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Kings

After months of scrolling through countless Damian Lillard trade rumors, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-shock-nba-world-by-acquiring-damian-lillard-in-blockbuster-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news finally broke</a> on Wednesday afternoon that the Portland Trail Blazers' long-time franchise cornerstone was headed to the Milwaukee Bucks. In one of the more surprising blockbuster trades in recent memory, the seven-time All-Star guard will pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one of the best duos in the league.&nbsp;
Now, the new big fish in the trade market is none other than the player Lillard was dealt for: Jrue Holiday. The Blazers' return featured Holiday, former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns second-rounder Toumani Camara, an unprotected Bucks 2029 first-rounder, and 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swaps from Milwaukee. The circumstances of Lillard&rsquo;s trade request and his desire to be dealt specifically to the Miami Heat dampened his trade value, but the Blazers were able to come away with a &ldquo;palatable&rdquo; return.
 However, Holiday is unlikely to stay in Portland for long as he does not fit their rebuilding timeline around core players Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1707100851880259810" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s Bobby Marks</a> graded Portland&rsquo;s trade return as &ldquo;incomplete&rdquo; pending the potential assets the team receives for Holiday when they flip him.
Many contending teams are reportedly rushing to the phones to make moves in reaction to the Lillard blockbuster, with several expressing serious interest in Holiday. These possible suitors include the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Heat. Teams must factor in Holiday's potential free agency next summer and the possibility of signing him to a long-term extension, which he becomes eligible for on Feb. 22. Perhaps the Blazers will have some urgency to deal Holiday prior to Media Day on Oct. 2 in order to avoid questions and logistics about bringing him in for training camp.&nbsp;
For any team over the luxury-tax apron ($171,294,000) to trade for Holiday, they need to trade away at least $33,175,536 (90% of Holiday&rsquo;s 2023-24 salary) in salaries in order to legally execute a trade. The rest of the league will only need to send out $27,646,280 (75% of Holiday&rsquo;s 2023-24 salary) in order to make a deal.&nbsp;
Another important CBA note with any Holiday trade is that his $36,861,707 salary cannot be aggregated with other contracts for two months. While Holiday is still eligible to be immediately rerouted elsewhere, he cannot be traded with other players. For example, just a few months back, Chris Paul was traded to the Washington Wizards and then quickly rerouted in a separate deal to Golden State. Because Paul was the only salary going back to the Warriors, he was legally allowed to be traded. This must be taken into consideration when proposing potential trade ideas.
With Holiday potentially on the move in the coming days, let&rsquo;s take a look at some potential deals for the 33-year-old.
Realistic Trade Destinations
BOSTON CELTICS
Celtics receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Dalano Banton (salary guarantee increased to $1,009,853 to satisfy trade rules), 2024 GSW top-4 protected first-round pick, 2025 BOS first-round pick, 2026 BOS first-round pick swap, 2024 CHI/DAL/NO (most favorable) second-round pick, 2026 MIN/NO/NYK/POR (most favorable) second-round pick
By trading away Marcus Smart this summer, the Celtics lost the key cog to their juggernaut defense. Despite not having a Defensive Player of the Year award, Holiday would probably serve as an upgrade to Smart on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, helping the Celtics compete against the new-look Bucks in the East. If they wish to enter the Holiday sweepstakes, they would need to trade Malcolm Brogdon ($22,500,000), whom they were close to dealing to the Clippers in July. Along with Brogdon, they would have to sacrifice either Al Horford ($10,000,000) or Robert Williams III ($11,571,429) to make the salaries work. They have all of their own draft picks to trade as well as the Golden State Warriors' pick in 2024, which they got from the Smart trade.
MIAMI HEAT
Heat receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, 2027 MIA first-round pick, 2029 MIA top-14 protected first-round pick, 2028 MIA first-round pick swap, 2024 MIA top-50 protected second-round pick, 2026 LAL second-round pick, 2027 HOU/IND/MIA/OKC/SA (least favorable) second-round pick
Missing out once again in their pursuit of a star third option to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami could use an upgrade like Holiday to their seemingly incomplete roster. Holiday would provide a must-needed scoring punch and would fit seamlessly in Miami&rsquo;s hard-working culture. While their Lillard trade package was highlighted by Tyler Herro, they likely wouldn&rsquo;t use him in any trade for Holiday. Their salary going out in a deal would come from Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s expiring salary ($29,682,540) and some combination of younger players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($3,510,533), Nikola Jovic ($2,352,000) and Haywood Highsmith ($1,902,137). While they are somewhat restricted in terms of draft assets, they can offer up to three first-round picks if they amend their 2025 first-round pick they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have three second-rounders to offer as well.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Knicks receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Khem Birch, 2024 DAL top-10 protected first-round pick, 2024 DET top-18 protected first-round pick, 2024 WAS top-12 protected first-round pick
Spurs receive: Evan Fournier, 2026 MEM top-42 protected second-round pick, 2027 NO/POR (less favorable) second-round pick
The Knicks may be holding out for when the next superstar &ndash; i.e. Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell or Giannis Antetokounmpo (although maybe not anymore?) &ndash; asks for a trade. While New York may be focused on further down the line, acquiring a player like Holiday could allow them to boost their roster right now without giving up enough capital to harm their future superstar pursuits. A Knicks trade that would not harm their trove of draft assets would have to send out RJ Barrett ($23,883,929), who potentially fits Portland&rsquo;s rebuilding timeline. Jrue could line up as the team&rsquo;s starting shooting guard alongside Jalen Brunson, while Josh Hart would play more minutes at small forward to mitigate the loss of Barrett. Evan Fournier&rsquo;s large salary ($18,857,143) would also have to be in any deal for the Knicks to take in Holiday. Portland wouldn&rsquo;t want to acquire both Fournier and Barrett as that would push them over the luxury tax, therefore they would likely route Fournier to another team (like San Antonio).
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Clippers receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston (salary fully guaranteed), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2030 LAC first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap
The Clippers may have been given an olive branch with a player like Jrue Holiday becoming available, as he's an impact player at a price they can afford. It also provides an alternative for the Clippers to land a third star while avoiding the potential drama/issues that could come with acquiring a player like James Harden. The Clippers have a lot of high-salary veterans they could use to get to Holiday&rsquo;s number like Norman Powell ($18,000,000), Marcus Morris Sr. ($17,116,279), Nicolas Batum ($11,710,818) and Robert Covington ($11,692,308). They would probably like to keep Terance Mann, who they seem to not want to include in a potential Harden trade, although his $10,576,923 could be useful. Portland could view their unprotected picks in 2028 and 2030 as some of the best draft assets they could receive due to their aging stars and lack of postseason success.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
76ers receive: Jrue Holiday
Clippers receive: James Harden, 2024 NYK second-round pick, 2029 PHI second-round pick, 2030 PHI second-round pick
Trail Blazers receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston (salary fully guaranteed to satisfy trade rules), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2029 PHI first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap
Amidst the James Harden debacle, Daryl Morey has remained steadfast in getting a formidable return if they choose to trade the disgruntled All-Star. A reunion with Jrue Holiday, who played in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2013, certainly should get Morey and the Sixers' attention. Holiday would certainly upgrade their defense while being a good support and influence on Tyrese Maxey. The Trail Blazers would have little interest in taking a direct package from Philadelphia, which would almost certainly be headlined by Harden ($35,640,000). Harden's desired destination, the Clippers, should still be interested in acquiring him, but may be more interested in trading for Holiday directly. Portland would likely get a similar package to what they would receive if they traded directly with the Clippers, potentially leaving Philadelphia out to dry. The Sixers would have to incentivize the Clippers by trading some draft capital to take Harden instead of Holiday.
Honorable Mentions
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The Warriors are a logical Holiday destination in terms of fit and trade assets. A trade package would have to send the newly acquired Chris Paul back to Portland or a third team along with a young player like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski, plus a draft pick. Given that coach Steve Kerr has talked all summer about bringing Paul into the fold, it would be pretty surprising if the team pivoted from the future Hall-of-Famer just before training camp. If the Warriors do choose to jump in the Holiday waters, they could quickly move to the front of the line.&nbsp;
TORONTO RAPTORS
Toronto was considered the favorite to acquire Lillard at one point, with a package that was likely headlined by OG Anunoby and draft assets. In order to acquire Holiday, they would need to use a similar package, albeit with less draft capital involved. It seems as though the Raptors were being coy about potentially dealing Anunoby for Lillard, according to <a href="https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/options-for-raptors-with-damian-lillard-trade-dream-done" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun</a>. If Masai Ujiri was unwilling to include Anunoby in trade discussions before, it&rsquo;s unlikely he will do so for a player like Holiday.&nbsp;
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Holiday would be a near perfect fit alongside Anthony Edwards in the Wolves' backcourt and would greatly improve their defense. However, Minnesota simply doesn&rsquo;t have the right salaries or draft assets to realistically get to Holiday&rsquo;s number unless they are willing to part ways with Karl-Anthony Towns. Even if Tim Connelly was willing to deal Towns for Holiday, the trade may not be what Portland is looking for with the 2015 No. 1 overall pick&rsquo;s five-year supermax extension beginning next season. The idea of paying supermax money to Towns will likely be a turn off for Blazers GM Joe Cronin.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Orlando is probably the most fun dark-horse destination for Jrue. While Markelle Fultz has been a suitable lead guard when healthy, Holiday would bring a championship-level veteran presence that could be useful for Orlando&rsquo;s young squad. The question with the Magic is whether they would actually pursue a deal that would accelerate their timeline with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, as well as whether they would part with draft capital that they could potentially use down the line in future trades.

With the Blazers looking to flip Jrue Holiday, Blake Stern breaks down several teams that make sense as a trade suitor.

NBA trade rumors: Examining potential destinations for Jrue Holiday

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

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

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

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 26 points and made the tiebreaking three-point play with 37 seconds left, and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final five minutes to snap the Cleveland Cavaliers' eight-game winning streak with a stunning 119-117 victory Monday night.
Norman Powell scored 10 of his 17 points during the frantic final rally by the Clippers, who finished the game on a 21-6 run. Cleveland led 112-100 before the Clippers scored 15 straight points while the Cavs missed seven consecutive shots and committed three turnovers.
Powell tied it on a running layup while getting fouled with 1:03 to play. After Darius Garland missed a 3-pointer, George made his leaner in the lane and hit the free throw.
Evan Mobley ended the Cavaliers' five-minute field goal drought on a dunk with 29 seconds left, but Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson hit two free throws apiece down the stretch while Los Angeles hung on for its fourth victory in five games. George missed two free throws with 1.4 seconds left, but Kevin Love's full-court heave missed.
Donovan Mitchell hit eight 3-pointers while scoring 30 points, and Mobley added a season-high 26 before fouling out in the final minute for Cleveland, which hadn't lost since opening night in Toronto on Oct. 19.
Garland had 19 points and 12 assists, and Jarrett Allen added 10 points and a season-high 20 rebounds as the Cavs' longest winning streak since late 2017 finally ended in dramatic fashion.
Morris scored 20 points for the Clippers, who earned a shocking victory despite the continued absence of two key veterans.
Kawhi Leonard missed his eighth straight game since Oct. 23 while indefinitely resting the surgically repaired right knee that forced him to miss all of last season. The Clippers also went without John Wall, who isn&rsquo;t playing back-to-back games as he rebuilds the strength in his left knee after playing in only 40 games since December 2018 and not participating at all in two of the past three seasons before he joined LA in July.
Mitchell put up another prolific offensive performance with his new team, but the guard didn't hit a field goal in the final 11 minutes.
After a five-point outing against the Lakers, Mobley 16 points in the first half against the Clippers. Mobley grew up in Temecula and then played a mile down Figueroa Street at USC for one season before Cleveland made him the third overall pick in 2021.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Caris LeVert had four points in 36 minutes. ... Love scored 17 points.
Clippers: Luke Kennard scored six points after sitting out Sunday with discomfort in his chest. ... Jackson started and had 18 points and seven assists after sitting out the final 18 minutes Sunday following a clash of knees with Utah's Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Kings on Wednesday.
Clippers: Host Lakers on Wednesday.

The Clippers rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final five minutes to snap the Cavaliers' eight-game winning streak with a stunning win.

Clippers rally late, snap Cavaliers' 8-game win streak

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the list of Hall of Famers scheduled to present the Class of 2022 at the Enshrinement Ceremony to be held Saturday, September 10 at Symphony Hall. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony, including all presenters.
Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 were asked to select previous inductees to accompany and present them to their peers. The choice is solely the decision of the incoming Hall of Famers, or their family members if recognized posthumously.
This year&rsquo;s class includes nine honorees from the North American and Women&rsquo;s committees: two-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year Bob Huggins, the NBA&rsquo;s sixth-winningest coach of all-time George Karl and longtime NBA referee Hugh Evans. On the women&rsquo;s side, the Hall of Fame is proud to welcome five-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA Champion, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Whalen, four-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash and NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley.
Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected eight directly elected enshrinees. They include Lou Hudson from the Veterans Committee, Larry Costello and Del Harris from the Contributor Committee, Theresa Shank-Grentz from the Women&rsquo;s Veterans Committee, Radivoj Korac from the International Committee, and Wyatt &ldquo;Sonny&rdquo; Boswell, Inman Jackson, and Albert &ldquo;Runt&rdquo; Pullins from the Early African American Pioneers Committee. &nbsp;
The 2022 Hall of Fame Inductees and Presenters:
Tim Hardaway, presented by Isiah Thomas (&rsquo;00), Mitch Richmond (&lsquo;14), Chris Mullin (&lsquo;11), Yolanda Griffith (&lsquo;21), Nate Archibald (&lsquo;91)
Manu Ginobili, presented by Tim Duncan (&rsquo;20)
Lindsay Whalen, presented by Dawn Staley (&lsquo;13), Charles Barkley (&rsquo;06) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Swin Cash, presented by Tamika Catchings (&lsquo;20), Teresa Weatherspoon (&lsquo;19), Tina Thompson (&lsquo;18), Isiah Thomas (&rsquo;00), Geno Auriemma (&lsquo;06)
Bob Huggins, presented by Jerry West (&lsquo;80), Rod Thorn (&lsquo;18)
George Karl, presented by Roy Williams (&lsquo;07), Gary Payton (&lsquo;13), Bobby Jones (&lsquo;19)
Marianne Stanley, presented by Cathy Rush (&lsquo;08), Lisa Leslie (&lsquo;15), Nancy Lieberman (&lsquo;96)
Hugh Evans, presented by Reggie Miller (&lsquo;12), George Gervin (&lsquo;96)
Theresa Shank-Grentz, presented by Cathy Rush (&lsquo;08), Charles Barkley (&rsquo;06), Vivian Stringer (&lsquo;09)
Del Harris, presented by Nancy Lieberman (&lsquo;96), John Calipari (&lsquo;15), Sidney Moncrief (&lsquo;19)
Lou Hudson, presented by Spencer Haywood (&lsquo;15), Jamaal Wilkes (&lsquo;12)
Larry Costello, presented by Billy Cunningham (&lsquo;86), Wayne Embry (&lsquo;99), Bob Dandridge (&rsquo;21)
Radivoj Korac, presented by Spencer Haywood (&lsquo;15) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Tickets for the 2022 Enshrinement Ceremony and all Enshrinement events are on sale now and available online at www.hoophall.com or by calling the Basketball Hall of Fame at (413) 231-5513.
For more information and the latest updates, visit http://www.hoophall.com/Enshrinement or follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level &ndash; men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game&rsquo;s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #22HoopClass or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of Hall of Famers scheduled to present the Class of 2022.

Basketball Hall of Fame reveals 2022 Enshrinement Ceremony presenters

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

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

After weeks of speculation and countless trade-machine ideas floating around, The Athletic's Shams Charania has reported that the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving are at an "impasse" about his future with the franchise.
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Sources: Kyrie Irving, Nets are at impasse in conversations about his future in Brooklyn, clearing way for the seven-time All-Star to consider the open market. Lakers and Knicks expected to emerge among potential suitors. Inside Pass at <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a>: <a href="https://t.co/VbOOtrzdTB">https://t.co/VbOOtrzdTB</a>
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1538873230534090755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Irving has until June 29 to decide whether to exercise his player option that will be an expected cap figure just under $37 million for the 2022-23 season. To be clear, Irving hasn't explicitly said that he wants out of Brooklyn, and Sean Marks has never said that he wants to move on from the All-NBA point guard.
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The Nets would prefer a shorter-term, incentive-based deal with Kyrie Irving, per <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeLFischer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JakeLFischer</a> Dialogue between both sides is expected to remain 'fluid' up until the June 29 deadline for Irving to opt into his $36.9M player option <a href="https://t.co/HonP7DgQ09">pic.twitter.com/HonP7DgQ09</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1539230313242669057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Basically, Marks wants Irving to opt out oand sign a deal for less money/average annual value for cap space to fill out the roster. The theoretical fit of Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons has yet to be seen, and one would imagine that the Nets would prefer to give the trio a chance. With the return of Joe Harris from injury and Seth Curry still under contract, Brooklyn could still be the odds-on favorite for an NBA title next season when they are at full strength.
However, if the impasse between the two continues, Marks may very well opt to move on. While remaining in Brooklyn is likely the final outcome of this saga, there are a few other destinations that make sense for both Irving and the Nets to strike a deal.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS 
According to Marc Stein, Irving has had some <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/kyrie-irving-latest-more-trade-talk?sd=pf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent contact with LeBron James about a reunion</a>. (It's worth mentioning that Stein's sources told him it'd be "a stretch" to say L.A. is actively pursuing Irving.) Also, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers are the most significant threat to sign Irving away from the Nets.
This is an obvious hypothetical destination for Irving, as the Lakers have a player with a similar contract who makes for a logical financial swap. However, swapping Russell Westbrook for Irving would not be something the Nets would entertain. Outside of trying to force a second marriage between Westbrook and Durant, the pairing of Westbrook and Ben Simmons would provide the least amount of spacing that $60 million could buy.&nbsp;
For the Lakers to reunite Irving with LeBron, there would need to be a third team to reroute Westbrook to. One team that seems like a possible match for such a deal is the Indiana Pacers, who are actively shopping both Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner. Sending those two to Brooklyn and Westbrook to Indiana is a possibility, but not all that attractive for the Pacers, as they look to build around Tyrese Haliburton as their lead guard. Perhaps if enough draft picks are attached, Indiana may be willing to help.
Other possible third teams include the Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
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The Hornets have been mentioned due to the relationship between Westbrook and team owner Michael Jordan, but again, LaMelo Ball plays the same position.
Oklahoma City has been known to take on a bad contract in return for a handful of assets, which neither L.A. nor Brooklyn really have; plus, there's the whole reunion story where he could mentor Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.
The Rockets are interesting because it could simply be a three-player deal where each team just gets a new point guard, landing John Wall in Brooklyn.
While it's fun to speculate about a reconciliation between LeBron and Kyrie for another title run, this still feels highly unlikely, and Brooklyn still seems like a better situation for Irving than the Lakers.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 
A sleeper team in the potential Kyrie sweepstakes is the Los Angeles Clippers. This is the one team that could perhaps assemble a better "Big Three" than the Nets. Irving alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard might instantly become the best trio in the NBA.&nbsp;
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A package of Norman Powell, Marcus Morris Sr. and Ivica Zubac, plus draft compensation could do the trick. If the Clippers do not want to part with Zubac, they could possibly package Reggie Jackson, Robert Covington, Powell and picks.
If the Clippers are able to assemble a lineup of Irving, George, Leonard, Luke Kennard, Morris/Covington, Terance Mann and/or Zubac, this would be a top-five rotation in the league at worst.&nbsp;
Brooklyn taking back Jackson, Powell and Covington would be a nice return of players to fit around Durant, but it still fails to replace the talent of Kyrie. If the Clippers, who also lack draft capital, can put together an enticing enough package to land Irving, this would be an optimal landing spot for him.
NEW YORK KNICKS 
The Knicks have been linked to almost every available player via trade or free agency. They have longed for a superstar since the Carmelo Anthony era, and it just so happens that a point guard is also a position of need for the historic franchise.
In order for this to work financially, the Knicks would have to part with some combination of Alec Burks, Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel, Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose. The Nets would do well to come away with Noel, Walker and Burks in terms of roster fit, but that return is hardly enough talent-wise for Brooklyn. Including the No. 11 pick in this year's draft &mdash; plus one of Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin or Cam Reddish &mdash; may be required.
Kyrie staying in New York and swapping local teams may make some sense on paper, but it would be a step backwards in pursuit of a championship for Irving. At this point in his career, championship rings appear to be the goal for Irving, and he'd be better off working it out with the Nets than making a move to the Knicks.
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WASHINGTON WIZARDS 
A team with a long shot to land Irving would be the Washington Wizards, but the franchise has made it known that it is going to do whatever it takes to make Bradley Beal happy. Wizards president Tommy Sheppard mentioned using the No. 10 pick in this year's draft to acquire a veteran point guard.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see a rookie starting at point guard for us next season. I could be wrong, but I just don&rsquo;t see that," Sheppard said in an April interview with Team 980 hosts Chris Russell and Pete Medhurst. "I think free agency or trade is probably the right route to go.&rdquo;
It has been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wizards-pursuing-shai-gilgeousalexander-dejounte-murray-malcolm-brogdon-nba-trade-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Wizards have inquired about Dejounte Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Malcolm Brogdon, so clearly they are kicking the tires on notable point guards. While Brogdon may be the better fit next to Beal, the opportunity to add a talent like Irving doesn't come around often. Sheppard has talked about swinging for the fences and pouncing on opportunities when they present themselves.
"I can&rsquo;t say this enough: you can&rsquo;t be afraid to take big swings when you get an opportunity... Some things present themselves to you," Sheppard said in February. "Jerry West told me when I got this job, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t ever be afraid to take a big swing.&rsquo; There&rsquo;s only going to be so many opportunities to get talent and to get talent, you have to give up talent."
The Wizards could send Kristaps Porzingis, No. 10 and either Corey Kispert or Deni Avdija to the Nets. Brooklyn could then use the 10th pick to acquire a veteran point guard themselves.&nbsp;
This deal, of course, relies upon Beal opting into his player option rather than the current reports that he has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bradley-beal-to-decline-player-option-enter-unrestricted-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declined his option to pursue unrestricted free agency</a>. The Wizards have not been afraid to swing for a big trade, and they may have the ammo to do just that here.&nbsp;
BROOKLYN NETS 
Ultimately the best possible destination for Irving is the Nets. Durant hand-picked him as his running mate for another championship, and it is in the best interest of all parties involved to figure this out.
As mentioned above, the trio of Kyrie, KD and Simmons has yet to take the floor together; the Nets and the NBA world need to see how that would play out. Kyrie can still get paid, the Nets can still be contenders and in the end, they would keep Durant happy, which should be priority No. 1 for Marks.&nbsp;
Trade speculation is fun, but it is often merely speculation in the end. Kyrie is a Brooklyn Net with a player option that would net the highest possible payday he could receive for the 2022-23 season, as it is unlikely anyone offers him a long-term max contract.
Maybe Irving and Marks find an acceptable restructure of his contract that is more incentive-laden, or maybe he opts in for the full amount. At the end of the day, there is a next-to-zero chance the Nets get a package in return for Kyrie that matches his talent level.
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Justin Lewis analyzes landing spots that would make sense for Kyrie Irving in a trade, explaining which ones make the most sense.

Examining potential destinations for Kyrie Irving

Ever since Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas and Marc Eversley took over the Bulls&rsquo; front office two years ago, Chicago has been one of the most aggressive teams in the NBA. Their fingerprints are all over this roster, with notable acquisitions such as DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
These moves have translated to on-court success, as the Bulls posted their best winning percentage since the 2014-15 season and ended their four-year playoff drought. This year, Chicago was 46-36 &mdash; more wins than they had in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons combined. (Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only remaining players from that 2019-20 squad).
The Bulls entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while boasting the NBA's 11th-ranked offense (scoring 111.0 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
While this season marked a step in the right direction, the Bulls&rsquo; first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks showed that there&rsquo;s still plenty of work to be done. Despite Milwaukee losing their second-best player, Khris Middleton, to a sprained MCL in Game 2, the Bucks completed a gentleman's sweep against the Bulls. Chicago wasn&rsquo;t at full strength either, with Ball sidelined due to a knee injury and LaVine (COVID-19) and Caruso (concussion) each missing Game 5. Still, the reigning champions were a good litmus test.
Entering the offseason, where does Chicago go from here? Are big changes coming?
RE-SIGNING ZACH LAVINE
Entering this offseason, Chicago&rsquo;s top priority should be re-signing LaVine, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has emerged as a perennial All-Star, earning a spot on the Eastern Conference squad in each of the last two seasons.&nbsp;
This year, LaVine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 threes, while reducing his turnovers to 2.6 per game and shooting 47.6% from the field, 38.9% from three and 85.3% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
LaVine will certainly expect a maximum contract from the Bulls, which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $212.3 million over five years. The most he could receive from another team is $157.4 million over four years. This is a relatively weak free-agent class, so it seems very likely that LaVine will get a max deal from some team.&nbsp;
The Bulls would be wise to re-sign their star shooting guard, as replacing his production would be difficult, and the team would certainly take a step back if LaVine signed elsewhere.
"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine said recently. &ldquo;We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."
LaVine was asked if the Bulls are the front-runners to sign him, but he wouldn&rsquo;t say.
"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," LaVine said to the Chicago media. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like, 'I'm automatically coming back,' or, 'I'm automatically leaving.'"
In multiple interviews, LaVine has reiterated that he wants to be paid what he feels he deserves.
"I just want my respect. I think that's the main thing," LaVine <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/zach-lavine-prepares-olympic-quarterfinal-bulls-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last August. "I outplayed my contract; I've been very loyal to Chicago, I like Chicago. I just want my respect."
FREE AGENCY
Aside from LaVine, the bulk of Chicago's core is under contract for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;
The Bulls have $103,181,950 in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season, spread across nine players: DeRozan, Vucevic, Lopez, Caruso, White, Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic. Projections set next year&rsquo;s salary cap at $122 million and the luxury tax at $149 million.
Derrick Jones Jr.,Tristan Thompson and Matt Thomas will be unrestricted free agents. Tony Bradley has a player option worth $2,036,318, so he could opt out and test the market as well.
The team will have three restricted free agents (assuming Chicago extends a qualifying offer to each): Troy Brown Jr. ($7,228,448 QO), Tyler Cook ($1,576,305) and Malcolm Hill ($1,576,305).
Last year, the Bulls were very aggressive in free agency, making splashy moves left and right. Given their cap situation, it seems unlikely that Chicago will be able to go star hunting, but they&rsquo;ll likely try to improve their depth and add certain specialists. For example, Chicago could use a rim protector, as they averaged just 4.0 blocks per game (which ranked 27th in the NBA). Can they afford Mitchell Robinson? Could they throw an offer sheet at or sign-and-trade for a restricted free agent like Nic Claxton or Mo Bamba? Can they add a veteran like JaVale McGee or Hassan Whiteside?&nbsp;
In addition to a rim protector, it would make sense to add other defensive reinforcements as well (especially if Jones signs elsewhere). Caruso and Ball give Chicago a strong defensive backcourt, but they need some help if the Bulls want to improve their 23rd-ranked defensive rating (113.2). Some of the top defensive role players who are hitting the market include Bruce Brown, Gary Payton II and PJ Tucker. Lu Dort and Jae'Sean Tate each have a team option, but it seems unlikely that either will be available given their bargain contracts.
The Bulls will look to add a contributor or two using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth $10,349,000. Last offseason, that is how Chicago was able to sign Caruso to a four-year, $37 million deal, which ended up being a terrific addition. Other players who signed for the non-taxpayer MLE last offseason include McGee (Phoenix Suns), Tucker (Miami Heat), Reggie Bullock (Dallas Mavericks) and Khem Birch (Toronto Raptors).
It will be interesting to see what the Bulls do in free agency. However, keep in mind that some of Chicago&rsquo;s biggest additions in recent years were acquired through trades.
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TRADES
After watching the Bulls&rsquo; front office trade for Vucevic, DeRozan and Ball, fans are understandably thinking big when it comes to Chicago&rsquo;s trade targets entering the offseason.
Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for the Bulls since he could solve their rim-protection issues, but the window on acquiring Turner may have slammed shut as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> suggested that the Indiana Pacers are now expected to keep the 26-year-old long-term.
Another dominant shot-blocker who may become available is Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz just had another season end in disappointing fashion, and there has already been a <a href="https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/1521141215411941376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the Jazz will be forced to choose between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. If Utah opts to keep their young shooting guard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Defensive First-Team selection could suddenly be obtainable.
If that happens, the Bulls should at least reach out and start a conversation. Our Evan Sidery recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down potential destinations for Gobert</a> and listed Chicago as the top landing spot. Here&rsquo;s what he wrote:
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective. I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
It remains to be seen if either side would do this, but it&rsquo;s an intriguing idea.
With that said, if the Bulls are committed to Vucevic and don&rsquo;t want to trade for a new big man, HoopsHype&rsquo;s Yossi Gozlan <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points out</a> that an extension for Vooch could make sense this offseason.
If that happens, perhaps Chicago just looks for a complementary shot-blocker who can play behind Vucevic like one of the free agents we mentioned above or more of a minor trade target such as New York&rsquo;s Nerlens Noel or Minnesota&rsquo;s Jarred Vanderbilt.
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that the Bulls have a $5,000,000 trade exception that expires on July 7, 2022, from their Daniel Theis deal.
DRAFT
The Bulls have the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, our senior NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock has Chicago selecting Ohio State forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/ej-liddell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EJ Liddell</a>.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-7, 21-year-old junior is a well-rounded, NBA-ready player who makes sense for a Bulls team that wants to win now. Last season, Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 threes and 0.6 steals, while shooting 49.0% from the field, 37.4% from three and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;Although he is a bit undersized for the position, the Buckeyes often used Liddell as a 4 or 5 in their lineups,&rdquo; Babcock noted in his scouting breakdown. &ldquo;He is physical and versatile on both ends of the floor, scoring both inside and out. He appears more comfortable in the mid-range and paint, which works well for his college system but raises questions in regards to his translatability to the NBA. Liddell filled up the box score and played with great effort and toughness. He has certainly carved out a spot for himself in the 2022 NBA Draft.&rdquo;
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Other players who are projected to be available in that range are G League Ignite wing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/marjon-beauchamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MarJon Beauchamp</a>, Baylor forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a>, LSU forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/tari-eason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tari Eason</a>, Notre Dame guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/blake-wesley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Wesley</a>, G League Ignite guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/jaden-hardy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaden Hardy</a>, Serbian forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/nikola-jovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikola Jovic</a> and Tennessee guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a>.&nbsp;
If the Bulls aren&rsquo;t interested in any of these prospects, or if Karni&scaron;ovas and Eversley continue to be aggressive on the trade market, Chicago could look to deal the No. 18 pick as part of a win-now move.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that Chicago must forfeit their next-available second-round pick after an NBA investigation revealed that they contacted Ball prior to the start of the NBA&rsquo;s free-agency period. As it stands, the Bulls&rsquo; next-available pick is the team&rsquo;s 2026 second-rounder, but Chicago can&rsquo;t acquire a second-round pick before then because they&rsquo;d have to forfeit it.
***
After a few rough years, the Bulls seem to be back on the right trajectory, and there&rsquo;s no question that this team has the talent to be a perennial playoff squad in the East. Winning 46 games despite trying to get so many new players acclimated is impressive, especially when you factor in the injuries to Ball, Caruso, Williams, etc.
Even if the Bulls bring back largely the same roster, they will benefit from that continuity and improved chemistry. However, given what we&rsquo;ve seen from this front office in recent years, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they look to wheel-and-deal in order to take the roster to the next level.

After winning 46 games and losing in the first round, where will the Bulls go from here? Alex Kennedy previews Chicago's summer.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Chicago Bulls?

The NBA sent four teams home from its Play-In Tournament after Friday night, but all four are poised to contend next season.
Though the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs exited early, their trio of All-Star guards and exciting young cores mean all three should be back in the hunt &mdash; provided they beef up their rosters in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers weren't supposed to make it this far without their franchise cornerstones; that only creates more buzz surrounding a 2022-23 championship contender.
What can these franchises do this offseason to set themselves up for success? I've written up some summer plans for all four squads, including draft assets (via Tankathon), potential free agents (via Spotrac) and a central team-building question (via my deranged mind). If you missed last week, I did the same for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/summer-plans-for-the-nbas-nonplayoff-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 teams who did not crack the NBA postseason</a>.
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Let's dive in.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, First-round pick via Pelicans, Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Toronto (if 55-60)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Montrezl Harrell, Isaiah Thomas, Miles Bridges (restricted), Cody Martin (restricted), Arnoldas Kulboka (restricted), Scottie Lewis (restricted)
Central question:&nbsp;How can the Hornets construct an interior defense?
Charlotte's bottom-10 defense doomed the franchise several times in the regular season and, ultimately, in the Play-In loss to Atlanta. The Hornets gave up boatloads of at-rim attempts and three-pointers, and simply looked like turnstiles at times. Improvement is necessary across the board, but an on-paper view highlights a clear need for upgrades inside.
Mason Plumlee is a fine basketball player, but he's not anchoring a high-level NBA defense. Neither is Montrezl Harrell, and 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones barely touched the floor in Charlotte. The Hornets don't have a whole lot of salary flexibility with big-money deals in place for Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier. Miles Bridges' restricted free agency is also a key offseason focal point.&nbsp;
Though the Hornets likely can't throw outright money at a Deandre Ayton-level restricted free agent, perhaps they could work a sign-and-trade for a lesser-known young talent. Maybe Mo Bamba fits the bill from Orlando? Charlotte was tied to trade rumors surrounding Myles Turner before the trade deadline, and the front office could also elect to sign a veteran at a mid-level exception.
Regardless of the pathway, the Hornets have needed to address the center position for years now. With a playoff leap now the expectation in 2022-23, they can't afford to let another summer slip away.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, Second-round pick via Spurs, Second-round pick via Heat
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Ed Davis, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Goodwin, Collin Sexton (restricted), Moses Brown (restricted), RJ Nembhard (restricted), Dean Wade (team option)
Central question:&nbsp;What is Collin Sexton's future in Cleveland?
The Cavaliers may have slid out of the playoffs, but this was a banner year for the franchise's long-term trajectory. Darius Garland emerged as a cornerstone point guard, Evan Mobley might win Rookie of the Year, and the frontcourt pairing with Jarrett Allen looks to be a mainstay in the Eastern Conference. Injuries ultimately derailed what was a top-four seed. Most of the rotation is under contract and under 30, hinting at continued growth.
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Darius Garland -&gt; Jarrett Allen -&gt; Evan Mobley (Lob) <a href="https://t.co/nDQz7tkxbs">pic.twitter.com/nDQz7tkxbs</a>
&mdash; Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloydNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonLloydNBA/status/1515354588353728522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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This seaon's leap makes the situation with Sexton... difficult. Let's not forget that the combo guard is a season removed from a 24-point-per-game season as an efficient primary scorer, and that the Cavs were 19th in Offensive Rating this year. Sexton can meaningfully boost Cleveland simply as a bucket-getter, nevermind if he keeps improving as a playmaker.
What kind of contract do the Cavs offer to a 23-year-old who missed nearly a full season with a knee injury though? If a desperate team decides to throw money at Sexton to force the franchise to match, is there a limit to the front office's willingness? What would an extension mean for Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert?&nbsp;
Sexton is one of the biggest dominoes in the upcoming offseason, and arguably the most unpredictable.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Draft assets:&nbsp;Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Robert Covington, Rodney Hood, Isaiah Hartenstein, Amir Coffey (restricted), Xavier Moon (restricted), Ivica Zubac (team option), Nic Batum (player option)
Central question:&nbsp;What does a fully-healthy 10-man rotation look like?
Nobody expected the Clippers to be a playoff contender without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and they still almost cracked the postseason with the supporting cast chipping in. L.A. made a splash at the trade deadline by adding Norman Powell and Robert Covington, two players who conceivably make sense next to the franchise's two stars.
This roster is deep. It's a great problem to have, but it's still a problem with several rotation options potentially hitting free agency. Covington will likely command a solid new deal as one of the league's more reliable two-way complements, and Batum could easily decline his $3.3 million team option in search of a raise. Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein may both hit free agency; what would happen to the center rotation in that case?
The Clippers have Leonard, George, Powell, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Terance Mann and Marcus Morris locked down for next season. That's already seven rotation-caliber players, and it doesn't account for leaps from young talents like Brandon Boston Jr., Jason Preston or Amir Coffey. A roster crunch is inbound, and the organization can't let a quality addition slip away as it positions itself for title contention next season.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, first-round pick via Raptors, first-round pick via Celtics, second-round pick via Lakers
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Lonnie Walker IV (restricted), Devontae Cacok (restricted), Joe Wieskamp (restricted), DJ Stewart Jr. (restricted), Robert Woodard II (restricted)
Central question:&nbsp;How do the Spurs toe the line between developmental patience and consolidation?
San Antonio valiantly fought to get to the Play-In Tournament before losing to New Orleans, but also had one of the more underrated developmental seasons across the roster. Dejounte Murray made his All-Star leap and Jakob Poeltl established himself as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jakob-poeltl-san-antonios-newest-watchful-protector" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the league's better rim-protectors</a>; the Spurs collectively were just a tick under league-average on both ends of the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.
One of the NBA's youngest rosters is well on track and about to receive another influx of potential. San Antonio could use its three first-rounders (including its own lottery pick) to add to the frontcourt or find another lead guard. However, the Spurs already have 12 players locked down for next season under at least partial guarantees, and 11 of them are under 30. They have a pathway to over $24 million in salary cap space this summer should they move on from restricted free agents like Walker.&nbsp;
There's an avenue, with draft picks, young players and cap space, for San Antonio to make a serious splash. Is that in the programming for this franchise, though? San Antonio hasn't acquired a star via trade in several years, unless you want to count adding DeMar DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster. At the same time, there are only so many minutes to go around for the young guns, especially if the Spurs think they can compete for the playoffs.
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Ethan Fuller sets the stage for the NBA's four Play-In exits approaching the offseason.

Summer plans for the Spurs, Hornets, Cavaliers and Clippers

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for Friday's Play-In Tournament slate.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks (-1.5)
I can&rsquo;t wait for this one, folks. Will Trae Young carry the Hawks to the postseason once again? Can the resurgent Cavaliers cap off a magical regular season in a positive manner? There are so much juicy angles from a betting perspective for this matchup.
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&mdash; Friday, April 15th Atlanta Hawks @ Cleveland Cavaliers</blockquote>

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Ultimately, it&rsquo;s so hard to bet against Young and Atlanta right now. Expect a fun scoring duel between Young and Garland, while the frontcourt battle is an underrated angle as well. If Young gets going early, Cleveland is in big trouble. Forecasting a monster performance from Young, we&rsquo;re hammering the road favorite here.
Pick: Hawks -1.5
Player Props: Trae Young over 30.5 points, Evan Mobley over 15.5 points, Clint Capela over 13.5 rebounds, Darius Garland over 8.5 assists
Los Angeles Clippers vs. New Orleans Pelicans (-1)
It simply sucks that Paul George has been officially ruled out due to NBA COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Without George, who showed early how much he can swing things in the Clippers' favor, can Los Angeles pull off some magic once again? All season long, the Clippers have stayed afloat without George and Kawhi Leonard.
We&rsquo;re not going to bet against the surging Pelicans, though. Head coach Willie Green has this group all the way locked in, so if CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram control the pace, we love the Pelicans. New Orleans clinches it on the road to set up a first round series against the juggernaut Phoenix Suns.
Pick: Pelicans -1
Player Props: CJ McCollum over 25.5 points, Brandon Ingram over 24.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 20.5 points, Ivica Zubac over 8.5 rebounds
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Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA Play-In Tournament games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/15/22

Every day,&nbsp;BasketballNews.com&nbsp;gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is up thousands of dollars on PrizePicks.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA betting plays for Thursday's slate.
Atlanta Hawks (-5.5) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
If you haven&rsquo;t had the chance to watch Trae Young carry the Hawks recently, you&rsquo;re missing out on a show. Young is putting the Hawks&rsquo; entire offense on his back, which is leading to a late surge in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Against a Cleveland team missing their two young bigs in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, we love the Hawks as a best bet for Thursday&rsquo;s underrated slate. Don&rsquo;t bet against Young and the Hawks with the way they&rsquo;re playing right now.
Pick: Hawks -5.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Trae Young over 28.5 points, Darius Garland over 24.5 points, Clint Capela over 12.5 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen over 6 rebounds
Chicago Bulls (-2) vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles is finally getting healthy with superstar wing Paul George back on the court. With George&rsquo;s return, the immediate playoff hopes for the Clippers rise exponentially. Thursday&rsquo;s battle with the Bulls will be an intriguing one to watch. In the end, our forecast predicts an outright win for Chicago. Even if George gets going, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine could be too much for the Clippers to handle.
Pick: Bulls -2
PrizePicks Power Play: DeMar DeRozan over 26 points, Paul George over 24.5 points, Zach LaVine over 22.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 4.5 assists
Utah Jazz (-13.5) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are in huge trouble, especially tonight in Salt Lake City against the Jazz. With no LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a Russell Westbrook-led Lakers squad is ripe for the picking to get destroyed. The Jazz have found a better rhythm lately on both ends of the court, which could easily spell disaster for Los Angeles. In the end, this is an easy hammer in favor of Utah even with the monster 13.5-point spread.
Pick: Jazz -13.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Donovan Mitchell over 25.5 points, Russell Westbrook over 20.5 points, Rudy Gobert over 14 rebounds, Malik Monk over 2.5 threes
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For a loaded Thursday slate in the NBA, "Nothing But Bets" provides their favorite player props and bets against the spread.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 3/31/22

Julius Randle joined the New York Knicks under the team's previous leadership, at a time when doing so was even less in vogue than it is now. He signed alongside a number of other power forwards including Marcus Morris and Bobby Portis &ndash; moves Knicks' team president Steve Mills was chided for at the time.
But unlike most of the Knicks' recent free agents, Randle looked like the right signing. He was not only a part of the team&rsquo;s resurgence, he spearheaded it. Randle and the 2020-21 Knicks finished the season as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference &ndash; the first time in eight years the team qualified for the playoffs. Randle turned a major corner. He averaged 24.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 41.1% on three-point attempts.
But the honeymoon period ended quickly. By early January 2022, Randle was aggressively butting heads with Knicks' fans -- and it's only gotten worse since then. But what exactly went wrong between last season and now?
One major challenge has been Derrick Rose and his limited availability. The Knicks went 30-17 after they traded for Rose last season, meaning they went 11-14 before that.
Rose has appeared in just 26 games this season. Sure, the Knicks are only 11-15 with Rose in the lineup in 2021-22, but something that Rose provided last season is obviously missing without him in the lineup this season.
Additionally, the Knicks let Reggie Bullock walk, choosing to sign Evan Fournier instead. Objectively, Fournier is an upgrade on Bullock, except for two key points &ndash; Bullock filled catch-and-shoot and defensive gaps that Fournier doesn&rsquo;t, and Bullock and Randle were very good friends who had great on-court chemistry.
Substituting a starter who is best with the ball in his hands for a starter who plays their best basketball off the ball changes a team&rsquo;s dynamic. And more importantly, removing the best friend of a team&rsquo;s centerpiece is never an ideal way to appease him.
The Knicks are 32-42 this season and all-but-guaranteed to miss the playoffs &ndash; and the play-in tournament. And Randle is back to his old ways &ndash; he&rsquo;s only shooting 30.7% on three-point attempts this season.
But more importantly, Randle has struggled to fit-in in New York this year, and many Knicks fans have soured on him. Fans have been clamoring for coach Tom Thibodeau to give Obi Toppin, the team&rsquo;s 2020 lottery pick, more playing time. It would come at the expense of Randle. And as much as Knicks fans have become experts at pining and pressuring to see youngsters get playing time, much of this situation is predicated on how Randle has played and carried himself on the court.&nbsp;
First, Randle&rsquo;s body language has been poor. He&rsquo;s a less willing passer, hustles back on defense less consistently, and he argues with referees and opponents as often as ever.
Additionally, Randle been fined four times this season for a grand total of $130,000: once for throwing a ball into the stands, once for using profanity in an interview, once for initiating an on-court incident with Suns&rsquo; forward Cam Johnson and (most recently) for directing hostile language at referees in a loss against the Jazz.
Randle also had a dust-up with New York Post writer Marc Berman about trade rumors. Randle dismissively questioned Berman&rsquo;s sources and condescendingly cast doubt on his inclusion in said trade rumors.
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&mdash; Joshua Richards (@jr_xxi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jr_xxi/status/1489739959674327042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And that&rsquo;s not even the biggest in-season issue. On Jan. 6, in a game in which the Knicks rallied back to defeat the Boston Celtics, Randle lost his cool with the home crowd, who had booed the team earlier for getting down as much as 25 points in the first half. Randle followed the lead set by the New York Mets, giving the crowd a blatant thumbs down after scoring a basket and cutting the lead to four late in the fourth quarter.
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As if gesturing negatively to his home crowd wasn&rsquo;t enough, Randle expounded on the gesture afterwards when asked about its meaning by a member of the press.
&ldquo;Shut the f*ck up,&rdquo; Randle said.
Fans have certainly crossed the line many times, and it seems even more so in the NBA of late; but the entire sport as we know it is predicated on fans and their interest in the game. Home crowds get frustrated. They lash out. And when things turn back in their favor, they&rsquo;re right behind you again. It&rsquo;s how fandom works, and it&rsquo;s especially the case in New York.
New York&rsquo;s athletes are held to unfair and unrealistic standards. But how they react to the crowd dictates much of how they&rsquo;re remembered &ndash; and this, more so than any other misstep, has set the tone for Randle&rsquo;s time in New York. Turning negativity into positivity gets you remembered fondly. Reacting negatively to negativity begets even more negativity.&nbsp;
Randle is uniquely skilled. He&rsquo;s an incredibly versatile offensive weapon, and he has all the tools to be an elite defender. But his prickly demeanor became, well, too prickly to ignore. He turned it on the exact group he needed to keep on his side &ndash; the fans.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m sure Randle regrets much of what&rsquo;s taken place this season &ndash; especially that which went down on Jan. 6 &ndash; but there&rsquo;s no taking it back now. Randle is too good to be a short-term stop gap, anyway. The Knicks will not win with Randle at the helm given the team (and its youth) around him. But now he might not even get the chance to prove me wrong.&nbsp;
The only thing pointing to a continued Randle-New York marriage is that his trade value has taken a major hit this season. What looked like a gem of a contract extension (four years at $117 million) is probably perceived differently around the league now. His on-court production is less alluring than it was a year ago, and his effect on team culture is probably viewed negatively, too.
What all of this means for Randle and the Knicks moving forward is anyone&rsquo;s guess, but you can be sure that the team is more open to the idea of moving him now than they were last summer &ndash; which goes against everything we know about buying low and selling high. But if his value really is that low, how do the Knicks gauge what is too low to accept?
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Julius Randle's numerous missteps over the course of the 2021-22 season have hurt his standing with Knicks' fans. What's next?

Julius Randle's missteps might have cost him his career in New York

Rookie big man Evan Mobley scored a season-high 30 points and Darius Garland had 24 points and 13 assists, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-111 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Isaac Okoro added 20 points, including two free throws to open the extra period. Cleveland never trailed after that.
The Cavaliers hold a 1 1/2-game lead over Toronto for the sixth playoff spot in the East.
Ivica Zubac had 24 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, and Amir Coffey scored 19 for the Clippers, who had only nine players in uniform. Los Angeles shot 1 of 10 from the field in OT, with Nicholas Batum making a 3-pointer to pull within 110-109.
Cleveland scored the final seven points on Okoro's dunk, Lauri Markkanen's 3-pointer and two free throws by Markkanen.
The Cavaliers won for the fourth time in 12 games and welcomed back Caris LeVert, who had 11 points in his return from a sprained right foot that sidelined him for a month. All-Star center Jarett Allen missed his fourth straight game with a broken finger on his left hand.
All-Star point guard Garland buried a 3-pointer with 1:20 left in regulation to give Cleveland a 106-103 lead, but Zubac answered with a layup and Coffey made 1 of 2 free throws to force OT. Coffey missed a 23-footer at the buzzer.
Cleveland began a five-game homestand, its longest of the season, over an eight-day span. Ten of its final 15 regular-season games are at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Clippers, who have played an NBA-high 71 games, completed a stretch of five in seven days. Starting point guard Reggie Jackson and starting power forward Marcus Morris were given the night off.
Kawhi Leonard (right knee surgery) has not played this season for Los Angeles, while Paul George (right elbow ligament tear) has been sidelined since Dec. 26 and does not have a projected return date.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, who piloted Cleveland to its only NBA championship in 2016, was embraced by Kevin Love during a first-quarter timeout. Love is the only remaining player from that team.
Los Angeles held a 57-56 advantage at the break behind 11 points apiece from Coffey and rookie Brandon Boston Jr. Mobley had 12 for the Cavaliers.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
The Clippers are solidly in eighth place in the West, placing them in the play-in tournament. Lue said being &ldquo;cemented&rdquo; in the spot allowed him to rest Jackson and Morris. &ldquo;If we were close to being out of the playoffs, these guys would all play,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;Reggie didn&rsquo;t want to sit, but playing him wasn&rsquo;t the smart thing to do. It was fair to give them the night off, especially after (winning 106-102 in Detroit on Sunday).&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Clippers: F Robert Covington (personal reasons) missed his fifth straight game, but will rejoin the team in Los Angeles and is expected to play Wednesday. &hellip; G Norman Powell (left foot fracture), two-way G Jay Scrubb (right foot recovery) and rookie G Jason Preston (right foot recovery) were inactive. &hellip; The Clippers wore their San Diego-era, light blue, orange and white throwback jerseys.
Cavaliers: F Dean Wade (right knee soreness) and G Rajon Rondo (right ankle sprain) were inactive. Rondo has missed 12 games with various right leg injuries since being acquired from the Lakers in a Jan. 3 trade. &hellip; G Collin Sexton (left knee surgery) is out for the season. &hellip; G Dylan Windler and two-way G RJ Nembhard were recalled from their G League assignments with the Cleveland Charge.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Cavaliers: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Rookie big man Evan Mobley scored a season-high 30 points and Darius Garland had 24 points and 13 assists to lead the Cavs.

Mobley scores season-high 30 as Cavs beat Clippers in OT

Every day,&nbsp;<a href="http://basketballnews.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com</a>&nbsp;gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is up thousands of dollars on PrizePicks.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s go ahead and dive into the best NBA plays for Saturday&rsquo;s slate.
Cleveland Cavaliers (-4.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
In what should be a very evenly matched game between two underrated teams in the Eastern Conference, who holds the noticeable advantages? Toronto will be without Fred VanVleet, while the Cavaliers recently saw Darius Garland return to action. The Raptors have been riding Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes as of late, but it&rsquo;s going to be tough against Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Favor the home team and hammer the Cavaliers to cover.&nbsp;
Pick: Cavaliers -4.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Darius Garland over 21.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 21.5 points, Jarrett Allen over 10.5 rebounds, Scottie Barnes over 7 rebounds
Denver Nuggets (-3.5) vs. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans has quietly become one of the most fun stories to follow in the Association. Pelicans head coach Willie Green has this group locked in, which has propelled them right into the thick of play-in conversations. However, defending MVP Nikola Jokic is their next opponent in Denver. The Nuggets have stayed afloat all season long because of Jokic&rsquo;s brilliance, potentially even better than last season. Jokic is set to have one of those jaw-dropping performances in our forecast, so hammer Denver.
Pick: Nuggets -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 25.5 points, CJ McCollum over 23.5 points, Will Barton over 14.5 points, Jonas Valanciunas over 10 rebounds
Los Angeles Clippers (-5.5) vs. New York Knicks
Somehow, someway, the Clippers are still standing strong without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Seemingly a shoo-in at this point for a play-in spot, the Clippers control their own destiny the rest of the way. In this matchup, we favor Los Angeles because they are way less volatile than the Knicks in terms of consistency. Take the Clippers confidently and lock it in as a best bet.
Pick: Clippers -5.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Julius Randle over 21.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 20.5 points, Ivica Zubac over 9 rebounds, R.J. Barrett over 3.5 assists
Make sure to&nbsp;<a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out PrizePicks</a>&nbsp;and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they'll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to "Nothing But Bets" for daily betting analysis on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts.

"Nothing But Bets" drops off their favorite NBA betting plays for Sunday's underrated slate.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 3/6/22

The 2021-22 season is entering the homestretch, with roughly 20 games to go per team and the playoffs slated to start in less than two months (What?!).
Maybe it's just from the extended break, but the last few weeks have felt particularly rife with frustration and criticism from all parties in the league. It's important, for instance, to be critical, think in-depth and discuss the ins and outs of award voting. That's part of the media job and part of talking about the NBA! However, I've felt routinely bogged down by some of the discussions lately.
When it comes down to it, I just want to enjoy the league, get myself down into the minutiae, bask in the fleeting moments of this season and appreciate some of the things that have consistently brought a smile to my face or warmth to my heart this season.
So, without further ado, here are some things I've really enjoyed throughout the season that I want to give some shine!
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Isaac Okoro's quiet assertion
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the darlings of the NBA this season, stunning the majority of analysts and league personnel with their stellar play. Evan Mobley is going to be a star. Jarrett Allen rightfully earned an All-Star nod after some massive improvements across the board. Darius Garland stirs the drank like few in the league. Kevin Love has a claim to Sixth Man of the Year!
This team just jibes in so many ways. They've kept their heads above water through rough stretches with injury and difficult patches in their schedule. A good team!
Isaac Okoro, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, does not grab the headlines. His box score is roughly the same as last season.
Yet he is central to what the Cavs do. He papers over so much for Cleveland in a way that isn't always palpable, but when he's not on court, it's just kind of like "ohhh ok, I get it now."
Okoro isn't treated like a shooter, and rightfully so &mdash; he's shooting 30.2% from deep in his young career. Earlier in the season, he tried to gun his way through it at times, hoisting up open threes. At other times, he'd immediately drive an open look from the perimeter towards the rim. The balance never felt right. However, in 2022, he seems to have found that groove &mdash; becoming more comfortable toggling between driving and keeping defenses guessing. He's hitting 33% of his threes in 2022, on slightly over two per game. For where he's at right now, it's good enough.
To supplement that, he's been incredibly assertive as an off-ball player, timing cuts well when the defense helps off of him.
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He's a menace floating baseline, either off 45 cuts when the nail defender ball-watches, or flying in from the key to snag offensive rebounds.
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Isaac Okoro is so good at just being in the right place at the right time. He's really found his place in Cleveland's offense in spite of some limitations he has rn Quick screens, floating baseline, connective passing, a better balance in taking shots <a href="https://t.co/73ppW8SDoS">pic.twitter.com/73ppW8SDoS</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1497303529022763014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Okoro has such a great nose for the ball. He never seems to pause once the ball goes into action, and uses that advantageous extra split-second against the defense.
He's pushed the issue more in transition off of defensive rebounds to bring a different dynamic to the Cavs' offense (21st in transition frequency per Cleaning the Glass) and self-create easier baskets.
He's found ways to meaningfully impact winning as a second-year player in a way that most upper lottery picks aren't asked to do so early. I don't know what to think about his trajectory (a future article!), but it's clear that right now he's a vital cog in Cleveland's present and future. The playoffs will be a huge test for him and the Cavaliers, but I see it going well for him, as a guy who just makes it work.
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Dallas' rotation players
I really didn't enjoy watching the Dallas Mavericks play early in the season. I found their offense pretty drab, the defense was blah, and execution all-around felt off.
I was way too unfair and overly critical. Jason Kidd has really impressed me this season &mdash; the Mavs are a top notch defensive unit, and Luka continues to be one of the brightest stars in basketball. Jalen Brunson has taken another step and remains an absolute joy with his footwork and craft.
Often, it seems as though that's where the conversation ends (especially with Kristaps Porzingis now gone), and that's a shame!
Dallas does lack a true second star, but man, they have some incredibly effective and endearing role players &mdash; Dorian Finney-Smith is having a fantastic season! He's a very solid defender, both on and off the ball, but I've been more impressed with his offensive growth this season.
When he came out of Florida, he was a relatively shaky shooter and didn't shoot around league average until his fourth NBA season (38.1% on around 5 per game over the last three seasons). He started to put together more drives last season, attacking off the catch. Possessions could occasionally die if he was closed out on and then forced to put the ball on the deck.
Not the case anymore!&nbsp;
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He can hit the corner if the tagger comes, or find the dunker spot if the defender steps up. He's not going to ignite the offense, but he can keep it circulating.
Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber is always a delight as a defensive player &mdash; probably the best individual defender on the Mavs and a fringe All-Defense candidate.
He just defends everyone,&nbsp;and he does it with conviction. Per Basketball Index, he rates in the top 5% of their defensive role versatility metric and top 7% in positional versatility, a testament to his utility.
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He possesses great lateral quickness for his size, but his timing stands out even more. Kleber is adept at contesting shots, disrupting windows with gumption. He's solid on rotations and as a help side shot-blocker.
Jason Kidd has utilized Josh Green as a screener and more of a turnkey in the team's offense, letting him thrive on the margins rather than forcing him into a smaller role as a theoretical spacer just for the sake of theoretical spacing. He's brought a vertical element the team really lacks and his rugby background pops with his physicality. Small screeners can still screen effectively, and Green is living proof!
He has good court vision and ability to get off passes on the short-roll. He has decent touch on floaters, and while his jumpshot is mostly a pipe dream at the moment, I see the vision. Buy Green stock!
Dwight Powell has found some of the lift he lost and has been more serviceable in Dallas' revamped defensive system.&nbsp;
Reggie Bullock is such a quality defender and, after one of the worst shooting slumps I've witnessed in some time, he's shot 43% from deep in 2022.
The Mavs are certainly built around Luka Doncic, but the players around him are more than they tend to get credit for.
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Oshae Brissett: Off-ball savant
There are few players in the league I enjoy watching operate more than Oshae Brissett of the Indiana Pacers.
This one play may be the best 14 second summarization you'll ever find of a player.
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Brissett is a tremendous opportunistic scorer, always opening himself up to easy looks and as an outlet for teammates (The Haliburton-Brissett combo is ENTICING).&nbsp;
He times the cut as soon as help is committed, but Patrick Beverley makes a late rotation and recovers to tip the ball.
But wait, there's more!
Brissett tosses himself out of bounds to secure the ball and throw a mid-air pass back to Buddy Hield, who's wide open in the corner. Many a player makes this play and then floats under the rim, but Oshae immediately relocates to the corner.
The ball keeps moving around the perimeter. Swing-swing, and Oshae hits a wide-open three on a possession that wouldn't have already been over if he hadn't made an extra effort.
Keep him in mind when thinking about Indiana's future.
An appreciation of facial wear
Lu Dort is already one of the most revered point of attack defenders in basketball. Add on the mask and I'd like to think he gets a +4 to all defensive attributes, like when you put on new armor in a Bethesda game.
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Dort can never take the mask off ever again man, this is freakin sick <a href="https://t.co/08zAiZA3IA">pic.twitter.com/08zAiZA3IA</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1491090347380060160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Wendell Carter Jr. donned the goggles and hasn't looked back, ascending like the hybrid combo big that was promised.
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&ldquo;I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING! The shadows betray you, because they belong to me!&rdquo; Wendell is now the chief member of goggle gang. <a href="https://t.co/YEVXzmOUYt">pic.twitter.com/YEVXzmOUYt</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1460616373558812676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Reggie Jackson: Starting point guard
I don't care what his true-shooting percentage is, he has literally never missed a jumper when he has glasses on.
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Pretty sure Reggie Jackson knew he wasn't gonna miss the game-winner 🚨 Clippers foil the Lakers comeback with a 1-point WIN 💯<a href="https://t.co/9NhHrvHBaK">pic.twitter.com/9NhHrvHBaK</a>
&mdash; ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1489471751767560193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I'm all in on eyewear, and players who feel the same have profited heavily this year!
Jeff Green, still dunking
Jeff Green is in the midst of his 14th NBA season, which is an absolute trip to type. Fun fact: he has never played less than 20 minutes per game in a season, and that doesn't look like it'll change this year. He's started the majority of the season with the Nuggets, and has continued to be a pretty darn solid pro.
His defense has ... uhh ... been lacking, but he continues to do what made me fall in love with his game as a kid: ripping the rim with dunks.
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He's second on the Nuggets this season in dunks with 48, his highest total mark since the 2017-18 season with the Cavs. His career dunk reel is insanely underrated if you have 10 minutes to kill.
Green has thrived in Denver's offense, playing off of Nikola Jokic as a cutter and roller.
The bounce he still has, the consistency with which he exhibits it, and some of the contact finishes he continues to put on tape are just absurd at this point. I've really enjoyed his season and the stability he's found as a role player later in his career.&nbsp;
Quentin Grimes sliding
I really liked Quentin Grimes at Houston and thought he had a real place in the NBA. That being said, I am routinely taken aback by his on-court impact in this, his rookie year.
On a team that's struggled to meet expectations, he's surpassed all of mine. The shot from deep has been money. He's intrigued attacking off the catch with some interesting flashes of live-dribble passing. 
The defense, oh man the defense.
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Obligatory tweet about Quentin Grimes' footwork and quickness <a href="https://t.co/31qIx3Fbqa">pic.twitter.com/31qIx3Fbqa</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1490035885089374216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There just are not many players in the world who can move their feet the way Quentin Grimes does when he's sliding at the point of attack.&nbsp;
He sheds screens like mad, seemingly refusing to let the ball leave his area of effect. The way his feet move is rhythmic, a controlled-yet-maniacal pace that I find mesmerizing.
One of my favorite things to do at night is take a few minutes to tune into a Knicks game just to watch Grimes muck it up on the perimeter.&nbsp;
Fun and awesome things are happening all around us in the NBA. Sometimes, I really need to take a step back and go "hey, it's pretty cool the way Ziaire Williams just sprints to the corner," acknowledge the absurdity that is DeMar DeRozan's season without taking stock of his MVP odds, and appreciate the other great things that may have become commonplace. Basketball is a special sport. Reminding myself why I love it everyday makes me appreciate it even more.
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The regular season can be as log, and countless things big and small can get lost in the mix - so Mark highlights the little things.

Enjoying the NBA's little things so far this season

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast "Nothing But Bets" on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, "Nothing But Bets" is 55% against the spread, plus we're up hundreds of dollars on PrizePicks.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s go ahead and dive into Tuesday&rsquo;s enticing slate of action from a betting perspective.
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Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (-2)
It&rsquo;s tough to bet against Joel Embiid, but that&rsquo;s exactly what we&rsquo;re doing here. Boston has been red-hot as of late, and it&rsquo;s tough to deny how perfect of a fit Derrick White is as well. The Celtics are pushing all the right buttons lately, so let&rsquo;s hammer Celtics -2 before James Harden officially joins the lineup with Embiid in Philadelphia.
Pick: Celtics -2
PrizePicks Power Play: Joel Embiid over 31.5 points, Jayson Tatum over 25.5 points, Jaylen Brown over 23.5 points, Tyrese Maxey over 16.5 points
Atlanta Hawks (-1) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
This feels like the perfect opportunity to hammer the underdog on the road. Cleveland&rsquo;s frontcourt has simply been dominant on defense throughout this season. Trae Young will have a hard time consistently finding driving lanes with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen around the rim. Led by the Cavaliers&rsquo; twin towers, we&rsquo;re locking in Cleveland.
Pick: Cavaliers +1
PrizePicks Power Play: Trae Young over 27.5 points, Evan Mobley over 13.5 points, Clint Capela over 12.5 rebounds, Jarrett Allen over 11 rebounds
Miami Heat (-4) vs. Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic has been on fire throughout the month of February, but will his magic run out in Miami? We&rsquo;re not betting against Luka magic, especially as the enticing 4-point underdog. Doncic is single-handedly carrying the Mavericks&rsquo; offense, but he seems more than okay handling a monster workload. The Mavericks are a smart wager here at +4.
Pick: Mavericks +4
PrizePicks Power Play: Luka Doncic over 29.5 points, Bam Adebayo over 19.5 points, Kyle Lowry over 7.5 assists, Jalen Brunson over 4.5 assists
Minnesota Timberwolves (-6) vs. Charlotte Hornets
This qualifies as one of &ldquo;Nothing But Bets'&rdquo; best wagers for Tuesday&rsquo;s slate. The Timberwolves have been a pesky team all season long who is tenacious on both ends of the court. Meanwhile, the Hornets are sliding at the most time before the All-Star break. Hammering Minnesota here is a best bet, mainly because the Hornets&rsquo; impossible task of stopping Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards from each scoring 25-plus points.
Pick: Timberwolves -6
PrizePicks Power Play: Karl-Anthony Towns over 25.5 points, Anthony Edwards over 23.5 points, LaMelo Ball over 8.5 assists, Terry Rozier over 3.5 threes
Milwaukee Bucks (-14) vs. Indiana Pacers
This is a guaranteed hit, folks. The Indiana Pacers are in full-on tank mode, plus Giannis Antetokounmpo is available for Milwaukee tonight. Expect Giannis and the Bucks to make quick work of the shorthanded Pacers, who are garnering some long-term hope with point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Hammer the Bucks with no hesitation, even at the 14-point spread.
Pick: Bucks -14
PrizePicks Power Play: Giannis Antetokounmpo over 28.5 points, Khris Middleton over 19.5 points, Tyrese Haliburton over 16.5 points, Buddy Hield over 3.5 threes
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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies (-4.5)
I absolutely love the Grizzlies in this spot, especially with the Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back. Ja Morant should easily slice through the Pelicans&rsquo; defense, but expect a very fast-paced game on both sides. In the end, it&rsquo;s not a wise idea to bet against Morant and the Grizzlies right now.
(No Grizzlies props available on PrizePicks currently, but we love Morant&rsquo;s points and Steven Adams&rsquo; rebounds to go over.)
Pick: Grizzlies -4.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Brandon Ingram over 21.5 points, CJ McCollum over 20.5 points
Phoenix Suns (-13) vs. Los Angeles Clippers
This is another guaranteed blowout you should take full advantage of. The Suns close their pre-All-Star-break schedule taking on the Clippers and Houston Rockets on back-to-back nights. This is the perfect opportunity for Phoenix to make one big, final statement before a break in action. Devin Booker and Chris Paul are going to easily do work against the Clippers; plus, Mikal Bridges&rsquo; growth on offense continues to catch more attention nationally. Hammer Suns -13 as another &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; best bet for tonight&rsquo;s slate.
Pick: Suns -13
PrizePicks Power Play: Devin Booker over 25.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 18.5 points, Marcus Morris over 15.5 points, Chris Paul over 11.5 assists
Make sure to <a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out PrizePicks</a> and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they'll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to "Nothing But Bets" for daily betting analysis on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA games? Which players should you target in daily fantasy? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' NBA Picks and Fantasy Advice for 2/15/22

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast "Nothing But Bets" on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, "Nothing But Bets" is 55% against the spread, plus we're up hundreds of dollars on PrizePicks.
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For this fun Monday slate, which picks and trends are the best to wager on? Let&rsquo;s break it all down as you lock in bets and lineup cards:
Washington Wizards (-4) vs. Detroit Pistons
This feels like the perfect opportunity for the underdog to make this one closer than expected throughout. Washington is without Bradley Beal, plus Kristaps Porzingis isn&rsquo;t making his debut just yet. No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham has been such fun to watch this season, and he&rsquo;s why I believe the Pistons cover the 4-point spread.
Pick: Pistons +4
PrizePicks Power Play: Cade Cunningham over 15.5 points, Saddiq Bey over 16.5 points, Kyle Kuzma over 21.5 points, Thomas Bryant over 5.5 rebounds
New York Knicks (-10) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
All season long on "Nothing But Bets," we&rsquo;ve been tailing the Thunder as double-digit underdogs. More often than not, it&rsquo;s been a very sound strategy to deploy. It&rsquo;s time to hammer the Thunder against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, mainly in large part to New York&rsquo;s inconsistencies. Josh Giddey and the young Thunder keep cashing for the plus bettors.
Pick: Thunder +10
PrizePicks Power Play: Julius Randle over 23.5 points, Darius Bazley over 14.5 points, Josh Giddey over 6.5 assists, Evan Fournier over 2.5 rebounds
Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings (-2.5)
Sacramento has found their winning ways recently, thanks in large part to the blockbuster trade for Domantas Sabonis. The results between Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox have been fantastic thus far. In Brooklyn against a Nets team without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, we&rsquo;re betting on the Kings to keep stacking up victories.
Pick: Kings -2.5
PrizePicks Power Play: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox over 22.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 11.5 rebounds, Patty Mills over 14.5 points, Seth Curry over 14.5 points
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Milwaukee Bucks (-11.5) vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Portland looks completely different after this year&rsquo;s trade deadline. Heading on the road to play the defending champions is a bad outcome waiting to happen. Milwaukee easily handles business against the newly tanking Trail Blazers.
Pick: Bucks -11.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Khris Middleton over 23.5 points, Anfernee Simons over 21.5 points, Jusuf Nurkic over 11.5 rebounds, Jrue Holiday over 8.5 assists
Chicago Bulls (-3.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs
The DeMar DeRozan revenge game, and we&rsquo;re happy to take advantage of the low spread across the board. Chicago has been outstanding this season as favorites, plus DeRozan&rsquo;s scoring will be too much for his former team. We feel confident locking in Chicago because of DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
Pick: -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: DeMar DeRozan over 31.5 points, Dejounte Murray over 22.5 points, Nikola Vucevic over 13 rebounds, Jakob Poetl over 8 rebounds
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors (-3.5)
Toronto continues to be one of the best stories in the NBA this season. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet have been arguably playing at near-All-NBA levels, plus their young core continues to take significant strides forward. The Pelicans have been more consistently lately, but it&rsquo;s hard to envision a scenario where they stop the Raptors&rsquo; momentum.
Pick: Raptors -3.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Brandon Ingram over 21.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 21.5 points, Fred VanVleet over 19.5 points, CJ McCollum over 19.5 points
Utah Jazz (-15) vs. Houston Rockets
A huge spread for this game, but it&rsquo;s definitely worthy of the large line. Utah on all accounts hold significant advantages across the board compared to Houston. Donovan Mitchell will easily be able to have his way with the Rockets, so this feels like one of the best bets of the night for Monday&rsquo;s slate.
Pick: Jazz -15
PrizePicks Power Play: Donovan Mitchell over 24.5 points, Kevin Porter Jr. over 14.5 points, Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate over 11.5 points, Bojan Bogdanovic over 2.5 threes
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Denver Nuggets (-11.5) vs. Orlando Magic
Nikola Jokic is playing at an outrageously high level right now, even better than last season&rsquo;s jaw-dropping MVP campaign. Jokic is carrying a Nuggets team without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., further solidifiing his status among the NBA&rsquo;s elite. Denver could be a sleeper team in the playoffs, especially once Murray returns. Against the Magic, I believe Jokic and the Nuggets easily cover the 11.5-point spread.
Pick: Nuggets -11.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 24.5 points, Will Barton over 15.5 points, Jalen Suggs over 13.5 points, Mo Bamba over 6.5 rebounds
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors (-6)
It&rsquo;s never a wise strategy to bet against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. On Monday, it&rsquo;s no different when they play against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Not only are the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (potentially <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ty-lue-kawhi-leonard-is-probably-not-gonna-come-back-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for the rest of the season</a>), one of their new additions in Norman Powell is already dealing with an injury as well. Wagering on the Warriors here feels like the best move.
Pick: Warriors -6
PrizePicks Power Play: Stephen Curry over 22.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 18.5 points, Klay Thompson over 18.5 points, Ivica Zubac over 7.5 rebounds
Make sure to <a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out PrizePicks</a> and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they'll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to "Nothing But Bets" for daily betting analysis on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA games? Which players should you target in daily-fantasy? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' NBA Picks and Fantasy Advice for 2/14/22

There are plenty of ways to skin a cat defensively.
Drop coverage can work if your screen navigators are slithery enough, and if your big can patrol the paint.&nbsp;
Switching can work if the blend of lateral quickness, strength and discipline across your personnel is strong enough.
More aggressive styles (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bucks-are-reinventing-themselves-on-defense-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hi, Milwaukee</a>) can make offenses panic if the ball pressure is there, and also if the backline can rotate in tandem.
Zone can work if the communication and activity are in tune.
What do you have if you can do all of those things? Well, a team like the Miami Heat.
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They absolutely popped during their 121-114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. I was in awe watching them toggle between multiple coverages depending on the situation. Shot clock. The players involved in the action. The location of the action.&nbsp;
It was poetry in motion.&nbsp;
You don't tap into this type of versatility without a strong foundation. The Heat have that thanks to their All-Star duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Add in PJ Tucker, and you have the NBA's best defensive trio.
You can argue for others. Golden State with Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green; Cleveland with Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro; Toronto with Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam; Philly with Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle and Be- ... ah, well, nevermind.
But Butler, Tucker and Adebayo? That blend of off-ball excellence, on-ball chops, screen navigation and the ability to punch above their weight against larger matchups? They're top-two, and I don't think they're two.
On the season, the Heat are allowing an absurd 88.1 points per 100 halfcourt plays with their versatile trio on the floor &mdash; a mark that ranks in the 90th percentile league-wide per Cleaning The Glass. When attacking the Heat in ball screens with the Butler/Tucker/Adebayo trio on the floor, opposing offenses are generating just 0.86 points per possession, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
In short: you're just not scoring at a high clip, if at all, with those three roaming around.&nbsp;
The Heat put on a defensive clinic in the first quarter of that game, posting a 73.1 defensive rating <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/advanced/?sort=DEF_RATING&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=1&amp;Period=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the opening frame</a>. A lot of that was their trio closing gaps quickly, or not allowing them to be pried open in the first place.&nbsp;
Let's take a look at three plays from that quarter to highlight how special these guys are.
9:15 &mdash; GETTING OUT OF TROUBLE
Great defense isn't a filthy steal or a blocked shot sent into the 15th row, though they're obviously valuable (and super cool to watch). More than anything, great defense is the absence of something happening. You know what's better than a blocked shot? A shot that doesn't come.
Below, the Clippers flow into "Chicago" action &mdash; a pindown that leads into a dribble handoff. Reggie Jackson washes Duncan Robinson out with a great screen, but Adebayo and Tucker are able to switch and keep things in front.
The problem, though, is that Robinson is defending Ivica Zubac. Zubac isn't an elite post presence, but he's generated well over 1.1 points per possession when shooting out of a post mismatch (defended by non-centers) since becoming a full-time starter in 2019, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
Tucker recognizes the danger as Zubac attempts to establish position, and executes a "scram switch" with Robinson to flip the matchup. With Tucker in the fray, the possession dies thanks to miscommunication between Jackson and Zubac.&nbsp;
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6:05 &mdash; NOT IN MY HOUSE
Continuing the theme of great defense being the absence of offensive opportunity, I present this possession. The Clippers try to attack early in pick-and-roll (with an empty corner!) but Tucker and Gabe Vincent simply switch the action.&nbsp;
Then the fun begins.
Zubac lifts to the three-point arc and receives a pass from Terance Mann. With Butler keyed in on Mann, Amir Coffey (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/amir-coffey-is-filling-the-gaps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">playing well lately!</a>) runs into a pitch from Zubac &mdash; essentially a variation of <a href="https://youtu.be/ZSvZptvUwKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blind Pig action.</a> However, it goes nowhere because of a timely switch from Adebayo. From there, Adebayo shows why he's the best switch big in basketball.&nbsp;
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4:20 &mdash; LOCK YOUR DOORS
If you&nbsp;do&nbsp;want to talk about the value of event creation, Butler's off-ball prowess is a great place to start. He's one of the best helpers in the NBA because of his blend of IQ and aggression.
You have to be aware of where Butler is, because he sure as heck is aware of what's going on with you. As the Clippers pitch the ball to Zubac to set up a two or three-man dance on the left side of the floor, Butler senses an opportunity. With Zubac's head turned, Butler blindsides him with a strip and score.
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"I'm probably going to gamble any time somebody is trying to throw the ball into the elbow," Butler tells Heat reporter Brady Hawk (rising star in the business, <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">follow him</a>) during postgame festivities.&nbsp;
"Spo calls it 'timely gambling'; I'm a reckless gambler. My teammates know that I'm going to gamble, so even when I mess it up -- and I almost used another word &mdash; they're always there to rotate and then help me get back in the right position on defense. As much as I gamble, my guys are there whenever I do mess it up."
Luckily for the Heat, Butler doesn't mess up that often. Unfortunately for other teams, they aren't really able to capitalize when he does.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan breaks down Miami's defensive Big 3 of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker.

Heat stake claim as NBA's most versatile defense

NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 32 points, Mitchell Robinson had a season-high 19 and the New York Knicks snapped the Dallas Mavericks' six-game winning streak with a 108-85 victory Wednesday night.
Robinson threw down three dunks in a powerful third quarter for the Knicks, who won for the fourth time in five games and returned to .500 at 21-21. He shot 9 for 10 from the field and had 10 rebounds.
“I thought RJ, monster game. Mitch, monster game,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That may have been the best game of the year for our starters. Really played hard and played well.”
The Knicks said Barrett, 21, became the youngest player in franchise history with consecutive 30-point games. He was 9 for 11 for 21 points after halftime.
Julius Randle finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Booed in the last game after holding his thumb down to the crowd last week, he gave fans nothing to be mad about with a strong all-around game.
The Knicks started 5-1 after returning to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2013. But they hadn't been .500 since a Dec. 7 victory at San Antonio left them 12-12, until their current stretch of seven wins in 10 games.
“I think we’re going to find success if we continue to do the little things and just continue to work and be consistent throughout the rest of the season,” Barrett said. “As long as we do that, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.” 
Luka Doncic had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had won six straight for the first time since 2016 and were looking for their longest winning streak since an eight-game run in their 2010-11 NBA championship season.
But after ending Chicago's nine-game win streak in their last game, the Mavericks clanged their way to an 8-for-37 night (21.6%) from 3-point range. Doncic had only five assists, in part because his teammates missed so many open looks behind the arc — though he was only 1 for 9 there himself. 
Dallas remained without coach Jason Kidd and former Knicks All-Star Kristaps Porzingis because of health and safety protocols. 
“Their 3-point shooting for the whole game and Barrett the way he played in the second half was tough on us,” acting coach Sean Sweeney said. 
The Knicks opened an 11-point lead in the final minute of the first quarter after consecutive baskets by Barrett and that was still the margin when they took a 56-45 lead into halftime.
With the Knicks leading 58-51, Robinson dunked home an offensive rebound and then scored on another follow shot. A 3-pointer by Barrett was followed by another dunk by Robinson before Randle's three-point play capped the 11-0 run and made it 69-51.
It wasn't really close again. When Dallas got within 14 in the fourth, Robinson turned another offensive rebound into a three-point play and he followed with yet another dunk that made it 95-76.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas was led by an acting head coach for its second straight visit to Madison Square Garden. Last April, it was Jamahl Mosley, now coaching Orlando, stepping in for Rick Carlisle. ... Jalen Brunson had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. 
Knicks: Kemba Walker missed his sixth straight game with a sore left knee, with Thibodeau again saying the point guard was close to returning. ... Evan Fournier scored 13 points.
PLAN FOR PLAYING
Though Walker hasn't played since appearing in both ends of a back-to-back on Dec. 28 and 29, Thibodeau didn't rule out Walker playing two straight nights in the future. He said that will be determined with input from the player and medical staff.
“I think they’ll approach it the same way. They’ll talk to him to see where he is and if he can go, he’ll go, and if he can’t go and it’s smarter to give him that game off, give him that game off. So, right now we’ve got guys back, so we have good depth.”
FAMILIAR FACES
Besides Porzingis, the Mavs' Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Reggie Bullock, Trey Burke and Theo Pinson are all former Knicks.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Visit Memphis on Friday. 
Knicks: Visit Atlanta on Saturday.

The New York Knicks got back to .500 after earning a win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Knicks end Mavericks' 6-game win streak with 108-85 victory

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

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