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Lakers

During halftime of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, the NBA honored the legends who are part of 75th-anniversary team.
Following that ceremony, Shaquille O'Neal gave an emotional speech thanking the individuals who helped him become one of the greatest centers in NBA history. He thanked a number of all-time greats including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant.
Here's a transcription of Shaq's moving speech (or you can watch the video below):
"My speech is going to be a little lengthy," O'Neal said. "I'd like to thank Sgt. Phillip Arthur Harrison. He's the guy who told me that one day, I would be here. I was a medium-level, high-level juvenile delinquent. I was always told that I would never, ever, ever make it. He convinced me to do well in school &mdash; doing well in school for me was all Cs. I get all Cs and he takes me to Madison Square Garden, and [I see] Dr. J go baseline and throw it down and the crowd goes crazy. I looked at him and said, 'Sir, this is what I want to be when I grow up.' His exact words were, 'If you listen to me, I'll make you one of the most dominant big men ever.' And he named Bill Russell and he named Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and he named Wilt Chamberlain. And I never knew those names. I knew Dr. J because prior to that, there was a movie called 'The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh' and I watched that. I got in trouble in high school for trying to be like Dr. J. and my father said, 'No, I need you to be a big man.'
"So here comes another big man, and he's 6-foot-9, flashy, hip-hop and has style: Magic Johnson. I wanted to be like Magic Johnson. I want to thank another guy: Mitch Riles. We played in Germany together [as kids] and he was a white guy; he loved [Larry] Bird, I loved Magic, and we used to have seven-game series every day. We used to fight. I'd also like to thank Floyd McMerchy because when I didn't make the varsity team, he helped me. Then, Dale Brown comes along and everyone knows that story, but when I get to San Antonio, that's the guy [who recruited me to LSU]. I'm the best big man in the city and then there's another guy, David Robinson, who comes to town and I go watch him play and I say, 'Oh my God, I'm not that good!' In high school, you know, [we're] 36-0 and I'm averaging 40 and 22, but I see David Robinson and I go, 'Oh my God, I'm not that good.' I wanted to be like Patrick Ewing.
"I wanted to be like all of these guys, and I'm sitting there in the [75th anniversary] photoshoot like, 'Oh my God, there's Dr. J! There's Magic! There's the great Charles Barkley!' Charles taught me how to be ferocious and not give a damn what anybody said. Throw them bows, knock some teeth out! Once I saw Charles do that, I said, 'Okay... it's okay to be like this.' Jerry West helped me become that. When I first came to LA, I'll admit: I was all about my gold chains, I wanted to do movies, I wanted to do rap albums. He did one thing: He sat me down and the lights went off in The Forum and he said, 'Mr. O'Neal, when this is all said and done, you can be up there, and [the jerseys of] all of the greats [lit up]. Or, you could be a bust.' Because Jerry West told me that, I was like, 'You know what? I have big shoes to fill.'
"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; I love the man to death, one of the best big men ever. I'm glad he didn't baby me; I'm glad he told me like it was. I read an article one day that still hurts my heart to this day: I'm averaging 29 and I'm doing my thing in LA, and they say, 'Hey, Shaq's one of the greatest big men.' And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says, 'How great is he? He hasn't won a championship yet.' Instead of crying and complaining, [I got better]. All of those guys made me persevere&nbsp;and helped me get to this point. I'd like to thank the great Dr. Lucille O'Neal...
"I don't really get emotional, but it was a really emotional moment because [there are] all of these guys that are greater than me, and I can't believe I'm sitting next to them. Even when I look at myself play, I was not as good as Hakeem [Olajuwon]. I was not even as good as Chief (Robert Parish). I was not even as good as Bob McAdoo. But for the people who want to say, 'Shaquille O'Neal, you're great,' I didn't do it by myself. I did it with all of these guys, all of my teammates &mdash; Dennis Scott, Penny Hardaway...
"What really saddens me about today is that my father couldn't be there, my sister couldn't be there and my main man Kobe Bryant couldn't be there. That, like, really... Because a lot of people helped me get there, but those three [were big] &mdash; my dad pushing me, my little sister covering for me, and me and Kobe going back-and-forth and making each other great. It was a great moment for me and a great honor, and if I missed you in the thank you's, I apologize... But I want to thank everyone who helped me become who I am. I love you guys and I appreciate you very much."
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/SHAQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SHAQ</a> delivered a powerful, emotional tribute to all of those who inspired him to become one of the most dominant NBA big men ever. <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAonTNT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA75?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA75</a> <a href="https://t.co/DzUgKkm0r6">pic.twitter.com/DzUgKkm0r6</a>
&mdash; TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TurnerSportsPR/status/1495557464325984256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After Shaq finished, Ernie Johnson summed up what everyone was thinking: "Shaq, that's one of the greatest things I've ever heard."
O'Neal finished his career with four NBA championships, three Finals MVP awards, an NBA MVP award, 15 All-Star selections, 13 All-NBA selections, a Rookie of the Year award and two scoring titles. The Hall-of-Famer racked up 28,596 points (10th-most in NBA history), 13,099 rebounds (16th-most) and 2,732 blocks (9th-most) throughout his legendary career.

After the NBA honored the 75th-anniversary team, Shaquille O'Neal shouted out the people who helped him become an all-time great.

Shaq thanks Kareem, Dr. J, Magic, Barkley, more in passionate speech

In case you&rsquo;ve been overly consumed by the NBA, college basketball, or the WNBA off-season, now would be a great time to remind y&rsquo;all that the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers are going on.
And in case you didn&rsquo;t know, the host countries for the 2023 World Cup are Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines &mdash; more on that later.
The last World Cup was right before the 2019-20 season, but feels so long ago because this whole COVID thing hadn&rsquo;t yet clapped us up. If you remember, the 2020 Olympics took place in 2021 &mdash; as in, last year. Yeah, I know, the international stuff can get confusing, but I&rsquo;m here to help you. Trust me.
Now, perhaps quietly to some, international play quickly resumed this past November with the first window of 2023 World Cup qualifying, which we&rsquo;ll recap shortly.
You have four sets of qualifying regions: Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe. There are six windows played over a 15-month span (starting from this past November), where the competing squads normally would participate in two games per window. COVID had other ideas &mdash; more on that later.
Currently, each region has groups of four, and the top three in each group will advance to round two following the June/July window. This current round of qualifying is between Nov. 20-30, Feb. 21-March 1, and June 27-July 5, after which we&rsquo;ll enter round two. Round two also occurs over three windows: August 22-30, Nov. 7-15, and Feb. 20-28, then those who will have qualified will enter group drawing next March, and we&rsquo;ll see them compete between August 25-September 10 &mdash; the World Cup.
Now, let&rsquo;s lay out all the things you should probably know and, if you see a number in parenthesis next to a team that&rsquo;s listed, that&rsquo;s their current world ranking, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/rankingmen">according to FIBA</a>. So if you feel like your people are being misrepresented, leave me alone and take that up with them. (Unless &hellip; unless you mean, you know, actual greater good/societal misrepresentation, then &hellip; let&rsquo;s talk, because me, too.)
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African Region
2019 WC qualifiers: Angola, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia
As they did in 2019, Africa will get five of the final 32 World Cup spots. Though they&rsquo;re hoping for a better result, because none of them advanced past&nbsp;group play. The Groups are as follows:
<ul>
<li>Group A: Nigeria (22), Mali (72), Cape Verde (74), Uganda (78),</li>
<li>Group B: Tunisia (28), Cameroon (64), South Sudan (82), Rwanda (84)</li>
<li>Group C: Angola (31), Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire (40), Central African Rep. (75), Guinea (99)</li>
<li>Group D: Senegal (34), Egypt (59), Congo DR (81), Kenya (103)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Africa has a slightly different format. Groups A and C each played three games from Nov. 26-28, the biggest perhaps being Cape Verde&rsquo;s 79-71 upset over Nigeria, which helped move their ranking from No. 100 to No. 74 in the world. Thus, Groups A and C will return in the summer window. Nigeria and Mali are 2-1 and lead Group A, and Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire went 3-0 in November, sitting atop Group C. Groups B and D begin qualifying on Feb. 25 at Dakar Arena in Senegal, which will be three straight days of games through the 27th.
Tunisia&rsquo;s To Lose?: Tunisia went 10-2 in their World Cup qualifying for the 2019 tournament, and is expected to have similar production in group play here. Tunisia won the 2021 AfroBasket this past September, led by tournament MVP Makrem Romdhane, and All-Tournament guard Omar Abada. There&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/african-qualifiers/news/the-african-champions-are-ready-to-soar-in-dakar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also a chance star center Salah Mejri suits up for Tunisia</a>. The 7-foot-2 former Dallas Maverick <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/teams/tunisia/2019.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led Tunisia with 16.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game</a> in their second ever World Cup appearance three years ago.
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The Biggest What If: Tunisia plays Cameroon on Feb. 25. Cameroon is one of the many wild cards worth keeping tabs on. They still haven&rsquo;t been able to piece together the dream frontcourt of Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who hasn&rsquo;t played since the NBA bubble. <a href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2017/2/7/14539418/joel-embiid-named-cameroon-preliminary-roster-fiba-afrobasket-2017-luc-mbah-a-moute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Embiid came close in 2017</a>, but ultimately didn&rsquo;t play. Obviously, NBA players rarely can compete in these qualifying windows because of, well, them being in the NBA. But if Cameroon could do well enough and qualify, who knows if that&rsquo;ll be enough to lure Embiid and Siakam into international play.
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American Region
2019 WC qualifiers: Argentina (silver medalist), Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, USA, and Venezuela.
The Americas will, again, send seven to the World Cup late next year. The Americas have the standard format across the board, so this window will mark two games for each club. The groups are:
<ul>
<li>Group A: Argentina (7), Venezuela (17), Panama (50), Paraguay (77)</li>
<li>Group B: Brazil (15), Uruguay (41), Colombia (67), Chile (68)</li>
<li>Group C: Canada (18), Dominican Republic (20), U.S. Virgin Islands (54), Bahamas (62)</li>
<li>Group D: U.S.A. (1), Puerto Rico (19), Mexico (24), Cuba (65)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, Canada, Dominican Republic and Mexico are all 2-0. U.S.A. and Puerto Rico are the only 1-1 teams in the Americas, and will play each other on Tuesday in Washington D.C. Notably, for Team U.S.A., Jim Boylen coached the club in the November window, in which they held off Cuba 95-90, then lost to Mexico in Chihuahua City, 97-88. Although Cuba is 0-2, their star, Jaisel Rivero, is good enough to steal them a game. Rivero put 34 (13-18 shooting) with 9 rebounds and 3 threes on Team USA in their narrow loss. Rivero currently competes with Liga ACB and EuroCup&rsquo;s Valencia Basket in Spain, where he averages 11.1 points (second on team) and 4.9 rebounds (third on team) across all competitions.
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21 points for <a href="https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isaiahthomas</a> last night, including 4 made threes, none bigger than this dagger. 👀 Team USA defeated Cuba 95-90 to start 2023 World Cup Qualifiers. They face Mexico tonight. 📹: <a href="https://t.co/nNQDfvcF82">https://t.co/nNQDfvcF82</a> (via FIBA) <a href="https://t.co/dhAUAUVHLy">pic.twitter.com/dhAUAUVHLy</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1465437069073858560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a>
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Uncle Iso Joe: Among <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/americas-qualifiers/game/0407/Mexico-USA#|tab=boxscore">the notables who suited up for Team USA in November</a> were Isaiah Thomas, Luke Kornet, Chasson Randle, Haywood Highsmith and Shaquille Harrison, among many other current and former NBA players. Seven-time All-Star and 40-year-old Joe Johnson, who famously was a Boston Celtic briefly earlier this season, is <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/americas-qualifiers/news/nba-experience-leads-revamped-united-states-roster-for-second-window-of-2023-fiba-world-cup-americas-qualifiers">confirmed to be suiting up with Team USA</a> in this February window. Brian Bowen II is the only player returning from the November window. Other Team U.S.A. members include current G Leaguers Jordan Bell, David Stockton, Langston Galloway and Justin Wright-Foreman, among others.
La Nueva Era de Baloncesto: Both Mexico and Puerto Rico announced new head coaches shortly before the November window. Mexico&rsquo;s led by long-time NBA assistant Kaleb Caneles, while Puerto Rico hired Nelson Colon, who is a three-time champion and Coach of the Year in Baloncesto Superior Nacional, Puerto Rico&rsquo;s top pro basketball league. Former long-time NBA guard Carlos Arroyo was also appointed the <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/news/puerto-rico-appoints-carlos-arroyo-as-its-male-national-team-general-manager#:~:text=Americas-,Puerto%20Rico%20appoints%20Carlos%20Arroyo%20as%20its%20male%20National%20Team,of%20the%20men's%20national%20team.">Puerto Rican National Team&rsquo;s General Manager last June</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Both Puerto Rico and Mexico starting this cycle with new coaches, too: <a href="https://t.co/PCDaPmNumy">https://t.co/PCDaPmNumy</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1465151054278967302?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Asia-Oceania Region
2019 WC qualifiers: Australia (finished fourth), China, Iran, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines.
The hosts &ndash; Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia &ndash; typically automatically qualify for the World Cup. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171213161459/http:/www.philstar.com:8080/sports/2017/12/13/1767946/learning-2019-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indonesia&rsquo;s qualification is more provisional</a> due to their lack of international success. Japan and the Philippines are automatically in, but they&rsquo;re all scheduled to participate in World Cup qualifiers anyway.
In the 2019 World Cup, Asia/Oceania sent eight teams over, which they&rsquo;ll do again in 2023. Here are the groups:
<ul>
<li>Group A: New Zealand (27), South Korea (30), Philippines (33), India (80)</li>
<li>Group B: Australia (3), China (29), Japan (37), Chinese Taipei (66)</li>
<li>Group C: Jordan (39), Lebanon (55), Indonesia (91), Saudi Arabia (79)</li>
<li>Group D: Iran (23),&nbsp;Kazakhstan (70), Syria (85), Bahrain (104)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Due to travel restrictions (COVID), <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/asian-qualifiers/news/update-to-the-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023-asian-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several games had to be canceled</a>, so while the format was originally the same as the Americas, it came with some modifications. No one in Group A has played yet, so they&rsquo;ll each play four games to compensate, all of which will take place between Feb. 24 and Feb. 28. In Group B, only China and Japan were able to play, and China smacked them twice, 79-63, and 106-73. Australia and Chinese Taipei are each scheduled to play three times between Feb. 25 and Feb. 28. Japan will play twice in this window, once against each of them, and China will return for four games in the third window to end round one.
Medal Momentum: This will mark the first we see of Australia since finally winning their first medal at the 2020 Olympics (that were played in 2021). Australia had lost the bronze medal game in the 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2016 Olympics before finally medaling in their fifth attempt. In their history, they&rsquo;ve never had a better World Cup finish than in 2019, where they lost in &hellip; another bronze medal game. Perhaps Australia is really turning a corner now. &nbsp;
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🥉 HISTORY MADE 🥉 The Boomers have done it- Australia have secured their first ever men&rsquo;s basketball Olympic medal! The bronze is coming home! 💚💛<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> <a href="https://t.co/ngxiYRwHdk">pic.twitter.com/ngxiYRwHdk</a>
&mdash; Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus/status/1423988352987013120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a>
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European Region&nbsp;
2019 WC qualifiers: Czech Republic, France (bronze medalist), Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain (gold medalist), Turkey.
Europe is the largest region of basketball playing powers here, so their rules are slightly different. Instead of four groups, there are eight. As a result, they&rsquo;ll get 12 World Cup bids.
Here are the groups:
<ul>
<li>Group A: Serbia (6), Latvia (26), Belgium (36), Slovakia (63)</li>
<li>Group B: Greece (10), Turkey (16), Great Britain (44), Belarus (48)</li>
<li>Group C: Slovenia (4), Croatia (21), Finland (35), Sweden (51)</li>
<li>Group D: Germany (11), Poland (13), Israel (42), Estonia (49)</li>
<li>Group E: France (5), Montenegro (25), Hungary (43), Portugal (58)</li>
<li>Group F: Lithuania (8), Czech Republic (12), Bosnia (45), Bulgaria (53)</li>
<li>Group G: Spain (2), Ukraine (32), Georgia (38), North Macedonia (52)</li>
<li>Group H: Italy (9), Russia (14), Netherlands (47), Iceland (46)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Everyone here was able to play two games in November. Your 2-0 teams are as follows: Belgium, Slovenia, Israel, France, Lithuania, Bosnia, Spain and Russia. Your 0-2 teams are Netherlands, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland, Croatia and Slovakia. Czech Republic was a story from the 2019 World Cup. They shockingly punched above their weight and reached the quarterfinals. Czech Republic, led by Tom&aacute;&scaron; Satoransky, finished sixth, one spot above Team U.S.A. But, so far, they haven&rsquo;t won a game in 2023 qualifying. Czech Republic lost to Bosnia 97-90 and Lithuania 74-66. They should have a breakthrough against Bulgaria on the 24th, but it&rsquo;ll be difficult to set themselves up for a repeat of 2019, which was their first World Cup bid.
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The State of Spain: After winning the 2019 World Cup with an incredibly stacked team, including tournament MVP Ricky Rubio, captain Rudy Fern&aacute;ndez, Marc Gasol and Willy Hernang&oacute;mez, Spain was knocked out of the Olympic quarterfinals by the United States. Their Olympic team featured many of their same heavy-hitters, including even Pau Gasol, who retired in October and is now a member of the International Olympic Committee. Like the United States, many of the players you&rsquo;d expect to see on their World Cup roster <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers/team/Spain#|tab=roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">likely won&rsquo;t participate much until then</a>. Even so, expect them to continue reigning as one of the top teams in the world. We could talk about the age factor around this time next year, perhaps.
The Sleeping Giant: Slovenia famously jumped 12 spots after their debut Olympic performance, largely led by Luka Dončić, accompanied by standout pro teammates Mike Tobey, Zoran (Goran&rsquo;s brother) Dragić,&nbsp;and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlatko_%C4%8Can%C4%8Dar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vlatko Čančar</a>. Slovenia finished fourth, losing to Australia in the bronze medal game. They didn&rsquo;t qualify for the 2019 World Cup, but did win the 2017 EuroBasket, in which Goran won MVP and Luka, at 18 years old, was named to the All-Tournament team. (Anthony Randolph played for the Slovenian team, then. Who knew?!?) Dragić and Tobey are <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers/team/Slovenia#|tab=roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed on the roster for this window</a>. Look for them to continue raising hell in qualifiers, and if Dončić suits up, in the World Cup, too.
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For even more World Cup info and complete schedules, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">go here</a>.
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Bryan Fonseca gives an overview of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Things to monitor as FIBA World Cup’s next qualifying window arrives

Don&rsquo;t look now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are 10 games above .500 after their 18-point blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Checking in with a 29-19 record, Philadelphia continues to weather the storm as it relates to the ongoing Ben Simmons saga. Both Simmons and the organization are dug into their positions, and this stalemate could extend even past this season&rsquo;s trade deadline.
The main reason Philadelphia is staying well above water &mdash; only two games back of the top seed in the Eastern Conference &mdash; is their franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid. What Embiid has been doing over the last six weeks has been nothing short of magnificent, firmly placing him within the MVP race.
Since Dec. 16, Embiid is averaging 33.8 points, 11.9 free throw attempts, 10.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 blocks on an elite 64.2 True Shooting percentage.
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However, Embiid is getting proverbially run into the ground from a usage perspective. This six-week run of prime Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal-esque dominance has Embiid bookmarked at an outrageous 40.2% usage rate.
Comparing Embiid&rsquo;s 40.2 USG% to the other ball-dominant superstars in the Association since mid-December, he&rsquo;s creating some distance in this metric: Giannis Antetokounmpo is at 37.3 USG%, Trae Young &mdash; 34.2 USG%, Luka Doncic &mdash; 34.3 USG% and Devin Booker &mdash; 32.6 USG%.
As Embiid continues his reign of terror on opposing defenses, one constant thought continues to linger. How long will this actually last before *knock on wood* Embiid goes down with an injury?
We all know Embiid&rsquo;s checkered injury history, and the Sixers right now are playing a very dangerous game with the soon-to-be 28-year-old big man. A 7-foot, 280-pounder carrying over 40% of a team&rsquo;s usage is cyborg-like. That&rsquo;s simply not sustainable for the entire slog of an 82-game regular season slate.
With that being said, it&rsquo;s time for Sixers GM Daryl Morey to blink first as it relates to the off-court melodrama with his disgruntled point-forward. Trade Simmons for the best possible package before this run from Embiid ends with no positive benchmark resulting from it.
On Friday, ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sacramento Kings were the latest team fed up with the Sixers&rsquo; stance on trading Simmons. Sacramento bowed out of the Simmons sweepstakes, which further thins out the potential destinations Philadelphia can send the former No. 1 overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft.
Sacramento stood out as one of the most realistic organizations for a Simmons blockbuster, thanks in large part to the players on their roster who fit around Embiid: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes.
Now, Philadelphia is backing out and reassessing who exactly wants to get their hands dirty and potentially waste their time over the next two weeks before the trade deadline?
Philadelphia is legitimately in a great spot to make a push in the second half of the regular season because of Embiid&rsquo;s brilliance. It will be all for not if Morey and Co. continue to sit on their hands and don&rsquo;t find their superstar big man some immediate help, though.
The Eastern Conference is wide open. Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s part-time status as an unvaccinated player has thrown a wrench into the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; hopeful title run. The Chicago Bulls have found some magic with their dynamite scoring duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but who on their roster could guard Embiid over a seven-game series?
Last season&rsquo;s defending champions in the Milwaukee Bucks have their own legitimate argument to make a repeat Finals run. Even though they&rsquo;ve dealt with countless injury issues, the Miami Heat sit atop the East and control their own destiny for home court advantage once the calendar hits mid-to-late April.
Philadelphia slots right into the mix because of Embiid. The big question is how will Embiid hold up over the next three-plus months before the playoffs even begin? What if the Sixers don&rsquo;t trade Simmons and decide to hope and pray for an unlikely James Harden sign-and-trade this offseason involving Simmons? It&rsquo;s not the right move, especially when realizing exactly what Embiid is accomplishing for Philadelphia right now.
It&rsquo;s time for the Sixers to push those chips all-in to take some much-needed pressure off Embiid, conserving him for when it really matters most in win-or-go-home scenarios. Simmons is the chip to push into the middle of the table, and the time is ticking fast to utilize that chip at peak value.
Imagine what Philadelphia could do if they added multiple win-now pieces in return for a player who&rsquo;s not even around the team right now? It changes not only the entire calculus for Embiid and the Sixers, but it causes a seismic shift for what could potentially happen in the Eastern Conference this postseason.
Particularly for big men, their primes are not something to just play around with. Embiid is showcasing exactly why he&rsquo;s one of the best players in the NBA, one who could singlehandedly bully his way through defenses to a miraculous Finals appearance.
It would be such an unfortunate circumstance if the Sixers&rsquo; front office decided to punt on this golden opportunity, sitting in front of them right now.
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Joel Embiid has become an MVP favorite. Now, it's time for the Sixers to bring their superstar big man some much-needed help.

The time is now for the 76ers to trade Ben Simmons to help Joel Embiid

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

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

How are NBA teams using the hardship exception?

The Brooklyn Nets are planning to sign free agent James Ennis via hardship exemption, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1471681130994843649" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports added that the Nets will also sign guard Shaquille Harrison to a 10-day contract, which will give Brooklyn more roster security as they had been playing with just eight guys.

According to multiple reports, the Nets will sign James Ennis and Shaquille Harrison to contracts via the NBA's hardship exception.

Nets to sign James Ennis, Shaquille Harrison via hardship exceptions

Brooklyn coach Steve Nash doesn't mind his players feeling a little uncomfortable right now. Or even seeing them suffer a bit.
It can only help later on, the Brooklyn coach reasoned. The Nets were definitely struggling, too, down 21 points to Denver at one point before flipping a switch and storming back.
Kevin Durant scored 33 points, including five free throws over the last 21 seconds, and Kyrie Irving added 31 as the Nets snapped a four-game skid by beating the short-handed Nuggets 125-119 on Saturday night.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy for us to be uncomfortable right now. I&rsquo;m happy for us to struggle, suffer," Nash said. "These experiences when we&rsquo;re on the mat are good for us. Our guys responded tonight.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
KD (32 PTS) &amp; Kyrie (31 PTS) helped the Nets overcome a 21-PT deficit 😤 <a href="https://t.co/KIGXNmLIa0">pic.twitter.com/KIGXNmLIa0</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1391252831877832712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Nets moved a half-game in front of Milwaukee for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn remained three games behind East-leading Philadelphia.
The difference between the first half (outscored 71-56) and the second (outscoring Denver 69-48) was pretty simple to Durant: &ldquo;We got on the same page in the second half and played our hardest."
After trailing by as many as 21 points in the first half, the Nets took the lead for good at 111-110 on a 3-pointer by Joe Harris with 6:12 remaining. It was their first lead since 35 seconds into the game.
But it was far from easy down the stretch. Nikola Jokic had a chance to give the Nuggets the lead with 23.9 seconds left, only to see his turnaround miss. Durant made two free throws to make it 122-119.
Durant was fouled soon after Jokic missed a shot on the other end. The Nuggets big man was upset over the no-call and lost his cool, picking up a technical with 9.1 seconds left. Durant made three free throws to secure the win.
Blake Griffin had 16 of his 20 points in a pivotal third quarter to help the Nets climb back into the game.
Jokic brushed off his seeming irritation with the officials down the stretch, simply saying: &ldquo;No comment. Next question.&rdquo;
Instead, he praised the Nets.
&ldquo;They're a talented team,&rdquo; said Jokic, who finished with 29 points, seven boards and six assists.
Michael Porter Jr. added 28 points, including six 3-pointers, as the Nuggets had their seven-game home winning streak snapped. It was their final regular-season game this season at Ball Arena, where the Nuggets finished 25-11.
Facundo Campazzo had 19 points and little-used Markus Howard chipped in a career-best 13 points with the Nuggets turning to unconventional lineups after playing the night before at Utah.
Aaron Gordon was a late scratch due to tightness in his right calf, joining a growing list of banged-up Nuggets. The injury report now includes Jamal Murray (ACL), Zeke Nnaji (sprained left ankle), Monte Morris (hamstring), Will Barton (hamstring) and PJ Dozier (right adductor strain). Paul Millsap also didn't play just to give him a night off.
In the second quarter, Nuggets coach Michael Malone turned to the little-used lineup of Vlatko Cancar, Bol Bol, Howard, Shaquille Harrison and JaVale McGee.
&ldquo;The silver lining, Markus Howard, Vlatko, Bol, they got a chance to play some real game minutes,&rdquo; Malone said.
TIP-INS
Nets: G James Harden was out for a 17th straight game with a right hamstring strain. ... Durant had 11 boards. ... The Nuggets had a 27-1 edge in second-chance points.
Nuggets: Porter scored Denver's opening 11 points. ... This was the largest blown lead in a loss this season for Denver. The previous biggest was 20 at Washington on Feb. 17.
NASH ON JOKIC
&ldquo;Clearly, I think Jokic is the MVP this year,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s kind of gone wire-to-wire at this high level, and makes his teammates better, makes everything go. They lose Jamal Murray and they haven&rsquo;t really skipped a beat. That shows how good he is.&rdquo;
SAME GAME
Malone sees similarities between Durant and Porter.
&ldquo;Very similar body types, tremendous size, length,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;Obviously, Kevin Durant&rsquo;s body of work is just tremendous; he&rsquo;s one of the top five players in the world.&rdquo;
Durant has a lot of respect for Porter.
&ldquo;He's a unique player who's going to carve his own lane out in the league,&rdquo; Durant said.
UP NEXT
Nets: Finish a five-game trip Tuesday at Chicago.
Nuggets: At Charlotte on Tuesday as Denver concludes the season with four straight road games.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kevin Durant scored 33 points, including five free throws over the last 21 seconds, and Kyrie Irving added 31.

Nets rally in second half behind KD, Kyrie to beat Nuggets, snap four-game skid

Nikola Jokic had 19 points and 11 rebounds in just three quarters to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Toronto Raptors 121-111 on Thursday night.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 23 points for the Nuggets, who had seven players score in double figures and used a 31-8 run over the third and fourth quarters to win their fourth straight. They are a half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for third in the Western Conference.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
23 PTS | 7 REB | 3 BLK (Yeah) Mike did it on BOTH ends tonight 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MileHighBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MileHighBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/UganvXmZC1">pic.twitter.com/UganvXmZC1</a>
&mdash; Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1387977005920968705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;This is the point you want to be at,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;Nine, 10 games until playoffs, so this is the fun. We have to make sure we&rsquo;re in prime-time shape and ready to go once the playoffs start.&rdquo;
Denver improved to 8-1 since Jamal Murray went down with a torn ACL in his left knee on April 12. The Nuggets also lost guards Monte Morris and Will Barton to hamstring injuries, but both are expected to return this season.
Without its starting backcourt, Denver has relied on reserves Facu Campazzo, P.J. Dozier and Shaquille Harrison, a two-way player getting a chance to make an impact. He did Thursday with a season-high 11 points, and Campazzo followed up his first double-double on Wednesday night with 12 points.
Jokic&rsquo;s double-double was his 53rd of the season.
OG Anunoby scored 25 points for the Raptors, Kyle Lowry and Khem Birch had 20 each, and Malachi Flynn, who started in place of injured Fred VanVleet (hip), pitched in with 16.
The Nuggets led by six in the second quarter and again late in the third, but Toronto rallied both times to tie it. It was 87-85 after three quarters. Denver scored the first 12 points of the fourth against the Raptors&rsquo; bench and held them to just a pair of 3-pointers by Lowry in the first 5:40 of the fourth.
&ldquo;It turned the tide of the game, got them feeling pretty good and they didn&rsquo;t stop pretty much until the end,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;It was not a good lineup. They didn&rsquo;t get any stops and didn&rsquo;t get any scores.&rdquo;
Lowry&rsquo;s flagrant foul on P.J. Dozier led to a six-point possession for Denver and a 21-point lead. Denver held the Raptors two just two made field goals in the first 7:28 of the fourth.
&ldquo;For me, being a defensive-minded coach, that was some of the best basketball I&rsquo;ve seen that group play,&rdquo; Denver coach Michael Malone said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: VanVleet is getting an extra couple of days of rest for his hip, Nurse said. VanVleet said after Tuesday&rsquo;s loss to Brooklyn that he didn&rsquo;t feel great. ... G Jalen Harris returned after being out since March 14 with a hip injury. He played the final five minutes of mop-up time.
Nuggets: Porter rolled his left ankle late in Wednesday&rsquo;s game but was fine Thursday night. ... Malone said Murray is still in Los Angeles after having surgery, and the team hopes to see him when it flies there Friday. &ldquo;I think I speak for everybody in our group that we miss him, and we can&rsquo;t wait to see him,&rdquo; Malone said.
RESTFUL TIME
Jokic has played every game this season, so Malone was happy to sit him for the entire fourth quarter.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a tough cookie. He doesn&rsquo;t want to take a night off,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;He takes tremendous pride in his Serbian heritage. As he always says, Serbian guys don&rsquo;t sit out, which I respect the hell out of, but you have to be smart about it.&rdquo;
NUMBERS GAME
Lowry played his 600th game with Toronto and Malone got the 300th win of his career and 261st with Denver. The Nuggets players doused Malone with water in the locker room after the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS SQUAD <a href="https://t.co/ZdVYAtsA68">pic.twitter.com/ZdVYAtsA68</a>
&mdash; Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1387983056040988675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Lowry has played 958 games with Memphis, Houston and Toronto.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an amazing time, it&rsquo;s been fun,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Ups and downs, but you enjoy the moment of being able to play basketball.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Raptors: At Utah on Saturday night.
Nuggets: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Denver improved to 8-1 since Jamal Murray went down with a torn ACL in his left knee on April 12.

Nuggets' Jokic, Porter Jr. help earn Michael Malone his 300th career win

Shaq admitted that he's jealous of the lucrative contracts today's NBA players are getting, and explained his criticism of Rudy Gobert.

Shaquille O'Neal admits he's 'jealous' of today's lucrative NBA salaries

We are omitting Anthony Davis from this list. Sure, he has not signed his max contract yet, but there are mitigating factors as to why that has not happened, and he&rsquo;ll be back with the Los Angeles Lakers when camp opens next week. The only question is how the deal will be structured.
Other free agents? Let&rsquo;s just say their turkey went down a little more slowly Thursday.
Take Reggie Jackson, for instance. Last season, he started 10 games for the Detroit Pistons and six games for the Los Angeles Clippers as part of Doc Rivers&rsquo; 33 different Clipper starting fives. He wasn&rsquo;t great but he wasn&rsquo;t bad, shooting 41 percent from behind the arc with the Clippers and averaging nearly 15 points per game with Detroit. But the nine-year veteran will turn 31 in April, and there is an NBA expression that nothing ages faster than a guard on the wrong side of 30. He remains unsigned as the workweek closes out, and the number of available roster spots shrinks. A veteran&rsquo;s minimum deal is about the best he can hope for, and Philadelphia has a need at backup point guard.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a useful bench player for the Toronto (Tampa) Raptors last season, making six spot starts in 61 games after coming over from the Brooklyn Nets, where he earned a reputation as a better-than-average defender who could knock down an open shot when needed, though not from three-point range. Still, the 26-year-old&rsquo;s averages have dropped each of the past two seasons, and he is one of the many players stuck waiting out the interminable delay in the Al Horford deal, which reportedly cannot be completed until Dec. 8, to see where and how it may open roster spaces.
Shabazz Napier has been kicking around in the league since being the No. 24 overall pick in the 2014 draft, spending time with Miami, Orlando, Portland, Brooklyn, Minnesota and Washington. He made nine starts for the Wizards last season, including the final eight before the March shutdown. But Washington will get John Wall back, and Raul Neto has been signed to be his backup. The 29-year-old has played for six NBA teams, so he'll likely will have to wait for vet minimum contracts to become available; and this is at a time when many teams are more interested in developing draft picks than adding so-so backups, even one who averaged 11.6 points per game last season, but was turnover prone.
Taj Gibson got a $1 million buyout from the Knicks and is still waiting for someone to sign him, and he has a strong reputation around the league as the type of glue guy who can be a strong locker room presence while also filling it at forward in a pinch. The 12-year veteran has bounced around since spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Chicago Bulls, and he had shot above 50 percent in each of the past seven seasons. A vet minimum is about the best he can hope for, but there are teams out there (such as Atlanta) trying to find the right mix of young studs and older mentors.
New Bulls general manager Arturas Karnisovas did not even extend a qualifying offer to Shaquille Harrison (which also was the case with Kris Dunn), opting instead for Denzel Valentine and Adam Mokoka. The 6-foot-7 combo guard made 10 starts but did not particularly distinguish himself on a horrid Bulls team that had way too many backcourt players, as Harrison would seem to be the epitome of the intelligent journeyman who has not yet been surrounded by a group of winning players (he spent two seasons with bad Suns teams before playing for Chicago). Combo guards are a dime a dozen in the winding-down moments of free agency, so he will need to have a patron saint in some NBA front office who believes his potential has still not been realized, even at age 27. It does not hurt that he is viewed as a defensive specialist.

Chris Sheridan looks at the free agents still available as the offseason begins to calm.

Who’s left in winding-down NBA free agency?

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

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

Which NBA free agents are still available?

"Limbo" and "Lakers" were the words of the day as the sun came up Saturday following an eventful Friday night that saw the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks get a whole lot stronger.
The Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are the teams in the biggest states of limbo. With Gordon Hayward&rsquo;s situation unresolved, and the same thing happening with Serge Ibaka, Bogdan Bogdanovic, dozens of other unrestricted free agents will be scrambling for deals today before the teams will use all of their significant cap space up.
The defending champions may have pulled off the stunner of the night by <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-free-agency-rumors-los-angeles-lakers-agree-two-year-deal-montrezl-harrell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreeing to terms with Montrezl Harrell</a> of the Clippers, who will replace Dwight Howard on a Lakers team that is going through some roster turnover despite last season&rsquo;s success. They still have unanswered questions about who will comprise their backcourt, but their weakest position last season is a whole lot stronger.
Toronto (or should we call them Tampa?) has reportedly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-free-agency-fred-vanvleet-agrees-four-year-85-million-toronto-raptors-return" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed to a four-year, $85 million deal with VanVleet</a>, who was considered the best available point guard on the market. With VanVleet spurning the Knicks and deciding to return to the team that drafted him, New York will have a whole lot of money without anyone to spend it on...unless Gordon Hayward cannot get to his preferred destination, Indiana.
We still have the James Harden and Russell Westbrook situations in limbo to look forward to, but the Rockets are in no hurry to accommodate either of their trade desires. For now, Houston still looks like a playoff team, but the 2020-21 season does not begin for another 31 days, so a whole bunch of stuff can still happen before opening night.
For now, we know that New Orleans will have a much better center flanking Zion Williamson after acquiring Steven Adams from the Oklahoma City Thunder for...you guessed it, draft picks. This will be an expansion of the Bucks-Pelicans deal that is sending Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee, and there are moving parts that will be agreed upon over the course of the next day or so.&nbsp;
The Bucks&rsquo; pursuit of Bogdan Bogdanovic is over, and we will soon learn whether the Serbian made the right move in turning down $60 million over the next four years and the opportunity to play alongside Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
Utah reunited with glue guy Derrick Favors, who is leaving the Pelicans, while also re-signing Jordan Clarkson. Atlanta added Danilo Gallinari and Kris Dunn, and still has cap space remaining to add another top-notch player to the core of Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela. I have been hearing all week that Rajon Rondo is a strong candidate for the Hawks to back up Young and be a mentor for the 22-year-old.&nbsp;Lest we forget, Rondo was arguably the second-best player for the Lakers when they defeated Miami 4-2 in the NBA Finals. 
In a somewhat stunning move, the Pistons signed Denver&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-free-agency-detroit-pistons-agree-three-year-deal-jerami-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant for three years and $60 million</a>, taking away a key piece of Denver&rsquo;s core. He will be replaced by JaMychal Green, who left the Clippers for Denver.
Brooklyn also is emerging as a winner, having retained Joe Harris while also adding Bruce Brown from the Pistons and Landry Shamet from the Clippers. There are reports that Kevin Durant is recruiting Ibaka, which would give the Nets another center/power forward to play alongside Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan.
The Nets&rsquo; crosstown rivals have added Alec Burks, but the Knicks begin the day wondering whether this free-agency window will look a lot like the last free agency window when Durant and Kyrie Irving both spurned them.&nbsp; But Leon Rose and William Wesley are the new management team, and both are brilliant executives who know that free agency plays out on an hour-by-hour basis. If the Celtics and Pacers cannot agree to terms on a deal that would land Hayward in Indiana, New York is waiting.&nbsp;
So the player to watch most closely over the course of the day today was VanVleet, who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agents-agency-players-2020-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">colleague Spencer Davies had ranked as the No. 3 free agent</a> on the market behind Anthony Davis (making the Lakers wait) and Brandon Ingram (restricted), before he re-upped with the Raptors. 
Of Davies&rsquo; Top 10, No. 4 Harrell (Lakers), No. 7 Gallinari (Hawks), No. 8 Goran Dragic (resigning with Miami) and No. 10 Bertans (re-signing with Washington) are off the board. Ibaka (No. 5), Hayward (No. 6) and Bogdanovic (No. 9) are still out there, along with Ingram. But Ingram and Bogdanovic are restricted, meaning their current teams would have 48 hours to match any offer sheet they sign.
Going position-by-position in Davies&rsquo; rankings, the players still out there are:
Point Guards: Reggie Jackson, Jeff Teague, D.J. Augustin, Shabazz Napier, Shaquille Harrison and Rondo.
Shooting Guards: Bogdanovic, Austin Rivers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kent Bazemore and Jordan McRae.
Small Forwards: Ingram, Hayward, Jae Crowder, Glenn Robinson III and Torrey Craig.
Power Forwards: Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Millsap, Dario Saric (restricted) and Harry Giles III.
Centers: Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Tristan Thompson, Hassan Whiteside and Aron Baynes.
It should be an eventful Saturday, and by Sunday there will be clear winners and losers. The start of next week will leave some of the losers trying to figure out whether any trades are out there to salvage their offseason, and by Tuesday we can all take a deep breath. Oh, and Trevor Ariza will probably be on his fourth team in a week.
Stay tuned.

Chris Sheridan details Day 1 of free agency and looks ahead to what could shake out on Day 2.

Day 1 free-agency recap: Epic night leads into epic Saturday

The second round of the NBA playoffs is underway and a champion will be crowned in a month. After that happens, we'll transition into one of the most unique offseasons in NBA history. The NBA has announced that it will push those dates (and the season) back a bit, but either way, transaction season is rapidly approaching. We'll start with the point guards. Check out our ranking of the top&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-shooting-guards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting guards</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-small-forwards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small forwards</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-power-forwards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power forwards</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-centers-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">centers</a> too.
Honorable Mention: Rajon Rondo, Los Angeles Lakers -- Unrestricted
STATS: 7.1 PPG, 5 APG, 3 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 32.8% 3P
Rondo is closer to the end of his career than to his prime. With that being said, when the postseason comes around, there are few veterans in the NBA you&rsquo;d rather have to direct an offense. This wasn't the prettiest regular season for the 34-year-old, but he has played better in the postseason (especially in Game 2 against the Houston Rockets when he recorded 10 points, 9 assists, 5 steals, 3 rebounds and was a game-high +28 off the bench). Remember, he worked wonders with Anthony Davis in New Orleans a few years back. Rondo declined his player option with the Lakers. 
10. Shaquille Harrison, Chicago Bulls -- Unestricted
STATS: 4.9 PPG, 1.1 APG, 2 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 38.1% 3P
Part of the Bulls&rsquo; best defensive lineups, Harrison is an annoying match-up for opposing guards. He&rsquo;s 6-foot-7 with arms that go on for days, leading to deflections and steals to get his team out on the break (which is why he was one of Jim Boylen's favorite weapons to throw off opposing offenses). The 26-year-old doesn&rsquo;t command too much usage on offense, but he can get the occassional bucket when called upon. Harrison has shown if you put him on the floor, he&rsquo;ll reward you for it. Chicago declined its team option on Harrison, making him an unrestricted free agent. 
9. Shabazz Napier, Washington Wizards -- Unrestricted
STATS: 10.3 PPG, 4.7 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 31.7% 3P
Napier is an ideal back-up point guard with a scoring punch and a willingness to get his teammates involved. He&rsquo;s apt to put up smart shots, whether that&rsquo;s catching fire beyond the arc or driving into the teeth of the defense to finish or draw a foul. In 20 games with the Wizards, he averaged career-highs in points (11.6), threes (1.5), field goal percentage (42.8%) and steals (1.5). He has suited up for six NBA teams in six seasons, which is unfortunate because he should have a permanent home with his play.
8. Michael Carter-Williams, Orlando Magic -- Unrestricted
STATS: 7.2 PPG, 2.4 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 29.3% 3P
In somewhat of a career resurgence, Carter-Williams has made some noise as the anchor of the Magic's bench bunch. The 2013-14 Rookie of the Year is now 28 years old and he continues to pester his opponents with his impressive length and quick hands. He thrives in transition and finds his teammates on the dribble drive. You can even see the work he&rsquo;s put in to improve his shooting. Carter-Williams hasn&rsquo;t signed a long-term deal in his career to date; this could be his chance.
7. D.J. Augustin, Orlando Magic -- Unrestricted
STATS: 10.5 PPG, 4.6 APG, 2.1 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 34.8% 3P
A 12-year veteran in the Association, Augustin's been consistently steady and heady. He is adept at taking care of the basketball, getting his teammates involved and knocking down threes at a high clip. He isn't too afraid to go into the trees and get to the foul line, either. Perhaps most valuable is Augustin's tendency to turn it up in the postseason and take on a leadership role. It's a classic case of "you know what you're going to get" with him, and sometimes he'll even go above and beyond that.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Dunn1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
6. Kris Dunn, Chicago Bulls -- Unrestricted
STATS: 7.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.6 RPG, 2 SPG, 25.9% 3P
Dunn is as pesky as can be, and he's one of the NBA&rsquo;s best perimeter defenders. He gets into your shirt without fouling, prohibits you from getting around him and forces you out of your comfort zone on the floor. Despite his jumper leaving much to be desired, he has gotten better at knifing into the paint and scoring that way. You can&rsquo;t keep him off the floor with his defensive chops, though. He gets stops and starts fastbreaks for easy points. The Bulls&rsquo; guard room is pretty full at this point, and the team decided against extending a qualifying offer, making Dunn an unrestricted free agent. 
5. Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks -- Unrestricted
STATS: 10.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, 2.4 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 36.8% 3P
A pro&rsquo;s pro for all these years, Teague&rsquo;s days of starting may finally be behind him. That doesn&rsquo;t mean he wouldn't make one hell of an addition to a second unit and locker room. He loves to facilitate and draw attention to himself in the key, which opens up looks for his teammates either underneath or on the outside. Teague still has a nice floater and a legitimate three-ball, too. Any contending team should take a look at him, unless he&rsquo;s content with sticking around in Atlanta as a mentor to Trae Young.
4. Reggie Jackson, Los Angeles Clippers -- Unrestricted
STATS: 11.9 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3 RPG, 0.4 SPG, 39.3% 3P
Jackson&rsquo;s tenure with the Detroit Pistons ended on a somewhat sour note. He had to take on a lot of the load with Blake Griffin sidelined early on. The good news is he&rsquo;s been able to stay healthy the last couple of years after battling injuries in the two seasons prior to that. Now, the 30-year-old guard looks fresh and rejuvenated under Doc Rivers. He&rsquo;s running the offense beautifully when called upon, taking half the amount of shots that he was in Detroit and focusing on making good decisions on the floor.&nbsp;
3. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat -- Unrestricted
STATS: 16.2 PPG, 5.1 APG, 3.2 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 36.7% 3P
At 34 years old, Dragic is getting up there in age, but he produced exceptionally for the Heat. Unfortunately, he tore his plantar fascia in his left foot, so he wasn't able to make his usual impact in the NBA Finals. We'll see how that injury affects his status in free agency. But as a sixth man for the first time since the early part of the decade, the Slovenian vet accepted his role and thrived (and eventually regained his starting job). He establishes a strong rapport with everybody he plays with. He&rsquo;s difficult to defend as a ball-handler in pick-and-roll situations, either dropping the perfect pass to a rolling big, darting toward the bucket with conviction or jacking up a three to punish the defense.
2. Mike Conley, Utah Jazz -- Back with Jazz 
STATS: 14.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.2 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 37.5% 3P
This season was Conley's first with the Jazz and while he got off to a slow start, he showed up to the NBA bubble with a vengeance. He can run a team with the best of them. He has a knack for facilitating, has a solid three-point shot and uses a unique right-handed floater when he gets into the paint. He has an early termination option that would allow him to hit free agency this summer, but considering how he and Donovan Mitchell worked in the backcourt (and how much money he's set to earn), it seems like he'll see things through. He chose not to exercise his ETO, he'll make $34,502,132 next season with Utah.
1. Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors -- Unrestricted
STATS: 17.6 PPG, 6.6 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 39% 3P
Can you believe the crown jewel of the 2020 point-guard class went undrafted four years ago? VanVleet might be the smoothest operator in the league at the one. You can credit smart decision-making, aggressiveness and stellar defensive IQ as the reasons for his rise to the top. Learning from one of the best in the league, Kyle Lowry, certainly didn't hurt, but VanVleet got here on his own volition. There's no question that he&rsquo;s been a key piece for the reigning champions; he's incredibly consistent and he just does his job at an extremely high level. There&rsquo;s a good chance that some team is going to break the bank for VanVleet this offseason. Long-term security is going to be the key, and, despite his public desire to re-sign, that might hurt the Raptors&rsquo; chances of retaining him.&nbsp;
Check out our ranking of the top <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-shooting-guards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting guards</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-small-forwards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small forwards</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-power-forwards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power forwards</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-centers-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">centers.</a>

Spencer Davies ranks his best available point guards in the upcoming 2020 NBA free-agent class.