, and Charlotte simply can&rsquo;t afford to keep biting that bullet with restricted free agent Miles Bridges due for a payday and LaMelo Ball&rsquo;s own rookie-scale extension on the horizon. Trading away Hayward and Mason Plumlee would give the Hornets max space.
Landing Ayton is Charlotte's dream scenario. Not only would Ayton continue to get spoon-fed easy looks from an elite point guard, he would help stabilize the Hornets' defense to respectable levels. Thanks to his freakish athleticism, Ayton would be able to cover up a lot of holes around him defensively.
Phoenix would love to pull off a double sign-and-trade to nab Bridges, but that seems unlikely. Instead, this deal allows them to find their long-term answer at point guard post-Chris Paul. While Terry Rozier is a shot-chucker, he has improved as a playmaker in Charlotte. In the short-term, Rozier could step in as the Suns&rsquo; sixth man and provide the exact boost that they need in offensive guard creation. PJ Washington is an interesting add because he could slide right into the small-ball 5 role played previously by Dario Saric.
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Indiana Pacers
Pacers receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Myles Turner, Chris Duarte, TJ McConnell
What&rsquo;s the next step for Indiana? Long gone are Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert. Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield could be the next Pacers veterans to be shipped out via trade as Indiana fully embraces a rebuild attempt. It&rsquo;s been long overdue for the Pacers to pull the plug on the core that continued to stagnate once the postseason arrived.
A year later, Indiana&rsquo;s future looks much brighter with a talented, new-look core of Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson and whoever is selected at No. 6 overall.
Ayton couldn't ask for a better pick-and-roll partner than Haliburton. Already making magic happen with CP3, Ayton&rsquo;s rolling ability would help accentuate Haliburton&rsquo;s biggest strengths. Also, Ayton&rsquo;s defensive versatility would be a welcome arrival for a team that nosedived in that category last season.
For Indiana, the price would be hefty. Not only would this trade require a four-year max contract for Ayton, but the Pacers would likely need to ship out a key piece of their young core via sign-and-trade (such as Duarte).
This trade would be a huge win for Phoenix, but it also looks great for the Pacers. The Suns would have a starting center who adds floor-spacing equity and elite rim protection, a capable veteran backup point guard who can spell Paul at times, plus one of the most impactful rookie wings in the Association. Having to include Duarte could leave the Pacers apprehensive, but they are reportedly enamored with adding another explosive piece via the draft, as Jaden Ivey (Purdue), Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky) and Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona) have all been linked to Indiana early in the pre-draft process.&nbsp;
Detroit Pistons
Pistons receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart, Cory Joseph and draft compensation
Another team that has considered making a run at Ayton this offseason is the Pistons, and they can create max space very easily: trading away Kelly Olynyk&rsquo;s contract.
The Pistons struck gold with Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey and they are helping usher in a new era in Detroit. Ayton&rsquo;s arrival would be the final piece to the puzzle for a team seemingly pushing their chips in on postseason play as early as 2023.
It would be best for Ayton to land with a capable lead guard who can feed him regularly. Already capable of tallying 20 and 10 most nights, Ayton would be set up for long-term success alongside Cunningham and Bey.
The question is, what would the Pistons need to send Phoenix&rsquo;s way in order for this sign-and-trade to go through? It&rsquo;s going to be a lot, and it would be a blockbuster-type transaction.
Blockbuster indeed, because Grant is now heading back to the Valley in this scenario. If the Suns and Pistons want to cooperate on a Ayton deal, I have to imagine one of Grant or Bey would have to be involved. Stewart is another enticing trade chip because he&rsquo;s shown the versatility to space the floor from three-point range. While he doesn't have the same touch as Ayton, Stewart brings nastiness and a tenacity on both ends of the court that Phoenix would absolutely love.
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Atlanta Hawks
Hawks receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic
No ifs, ands or buts about it, Trae Young would make Ayton an All-Star next season. What a fun inside-out duo this is to envision. While Atlanta is nowhere close to reaching the necessary cap space to absorb a massive Ayton deal on their own, a sign-and-trade becomes feasible with all of the talent that could fit into the Phoenix roster.
For the Hawks, Ayton represents another foundational building block to place alongside Young for the long-term. John Collins could be the guy, but he&rsquo;s been in trade rumors for the past year with no signs of those slowing down. Onyeka Okongwu could also grow into that role, but the Hawks signing Clint Capela to a long-term extension perhaps signals that they see him more as a piece to the puzzle rather than a true building block.
Ayton would arrive in Atlanta and instantly average around 23 points and 12 rebounds per game. On box-score fit alone, this would be the best landing spot for Ayton thanks to the greatness of Young.
If Phoenix had drafted Luka Doncic rather than Ayton at No. 1 overall in 2018, Phoenix may have considered adding Clint Capela to their frontcourt. Four years later, Capela being re-routed to Phoenix in an Ayton sign-and-trade is a plausible scenario to imagine. Capela would provide similar numbers to Ayton while requiring less of an offensive workload. Meanwhile, Bogdan Bogdanovic might vault to the top the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year leaderboards in the near future. Bogdanovic and Cameron Johnson leading the Suns&rsquo; second unit? That&rsquo;s a filthy thought.
***
None of these trades are perfect, but they do illustrate how challenging it will be for Phoenix to find a home for Ayton while also returning the value they'd love to get back for him. Ultimately, it may be in the Suns' best interest to re-sign Ayton this offseason and trade him at some point down the road when his value isn't so depressed.
Whatever happens, Ayton&rsquo;s name will continue to pop up in rumors throughout the spring and summer until the Suns and Ayton's camp find common ground at the negotiation table. This situation could become awkward and dragged out, which would surely kick the trade rumors into high gear. This isn't the last we'll hear about Ayton and the possibility of him changing teams.
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With Deandre Ayton's future in Phoenix becoming murky, it's time to examine potential destinations for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Examining potential sign-and-trade destinations for Deandre Ayton

The Atlanta Hawks never expected to be in this position.
Not after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-8d827eabf721d1b06d7207da48def57a">last summer's surprising run</a> to the Eastern Conference final.
But here they are, needing to win two play-in games just to make the playoffs.
First up: the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night in a matchup between the ninth and 10th seeds in the East.
&ldquo;Our destiny is in our hands," Hawks center Clint Capela said.
Atlanta was one of the biggest surprises of the 2021 postseason, knocking off both the Knicks and the top-seeded 76ers before losing to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in a highly competitive conference final.
With a young core led by Trae Young, the Hawks set a goal of finishing in the top four in the East this season. Instead, after a year plagued by COVID issues, injuries and a strange lack of chemistry, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-d384100801dae1e50a25ac311eacbefa">they had to settle</a> for the next-to-last play-in spot.
&ldquo;We have to live in the moment,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;We can't think about all of that. We have a game we have to win."
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks-miami-heat-nba-f8aabc07c1007bb2717017faab063239">The Hornets</a> are in the play-in tournament for the second year in a row. While they haven't made the playoffs since 2016, they appear to be a franchise on the rise.
&ldquo;We feel like we can definitely win and sneak into the playoffs,&rdquo; guard Terry Rozier said.
The winner of the 9-10 game advances to a road contest Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
&ldquo;We've still got a chance to make the playoffs,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;We've got to take advantage of it.&rdquo;
COLLINS UPDATE
The Hawks have been without one of their top players, John Collins, since March 11 because of a sprained foot and an injured finger.
Collins has stepped up his rehab in recent days, including some 4-on-4 workouts.
Coach Nate McMillan said he's not sure if Collins will be able to play limited minutes against the Hornets, but the Hawks are preparing to go without him.
&ldquo;He's been out for so long," McMillan said. "The focus is on the guys that we do have in uniform. If we're lucky enough to get him back, we'll talk about that and adjust to that.&rdquo;
PLAY-IN REDUX
The Hornets had 10 more victories than a year ago in the abbreviated 72-game schedule, but they still finished 10th in the East for the second straight season.
In the 2021 play-in game, Charlotte was routed 144-117 by ninth-seeded Indiana. Several Hornets players have talked about the sting of that loss providing momentum coming into this season.
Charlotte is healthier and playing much better than it was a year ago. The Hornets won 11 of their last 15 games.
&ldquo;Most years we would be the seven or the eight seed &mdash; most years &mdash; but this year the East was more competitive," Hornets coach James Borrego said. &ldquo;I am really proud of this group.&rdquo;
SMALL BALL
Led by guards LaMelo Ball and Rozier, the Hornets ranked fourth in the league in scoring (115.3 points per game) and have been especially effective when going with a small lineup.
Charlotte can really get out and run when 6-foot-7 P.J. Washington and 6-6 Miles Bridges are playing the center and power forward positions.
&ldquo;They play small and they play fast,&rdquo; said McMillan, whose own team ranked sixth in the league in scoring (113.9). &ldquo;They are a team that wants to get out in transition."
DOUBLING TRAE
Young had a historic season, becoming only the second player in NBA history after Tiny Archibald to lead the league in both total points (2,155) and assists (737).
The Hornets had good success against Young in their final regular-season matchup, using a wave of double teams to hold him to a season-low 9 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Young did manage to dish out 15 assists in that game.
&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t let him breath,&rdquo; Rozier said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pretty confident player, but we just have to make it tough for him.&rdquo;
HOME EDGE
The Hawks claimed the No. 9 seed on a tiebreaker with the Hornets, which is why this game is being played in Atlanta.
That's a big break for the Hawks, who were much better at home (27-14) than they were on the road (16-25).
The Hornets, by comparison, had virtually the same record in Charlotte (22-19) as they did away from home (21-20).
&ldquo;Whenever we play at home, we are much more confident, the energy is better, the focus is better,&rdquo; Capela said. &ldquo;To get that first game at home, it's a huge advantage for us.&rdquo;

The Hawks are set to square off against the Hornets, and need two wins to make back-to-back postseason appearances.

After run to East finals, Hawks face Play-In game vs. Hornets

One of Bam Adebayo&rsquo;s favorite plays of the season was during a game Miami played at Charlotte in early February, when most of the things that happened didn&rsquo;t show up on a stat sheet.
It was late in the first half. Adebayo started the possession guarding Mason Plumlee, then switched onto LaMelo Ball after a screen. Ball couldn&rsquo;t get past him, so he flipped the ball to Terry Rozier. Adebayo was waiting for him, too, so Rozier gave the ball up to Miles Bridges. With the shot clock running down, Bridges tried to drive on Adebayo.
Didn&rsquo;t work. Adebayo blocked the ensuing layup try with ease.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bam Adebayo switched three times onto perimeter players this possession: He handled all of them. It ends with an emphatic rejection of Bridges followed by a slam on the other end. What. A. Player. Two-way monster<a href="https://twitter.com/hothothoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hothothoops</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HEATCulture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HEATCulture</a> <a href="https://t.co/c6XrHnRoRz">pic.twitter.com/c6XrHnRoRz</a>
&mdash; Matt Hanifan (@mph_824_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mph_824_/status/1490128662720512000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;I guarded three dudes in one possession,&rdquo; Adebayo said, forgetting that it was technically four. &ldquo;And a fan watching it would be like, &lsquo;OK, Bam got the block.&rsquo; They probably didn&rsquo;t see the rest of it. That&rsquo;s the thing with defense. It&rsquo;s more than who&rsquo;s got the most steals or the most blocks.&rdquo;
A panel of media voters will decide later this month on the NBA&rsquo;s awards for this season, and Adebayo isn&rsquo;t shy about saying that he thinks he merits consideration as the league&rsquo;s Defensive Player of the Year. It&rsquo;s a tough club to break into with perennial candidates like Utah&rsquo;s Rudy Gobert, Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green and the Milwaukee duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday all obviously worthy, plus with Boston&rsquo;s Marcus Smart and Phoenix&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges deservedly getting plenty of attention this season as well.
The Eastern Conference-leading Heat, who still try to prioritize defense even in this era of higher scores than a decade ago, say Adebayo is equally &mdash; if not more &mdash; deserving, with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra insisting that his center makes an imprint on the game &ldquo;like few can in this Association.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We want him to put his fingerprints on the game defensively in all different kinds of ways, in a lot of different schemes and guarding really every position, one through five,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s legit. That&rsquo;s not just a saying. Every single night at some point he will guard every single player ... and he&rsquo;s one of the few guys in the league that can do that.&rdquo;
Adebayo was one of three players with a first-place DPOY vote last year, with Gobert &mdash; the runaway winner &mdash; getting 84 and runner-up Ben Simmons, now with Brooklyn, getting 15. Adebayo got the other.
He finished fourth in the overall voting a year ago, after finishing fifth in 2019-20.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s in that mix now,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;I think just the versatility that he brings, that&rsquo;s what separates, to me, the best defenders in the league &mdash; the versatility to guard multiple positions, multiple actions, to roam and protect teammates. He does all of that. He can guard one through five on switches. He is absolutely elite.&rdquo;
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Adebayo is having his best season for the Heat, averaging 19.0 points and 10.3 rebounds, along with a career-best 1.5 steals per game and nearly one block per contest. The steals and blocks numbers aren&rsquo;t overwhelming, but that&rsquo;s also the point to Adebayo&rsquo;s argument.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of those things where, in our game, everybody looks at the final column &mdash; how many points did you score or just what&rsquo;s on that sheet,&rdquo; Adebayo said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like that dictates your total impact on the game. And that&rsquo;s not the way the game works. It&rsquo;s like defense doesn&rsquo;t matter, until it does.&rdquo;
Adebayo has a long list of players that he thinks are at the top of the top right now defensively. He says Holiday, Mikal Bridges, Green and his Miami teammate P.J. Tucker should all be among those in the conversation.
But he&rsquo;s also not afraid to state his case.
&ldquo;In my mind, I think I&rsquo;m the Defensive Player of the Year,&rdquo; Adebayo said. &ldquo;To me, defense is all about pride. My teammates let me be who I am because they know that if I put my fingerprints on a game, good things can happen.&rdquo;

Bam Adebayo believes he deserves this season's Defensive Player of the Year award, and he explains his reasoning.

Heat's Bam Adebayo: 'I think I’m the Defensive Player of the Year'

Isaiah Thomas is back.
Well, not&nbsp;back &mdash;&nbsp;this isn't the 2016-17 campaign in which Thomas carried a Boston Celtics offense to the tune of 28.9 points (on 62.5% True Shooting) and 5.9 assists per game. But Thomas has found a home for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/charlotte-to-sign-isaiah-thomas-for-the-rest-of-the-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rest of the season</a>, providing the currently-streaking Charlotte Hornets with a nice boost of offense.
Since joining the team three weeks ago, Thomas is averaging a shade under 10 points while draining 48.0% of his threes (3.6 attempts). During the Hornets' five-game winning streak, Thomas is averaging 10.8 points in 14 minutes per contest thanks to some insane shooting from deep (58.8% on 3.4 attempts).
Much like his peak days, Thomas is getting busy in the pick-and-roll.
He remains a pull-up threat, making any sort of "under" coverage nearly untenable. While not as bursty as he used to be, he's able to attack gaps and flow into floaters and push shots. His shot diet has altered since his last full-ish season with the Washington Wizards in 2019-20, with more of his shots coming at the rim or floater range (43% vs 34%) per Cleaning The Glass.
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The Hornets have scored 1.16 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Thomas-led pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. That number rises to 1.3 on trips where Thomas and Montrezl Harrell &mdash; a violent rim-runner with an intermediate touch he can use when the rim is cut off &mdash; team up.
That two-man game is the bedrock of Charlotte's second unit, with built-in secondary options if an advantage isn't created.
A favorite as of late: a high ball-screen with Thomas and Harrell that flows into an empty corner handoff.
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Think about the options here. A switch would have Willy Hernangomez on an island against Thomas, and Jose Alvarado (fiesty!) on Harrell. Neither would be great options. Playing drop coverage would likely give Thomas a gap to pull-up into, though Alvarado is a stout on-ball defender that could make Thomas uncomfortable.&nbsp;
They instead opt to blitz, taking the ball out of Thomas' hands. But taking the ball out of his hands simply means putting it into the hands of LaMelo Ball, the Hornets' best player.&nbsp;
Giving LaMelo a roller like Harrell is a tough proposition; doing so with an empty side puts the defense in a bind like this:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_22_18_03_03_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
Alvarado peels over to the nail to cut off Ball's drive, but that leaves Thomas open for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. Harrell, of course, is rolling into the empty side with no help present. On the weak side, PJ Washington is in prime position to screen off his man (Naji Marshall, No. 8) or Kelly Oubre's man (Trey Murphy III, No. 25) to create a shot.&nbsp;
The Hornets don't just flow into handoffs after Thomas-led ball-screens; they can pivot to off-ball screens for shooters as well.
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This is nice movement set to get Terry Rozier a look. Jalen Brunson does a great job of staying attached, so it simply flows into a downhill attack with Mason Plumlee filling the lane.
Dwight Powell dropped back pretty far on the initial ball-screen, which ends up giving Rozier a runway to drive into. With Miles Bridges chilling in the left corner, Maxi Kleber is stuck between tagging Plumlee on the roll, or staying home on the shooter.&nbsp;
Having a threat like Thomas is incredibly annoying for defenses.
It's especially annoying when he's the first layer of a multi-pronged attack.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the ways Isaiah Thomas is impacting the Hornets' offense.

Explain one play: Isaiah Thomas as the Hornets' tip of the spear

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Miles Bridges scored 23 points, P.J. Washington added a season-high 21 and the Charlotte Hornets routed the road-weary Dallas Mavericks 129-108 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.
Terry Rozier scored 18 points, and LaMelo Ball and Kelly Oubre each had 17 points for the Hornets. They shot 20 of 42 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;We knew it was going to turn around for us eventually,&rdquo; Bridges said, referring to the Hornets losing 11 of their final 13 games in February.
Luka Doncic had 37 points and eight 3s for the Mavericks, who were playing their fifth road game in eight nights and on the second night of a back-to-back. Doncic did not play in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand.
The Hornets (36-35) moved into sole possession of ninth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of Atlanta. They are one game behind eighth-place Brooklyn.
&ldquo;We are playing well, we are playing hard and we are playing together and that&rsquo;s all I can ask for,&rdquo; Hornets coach James Borrego said. &ldquo;... Right now we have to sustain it and keep our foot on the gas.&rdquo;
Said Bridges: &ldquo;As long as we keep playing like this I think we&rsquo;re going to be good in the standings.&rdquo;
The Hornets are playing unselfish basketball, averaging 34 assists during their win streak.
&ldquo;We all are good 1-on-1 players and it is tough sometimes to get to the second side" of the court, Bridges said. &ldquo;But everybody is buying into the offense.&rdquo;
The Mavericks (43-28) beat Houston, Boston and Brooklyn to open the five-game trip, but lost at Philadelphia and Charlotte on consecutive nights to fall 1 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Utah Jazz in the West.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said his team&rsquo;s play on defense over the last two games needs to improve.
&ldquo;Sometimes when you rely on scoring when things are good there can be some slippage on the defensive end,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;We are trending down and we have to pay attention to that and get back to playing the way that we have in the past.&rdquo;
The Hornets came out of the gates hot, bolting to a 19-4 lead after making their first seven shots from the field, including five 3s. The Mavericks looked slow closing out on shots as Charlotte made eight 3s in the first quarter.
Dallas showed signs of life by battling back to take the lead late in the second quarter, but the Hornets closed the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 61-52 edge at the break.
Charlotte pulled away in the third quarter despite 21 points from Doncic, and extended the lead to 32 in the fourth quarter. Charlotte was 15 of 22 from the field in the third quarter and outscored the Mavericks 41-28 as Bridges and Washington combined for 23 points.
WORKING ON THE ZONE
Nobody plays more zone than the Hornets, and that was on full display against the Mavericks.
Kidd said that he expects more teams to play zone against them in the playoffs, so Saturday night's game was a good learning experience for his team.
&ldquo;Teams are trying to take the ball out of Luka's hands, so other guys are going to have to make plays and step up and make shots," Kidd said. "So this is a great dress rehearsal for them.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Mavericks: Spencer Dinwiddie (injury recovery, right knee), Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) and Theo Pinson (right fifth finger fracture) all sat out. ... Davis Bertans fouled out early in the fourth quarter with two points. ... With the Mavs trailing by 31 in the fourth quarter, Dallas fans in the crowd began chanting &ldquo;We want Boban&rdquo; Marjanovic. He did not play.
Hornets: Gordon Hayward missed his 16th straight game with a sprained left ankle.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host Minnesota on Monday night.
Hornets: Host New Orleans on Monday night.
&nbsp;

Miles Bridges scored 23 points, P.J. Washington had 21 and the Charlotte Hornets routed the Dallas Mavericks 129-108.

Hornets rout road-weary Mavs 129-108 for 4th straight win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 16 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets 115-101 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win.
Tatum, coming off a 54-point performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, made 16 of 24 shots from the field and 6 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also made all six free throws.
He was also effective on defense, helping limit the red hot Terry Rozier to just 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
The Celtics are looking like a championship contender, having won 15 of their past 17 games as they continue their rise up the Eastern Conference standings.
&ldquo;Defense, defense, defense &mdash; that's been the key,&rdquo; Tatum said.
Jaylen Brown had 15 points, while Robert Williams chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Al Horford added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics (40-27), who were in control most of the game.
Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington each had 17 points to lead the Hornets, who fell to 1-12 on the second night of back-to-back games.
It was the second straight night the Hornets have been victimized by a star player on their home court. They allowed Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving to score 50 points in a 132-121 loss on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;He made six highly contested 3s,&rdquo; Hornets coach James Borrego said of Tatum. &ldquo;We double-teamed him, we trapped him. He is a hell of a player and is playing as well as anyone right now.&rdquo;
Tatum began to got hot at the end of the third quarter, helping Boston build an 87-78 lead.
Tatum opened the fourth quarter with a fall-away 3 from the right corner and a long 3 from right wing as the lead increased to 18 points. A few minutes later he canned another 3 from the other wing, even as his body was shifting to the left.
The Hornets mostly played zone against the Celtics in an effort to contain Tatum, but it didn't work.
&ldquo;Not be stagnant and shoot a lot of threes, because that&rsquo;s kind of what they want you to do," Tatum said of the key to beating the zone. &ldquo;You have to move the ball and get to the middle.&rdquo;
Charlotte has not participated in a playoff series since the 2015-16 season and this year's hopes are beginning to look bleak as they're ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks and one game up on the Washington Wizards.
There is the possibility that Gordon Hayward could return in the next few weeks, which would certainly help take the scoring load off of Rozier, Ball and Bridges.
MOVING THE BALL
The Celtics finished with 30 assists, with Marcus Smart and Derrick White combining for 17 assists and only one turnover.
&ldquo;They are doing a great job of finding guys and passing up good shots to get great ones for others,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. &ldquo;That is what it is going to take moving forward. You can't rely on one guy or two guys to score all of the points. We want to have an unselfish team that plays a good appealing brand of basketball, and I think we're doing that."
White, who was acquired in a trade from the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 10, said his goal has been just to fit in with his new Boston teammates and &ldquo;try not to mess it up."
BALL&rsquo;S STRUGGLES
Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball struggled with his father LaVar Ball looking on from courtside seats, committing six turnovers in the game&rsquo;s first 14 minutes before being benched for the remainder of the second quarter for Isaiah Thomas.
Ball later returned and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Tatum received a hug from LaVar Ball as he left the floor.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host Pistons on Friday night.
Hornets: Visit Pelicans on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum scored 16 of 44 points in the fourth, and the Celtics beat the Hornets 115-101 on Wednesday for their fourth-straight win.

Jayson Tatum stays hot, scores 44 as Celtics beat Hornets 115-101

Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 123-117 on Saturday night, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of the tying the NBA record.
San Antonio has lost four straight since beating Washington on Feb. 25 to move Popovich within one of Don Nelson's record of 1,335 regular-season victories.
LaMelo Ball added 24 points for Charlotte, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 and Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds. The Hornets made 19 of their last 20 free throws.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 33 points, but was limited to five in the second half. Dejounte Murray had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Devin Vassell added 14 points.
Ball gave Charlotte a 117-113 lead with two free throws with 55.5 seconds left. Murray&rsquo;s layup drew San Antonio to 119-117 before Martin hit four foul shots on two trips to the line in the final 33.6.
With Charlotte ahead 115-111, Plumlee contended with Jakob Poeltl for a rebound. The two locked up on the ball, and Plumlee slung Poeltl to the floor in an effort to control the ball. Officials ruled it a jump ball and no foul on Plumlee.
TIP-INS
San Antonio: Johnson was perfect in the first period, making all seven of his shots &mdash; two of them 3-pointers &mdash; and his lone free throws. He had 17 of the Spurs' 30 points.
Charlotte: Gordon Hayward missed his fourth consecutive game with a left ankle sprain.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Hornets won, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of the tying the NBA record.

Hornets top Spurs, leaving Popovich win short of NBA record

The 2022 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and the likes of James Harden, Ben Simmons, CJ McCollum, Domantas Sabonis, Tyrese Haliburton and Kristaps Porzingis each found themselves with new addresses.
However, for those teams that weren&rsquo;t as fortunate, there will still be opportunity to improve. Impact players often become available on the buyout market, and this year is no exception.
As of Friday morning, there were reports of a few players already having been waived, and in the right situation, they may be able to help a playoff contender.
DeAndre Bembry, pending free agent
With injuries to Kevin Durant and James Harden, as well as the issue with Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s part-time availability, DeAndre Bembry emerged as a fairly reliable two-way player for Steve Nash. The six-year pro made a name for himself as a member of the Atlanta Hawks before eventually joining the Nets last August.
Bembry was waived by the club after it agreed to terms with the Philadelphia 76ers on the trade that sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond to Brooklyn in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap.
Gary Harris, Orlando Magic
Still quite productive, Harris can help a contending team. Orlando still owes him slightly less than half of his $20.5 million salary for the remainder of the season, but if the team isn&rsquo;t planning on re-signing him over the summer, a buyout is a possibility. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that Harris may be bought out, which led to our Nekias Duncan <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-gary-harris-likely-on-the-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breaking down possible landing spots for Harris</a>.
Whether or not Harris hits the market likely boils down to how much of his salary he would be willing to give up to secure his freedom and latch on with a contender. This season, Harris has averaged 11.7 points, while shooting 44.4% from the field, 38.8% from three and 84.4% from the free-throw line.
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Goran Dragic, San Antonio Spurs
The 14-year veteran spent six years with the Miami Heat before being traded to the Toronto Raptors in the sign-and-trade agreement that landed Kyle Lowry in South Beach, and he appeared in only five games for Toronto before being traded to San Antonio for Thaddeus Young on deadline day.
San Antonio &mdash; who also traded Derrick White to the Boston Celtics on deadline day &mdash; appears content with newly-minted All-Star Dejounte Murray, Keldon White, Devin Vassell and Lonnie Walker patrolling the perimeter. There&rsquo;s very little chance Dragic would play much in San Antonio and probably even less chance that he remains long-term. The Dallas Mavericks are considered the favorite to add Dragic if he's bought out.
Dennis Schroder, Houston Rockets
After just 49 games, Schroder was traded by the Boston Celtics to Houston in a trade that saw Daniel Theis reunited with his former club.
Just last year, Schroder famously turned down a four-year deal from the Los Angeles Lakers worth up to $84 million. He eventually signed with Boston for $5.9 million.
Having been dealt to the Rockets, Schroder would seem a likely candidate for a buyout. The remaining salary due to him is relatively cheap, the Rockets are rebuilding and have turned their offense over to Kevin Porter Jr. Schroder himself should know that a big contract this offseason will only result from helping a team go on a deep playoff run.
Tristan Thompson, Indiana Pacers
Included in the trade that saw Tyrese Haliburton sent to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, Tristan Thompson has proved in spurts this season that he can still be somewhat effective.
Teams thinking about winning the Eastern Conference will need to have at least a few big bodies to present resistance to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, Bam Adebayo and Kevin Durant.&nbsp;
To that end, the 30-year-old big man &mdash; who is in the final year of a contract paying him about $9.2 million &mdash; would probably rather relocate to a playoff contender that will offer him more minutes and a chance to compete than the Pacers will.
Robin Lopez, Orlando Magic
With Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. showing flashes this season, Lopez has often been the odd man out in head coach Jamahl Mosley&rsquo;s rotation. For the same reasons as Thompson, Lopez will likely become a buyout candidate.
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DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers
Jordan secured a buyout from the Detroit Pistons after the Brooklyn Nets dealt him to the Motor City in September. A return to Los Angeles made sense at the time, but with Stanley Johnson now commanding rotation minutes, there&rsquo;s barely enough minutes for Dwight Howard, much less Jordan.
Jordan has appeared in just four contests since Christmas, so unless head coach Frank Vogel suddenly has a change of heart and believes the key to turning around the Lakers&rsquo; season is playing bigger lineups, it&rsquo;s difficult to imagine Jordan being happy with sticking around.&nbsp;
Kent Bazemore, Los Angeles Lakers
Similar to Jordan, Bazemore has struggled to find a fit on this Lakers team. After beginning the season as a starter, he&rsquo;s played 62 total minutes since Dec. 19.&nbsp;
The Lakers were obviously unable to make a trade on deadline day, so the team&rsquo;s only hope for external improvement will come on the buyout market.
The only problem is that Los Angeles already has 15 guaranteed contracts on its books, meaning someone would have to be waived in order for the team to add another player.&nbsp;Like Jordan, Bazemore would seem a sensible candidate.
Michael Carter-Williams, pending free agent
The former Rookie of the Year saw his tenure with the Orlando Magic end when the Magic executed a trade with the Boston Celtics. Boston sent Bol Bol and PJ Dozier to Orlando along with a future second-round draft pick and cash. The move amounted to a salary dump for Boston, and Orlando got cash and the pick as their compensation.
The only issue? Orlando had to create the two roster spots in order to complete the transaction, which led to Carter-Williams and teammate E&rsquo;Twaun Moore being waived. The 30-year-old started 25 of his 31 games for the Magic this season, averaging 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.8 steals.
E'Twaun Moore, pending free agent
Like his teammate Carter-Williams, Moore was waived as a result of the aforementioned transaction with the Celtics.
At 31 years old, Moore &mdash; whose most productive years were as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans &mdash; no longer fit in with the youth movement in Orlando.
&mdash;&mdash;
Nearly every season, contending teams manage to land a player or two who secures a post-deadline buyout.&nbsp;In order for a player to be eligible to suit up in the playoffs, however, they must be waived by March 1 and rostered by another team by April 11.
So for those teams that didn&rsquo;t have the good fortune of landing an impact on deadline day, they'll shift their focus to the buyout market.
All hope, obviously, is not lost.&nbsp;
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After a busy trade deadline, the NBA shifts its attention to the buyout market. Moke Hamilton looks at 10 players who may be available.

NBA buyout candidates: 10 players who could be available

Brad Stevens woke up on Thursday morning and took care of business.&nbsp;
How often does that happen with the Celtics? Up until the past three weeks, Boston had been trademarked as the team who played wildly up and down to its competition, blowing leads left and right all while failing to establish an identity. And in recent years, the franchise was spearheaded by a Danny Ainge-led front office known for either adrenaline-inducing blockbusters or crickets from the transaction log.
Something is different. The Celtics have shredded an easy February schedule like they're supposed to. And new president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made exactly the moves he needed to make at this trade deadline &mdash; no more, no less. From an outsider's perspective, Boston had to check off three boxes on Thursday:
<ul>
<li>Find value for Dennis Schr&ouml;der before his contract expires (and replace him if he is traded)</li>
<li>Get under the luxury tax</li>
<li>Acquire a viable third center</li>
</ul>
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Stevens accomplished all three and even created more flexibility. When our staff went through gut-reaction winners and losers of the deadline on our live show, all of us counted the Celtics as winners. They still have five available roster spots, so the moves aren't finished. On Friday morning at his media availability, Stevens clearly outlined his personal goals with the deals:
"I thought all year that what we really needed to continue to focus on were adding guys that really know how to play, that make the right basketball decisions, and really have a great self-awareness to do what they do best and accentuate our best players."
It starts with Derrick White. The 27-year-old combo guard replaces Schr&ouml;der on the depth chart but could not be a more different player. Brad Stevens gave a glowing review of White, who has apparently been on his radar going back to his time with the USA Select Team:
"We've thought for years that Derrick was a really good fit with our best players," Stevens said. He is an excellent defender. He just makes the right play on offense, over and over and over. He's a guy that only cares about winning [and] that will do all of the little things, as you can see in some of his stats defensively with regard to willingness to put his body on the line, activity, shot challenges, all of those things. And on offense, just by making simple plays&nbsp;and doesn't need to do anything [or] be on the highlights to really impact winning... We felt really fortunate to be able to get a guy like that on a long contract that we think is, again, a perfect fit for our best players."
That covers the bases. White is averaging 5.6 assists per game this season with a 25.2% assist rate; the latter ranks in the 82nd percentile at his position, per Cleaning the Glass. His assist-to-usage rate of 1.12 is in the 76th percentile. For comparison, Schr&ouml;der had an&nbsp;assist-to-usage rate of 0.93 (12th percentile). And these numbers come as White frequently shared the floor with lead guard Dejounte Murray.
White's assist-to-pass ratio of 14.5% ranks eighth in the entire NBA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If Derrick White is doing this for the Celtics... 😮&zwj;💨 <a href="https://t.co/fZsrffM9ig">pic.twitter.com/fZsrffM9ig</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1492162183039533059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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In theory, the ball should stick less with White and Marcus Smart in the backcourt, and White is more than capable of running an offense when Smart and/or Jayson Tatum isn't on the floor. In the below clips, he's making reads in split seconds. It's easy to picture Robert Williams or Al Horford as Jakob Poeltl, or Grant Williams/Jaylen Brown shooting these corner attempts.
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White isn't going to wow you with a highlight reel pass. But whether it's turning a good shot to a great shot, applying pressure with his cuts or pushing the transition pace, he brings several skills that Boston hasn't nailed down consistently.
Many Celtics fans were immediately concerned by White's 31.4% three-point clip. It's reasonable, and he likely won't ever be an elite marksman or pull-up dagger machine. But there's a bit more to unpack on the efficiency front.&nbsp;
White is making 22% of his corner threes this season. That is... extremely bad, and also 26 percentage points lower from 2020-21. He's making 34% of his threes above the break, which is slightly above league-average. White is making 32.3% of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers, per NBA Stats, when he's typically been in the 38-39% range in recent seasons. Brad Stevens said on Friday he thinks White is a better shooter than the base numbers suggest. I'm inclined to agree.&nbsp;
These aren't even White's key selling points. Flip to the defensive side of the ball and he'll show you why many now think the Celtics could boast the stingiest unit in the NBA. Nekias Duncan lauded White as one of the best point-of-attack players in the league on our show yesterday, and I'd take him at his word. White has a fantastic blend of speed and strength at 6-foot-4 and can mirror drives from the NBA's toughest guards. Here's one clip of him smothering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
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White's block rate is in the 97th percentile at his position. It has been there, or higher, in each of the last four seasons. I truly fear for opposing backcourts if he and Marcus Smart share the floor.
The Celtics gave up Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 lightly-protected first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2028 in exchange for White. That's quite a package for a player who is either a solid complementary starter or a really great bench piece. Stevens himself acknowledged that giving up first-round picks is an inherent risk. But it's the type of move that signals to Tatum and Brown that they're worth building around.&nbsp;
With minutes left on the clock, Boston snuck in another deal with the Rockets. Stevens sent Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando and Schr&ouml;der to Houston for Daniel Theis. With White in the fold, there was no need to keep Schr&ouml;der even in the short term, and the Celtics also moved two centers who should not play in the rotation to bring back a very capable depth big.
Theis returns after less than a calendar year away from Boston. The 29-year-old started 21 of 26 games with the Rockets and averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He's a stalwart interior finisher; per Basketball Reference, Theis has made at least 71% of his shots within three feet of the basket in every year of his NBA career. He's not the stretch big man his three-point volume suggests, but Theis can at least make around one per game in theory.
Theis also isn't an event-creator on defense. He's a bruiser who can come off the bench and be a more viable switcher than Freedom or Fernando ever were. Ime Udoka should at least feel more comfortable deploying Theis in the rotation so Robert Williams III and Al Horford are not overextended.
"Rob and Al are our guys and they're playing great, but if you miss any time with those two guys, you can plug Theis in and it'll be a seamless transition," Stevens said.
So in two trades, the Celtics have upgraded their secondary guard spot and their bench center spot at the risk of missing out in the draft. With the help of a third trade from earlier in the morning, they also gave themselves extra time for moves via the buyout market.
Boston dealt PJ Dozier, Bol Bol, a second-round pick and cash considerations to Orlando for a conditional second-round pick. The goal was clearly to get under the luxury tax, and per <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/boston-celtics/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotrac</a>, Boston did that.
Between the three moves, the Celtics have a whopping five open roster spots to fill. The needs are glaring: shooting and wing depth. That's especially compounded after trading Richardson.
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<a href="https://theathletic.com/3124166/2022/02/10/celtics-trade-deadline-roundtable-brad-stevens-bets-big-on-derrick-white/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's&nbsp;Jared Weiss</a> wrote that he's "gotten the impression" the Celtics will at least take a look at Gary Harris on the buyout market. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-gary-harris-likely-on-the-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan</a> listed Boston as a potential landing spot for Harris. If the three-point clip stays up, Harris would make a lot of sense as a plug-and-play shooting guard.
With so many lopsided deals around the league in terms of roster size, Boston should have options. Maybe Orlando also buys out Terrence Ross. Perhaps the Lakers waive Kent Bazemore or the Clippers let go of recently-acquired Rodney Hood?
The G League is also loaded with potential fits. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston is already signing Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet to rest-of-season contracts from the Maine Celtics. Hauser's signature skill is shooting and Kornet can stretch the floor as well.
Stevens was vague at his press conference, saying he wanted players with "skill." The Celtics have five opportunities (including Hauser and Kornet) to find such players. Udoka has another tough choice to make, too &mdash; should he break up the current buzzsaw starting lineup and insert White, or bring a starting-caliber guard beginning a four-year, $73 million contract extension off the bench?
For all the angst about Schr&ouml;der's tendency to stop the ball, he was also a much-needed driving threat. White gets to the rim at a level around league-average, but he's not the blazing downhill driver Schr&ouml;der is. Will that affect how the ball is able to move, especially if the Celtics don't have enough shooters on the perimeter?
Clearly these deals don't end the questions. For now, though, fans should feel confident that Brad Stevens was clear and deliberate with his trade deadline moves. Derrick White and Daniel Theis appear to be the complementary talents Boston should be seeking to bolster a lineup hunting postseason contention.
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Ethan Fuller shows how the additions of Derrick White and Daniel Theis fit into the current rotation for the Boston Celtics.

Evaluating the Celtics' trade deadline additions and next steps

The Celtics are trading PJ Dozier and Bol Bol, a future second and cash to the Magic for a future second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491826775030181893" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;This is a cost-cutting move for the Celtics. Dozier and Bol are both out for the season with injuries, and neither played a game for Boston. Both were acquired from the Nuggets earlier this season. According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Orlando will waive E'Twaun Moore in a corresponding move.

Dozier and Bol are both out for the season with injuries, and neither played a game for Boston.

Celtics trading Bol Bol, PJ Dozier to Magic

The Celtics have traded Bol Bol and PJ Dozier to the Magic for a future second-rounder.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491826775030181893">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: 
It's a cost-saving move for Boston to move off the two deals, both players out for the season.
22 and 25 respectively, Bol and Dozier could potentially bolster Orlando's young core in the future.

The Celtics have traded Bol Bol and PJ Dozier to the Magic for a future second-rounder.

Celtics trade Dozier and Bol for future second-rounder

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 116-101 on Monday night for their sixth straight win.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points, and Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby each had 20 points for the Raptors, who began a stretch of eight of nine games on the road with a convincing win. Scottie Barnes added 15 points as the Raptors' starters accounted for all but 13 points.
Miles Bridges scored 25 points to lead the Hornets, who lost their fifth consecutive game. Charlotte struggled through another poor offensive performance, shooting 41.1% from the field and 22.5% from 3-point range. 
LaMelo Ball, who was named as an All-Star game replacement a few hours before the game, finished with 15 points and nine assists for the Hornets.
Siakam, the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, set the tone in the first half, shooting 6 of 9 from the floor for 14 points with six rebounds and five assists as the Raptors opened a 23-point lead.
Charlotte cut the lead to three in the third quarter after getting a big boost from Terry Rozier and P.J. Washington, but appeared to run out of gas. Rozier finished with 20 points.
The Raptors put the game away with two minutes left behind a breakaway dunk by Anunoby.
The struggling Hornets, who were without Cody Martin and James Bouknight due to injuries, lost Gordon Hayward for the game after he sprained his left ankle in the first quarter. Hayward had struggled since missed six games while in COVID-19 protocols, making just 3 of 23 shots from the field. But, coach James Borrego was counting on him to help a young team break out of a slump.
Charlotte struggled with the Raptors' length, turning the ball over nine times in the first half, leading to 14 Toronto points.
Toronto entered the game averaging 118 points during their five-game winning streak, and didn’t miss a beat against the Hornets. It marked the 10th straight game the Raptors have scored at least 100 points.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Shot 42.9% (15 of 35) from 3-point range. ... Made just 19 of 29 free throws.
Hornets: Outscored the Raptors 58-48 in the paint. ... Kelly Oubre was 0 for 8 from long distance, but had 17 points. ... Fell to 0-3 on their four-game homestand.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Hornets: Host Bulls on Wednesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Pascal Siakam led the Toronto Raptors to a 6th straight win with a win over the Charlotte Hornets Monday night.

Siakam, Raptors beat Hornets 116-101 for 6th straight win

Adversity is about to hit the young, surging Charlotte Hornets at an inopportune time. Now, the question is how will the Hornets&rsquo; locker room hold on throughout this potentially tumultuous period?
Losers of four straight games for the first time since the beginning of November, Charlotte has fallen from the No. 6 seed down to No. 9, squarely within the Play-In shuffle. The Eastern Conference is stacked to the gills this season, and any false steps down the standings could be costly later on.
Charlotte&rsquo;s schedule sets up for a prove-it type of period heading into the All-Star break: Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, at Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, at Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat. Five of those six teams are slotted in the playoffs right now, so Charlotte needs to put the pieces back together to prevent further slippage.
On Saturday, an interesting situation occurred on the Hornets&rsquo; bench during a blowout loss at home against the Heat. Head coach James Borrego appeared to have said something to rookie shooting guard James Bouknight that he took offense to, standing up and getting in his face. LaMelo Ball quickly helped break up the conflict on the bench, but Bouknight walked back to the locker room with a Hornets assistant coach. Bouknight&rsquo;s only minutes during this game were fewer than a 60-second span, which is just so head-scratching.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Bouknight has been a forgotten about prospect within the strong rookie class producing on the court this season. Only appearing in 25 games and averaging 10 minutes, Bouknight has been on the outside looking in with Borrego&rsquo;s rotation. It seems like this has festered and finally boiled over this past weekend for a frustrated lottery pick not being utilized.
&ldquo;Obviously we were all a little frustrated, all of us,&rdquo; Borrego said about what happened with Bouknight. &ldquo;In the third quarter, early fourth and it got a little emotional there. Beyond that I&rsquo;ll leave it there.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Dunno what was said but here&rsquo;s video of the incident between James Bouknight and Hornets HC James Borrego. <a href="https://t.co/QiECLLLjPq">https://t.co/QiECLLLjPq</a> <a href="https://t.co/uyGiYz2JK9">pic.twitter.com/uyGiYz2JK9</a>
&mdash; Doug Branson (@DougBransonLOH) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougBransonLOH/status/1490145313100910592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Meanwhile, Bouknight was not made available to the media postgame. Unfortunately, we weren&rsquo;t able to hear Bouknight&rsquo;s side of the story, but we soon should, and it&rsquo;s fair to read between the lines here on why exactly it occurred.
&ldquo;As I&rsquo;ve said before he&rsquo;s in a tough spot,&rdquo; Borrego said. &ldquo;He obviously wants to play. I get that. I understand that. Look, he&rsquo;s a kid that we believe in, we trust in and we are going to find more minutes for him, more time. So I won&rsquo;t get into the specifics. Just two competitors trying to help this team.&rdquo;
Bouknight&rsquo;s raw numbers on the stat sheet paint a completely different picture than what actually happens when logging real minutes. The former UConn Husky is averaging 4.8 points in 10.0 minutes per game. However, in the five contests Bouknight has logged over 20 minutes, the splits are very promising: 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 59.3% True Shooting percentage.
Charlotte couldn&rsquo;t pass up on the talent of Bouknight when he slipped to No. 11 overall. There was smoke pre-draft that Bouknight could have been drafted within the first five selections thanks to his NBA-ready scoring package and explosiveness.
<a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a>'s Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock mentioned how Bouknight had real promising offensive potential upon entering the Association:
&ldquo;An explosive vertical athlete, crafty finisher around the rim, and assertive scorer. James Bouknight is capable of filling up a box score with points in the blink of an eye. Although he needs to improve as an outside shooter, he has the potential to become a primary offensive option in the NBA and should have a solid career.&rdquo;
On the Hornets&rsquo; roster, there are plenty of guards who need to be fed shots. Ball is an obvious one with his all-around brilliance and being their true foundational building block. Terry Rozier recently signed a long-term extension, and he&rsquo;s someone known as a bucket-getter. Kelly Oubre Jr. is the exact same way, someone who is a rhythm scorer capable of chucking at will.
Cody Martin has been a surprise for the Hornets this season within their guard/wing rotation as well, shooting over 40% from three-point range while providing two-way versatility. The one player who could be questionable with more playing time over Bouknight is longtime veteran point guard Ish Smith, who has appeared in 10 more games than the rookie shooting guard.
As you can see, the Hornets have a real glutenous amount of high-usage scorers who are ahead of Bouknight, and he should soon fill into that same role as well.
This is another intriguing factor as to why the Hornets are going to be a team to closely monitor heading into Thursday&rsquo;s NBA trade deadline. If the Hornets make a win-now move for a center &mdash; someone like Myles Turner would take this team to another level &mdash; potentially multiple players in front of Bouknight could be shipped out.
For example, a hypothetical deal revolving around =Turner to Charlotte for Oubre, P.J. Washington and a future first-round draft pick could have some legs behind it. Oubre&rsquo;s departure would be a plus for Bouknight, who would see a bump in his potential to play real minutes when it matters for the Hornets.
For the time being, Bouknight&rsquo;s frustrations seem very much warranted. When Bouknight receives minutes, he produces well more often than not for an inexperienced rookie. Bouknight is not afraid to shoot, which is what makes him so enticing long-term alongside Ball in Charlotte&rsquo;s backcourt.
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James Bouknight has become a forgotten rookie in this loaded class, and his frustrations in Charlotte are boiling over.

The curious, frustrating case of James Bouknight's lack of minutes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly lost a game because of a 3-pointer that never went through the hoop &mdash; and officials said never should have counted.
Kevin Love made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and finished with 25 points as the Cavaliers escaped with a 102-101 win over Charlotte Hornets on Friday night following a wild fourth quarter.
Jarrett Allen had a career-high 29 points and 22 rebounds one day after being snubbed for the All-Star game, and Love scored 22 of his points in the second half as the Cavaliers overcame a bizarre technical foul on bench player Ed Davis for interference. The technical resulted in Hornets guard Terry Rozier being awarded a 3-pointer that he never actually made &mdash; and officials later said never should not have counted.
Rozier finished with 24 points and Kelly Oubre Jr, added 21 for Hornets, who overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, only to lose their third straight game.
Things got strange when Davis, who was on the Cavaliers&rsquo; bench in his warmups and never played a minute, was whistled for interference when he swatted at Rozier&rsquo;s arm from the sideline with 4:44 left in the game. Davis, and others, thought the play had ended and whistles had blown after Dean Wade stepped out of bounds.
But officials got together and awarded Rozier three points and charged Davis with a technical foul. Rozier made the free throw, completing a four-point swing for Charlotte and cutting Cleveland's lead to six.
Crew chief Brian Forte said via a pool report after the game that officials made a mistake, and Rozier's shot should not have counted.
&ldquo;It was miscommunication amongst the crew about the sequence of the play,&rdquo; Forte said. &ldquo;Upon review after the game, the out of bounds was called prior to the start of the field goal attempt and the shot should not have counted.&rdquo;
Love agreed.
&ldquo;We thought the whistle was blown and (the officials) were tapping their head because they thought Dean Wade had stepped out of bounds,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;That's when E.D. stuck his hand in there.&rdquo;
The Hornets capitalized on the momentum and took a 101-98 lead when P.J. Washington hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Oubre added a corner 3 with 47 seconds left.
Allen cut the lead to one before Rozier missed a 3-pointer, setting up a frantic and controversial final few seconds.
Cleveland's Brandon Goodwin missed a short jumper with 2.1 seconds left, but Love grabbed the offensive rebound and appeared to miss the follow-up. But officials reviewed the play and called Rozier for a foul.
Love converted the tying and the go-ahead free throws as the home crowd roared its disapproval.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s Kevin Love. There was no doubt in our mind that when he was going to the free-throw line, he was going to make them both," Cavaliers coach B.J. Bickerstaff said. "There&rsquo;s no situation that he hasn&rsquo;t seen. There&rsquo;s no pressure-filled moment that he hasn&rsquo;t been in.&rdquo;
The Hornets tried an inbound alley-oop with 1.2 seconds left, but Gordon Hayward's lob to Miles Bridges hit the front of the rim and bounced away.
&ldquo;Our guys kept battling and gave ourselves a chance to win the game,&rdquo; Hornets coach James Borrego said. "We kept battling. A lot of emotions out there in a tight game and I thought our guys battled until the last whistle there.
SUPPORT FOR ALLEN
Love said he was &ldquo;gutted&rdquo; when he learned Allen did not make the All-Star team despite averaging 16.7 points and 10.7 rebounds coming into the game.
&ldquo;That is a guy I want to compete with every single night,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an All-Star. There is no doubt in my mind.&rdquo;
There is still a chance Allen could make the team due to an injury to Kevin Durant.
&ldquo;At first, I was disappointed, but then you have to look at the league and see that is a well-oiled machine that keeps going," Allen said. "So, do I sulk that I didn&rsquo;t make the game or do I keep working harder and playing my kind of basketball?&rdquo;
BIG SECOND HALF
Love had only three points at halftime before going on a tear. He made 6 of 12 shots from the field after the break, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.
&ldquo;At halftime J.B. got on me and said, &rsquo;Why do you keep pump-faking?' He said, &rsquo;no more pump-faking,'&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;... JB wants me to shoot the ball &mdash; and shoot it with confidence.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Cavaliers: Made 14 of 40 3-pointers. ... All-Star Darius Garland missed his third straight game with lower back soreness. ... Lauri Markkanen missed his sixth game with a sprained ankle.
Hornets: Hayward returned to the starting lineup for the Hornets after missing the last six games in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols and struggled, finishing 3 of 13 from the field for seven points.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Indiana Sunday night.
Hornets: Host Miami Saturday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kevin Love made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and finished with 25 as Cleveland escaped with a 102-101 win over Charlotte.

Love hits late FTs, Cavs edge Hornets 102-101 in wild finish

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Josh Richardson made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points, Jayson Tatum hit two key free throws and finished with 19 points and the Boston Celtics held off the Charlotte Hornets 113-107 on Wednesday night, overcoming a career-best 38 points by LaMelo Ball.
Marcus Smart scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown 15 as Boston won its third straight.
Terry Rozier scored 23 points, P.J. Washington 16, Kelly Oubre Jr. 15, and Mason Plumlee had 17 rebounds for the Hornets, who have lost four of six.
Boston shot 14 for 36 from 3-point range and Charlotte made 12 of 40 from long distance.
Rozier&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the top of the key tied it at 107 with 62 seconds left.
Tatum then hit two free throws and, after Robert Williams III blocked Washington&rsquo;s 3-point attempt, Smart hit two free throws with 15.6 seconds to play.
Boston had opened a 93-83 lead on Richardson&rsquo;s sixth 3-pointer of the game with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth.
But the Hornets made a late charge. Rozier&rsquo;s left-wing 3 sliced it to 103-98 with 2:56 to play. Ball was then fouled by Tatum, who was also whistled for a technical on the play.
Ball nailed all three from the line, giving him a career high, and cutting it to 103-101 with just over two minutes left.
The Celtics had scored 18 of the final 26 points of the third quarter, with Brown hitting a jumper from the foul line just before the buzzer to give Boston an 88-78 edge entering the fourth.
TIP-INS
Hornets: F Gordon Hayward cleared the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols but didn&rsquo;t travel with the team. &hellip; In their last trip to Boston, Ball had a triple-double, grabbing a rebound to complete it with 0.2 left in a game during a 111-102 victory.
Celtics: Shot 53.7% in the first half (22 of 41) with Tatum, Smart and Richardson all shooting 50% or better. &hellip; Al Horford briefly went to the locker room midway into the second quarter.
&nbsp;
THAT WAS QUICK
Boston opened a 12-point lead early in the second quarter, but the Hornets wiped it out quickly with a 14-1 spurt in just 2&frac12; minutes.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host the Cavaliers on Friday.
Celtics: At the Pistons on Friday.

Josh Richardson made six 3-pointers and Boston held off Charlotte 113-107, overcoming a career-best 38 points by LaMelo Ball.

Celtics beat Hornets, overcome Ball's career-best 38 points

When&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kings-making-buddy-hield-richaun-holmes-harrison-barnes-available" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeing the report late last week</a>&nbsp;of the Sacramento Kings making Richaun Holmes available for trade, there should&rsquo;ve been several NBA teams channeling a 1980 Muhammad Ali saying, &ldquo;I want Holmes! I want Holmes!&rdquo;&nbsp;
(Couldn&rsquo;t find the clip, but I remember watching it long ago.)
Of course, Ali was talking about former World Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes, whom he lost to later that year &mdash; 42 years later, we&rsquo;re talking about an underrated Kings center, but the point stands. Nothing, not even 50-year-old <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFK9zh2yHO4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johnny Knoxville being in this week&rsquo;s Royal Rumble</a>, is less surprising than the Kings looking to revamp their roster in some form. That basketball team in Sacramento rebuilds more often than Griselda releases music.&nbsp;
But, again,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/sacramento-kings/richaun-holmes-17865/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than five months after signing a four-year, $46 million extension</a>, including a $12.9 million player option for 2024-25, Holmes is possibly available. At just $10.3 million this season, he&rsquo;s very affordable by NBA standards. Having turned 28 years old in October and playing in year seven, he&rsquo;s in the prime of his career. Given where he currently is, he might indeed be better off elsewhere.&nbsp;
Holmes has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/kings/richaun-holmes-commits-goggles-recounts-scary-eye-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">battled an eye injury</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article256988807.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> this season, but has been productive despite a drop in playing time, logging 25.8 minutes through his 32 games (all starts) compared to last year, where he was at 29.2 minutes. He&rsquo;s posting 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game this season while shooting a career-best 70% from the floor. Per 36-minutes, he&rsquo;s at 17.1 points, 1.5 blocks and a career-best 11.3 boards. Holmes is a distant first in win shares per 48 minutes at .179 (second is .111). He&rsquo;s also second in team box plus-minus (1.3) behind Tyrese Haliburton&rsquo;s 2.5 and ahead of Harrison Barnes&rsquo; 0.5; everyone else is in the negative. (Yes, that means De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, for whatever that&rsquo;s worth.)&nbsp;
Ideally, if you&rsquo;re the team making this move, you&rsquo;d look to solidify your center position while prepping for your playoff push. The good news is that all of the following teams are in the playoff hunt &mdash; so don't worry, my fellow rec spec-wearing friend, let's get you outta there.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are (quietly?) 27-22 as of this writing, and are seventh in the Eastern Conference. At least they're quiet for a team run by a rising star in LaMelo Ball, his underappreciated backcourt mate Terry Rozier, Most Improved Player candidate Miles Bridges and steady swingman Gordon Hayward&nbsp; That&rsquo;s four-fifths of their starting five, with the center spot being occupied by Mason Plumlee. Kelly Oubre Jr. and PJ Washington play significant minutes off the bench, meaning the Hornets &mdash; who are 21st in rebounding and allow the third-most rebounds per game &mdash; are often playing small.&nbsp;
PJ Washington, in particular, is a&nbsp;<a href="https://hoopshype.com/storyline/pj-washington-trade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade piece that&rsquo;s been rumored to be available</a> and likely has to be included in the deal, since his minutes and production have declined since last season, where he was an everyday starter. It should be added that, entering the last of his rookie-scale contract next season, it&rsquo;s likely the Hornets won&rsquo;t extend him by 2023.&nbsp;
The trade logistically couldn&rsquo;t be PJ for Holmes straight up since Washington only makes $4.2 million this season. The Kings also are rumored to be shopping others on their team, so there&rsquo;s a potential for this to extend beyond Holmes arriving from Sacramento by himself in this hypothetical &mdash; your simplest route is to pair Washington with Plumlee&rsquo;s $8.1 million, which mathematically makes this work straight up. Plumlee has a partially guaranteed $8.5 million coming to him next season, and the Kings should also receive a couple of second-rounders or a first coming back to them, both of which the Hornets <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Hornets.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have enough to entice with</a>.&nbsp;
A Ball-Rozier-Hayward-Bridges-Holmes lineup sounds fun as hell.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Richaun Holmes is dunking all over the Lakers 😤 <a href="https://t.co/y9fO2OprSI">pic.twitter.com/y9fO2OprSI</a>
&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1465891771489996805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Dallas Mavericks
Between Dwight Powell, Moses Brown, Maxi Kleber, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marquese Chriss and Boban Marjanović, the Dallas Mavericks have had what&rsquo;s felt like a 💩 ton of bigs this season. Even so, as our Nekias Duncan wrote last week, without a true anchor, the Mavs have recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-do-the-mavericks-have-an-elite-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become one of the league&rsquo;s best defenses</a>.&nbsp;
Still, on the roster, there isn&rsquo;t a clear long-term answer there as you continue to build this around the already extended Luka Dončić and, for now, the seemingly bought-in Kristaps Porziņģis. Enter Holmes, who is signed through at least the 2023-24 season. Powell and Kleber, who generally eat the lion&rsquo;s share of minutes next to KP, are both signed through 2022-23 before they&rsquo;d each become unrestricted free agents. Though Kleber makes $8.9 million this season and Powell is at $11 million, both work for Holmes mathematically straight up. Obviously, Dallas would attach at least one or two second-round draft picks, if not a protected first, to either guy (Powell more likely) and make it nearly a straight-up trade.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s room to open this up further. Buddy Hield makes $22.5 million this season, and his contract descends to $20 and $18 million until it expires in the summer of 2024. Tim Hardaway Jr., who Dallas extended this past summer and <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33148625/dallas-mavericks-tim-hardaway-jr-ruled-game-left-foot-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is now out with a fractured left foot</a>, makes $21 million this year but is also on a descending deal that drops to $19.6, $17.9, and $16.1 million through the 2024-25 season. Both struggling shooting guards probably aren&rsquo;t long for their organizations, even as they were both recently extended. Hardaway Jr. was also moved to the bench for Jalen Brunson, who&rsquo;s facing a contract situation of his own given his pending free agency (keep him, Dallas).&nbsp;
So there&rsquo;s a path to this becoming a Powell and Hardaway plus draft picks for Holmes and Hield exchange. Holmes is the type of hustling, dirty-work, efficient and quality center that the Mavericks could use. Unlike in 2K, you can trade injured players in real life &mdash; sorry Tim. Just imagine the push shots off Luka feeds.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
death, taxes, and richaun holmes hitting 62.5% of his push shots (20-of-32) <a href="https://t.co/iGH0xuA7Gn">pic.twitter.com/iGH0xuA7Gn</a>
&mdash; Dan Favale (@danfavale) <a href="https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/1465715242952900614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Toronto Raptors
I mean, could you think of a more Raptor-ass center than Holmes? Who better be run with Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr.?&nbsp;
Now, how do you make this happen? First, with that being the Raptors&rsquo; starting five, where does Holmes fit? Well, it&rsquo;s really their starting five out of necessity because Precious Achiuwa hasn&rsquo;t had the second NBA season they&rsquo;d been hoping for. Ideally, you&rsquo;d still want an actual center in that mix as one of your top six minutes getters so that you have a bit more reliable size. The Raptors don&rsquo;t currently have a true center you could trust for extended periods, and Holmes fills that void.&nbsp;
Now, regarding trade pieces, Chris Boucher is on a $7 million expiring contract, and Khem Birch is on the first of a three-year, $19 million contract, which lands him at $6.3 million this season. Combining those two does work, and it would obviously have to come with considerable draft capital, but even the Kings would probably ask wtf are they going to do with that and have a point.&nbsp;
Remove Birch and insert Achiuwa? That works &ndash; would the Raptors already want to move off the centerpiece of their Kyle Lowry trade, who is just due $2.8 million next year with a $4.3 million team option the season after? I mean, maybe? It would certainly help preserve some draft capital in a hypothetical Holmes trade and, you figure, if you&rsquo;re acquiring a center Achiuwa would have a tougher time seeing minutes anyway. But that&rsquo;s generally what you&rsquo;d be looking at moving if you&rsquo;re Toronto: Boucher and Birch, Boucher and Achuiwa; Boucher, Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn, along with some combination of picks or a first-rounder, for Holmes.&nbsp;
And if I&rsquo;m Holmes, I&rsquo;m down for whatever, as long as I could leave Sacramento.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NaRsohh7lh0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Bonus: Golden State Warriors
Okay &hellip; here we go.
There&rsquo;s really only one way to do this, and it&rsquo;s using James Wiseman&rsquo;s $9.1 million salary this season straight up. Y&rsquo;all could determine what picks may or may not go where, but these are the two names because the Golden State Warriors don&rsquo;t have much middle-class salary to use, nor do they probably want to shake up their roster a ton, including even this. But if they determine that Wiseman, who hasn&rsquo;t played since Apr. 10 of last year due to a torn meniscus that <a href="https://theathletic.com/news/warriors-james-wiseman-needed-additional-knee-surgery-in-december-sources/DyEHJgzTblrO/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">required additional arthroscopic surgery in December</a>, isn&rsquo;t worth waiting for, then there you have it.&nbsp;
Wiseman showed flashes, but struggled defensively as a rookie while only logging 39 games (though he posted 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds on 52% percent shooting in 21.4 minutes per contest). He&rsquo;ll turn 21 in March, and because of NCAA nonsense, we were only able to see him three times in college. Wiseman&rsquo;s due $9.6 million next year and will likely bank another $12.1 million, assuming his option gets accepted.
I&rsquo;m still a Wiseman stockholder, but I&rsquo;m also pro going for a championship now in this seemingly wide-open NBA season &mdash; an immediate upgrade at center might be what Golden State sees as a necessary step. It makes something like a possible Holmes deal reasonable to think twice about. Just sayin&rsquo;.
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Bryan Fonseca ponders a handful of teams who could be a good fit for Kings big man Richaun Holmes.

Examining potential trade destinations for Richaun Holmes

With 16 days until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics &ldquo;have been extremely active in trade talks,&rdquo; league sources <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/nba-trade-deadline-brad-stevens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Heavy.com&rsquo;s Steve Bulpett.&nbsp;
At 24-24, the Celtics are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston currently has the NBA's fifth-best defense (allowing 105.1 points per 100 possessions) and 17th-ranked offense (scoring 107.4 points per 100 possessions).
Bulpett <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/nba-trade-deadline-brad-stevens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that the Celtics are &ldquo;looking to reconfigure the pieces around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.&rdquo; Boston also wants to &ldquo;clear a path for Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford to get more playing time&rdquo; as well as &ldquo;unload some salary cap burden,&rdquo; per Bulpett.&nbsp;
Last week, the Celtics traded Juancho Hernangomez&rsquo;s $6,907,815 contract in a three-time deal with the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets, bringing in Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be interesting to see if something like [their 116-87 win over Washington] yesterday makes them back off a little or makes them patient,&rdquo; one rival GM <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/nba-trade-deadline-brad-stevens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Bulpett</a>. &ldquo;But they&rsquo;ve definitely been looking to get something done.&rdquo;
It'll be interesting to see who the Celtics target (and who they're willing to part with) over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

With 16 days until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics “have been extremely active in trade talks,” according to Steve Bulpett. 

Celtics have been 'extremely active in trade talks' ahead of deadline

The best defensive rating the NBA over the past two weeks belongs to the Charlotte Hornets.
... Excuse me?!
One month ago, our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Sidery wrote </a>about how the Hornets' defense was derailing one of the NBA's most exciting young teams. And he was right. But man, how things have changed.
Charlotte is a scorching 9-3 in the past month and has improved to 25-20 on the season, pushing itself almost out of the Play-In tier of the Eastern Conference playoff race. On primetime national television Wednesday night, the Hornets wadded up the Boston Celtics and their two wing stars in a sneaky-big 111-102 victory. Since Dec. 23, the Hornets are third in Cleaning the Glass' defensive rating metric, and as already mentioned, first in the past two weeks.
Is this sustainable, or a product of good fortune? The answers are complicated.
The Hornets have given up the most wide-open field goal attempts per game in the entire NBA since the stretch has begun. NBA Stats qualifies those as shots where a defender is no closer than 6 feet from the shooter. Charlotte's defense has allowed 24.2 of those attempts per game &mdash; but that's not the whole story.
Opponents have been hitting those shots at a 60.9% Effective Field Goal percentage, good for ninth-highest in the league. So this isn't a case of waiting for regression to the mean. Teams are making the Hornets pay, and yet, they're still putting together an elite defense.
It gets weirder. Transition plays are generally a red flag for defenses because they typically lead to easy shots with a ton of spacing before a defense can get set. Per Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is allowing opponents to get out in transition on 16.8% of their possessions during the winning stretch &mdash; third-highest in the league. But they've also been the No. 1 transition defense in that time.
Over the entire season, the five-man lineup of LaMelo Ball, Kelly Oubre Jr., Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges and Mason Plumlee has been the seventh-stingiest transition group among all NBA units with at least 100 possessions of court time. (I simply would not have expected that.)
The Hornets have used turnover generation as the bedrock of their lockdown effort. Per Cleaning the Glass, opponents have coughed up the ball on 16.5% of their possessions since Dec. 23, which is the second-highest rate among NBA defenses.
Charlotte ranks at the top in deflections per game (18.3) and in defensive loose balls recovered (3.8) during that same timeframe, according to NBA Stats. Five players are averaging at least 2.5 deflections: Oubre (3.3), Cody Martin (2.8), PJ Washington (2.6) and Plumlee (2.5). Oubre, Martin, Hayward, Ball and Terry Rozier are all swiping at least one steal per game.
This defense isn't all about swinging for steals. Per Cleaning the Glass (pun, ha), the Hornets are limiting opponents' offensive rebounds and free-throw opportunities at top-10 rates. But by the numbers, Charlotte has aimed to cause chaos and ignite its own fastbreak opportunities &mdash; at whatever the cost. And the squad is an elite offensive unit when it gets running.
Is the approach sustainable? To be honest... I'm doubtful. Teams are going to figure out how to beat the Hornets in transition, whether they're doing something schematically or are just on a roll with getting stops. Their reckless abandon often means easy chances for the other team, and they will continue to capitalize on wide-open looks.&nbsp;
For now, though, it's making one of basketball's most entertaining teams even more fun to watch.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I find in the void):
<ul>
<li>Sticking with Charlotte: Rozier has been one of the hottest shooters in basketball as of late. He's making pull-ups at a 60.3% eFG rate since Thanksgiving, which is second behind only Tyrese Haliburton (min. 75 attempts). Gordon Hayward (54.5%) ranks seventh.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Among all five-man lineups with at least 100 possessions of action this season, this odd Portland Trail Blazers unit has the best net rating, per CTG: Anfernee Simons, Ben McLemore, Nassir Little, Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I highly recommend you go back and read <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-do-the-mavericks-have-an-elite-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this breakdown from Nekias Duncan</a> on the Mavericks' defense, another group that was never supposed to be good, but has flipped that script.</li>
<li>More cool stats and graphics from Mark Cheung! If you're reading this, I'm a big fan:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://t.co/MZNrQj2Se7">pic.twitter.com/MZNrQj2Se7</a>
&mdash; Mark (@MarkC_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkC_NBA/status/1483882912739041286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Ethan Fuller investigates why the Hornets have been weirdly and wildly successful on defense.

Stats Notebook: Hornets buzzing behind a weirdly-successful defense

Nikola Jokic had 49 points, 14 rebounds and fed Aaron Gordon for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in overtime for his 10th assist, giving the Denver Nuggets a 130-128 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Jokic drew a double-team, then whipped a pass across the court into the left corner. Gordon made his fourth 3 of the game to give him 28 points and Jokic his third straight triple-double and 10th of the season.
&ldquo;I knew the ball was going to come to me because Jok makes the right play, the right pass, even in pressure situations,&rdquo; Gordon said. &ldquo;He put it on time and on target. All I had to do was catch and shoot.&rdquo;
Nuggets reserve Devon Reed came onto the floor after Gordon's basket and received a technical foul. After Luke Kennard hit the free throw, Reggie Jackson's long 3-pointer bounced off the glass and rim at the buzzer.
Monte Morris added 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Nuggets won for the third time in four games behind another masterful performance from Jokic.
&ldquo;When he gets in the mode, nobody in the world can stop him,&rdquo; Morris said.
Ivica Zubac had a career-high 32 points and added 10 rebounds. Jackson, who grew up about an hour away in Colorado Springs, had 28 points and 12 assists while often blowing kisses to hecklers in the crowd after made baskets as the Clippers lost their second straight to kick off an NBA season-high, eight-game road trip.
&ldquo;I love the hate,&rdquo; Jackson said.
A week after blowing a 25-point lead in the third quarter of a loss in Los Angeles, the Nuggets got their revenge by holding the Clippers without a field goal for 7 1/2 minutes in the third quarter while erasing a 15-point deficit.
It led to a frantic finish. After Will Barton's driving layup with 26 seconds left in regulation tied it for the Nuggets, the Clippers couldn't get a shot off before the 24-second clock expired. But Jokic's fadeaway at the buzzer was an airball.
Jokic got an assist from his coach that may have kept him around for the finish.
His follow shot tied the game at 72 with 4:40 left in the third, but he immediately picked up a technical foul for barking at the referee under the basket. He began to charge at the official, but Michael Malone ran onto the court, restrained Jokic and he avoided a second technical.
&ldquo;I was mad because he grabbed my leg when I was going up (for the shot),&rdquo; Jokic said.
Jokic, who has complained that he doesn't get enough foul calls for much of the season, stayed in the game and finished 14 of 16 from the foul line. The Clippers took just 12 free throws.
The Nuggets played hours after making official the three-way trade in which they acquired shooting guard Bryn Forbes from San Antonio. Injured players Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier went to Boston in the deal.
Dozier, a career 41.3% 3-point shooter, will give Denver needed outside shooting. He could play as soon as Friday.
The Nuggets needed him in the second quarter, when their maligned bench was on the floor at the start of the Clippers' 21-2 run. The spurt continued when the starters returned, as Jokic missed his first six shots of the period before his bucket cut it to 59-47 at halftime.
The Clippers frustrated Jokic last week with constant double-teams. This time, Zubac went at him defensively, hitting 15 of 19 shots.
&ldquo;I haven't had that much fun until before I came into the league," Zubac said. &ldquo;But unfortunately we lost the game.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Clippers: F Marcus Morris Sr. (personal reasons) was a late scratch. ... Kennard (COVID-19) had seven points in his first game since Dec. 31.
Nuggets: Jamal Murray (knee surgery) and Michael Porter Jr. (back surgery) continued to ramp up their pregame shooting drills before the game. Both hope to return this season. ... G Austin Rivers (non-COVID illness) returned after a two-game absence.
KEY CHALLENGE
Zubac avoided fouling out with 1:02 left in regulation when the Clippers won a replay challenge. Zubac had been called for a foul on Jokic. The Nuggets won the ensuing jump ball and Jokic's driving layup tied it.
FORBES ON FRIDAY?
Malone was hesitant to confirm that Forbes would play Friday. The Nuggets thought they had a deal to send Bol to Detroit rescinded when Bol failed a physical.
&ldquo;After what happened last week with trades, you never know what&rsquo;s going to happen,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s never an easy transition. Trade calls, physicals, and when you&rsquo;ve involved three teams, you&rsquo;re also waiting on other people&rsquo;s timelines as well.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Clippers: At Philadelphia on Friday night.
Nuggets: Host Memphis on Friday night.

Nikola Jokic had 49 points, 14 rebounds and fed Aaron Gordon for a tiebreaking three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in overtime.

Jokic has 49, triple-double as Nuggets edge Clippers in OT

BOSTON (AP) — LaMelo Ball had a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 111-102 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 28 points against his former team. Miles Bridges scored 22 and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 for the Hornets, who won for the ninth time in 12 games. 
“To come in here and get a win — we want to make a statement,” Rozier said. “We want to get to where they're at as an organization.”
Dennis Schröder paced Boston with 24 points. Jaylen Brown scored 21 and Al Horford had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“I thought we had a lot of good looks and we moved the ball really well,” Brown said. “They made a lot of tough baskets. They came and outplayed us.”
Boston star Jayson Tatum was hampered by foul trouble and finished with just 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting in 35 minutes. The Celtics had won five of six.
“I thought part of the foul trouble affected him overall as well as some other guys,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “That was my message to the team: Impact the game when the shot's not falling.”
The Celtics were just 14 of 46 on 3-point attempts.
Boston sliced a 12-point deficit to 88-84 early in the final quarter but Charlotte scored 10 of the next 14 points, pulling ahead 98-88 on Oubre’s 3-pointer from the left wing with 4:55 to play. Ball had nailed a 3 from the left corner two minutes earlier.
“The competitiveness and resiliency was there in the fourth quarter,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. 
The Celtics cut it to 102-96 on Horford’s 3 with 2:48 left, but Ball nailed a 3 from in front of Boston’s bench and Rozier followed with one on the Hornets’ next possession.
Boston trimmed the margin to six one more time, but Rozier nailed another 3 to seal it in the final minute. 
Ball grabbed a rebound with 0.2 seconds remaining to complete his triple-double. He said Bridges reminded him how close he was.
“He was like: ‘Box out and you'll get that last rebound,’'' Ball said, pointing to Bridges sitting next to him at the postgame news conference. ”I said, ‘Oh, you’re right!'''
Rozier hit three from beyond the arc in a 62-second span of the third quarter, pushing the Hornets’ lead to 75-61. They were up 86-74 entering the fourth.
“To be the best, you've got to beat the best,” Rozier said. “We just want to keep going. We're not satisfied. We've got to stay humble and keep on having fun and playing out there. That's the main thing.”
TIP-INS
Hornets: Oubre returned from COVID-19 protocol after missing four games and had 10 points by early in the second quarter. … Gordon Hayward took just one shot in the first half and finished with five points. 
Celtics: C Robert Williams missed the game due to the birth of his son, named Hendrix. … G Marcus Smart missed his fifth straight game. He was out of virus protocol but sidelined for conditioning. ... G Aaron Nesmith has a sprained right ankle and also was sidelined. … Tatum picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and stood on the court near Boston’s bench, so the Celtics got a delay-of-game warning. He was whistled for his fifth early in the final quarter.
OH, NO
Mason Plumlee shot a free throw that appeared to miss the rim short by a few feet, bringing a loud reaction from the crowd.
TAKE A SEAT
Ball fell backward into the front row of seats after taking a 3 early in the third quarter, spilling drinks on a pair of fans.
EASY TO SEE
Ball wore bright mismatched sneakers; the left was lime green and the other bright pink.
NEW FACES
The Celtics acquired a pair of injured players from the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team deal that included San Antonio. Boston received 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol, who is expected to have foot surgery and be sidelined for 8 to 12 weeks, and guard P.J. Dozier, who is out indefinitely after tearing his ACL this season.
Boston sent forward Juancho Hernangomez to the Spurs in a trade that helps the Celtics get under the luxury tax. 
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. 
Celtics: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. 
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LaMelo Ball recorded a triple-double, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Boston Celtics.