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Raptors

Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr. added 24 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-102 Saturday to avoid a four-game sweep in their first round playoff series.
Game 5 is Monday night in Philadelphia.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. Fans briefly chanted &ldquo;Raps in seven&rdquo; after both coaches emptied their benches in the final minutes.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid started despite a right thumb injury that required him to wear a brace. He was seen shaking his hand in pain several times, occasionally doubling over as he held the area.
Embiid shot 3 for 10 in the first half. He finished 7 for 16 and scored 21 points in 39 minutes.
Before Saturday&rsquo;s game, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Embiid is expected to undergo an MRI. The team has &ldquo;concern&rdquo; about Embiid&rsquo;s injury, Rivers said, but don&rsquo;t believe it can get worse by playing.
Thaddeus Young scored 13 points, OG Anunoby had 10, and newly crowned NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes had six points and 11 rebounds off the bench as Toronto overcame an injury to All-Star guard Fred VanVleet to stave off elimination.
After being called for a foul with 4:57 to go in the second quarter, VanVleet ripped his jersey apart in frustration and walked off the court to the locker room because of a strained left hip. VanVleet shot 2 for 6 and scored five points in 15 minutes.
Tobias Harris had 15 points and 11 rebounds and James Harden scored 22 points for the 76ers.
After being held scoreless in the second half of Toronto&rsquo;s Game 3 loss, Siakam shot 10 for 19 and went 13 for 15 at the free throw line.
For the first time in the series, the Raptors shot more free throws than the 76ers. Toronto went 28 for 35 at the line, while Philadelphia was 21 for 25.
Philadelphia called timeout with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter after Young&rsquo;s steal on Embiid&rsquo;s wayward pass led to a driving basket for Achiuwa, giving Toronto an 88-81 lead.
Harden&rsquo;s layup with 8:20 to go made it 90-85, but Toronto scored the next six points, all at the free throw line. Embiid stopped the run by making a pair at the line, but Anunoby&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 3:44 to go in the fourth gave the Raptors a 99-87 edge.
Ahead of tipoff, the NBA announced that Toronto&rsquo;s Barnes had won the Rookie of the Year award, edging out Cleveland&rsquo;s Evan Mobley. The difference of 15 points was the smallest margin in the rookie category under the current voting format that began with the 2002-03 season.
Barnes left Game 1 of the series after spraining his left ankle and hadn&rsquo;t played since, but came off the bench midway through the first quarter Saturday.
Barnes needed treatment after falling down on defense early in the second, but remained in the game.
Embiid missed all five shots he took in the first quarter, including one from 3-point range.His only point in the opening period came when made one of two free throws.
Siakam scored 10 points in the first but the Raptors shot 2 for 9 from distance. The game was tied 24-24 after one.
Trent scored 12 points in the second and Young had eight as Toronto led 54-49 at the half.
Embiid shot 4 for 5 and scored eight points in the third but the Raptors took an 80-77 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden had nine assists. &hellip; Tyrese Maxey shot 4 for 12 and finished with 11 points. &hellip; Embiid was called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter.
Raptors: Siakam had eight rebounds. &hellip; Young had five rebounds and five assists. &hellip; Canadian singer Avril Larvigne attended the game.
UP NEXT
The 76ers host Game 5 on Monday night.

Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr. added 24 points and the Raptors beat the 76ers 110-102.

Siakam scores 34 as Raptors avoid sweep, beat 76ers 110-102

Tyrese Maxey had the breakout game of his young career, scoring 21 of his playoff career-high 38 points in the third quarter to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 on Saturday night.
James Harden had 22 points and 14 assists in his first Eastern Conference playoff game as a Sixer. Joel Embiid, the NBA scoring champion, had 19 points and 15 rebounds. They combined to only make 11 of 32 shots from the floor.
Tobias Harris scored 26 points for the Sixers, trying to get past the second round for the first time since 2001. They host Game 2 on Monday.
The opener belonged to Maxey. The 21-year-old Maxey is the youngest Sixer ever to score at least 30 points in a playoff game.
Sixers fans roared for &ldquo;Maxey! Maxey! Maxey!" after each electrifying play -- and he crammed a season's worth into the third as he dismantled the Raptors.
He swished a 32-footer late in the period for a 20-point lead and sent his teammates on the bench into a frenzy. The Raptors were stunned and had no answer for him: Maxey made 7 of 8 shots overall, both 3s and all five free throws in 12 minutes.
Whew!
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points for the Raptors, who lost rookie Scottie Barnes to an ankle injury to worsen what was already a miserable night. OG Anunoby scored 20 and Fred VanVleet added 18.
The Sixers took control in the first 24 minutes and Maxey stepped on the gas in the third against a team that won the season series 3-1 (with Embiid and Harden in the lineup for the last two).
Maxey, the 6-foot-2 bundle of energy out of Kentucky, led the fast start early with a pair of 3s and 10 quick points that had the Sixers rolling with a double-digit lead.
The Sixers are Embiid and Harden&rsquo;s team, and as they go, so go the Sixers. But Maxey gives the 76ers a Big 2 3/4 and was more than just an able replacement for the traded Ben Simmons.
Maxey emerged as a reliable scoring option -- 18.7 points and 48% on 3s after the All-Star break -- and was on target from tipoff against Toronto. He made 6 of 10 shots and his 15 points in the first half were one shy of matching his playoff high set last season in Game 6 against Atlanta.
Ah, yes. Atlanta. The Hawks series still had Philly on edge this week, as the stench of three home losses and a second-round exit as the No. 1 seed wafted into this season.
The Raptors inched within 11 in the third but Harden -- the bold trade deadline acquisition made for these moments -- buried a 3 and a layup.
Harden then heaved a two-handed bounce pass from midcourt that Maxey caught in stride for a high-flying, reverse layup. The Sixers led by 18, Toronto called a timeout and the Philly crowd went wild. Maxey hit another 3 and it was 91-76.
The Raptors only seriously challenged late in the first half. Embiid was hit with a flagrant after he clobbered Barnes on a drive. Barnes made 1 of 2 free throws and the Raptors scored off his miss to pull to 48-42.
Embiid, though, made the Raptors pay moments later. He sneered on a bucket and forced VanVleet (who fouled out in the fourth) to his third foul. Embiid converted the three-point play for a 57-42 lead.
Maxey took it from there.
TRAINER&rsquo;S ROOM
Barnes grabbed his left foot and was in apparent pain after Embiid stepped on his foot in the fourth. He needed help to the locker room. Barnes, a top contender for Rookie of the Year, averaged 15.3 points in 74 games. ... F Thaddeus Young left with a sprained left thumb
TIP-INS
Raptors: Had just two offensive rebounds in the first half. ... Chris Boucher also fouled out.
76ers: Rapper Meek Mill and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. sat courtside. ... Turned the ball over on the first possession of the second half. ... Matisse Thybulle had three points in 19 minutes. He won&rsquo;t be available for Games 3 and 4 in Toronto because he&rsquo;s not fully vaccinated.

Tyrese Maxey had the breakout game of his young career, scoring 21 of his playoff career-high 38 points in the third quarter.

Maxey breaks out for 38 points, 76ers beat Raptors in Game 1

There wasn&rsquo;t exactly a consensus about how the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; season would end, but it&rsquo;s probably safe to say that nobody foresaw this.
On Tuesday night, the Lakers saw their bleak playoff hopes reduced to zero when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets, and immediately thereafter &mdash; and rightfully so &mdash; Frank Vogel, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were all in the news.
In the end, there&rsquo;s no single reason the Lakers turned in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history &mdash; there&rsquo;s enough blame to go around.
What Rob Pelinka needs to figure out is how to fix it.
The answer, ironically, would probably be to start thinking small.
This past season, the team managed to find some serviceable pieces to augment the star-studded core, but only Davis, James, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves are under contract next season. The Lakers hold a team option on Stanley Johnson and Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn both have player options they are likely to pick up.
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The official 2021-22 Kendrick Nunn highlight reel 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/wDPehJyqpN">pic.twitter.com/wDPehJyqpN</a>
&mdash; Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1508967570560458762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Combined &mdash; thanks in large part to the commitments to Westbrook, James and Davis &mdash; the Lakers are in line to have about $148 million on their 2022-23 ledger, which is already about $26 million over the projected salary cap.
Said differently, outside of offloading one of Westbrook, James or Davis without taking much salary back in return, the team wouldn&rsquo;t be able to manufacture enough cap space to have a competent opportunity of improving via free agency. Obviously, the club could go the route it went this past season and hand out one-year, minimum salary contracts to aging veterans, but the players who could actually make a difference for the Lakers won&rsquo;t exactly be lining up to sign on the dotted line given the performance of this year&rsquo;s team.
To make matters even worse, the Lakers don&rsquo;t own a pick in this year&rsquo;s draft. Their first rounder was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, while their second-round pick is owned by the Spurs.
So how does a team with no cap space and no draft picks improve?
Simple: by thinking small.
Ask the Brooklyn Nets, and look toward the Miami Heat.
A historically frugal franchise, Miami has never necessarily found itself in the kind of salary cap hell the Lakers are in at the moment. Part of the reason why is because one of the constants during Pat Riley&rsquo;s tenure has been investing heavily in scouting and player development. The same rings true of most successful small market franchises.
Players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis may win you the championship, but throughout history, it&rsquo;s always been players like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who get you there in the first place.
Contenders invariably unearth valuable and sometimes unknown role players and maximize those role players' talent. For example, this year's Miami team has enjoyed the combination of Tyler Herro, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven combining to earn only about $7 million. That's about $3 million less than Talen Horton-Tucker alone. Strus and Yurtseven are far from household names, but Miami wouldn&rsquo;t be entering play on April 6 as the first seed out East without them, especially considering the injuries the team has dealt with this season.
Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn also go on a list that features the likes of Bam Adebayo, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as players drafted and developed by the staff in Miami.
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Some time ago, the Lakers had what looked like a competent core of young players. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine that just four years ago, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson were all teammates in Los Angeles. They&rsquo;ve all come and gone, most to facilitate the arrivals of LeBron, Davis and then Westbrook.
The Lakers do have a championship to show for that roster churn, but from this point forth, the way out might actually be to go back to the drawing board. Sean Marks and his Brooklyn Nets, another franchise that Lakers VP of Operations Rob Pelinka would be wise to mimic this summer, provide a blueprint for how to go about doing that.
When Marks took over the Nets in 2016, Brooklyn was not in a good place. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry had all come and gone, and the draft picks that became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Collin Sexton were living their best lives elsewhere. The Nets had a bloated payroll, a team of scrubs and no future.
The NBA's Chicago Draft Combine was only two months after Marks was hired in Brooklyn, and despite not owning a first-round pick, he sent quite a contingent to the Windy City. Their directive was to do as much recon work as possible to find Marks some players who could help. Marks used Thaddeus Young to trade his way into the first round and came away from the draft with Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Within the next six months, he signed two diamonds in the rough, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
One season later, Marks drafted Jarrett Allen and landed D&rsquo;Angelo Russell in a trade with the Lakers, and that was essentially the core that both got Brooklyn back on track and ultimately landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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Highlights Kyrie Irving &amp; Kevin Durant 🆚 Sixers<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/viw7ZzQQIZ">pic.twitter.com/viw7ZzQQIZ</a>
&mdash; Back2Back (@B2BFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/B2BFR/status/1502186067541307394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Obviously, that all took time to come to fruition, and time isn't something that LeBron James has. But the point is that no matter how daunting the situation, a competent NBA front office can build a team without having the most obvious assets readily available. That the Lakers have two superstars should actually make the task a bit less difficult.
In this league, there are generally two types of teams: those who rely on free agency and trades to build their contender, and those who build their programs organically, most often through the draft. Big-market teams tend to be the former, while small market teams usually go the other route.
If either Marks or Riley were put in charge of the Lakers&rsquo; front office, they would probably trade Horton-Tucker for draft capital after realizing he&rsquo;s not the right fit there. They&rsquo;d engage the Pelicans, Blazers, Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Grizzlies &mdash; teams who may have multiple first-round picks &mdash; and find a way to come away from the draft with a young piece and at least one more promising player from the summer circuit. Only then would they go knocking on the doors of guys like Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye and Victor Oladipo, all of whom could help and potentially be had for cheap.
By the time the 2022-23 season tips off, the team could be remade. Some names we&rsquo;d know, and many we wouldn&rsquo;t. But as we&rsquo;ve seen before, often, it&rsquo;s the names we don&rsquo;t know who end up making the biggest difference. Alex Caruso, anyone?&nbsp;
Neither DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield nor Kyle Lowry will be coming to save the day; Pelinka and James got themselves into their current mess, and they&rsquo;ll have to get themselves out.
With their season ending much sooner than anyone could have imagined, the Lakers will have plenty to address over their long summer.
But, at least in the NBA, small steps can lead to major strides.
With few options, the Lakers should be so wise.
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With the Los Angeles Lakers out of playoff contention, they must now focus on rebuilding like a small-market team.

Only fix for LeBron’s Lakers is to operate like a small-market team

DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine each scored 26 points and Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 113-99 on Monday night.
DeRozan shot 11 for 14 as the Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak and remained in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and had five rebounds. Fred VanVleet scored 19 points on 7-for-22 shooting from the field and 3-for-12 sniping from 3-point range. Chris Boucher had 19 points, and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Raptors, who had won six of seven heading into Monday's game, remain in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto hung around until LaVine scored eight-straight points to break the game open in the third quarter as the Bulls pieced together a 21-8 run.
Toronto forward Thaddeus Young got the deficit under 10 points with a layup with 35.1 seconds left in the third quarter, but LaVine buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Bulls back up by double digits, 84-73, to start the fourth quarter.
The Bulls assisted on 28 baskets and turned the ball over just six times, despite Toronto building a 62-48 scoring edge in the paint.
Chicago forward Patrick Williams returned to the court for the first time since Oct. 28 after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist.
TIP-INS
Raptors: F Thaddeus Young has brought valuable veteran experience since being acquired from San Antonio in February, according to coach Nick Nurse. &ldquo;(VanVleet) has gravitated to (Young) a little bit. He&rsquo;s a real pro. He&rsquo;s very involved in the game plan and the teaching of the guys already,&rdquo; Nurse said. ... Toronto was without guard Gary Trent Jr. after he hyperextended his toe late in a 93-88 win over Philadelphia on Sunday. F OG Anunoby was out with a finger fracture, missing his 15th game since Feb. 16. Nurse said Toronto is getting used to filtering players in and out of the lineup due to injuries and acquisitions after an adjustment period earlier in the season.
Bulls: After undergoing left knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in January, G Lonzo Ball will miss more time, according to coach Billy Donovan. Ball and the medical staff met and decided to stop running and cutting for 10 days in the hope of eliminating pain as Ball also recovers from a bone bruise. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no complications from the surgery ... they&rsquo;re trying to figure out why he&rsquo;s having this discomfort, and some of that could be he&rsquo;s got a little bruising there.&rdquo; ... Williams didn&rsquo;t look limited in 11 minutes of first-half action, scoring five points on 2-of-5 shooting, and grabbing two rebounds. Donovan kept him on a 25-minute cap.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Bulls: At Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine each scored 26 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 113-99 on Monday night.

DeRozan, LaVine propel Bulls to 113-99 win over Raptors

Although some top-tier players who were expected to hit free agency this coming summer have already signed extensions, the 2022 NBA free-agent class will feature quite a few stars.
After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-free-agency-preview-ranking-the-top-10-guards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">examining the best guards up for grabs in free agency</a>, let's rank the top free-agent forwards set to hit the open market this summer:
1. Miles Bridges &mdash; Charlotte Hornets &mdash; Restricted
Charlotte reportedly offered Miles Bridges a contract extension worth $60 million over four years this past summer, which was rejected. With Bridges exploding this season (averaging a career-high 20.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists), the Hornets' front office likely regrets not upping that offer, as the stud power forward is now in line for a massive pay raise. He is one of only five players in the NBA this season to have knocked down at least 125 three-pointers while also averaging at least 20/7/3. The other five players are LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns.
2. Luguentz Dort &mdash; Oklahoma City Thunder &mdash; Team Option
Lu Dort established himself as one of the league's elite young defenders early on in his career. This season, he has proven he is also capable of putting up points on the offensive end. Before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this month, Dort was averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 made three-pointers. Over his final eight games, he averaged more than 23 points a night. The Thunder front office has an interesting decision to make. If OKC exercises its team option, Dort can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023. However, he would be eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $58 million in that scenario. Dort would become a restricted free agent this July if the option is declined.&nbsp;
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3. Marvin Bagley III &mdash; Detroit Pistons &mdash; Restricted
A trade from Sacramento to Detroit has given Marvin Bagley a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/can-marvin-bagley-iii-shed-the-bust-label-with-the-pistons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">much-needed opportunity to revive his career</a>. He has scored in double-digits in each of his last seven games for the Pistons, and is averaging 16.0 points (on 56.7% shooting), 7.3 rebounds and a steal during this current stretch. According to Evan Sidery of BasketballNews.com, "the most plausible scenario &mdash; unless Bagley is completely sold on his long-term fit in Detroit &mdash; is to sign a one-year qualifying offer to make him an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023."
4. Robert Covington &mdash; Los Angeles Clippers &mdash; Unrestricted
Robert Covington, who is now on his fifth team in the past four years following the trade that sent him from Portland to Los Angeles, has seen his production decline in recent seasons. However, the 31-year-old RoCo is still capable of contributing on both ends of the floor due to his 3-and-D skill set.
5. Jae'Sean Tate &mdash; Houston Rockets &mdash; Team Option
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Undrafted in 2020, Jae'Sean Tate earned his way onto the NBA's All-Rookie team last season by averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 boards, 2.5 dimes and 1.2 steals. Despite logging fewer minutes this season, Tate has increased his scoring (12.3 PPG), rebounding (5.5 RPG) and assist (3.0 APG) averages. The Rockets can retain Tate for the 2022-23 campaign by picking up a team option worth just $1.8 million.
6. Nicolas Batum &mdash; Los Angeles Clippers &mdash; Player Option
It seems as though Nic Batum has been around forever, but he's only 33 and has proven this season that he has plenty of treads left on his tires. Although his stats don't jump off the page, nearly everyone in the Clippers organization has raved about how much Batum brings to the table &mdash; both on the court and inside the locker room &mdash; as a respected leader. Los Angeles, playing without its two superstars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, has greatly exceeded expectations this season, and Batum, one of LA's most valuable all-around players, is a significant reason why. He'll have plenty of interested suitors this summer. Expect him to opt out and cash in.&nbsp;
7. Chris Boucher &mdash; Toronto Raptors &mdash; Unrestricted
Chris Boucher is in the second season of a two-year, $13.5 million pact he signed in 2020. After averaging 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 2020-21, his production and efficiency have dipped in 2021-22. He shot 38.3% from downtown last season, but that number has fallen below 29% this year, as his scoring average has dropped to 9.1 points per contest. However, it's worth noting that Raps are allowing just 105.3 points per 100 possessions with Boucher on the floor, and that his Net Rating of plus-4.9 is tops on the team, just ahead of Pascal Siakam (plus-4.5).
8. Thaddeus Young &mdash; Toronto Raptors &mdash; Unrestricted
Thad Young played well for Chicago in 2020-21 (averaging 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in just 24 minutes a night), but had spent most of this current season in and out of the Spurs' rotation prior to being traded to Toronto in February. A consummate professional who's well respected around the league, Young should draw plenty of interest from contenders looking for a reliable vet to bring off the bench.&nbsp;
9. Joe Ingles &mdash; Portland Trail Blazers &mdash; Unrestricted
Unfortunately, in late January, Joe Ingles suffered a torn ACL in his left knee that ended his 2021-22 campaign. Over the past few seasons, he has been one of the league's more efficient long-range snipers (he averaged a career-high 12.1 points and 2.7 made three-pointers per game in 2020-21); however, the Aussie swingman will be 35 years old in October and working his way back from a major injury to boot. On the bright side, Ingles' game was never predicated on athleticism. He said last month he has "zero doubt" he'll be playing in the NBA again.
10. T.J. Warren &mdash; Indiana Pacers &mdash; Unrestricted
T.J. Warren was a beast in the Orlando Bubble at the end of the 2019-20 season, when he averaged 31.0 points, 6.3 boards and 3.7 made treys. That said, he played just four games last season, and hasn't set foot on an NBA court during the entire 2021-22 campaign. He'll have to provide medicals to any team interested, but he's still just 28 years old. Some team will likely roll the dice on a one-year, make-good contract in hopes of Warren resurrecting his career.&nbsp;
Best of the Rest:
Otto Porter, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker, Derrick Jones Jr., Carmelo Anthony, Hamidou Diallo (team option), Al-Farouq Aminu, Andre Iguodala, Taurean Prince, Blake Griffin, Caleb Martin, Jeff Green, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Cody Martin
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Tommy Beer ranks the top forwards who could be available as a part of the 2022 NBA free-agent class.

2022 NBA Free Agency Preview: Ranking the top-10 forwards

I tuned in late for Raptors-Suns on Friday night, but I knew I had to tune in.&nbsp;
A team with a diverse pick-and-roll offense featuring plenty of empty corner ball screens and Spain actions? And you're telling me they got to face off against one of the rangiest, switchiest teams in the sport?
Sign. Me. Up.
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The fourth quarter starts with Phoenix spamming three empty corner ball-screens, all headlined by Cam Payne. On the first, he comes off to his right and makes the one-pass-away swing to Landry Shamet for a contested triple. On the next trip, Payne flows into a contested pull-up with Fred VanVleet trailing him.&nbsp;
The shot misses, is rebounded by JaVale McGee, then kicked back out to Payne. They do the dance again, with Payne touching the paint on this one. A late switch is forced, with Precious Achiuwa picking up Payne on the drive. He contests vertically, but Payne gets a tough one to go.
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My initial thought after the first minute of fourth quarter play: Wow, that was a pretty quiet start for Achiuwa.
And I meant it in a good way.
It's not easy to defend three empty corner actions in a row against an unpredictable spark plug like Payne, while also dealing with the prospect of a lob threat like McGee getting behind you. Those three trips ended with one shot at the rim made my brow raise.
(That also gives me an excuse to drop this: 40 players have defended at least 35 empty corner ball screens since the All-Star break; only four bigs &mdash; Joel Embiid, Isaiah Jackson (!!!), Bam Adebayo and Karl-Anthony Towns &mdash; have allowed stingier marks than Achiuwa, per Second Spectrum.)
It seems counterproductive to appreciate a quiet aspect of Achiuwa, but it's the mark of growth for Toronto's second-year big man.&nbsp;
The flashes have been loud; a grab-and-go sequence here; a thunderous swat there; a poster dunk, just for funsies.
But then there's the other side: the wild passes, the dribble-dribble-dribble-shoot isolations that garner slumped shoulders from his teammates, the eagerness against ball fakes.
It's too early to say Achiuwa has put it together, but his post-All-Star break stretch &mdash; and honestly, you can track the shift back a little further &mdash; has been a step in the right direction.
In nine games since the break, he's averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in a shade under 23 minutes per contest. He has the second-best net rating (plus-1.2) among rotation regulars, trailing only Malachi Flynn.
(Don't forget to set your cuckoo clocks forward an hour tomorrow, friends.)
In true Achiuwa fashion, his True Shooting percentage since the break is both underwhelming (53.6, below league average) and a massive improvement from his pre-break number (46.7). The boom in efficiency can be explained by his three-point shooting; he's drilled 46.2% of his triples on nearly three attempts per contest.
He's been fruitful from the corners, but there's a little bit of diversity present. He's firing off of pick-and-pops. He can space in the corner, but has also shown the willingness to relocate to remain in his driver's line of sight.
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It would be irresponsible to dub Achiuwa as a mid-40s three-point shooter, but his comfort is worth monitoring. There's no hesitation in regards to the shot, and his footwork and shot prep are fine in multiple contexts. If he can cross the "reliable" threshold in the minds of defenses, that can open up his driving game.
Full disclosure: I have no idea what to make of it right now.
He has legit ball skills, and a first step that can best most centers in space. It helps him in grab-and-go situations after defensive rebounds, and there's potential worth exploring in half-court scenarios. This possession from Friday's action is ringing in my head.
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That's Achiuwa popping, pumping, then attacking McGee's top foot and absolutely dusting him off the bounce.&nbsp;
That is&nbsp;also&nbsp;Achiuwa missing Thaddeus Young as Bismack Biyombo rotates over, then getting swatted at the rim as a result.
I'm not sure there's a larger gap between a player's perception and their percentages than Achiuwa at the rim. You'd think a guy with his athletic gifts and measurements would be an elite finisher, but yet:
<ul>
<li>He's converting 55% of his shots at the rim (7th percentile), per Cleaning The Glass</li>
<li>About those ball-skills: Achiuwa is shooting 37.5% (!) on shots via drive since the All-Star break, one of the worst marks in the league</li>
<li>He gets blocked&nbsp;a ton:&nbsp;14.2% of his shots at the rim <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/nba/player?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have been swatted</a>, one of the highest marks among qualified players (min: 1000 minutes) per PBP Stats.</li>
</ul>
Passing more would probably help these matters; he's only passing on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star&amp;TeamID=1610612761&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% of his drives</a> since the break, and rarely gives up the rock after offensive rebounds.
On the defensive end, Achiuwa has showcased high level potential. He's incredibly switchable, able to mirror wings and some guards in space while using his 7-3 wingspan as a buffer. Darius Garland didn't have the best time earlier this week.
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That switchiness allows the Raptors to flatten actions in the half-court. Lineups featuring Achiuwa with their core four (VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam) have outscored teams by 5.5 points per 100 possessions behind a stingy defense. Opposing offenses have a three-point rate of 29.1 with that group on the floor, a mark that ranks in the 90th percentile.&nbsp;
While not a great rebounder himself, he does boost Toronto's rebound rate by nearly <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsPlayerID=1630173&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three percentage points</a> this season. That number has <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsPlayerID=1630173&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become more stark</a> since the All-Star break.&nbsp;
The case for starting Achiuwa is what he unlocks defensively, and how his open-floor handling can further help the Raptors push in transition. What's holding him back is his ability to cap or continue possessions &mdash; the finishing has to be much better, and his willingness to move the ball must improve.
I will say, Achiuwa doesn't seem far off. Even with his warts, he's clearly the most talented of Toronto's actual centers. He leads their big man room in fourth quarter minutes &mdash; late-game trust matters more than jump-ball responsibilities, anyway.
Keep an eye on him.
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Nekias Duncan digs into Precious Achiuwa's second-half surge with the Toronto Raptors.

Why doesn't Precious Achiuwa start for the Raptors?

On March 27, 2021, the Chicago Bulls faced off against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&amp;T Center. The most important sequence of the game had zero impact on the contest's outcome, and it only lasted a few seconds. It actually happened during a stoppage in play.
DeMar DeRozan shot four free throws that evening and prior to one of his attempts at the charity stripe, Bulls center Nikola Vucevic approached him. DeRozan and Vucevic had a relationship dating back to college, as they were teammates at USC during the 2008-09 season.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re a free agent,&rdquo; DeMar recalls Vucevic telling him, <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/gq-hype-demar-derozan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">via GQ</a>. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s figure this thing out.&rdquo;
(This may seem like tampering, but the NBA decided a while back that there's no way to stop players from recruiting one another; basically, the league's tampering rules only apply to executives, owners and coaches.)
When Vucevic was traded to the Bulls prior to last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, he hoped that other stars would want to come play with him and Zach LaVine. He told me as much in his first interview after the trade.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think by making these moves, the Bulls already sent a strong message to the rest of the league that they really want to win now,&rdquo; Vucevic <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bulls-nikola-vucevic-qa-were-built-to-be-successful-for-years-to-come" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BasketballNews.com</a>. &ldquo;And when you make that step and have some success, it also attracts other people to want to play for a team like that.&rdquo;
When I agreed that having two All-Stars in a large market like Chicago would certainly attract fellow stars, Vucevic replied, &ldquo;Hopefully!&rdquo;
Several months later, another person from DeRozan's past also started recruiting him to sign with Chicago: Bulls general manager Marc Eversley. Back in 2009, Eversley was the Toronto Raptors assistant GM, and he played a lead role in drafting DeRozan with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The two spent four seasons together in Toronto.
When DeRozan met with Eversley last summer, the Bulls' GM had a simple pitch: &ldquo;Come be yourself, let&rsquo;s go out there and win.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He knew everything about me basketball-wise,&rdquo; DeRozan told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/gq-hype-demar-derozan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GQ&rsquo;s Tyler R. Tynes</a>. &ldquo;He understood how I could fit in and they wanted to allow me to be myself.&rdquo;
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Shortly after, Chicago acquired DeRozan in a sign-and-trade with San Antonio, giving up Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a future first-round pick and two second-round picks for the four-time All-Star. (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/thaddeus-young-was-blindsided-by-spurs-trade-bulls-said-hed-be-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A move that blindsided Young</a>).
It turns out Eversley&rsquo;s pitch lined up perfectly with DeRozan&rsquo;s thinking at this stage of his career.
&ldquo;The only thing that matters to me now is winning. That&rsquo;s my only approach,&rdquo; DeRozan told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/gq-hype-demar-derozan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GQ</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my only satisfaction.&rdquo;
In that case, DeRozan has to feel awfully satisfied this season, as the Bulls are currently 38-21, which is the best record in the Eastern Conference. They have the fourth-best offense in the NBA, and DeRozan is a major reason for that.
The 32-year-old is playing the best basketball of his life, averaging a career-high 28.1 points as well as 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists on .517/.343/.866 shooting splits.
In fact, DeRozan just became the first player in NBA history to score 35+ points while shooting at least 50% from the field for seven consecutive games, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's previous NBA record. In February, he's averaging 35.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 57.2% from the field, 33.3% from three and 89.1% from the free-throw line.
DeRozan has been one of this season&rsquo;s pleasant surprises, and he has emerged as a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate. Who knows if this incredible chapter of his career would&rsquo;ve happened if two people from his past hadn&rsquo;t recruited him to join the Bulls?
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Nikola Vucevic and Marc Eversley go way back with DeMar DeRozan, which helped them recruit the star to the Chicago Bulls.

How Nikola Vucevic, Marc Eversley recruited DeMar DeRozan to Bulls

With the NBA trade deadline over and done with, the BasketballNews.com staff wants to share our thoughts on the moves that went down. Since Nekias Duncan thoroughly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">graded each and every trade from the past week</a>, we wanted the rest of our team to react to the results of the ever-so-eventful week.
Our writers have discussed their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winners</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-losers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losers</a> of the trade deadline. Now, in our latest Roundtable, we asked our writers the following question:
Which under-the-radar move from the NBA trade deadline is your favorite?
Alex Kennedy:&nbsp;Leading up to the trade deadline, I was really hoping that the Detroit Pistons would acquire Marvin Bagley III from the Sacramento Kings, because he seemed like the perfect buy-low addition for them. Bagley fits with Detroit's young core and this is the kind of low-risk, high-reward trade that I love. Bagley needed a change of scenery, and the Pistons only had to give up Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles and two future second-round picks to take a flier on the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Spencer Davies: It feels like Serge Ibaka to the Milwaukee Bucks could really pan out if the big man finds the footing he had last season prior to that untimely back injury. He&rsquo;s knocking down 38.7% of his triples, so he&rsquo;ll be able to stretch the floor. Defensively, he doesn&rsquo;t have quite the same lift as he did before, but he&rsquo;s a big body to get through on the interior. We should all remember that Ibaka is somehow still only 32 years old. Let&rsquo;s just hope he stays on the floor this time around and gets to play in the postseason. I&rsquo;m also a huge fan of what the Detroit Pistons did to snatch-up Marvin Bagley III. It wasn&rsquo;t that long ago that the young forward was making waves across the prospect world. It seemed he was stuck in purgatory in Sacramento, with no organizational continuity and different head coach after different head coach. Bagley is 22&hellip; Twenty-two. The Pistons acquired a potential long-term fit for free, essentially, next to Cade Cunningham. Treat it like a free draft pick.
Ethan Fuller: While the Celtics were one of my <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade deadline winners</a>, I do also really like the Derrick White trade from the Spurs' perspective. White was a questionable fit on the timeline of a San Antonio team loaded with young guards. The Spurs received a first-round pick this summer for the rebuild and a first-round swap for 2028, which is always a good gamble. Romeo Langford is another interesting flier for them to take. Add in the first-round pick from Toronto in the Thad Young trade, and San Antonio has seriously started a stockpile of potential young talent without giving up major pieces.
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Moke Hamilton:&nbsp;It&rsquo;s hard to not be thrilled with the Los Angeles Clippers finding a way to walk away from the deadline with Norman Powell and Robert Covington. Assuming Paul George and Kawhi Leonard eventually return to form, they&rsquo;ll have an excellent two-way supporting cast that will have them considered among the NBA's favorites. As far as this season is concerned, I like the Bucks&rsquo; acquisition of Serge Ibaka. Serge is still trying to find himself after undergoing back surgery, but he&rsquo;s been showing signs lately. Bobby Portis has emerged as a starting-caliber center and Serge will give Milwaukee a very similar skill set coming off their bench. At this point, we don&rsquo;t know if Brook Lopez will be able to return to form, so Serge provides insurance in that regard as well.
Bryan Fonseca: Thaddeus Young to the Raptors. It'll be fun to watch him play regularly again, and he fits right into what Toronto does. They'll be even scrappier, somehow, and could win a playoff series against the right team.
Evan Sidery: Phoenix <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-running-it-back-with-torrey-craig-will-loom-large-in-postseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reuniting with Torrey Craig</a> was an underrated move on Thursday. Trading Jalen Smith, an unproven lottery pick who didn't pan out, plus their 2022 second-round pick to Indiana for Craig helps fill an immediate concern. The Suns will rely upon Craig&rsquo;s versatility as they try to go on another deep playoff run. JaVale McGee and Craig will bring havoc in the Suns' second unit, but another dimension is more small-ball possibilities. The Suns' second unit looks incredible on paper: Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Cameron Johnson, Torrey Craig and JaVale McGee. Phoenix can be so multiple now with their lineups &mdash; always a plus for a championship-chasing team.
Mat Issa: I think the Raptors came away like bandits snagging Thad Young for virtually nothing. He&rsquo;s always had a really additive and versatile skill set that has allowed him to morph himself into whatever role the team he plays on needs (energy guy, post scorer, playmaking hub, etc.) In Toronto, he&rsquo;ll provide some much-needed playmaking (he&rsquo;s probably already one of the five best passers on the roster) and add some more size to the mix.
Mark Schindler: I loved the Pistons adding Marvin Bagley III. They've truly lacked a real vertical threat around the rim on offense, and he adds that dynamic alongside Cade Cunnigham. He's made subtle improvements in his game this season &mdash; a change of environment could really be a boon for his further development.
Justin Lewis: Torrey Craig to Phoenix was nice. I was personally hoping that Memphis would snag him. The Suns look like the odds-on favorite to win it all, taking for granted the team's health. Adding Craig and Aaron Holiday to the mix just adds to their roster depth without messing with any of the chemistry.
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Which under-the-radar move from the NBA trade deadline is your favorite? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which under-the-radar trade is your favorite?

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Dejounte Murray tied his career highs with 32 points and 15 assists to go with 10 rebounds for his 11th triple-double this season, Keldon Johnson scored 26 points and the San Antonio Spurs cruised to a 136-121 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
The Spurs shot 24% on 33 3-point attempts in Wednesday&rsquo;s loss at Cleveland, but they got off to a sizzling start. The were 8 for 9 to take a 43-29 lead at the end of the first quarter. San Antonio tied a season high with 18 3-pointers.
Murray was there the whole way, going 11 of 18 from the field, including 8 of 9 on 3-pointers, and leading a relentless defensive attack on the perimeter that held the Hawks, who entered second in the NBA on 3s, to 29.3% beyond the arc.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing in this league," Murray said. &ldquo;You make shots, you miss shots, and I think tonight we made shots, but we also kept our composure and matured. From the first quarter to the fourth quarter, we didn&rsquo;t let up. We knew we couldn&rsquo;t let up against a scoring team like Atlanta. That&rsquo;s really what it was tonight."
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 23 points in a reserve role and Trae Young, the league&rsquo;s third-leading scorer, finished with 16 for Atlanta. The Hawks had won eight of nine at State Farm Arena but began the game 10th in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;Just flat," Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand where that came from. As we&rsquo;ve talked about the last couple of days, with the position we&rsquo;re in and the urgency we need to play with, we were just flat.
&ldquo;They outworked us. They played harder than us. They executed better than us, and it happened for 48 minutes. This is a surprise."
The Spurs, who began the night 13th in the West, had dropped 13 of 18, but this game was hardly in doubt as they pushed the lead to 26 at the 9:16 mark of the third on Murray&rsquo;s jumper. A 14-3 run by Atlanta trimmed the lead to 12 late in the third, but San Antonio wasn&rsquo;t further threatened, going up by 23 on Devin Vassell&rsquo;s dunk with 7:47 remaining.
Murray punctuated the fourth by tying his career high in points with a steal and a dunk that made it a 24-point lead with 4:10 to go. He left the game with the rest of the starters at that point.
&ldquo;Special, that&rsquo;s all I can say is special," Vassell said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s who I look up to. He texted me before the game. That&rsquo;s my guy. That&rsquo;s my dog for life. To see him and he helps all of us go. So when we see him getting out and getting steals and just being Dejounte, it fires all of us up. He&rsquo;s special. That&rsquo;s all I can say."
Murray&rsquo;s 3 made it 21-11 for the game&rsquo;s first double-digit lead. From there, Johnson and Vassell hit 3s and Jakob Poeltl a pair of free throws to put the Spurs up 34-17 with 4:49 left in the first.
Atlanta pulled within six midway through the second, but quickly gave back the momentum and trailed by 17 again on Zach Collins&rsquo; 3. The Spurs, up by as many as 18 in the first half, led 73-56 at intermission.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Murray set the Spurs&rsquo; franchise mark for career triple-doubles with 15, breaking a tie with David Robinson. ... Vassell started after Derrick White was traded to Boston on Thursday and finished with 20 points. ... Poeltl hit from halfcourt for his first 3-pointer of the season to beat the second-quarter buzzer. ... G Tomas Satoransky, acquired from Portland in a three-team trade this week, will join the team in New Orleans on Saturday. ... G Josh Richardson and swingman Romeo Langford, acquired in the deal with the Celtics, are expected to join the team in Chicago on Monday. ... San Antonio traded for G Goran Dragic in a deal that sent F Thaddeus Young to Toronto, but he is expected to be bought out. Dragic has played only five games this season after not cracking Raptors coach Nick Nurse&rsquo;s rotation. ... The Spurs have three first-round picks heading into this year&rsquo;s draft.
Hawks: Young notched his NBA-leading 13th 30-point, 10-assist game in Tuesday&rsquo;s blowout win over Indiana. Since the NBA-ABA merger, only James Harden and Russell Westbrook in 2016-17 have accumulated more 30-point, 10-assist games before the All-Star break.
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STANDING PAT
The Hawks made no moves at the trade deadline. That McMillan fine.
&ldquo;If nothing makes sense and you feel comfortable with what you have, which we do, you stay put, which is what we did,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to be able to move on from the trade deadline. We know that we&rsquo;re going to be the group that finishes this season together and we can focus on that.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Spurs: At New Orleans on Saturday.
Hawks: At Boston on Sunday.
&nbsp;

Dejounte Murray and the Spurs cruised to victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

Murray has 11th triple-double, Spurs roll past Hawks 136-121

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

NBA buyout candidates: 10 players who could be available

Nekias Duncan thoroughly grades every NBA trade from 2022 Deadline Week.

Grading every move from 2022 NBA trade deadline week

Now that the smoke has cleared following one of the most eventful NBA trade deadlines in league history, which teams are best positioned to make a championship run this season?
Not only were there several blockbuster trades prior to today's deadline, there were also a number of contenders who made moves that may have altered the NBA landscape.
The Brooklyn Nets entered Thursday as the favorites to win it all this season (at +400, or an implied 20% chance of hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy). However, following today's blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, the Nets' odds <a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/us/basketball/nba/nba-championship/winner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped to +500</a> (or an implied 16.7% chance).
After being viewed as the championship favorite all season long, Brooklyn now has the same title odds as the Phoenix Suns (+500) and Golden State Warriors (+500).
At the moment, there is no clear-cut favorite to win this year's title, with oddsmakers giving the Nets, Suns and Warriors each an implied 16.7% chance of winning the championship.
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&ldquo;The Nets odds weren&rsquo;t severely hurt, as they added some top talent in the deal," <a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/us/basketball/nba/nba-championship/winner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OddsChecker</a> spokesman Kyle Newman said. "Ben Simmons brings elite defense and playmaking and Seth Curry is an elite three-point shooter. Adding the two of them mitigates the loss of Harden some."
The 76ers were the big winners today, as their odds jumped from +1600 (or an implied 5.9% chance of winning the title) to +550 (or an implied 15.4% chance). <a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/us/basketball/nba/nba-championship/winner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oddsmakers</a> essentially believe that the deal triples the 76ers' chances of winning it all, and Philadelphia now has the fourth-best championship odds.
"Meanwhile, the 76ers just traded somebody who wasn&rsquo;t playing for them along with two role players to add one of the league&rsquo;s best scorers. They couldn&rsquo;t have imagined a better scenario, and oddsmakers are taking notice," Newman said.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="208">
Team&nbsp;
</td>
<td valign="top" width="208">
Odds before trade&nbsp;
</td>
<td valign="top" width="208">
Odds after trade&nbsp;
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="208">
Brooklyn Nets&nbsp;
</td>
<td valign="top" width="208">
+400, 20% chance
</td>
<td valign="top" width="208">
+500, 16.7% chance
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="208">
Philadelphia 76ers&nbsp;
</td>
<td valign="top" width="208">
+1600, 5.9% chance
</td>
<td valign="top" width="208">
+550, 15.4% chance
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Golden State Warriors
</td>
<td>
+460, 17.9% chance
</td>
<td>
+500, 16.7% chance
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Phoenix Suns
</td>
<td>
+500, 16.7% chance
</td>
<td>
+500, 16.7% chance
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
While the Warriors had a quiet deadline, the Suns were also active, trading for Torrey Craig and Aaron Holiday this afternoon. Phoenix only had to part ways with Jalen Smith and a future second-round pick too. Even though the Suns weren't able to land Eric Gordon or Thaddeus Young (as they had hoped), these were still two impressive win-now moves.
The Nets are currently 29-25, which is the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference (and they have lost nine-straight games). The Sixers are 32-22, which puts them in the East's fifth seed. The Suns (44-10) and Warriors (41-14) are the top two seeds in the Western Conference.

Following one of the most eventful trade deadlines in NBA history, oddsmakers don't see a clear-cut championship favorite.

After NBA trade deadline, oddsmakers see no clear-cut title favorite

The Raptors are trading Dragic and protected 2022 first-round picks to the Spurs for Thad Young, Drew Eubanks and a 2022 second-round pick via Pistons, sources tell ESPN. Pick is protected 1-14 in 2022; 1-13 in 2023 and would turn into two seconds beyond that.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491820016165076997" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Wojnarowski adds that the Spurs are expected to buy out Dragic once the trade is complete, with the Bulls, Bucks, Clippers and Mavericks among interested teams. Dragic played just five games for Toronto and is on an expiring $19.4 million contract. Young had also been relegated to a reserve role in San Antonio, averaging a career-low 14.2 minutes per game off the bench.

Adrian Wojnarowski adds that the Spurs are expected to buy out Dragic once the trade is complete.

Spurs trading Thad Young to Raptors in trade for Goran Dragic

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-sixers-and-nuggets-on-come-up-nets-sliding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics (thanks to their dominant defense) are three of the big climbers this week, while the Nets continue to head in the wrong direction.
1. Phoenix Suns (44-10) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
Despite posting the NBA's best record, the Suns are reportedly looking to upgrade their roster. <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-james-harden-ben-simmons-caris-levert-collin-sexton-malik-beasley-thaddeus-young/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype</a>, Phoenix is one of two teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves being the other) that have expressed interest in trading for San Antonio Spurs veteran Thaddeus Young.
2. Golden State Warriors (41-13) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
It appears Klay Thompson is finding his groove, which is bad news for the rest of the NBA. Klay has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games and is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.6 made treys (while shooting 42.9% from downtown) over his last five contests. &nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (38-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
The Grizz just keep on winning. They've won 6 of their last 7 games and 19 of their previous 23. Memphis has not lost consecutive contests since before Christmas. Over their last 20 games, Ja Morant is averaging 29.9 points (while shooting over 51% from the floor), 6.7 dimes, 6.3 assists, 1.6 made triples and 1.1 steals. Those are jaw-dropping numbers for any player, let alone a 22-year-old kid in just his third pro season.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
Interesting statistical factoid from the Bucks 137-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. In that game, Milwaukee became the first team in NBA history to have each member of its starting lineup score at least 15 points, grab at least 5 rebounds and knock down at least 2 three-pointers.
5. Miami Heat (35-20) &harr;️ Last Week: 5
When the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, Miami clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through the end of last week, which means Erik Spoelstra and his staff will head to Cleveland later this month to coach Team Durant in the All-Star Game.
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6. Chicago Bulls (33-21) &harr;️ Last Week: 6
The Bulls, playing without two of their best perimeter defenders in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, have lost 3 of their last 4. However, after playing Wednesday in Charlotte, Chicago begins a six-game homestand that wraps around All-Star weekend. Following the matchup with the Hornets, the Bulls don't play on the road again until Feb. 28.&nbsp;
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The Cavs acquired Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for injured point guard Ricky Rubio and three draft picks over the weekend. "Very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience," Cleveland president Koby Altman told reporters. "LeVert fits uniquely into our culture, and his Ohio roots bring an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster." It's an excellent addition for the Cavs to supply them with the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reaction-caris-levert-fills-blended-need-for-cavs-as-pacers-reset" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scoring wing they were looking for</a>, making Cleveland that much scarier come playoff time. LeVert is expected to be active for Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
8. Philadelphia 76ers (32-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 4
The Sixers are 10 games over .500 and Joel Embiid is doing much of the heavy lifting. Over his last 10 games, the big man is averaging 36.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In the process, he may have established himself as the odds-on favorite to take home the MVP award entering the All-Star break. &nbsp;
9. Dallas Mavericks (32-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Reggie Bullock tallied 22 points (on 8 of 14 shooting with 6 made three-pointers), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. He's been a big part of the Mavs success of late. Over Dallas' past seven games, Bullock is averaging 17.9 points (while shooting 50.0% from the floor), 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 treys, 1.3 steals and just 0.6 turnovers.
10. Utah Jazz (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Donovan Mitchell sealed the win for the <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahjazz</a> with 3 fourth-quarter steals, after GOING OFF for 21 points in the first half! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeNote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TakeNote</a> 🕷 <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a>: 32 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL <a href="https://t.co/IiPsFfYDIu">pic.twitter.com/IiPsFfYDIu</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490927965319970816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Donovan Mitchell racked up 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in Utah's victory over the Knicks on Monday night. Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) did not play in the win, but the Jazz are hoping he is cleared to return to the action later this week. They also just acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a three-team deal</a> to add some youth (and depth) to their backcourt.
11. Denver Nuggets (30-24) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
Nikola Jokic was at it again Sunday, registering another triple-double in Denver's 124-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Joker finished with 27 points (on 12 of 15 shooting), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and just 2 turnovers in only 30 minutes. This one (his NBA-leading 14th triple-double) was notable because it was the second time in Jokic's career he's recorded a 25-point triple-double while also shooting above 80% from the floor. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history with more than one such game.
12. Toronto Raptors (29-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
The Raptors, who are currently riding a six-game winning streak, have discussed a trade that would send Goran Dragic (and his $18 million expiring contract) to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>.
13. Boston Celtics (31-25)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Celtics have posted a 13-4 record dating back to New Year's Eve, and it's their defense that has turned Boston's season around. Over this 17-game stretch, the C's are allowing just 101.5 points per 100 possessions. To put that number in context: No team in the NBA other than Boston is allowing fewer than 106.5 points per 100 possessions over the past six weeks. Boston ranks first in Net Rating in 2022 as well. As usual, Marcus Smart has led the charge (pun intended) on the defensive front. He leads his team in pass deflections (64 more than any other Celtic) and charges drawn.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-25) ⬆️ Last Week: 17
In the 18 games this season in which Minnesota has been able to roll out its preferred starting five of D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley, the Wolves are 13-5.
15. Brooklyn Nets (29-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Nets have lost nine straight games. They are 12 games under .500 dating back to late December. Kevin Durant is still weeks away from returning to action after spraining the medial collateral in his left knee last month. James Harden looks puffy and is nursing a hamstring injury. Joe Harris suffered a setback in his recovery from left ankle surgery in late January and reportedly could need a second surgery. Of the 27 games remaining on the Nets schedule, 14 of them are on the road. However, four of those contests are against either the New York Knicks or Raptors, which means Irving will only be able to suit up for (at most) 10 games. But, yeah, other than that, everything is all good in Brooklyn.&nbsp;
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16. Charlotte Hornets (28-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> this week that the Hornets are one of several teams that have expressed interest in Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl. The Bulls and Raps have also been rumored to be interested in Poeltl.
17. Atlanta Hawks (26-28) ⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Hawks were just 1-3 in their previous four games prior to Tuesday (although that one win was impressive &mdash; a victory at home over the Suns last Thursday, which snapped their 11-game winning streak). Atlanta took advantage of a reeling Indiana Pacers squad Tuesday night, beating them 133-112.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (26-29) &harr;️ Last Week: 18
Over the Lakers' last four games, Russell Westbrook is shooting a putrid 27.5% from the floor, 15.4% from downtown and 55.0% from the charity stripe. Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over the Knicks, when Westbrook was alone with the ball in the corner, the home crowd shouted at him not to shoot. When New York forced overtime, head coach Frank Vogel benched Russ for Talen Horton-Tucker. Westbrook was also benched for the final 14 minutes in Tuesday&rsquo;s loss to the Bucks. Will the Lakers admit they made a mistake before the deadline and reroute Russ out of Los Angeles?
19. New Orleans Pelicans (22-32) ⬆️ Last Week: 23
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🔥 Brandon Ingram WENT OFF for 17 points in the 3rd quarter on his way to 33 points and the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> win! <a href="https://twitter.com/B_Ingram13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@B_Ingram13</a>: 33 PTS, 12 AST, 3 STL <a href="https://t.co/3uT1ocPpgg">pic.twitter.com/3uT1ocPpgg</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490683017949552641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

New Orleans, who won just one of their first 13 games this season, is now riding a four-game winning streak and has jumped up into 10th place in the Western Conference. And on Tuesday, the team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-pelicans-pushing-chips-in-on-cj-mccollum-was-a-wise-investment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added a stud scorer to its roster</a>. The Pels acquired CJ McCollum along with Larry Nance and Tony Snell from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jason Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada and draft compensation. I love this deal for New Orleans.&nbsp;
20. Los Angeles Clippers (27-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 19
Last week, the Clippers made a shrewd trade, sending Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a second-round pick to the Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. It will help not only help them make a playoff push this year, but will also <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-why-the-blazersclippers-deal-works-for-both-sides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">round out their roster next season</a> when they can count on both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George returning to full strength. Powell looked great in his Clippers' debut on Sunday, tallying 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting in just 24 minutes. He followed that up with a 16-point night in a lopsided loss to the Grizz.
21. Washington Wizards (24-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
After the 2021-22 season started with plenty of promise, the Wiz have lost 8 of 9 heading into Thursday's matchup with the Nets. They will likely look to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-spencer-dinwiddie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade the struggling Spencer Dinwiddie</a> before the deadline arrives.&nbsp;
22. New York Knicks (24-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 21
New York has lost 10 of its last 12 games, but Mitchell Robinson had been playing some of the best basketball of his career before sitting out Tuesday's loss due to a back injury. Over the last month, Mitch Rob is averaging 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. During this stretch, the only other players in the NBA also averaging double-digit points and rebounds to go along with at least 1.4 blocks are Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
23. San Antonio Spurs (20-34) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
Spurs fans learned Monday that Dejounte Murray will make his NBA All-Star Game debut after being named an injury replacement by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Murray is averaging 19.6 points, 9.2 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals this season, and has a chance to become just the third player ever to average at least 8 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals per game over an entire season.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (20-36) ⬆️ Last Week: 26
The Kings shook up the league Tuesday afternoon, trading Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick. It is stunning that Sacaremto would part ways with Haliburton. The 21-year-old has exceeded all expectations since being drafted in 2020. He is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 5 assists and 2 made three-pointers per game while shooting over 40% from downtown in each of his first two pro seasons. (The only player to have accomplished this feat is Stephen Curry.)
25. Portland Trail Blazers (21-34) ⬇️ Last Week: 22
The Blazers made waves on Tuesday, trading away former franchise cornerstone CJ McCollum. It continued on Wednesday afternoon, as Portland rerouted Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Utah for Joe Ingles' expiring $14 million deal in a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-team trade</a>. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that "Portland plans to fully reshape the roster around Damian Lillard now... the plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat." The team's also created a ton of cap space in the process and has a $21 million trade exception at its disposal.
26. Indiana Pacers (19-37) ⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Pacers, who are just 5-18 since Christmas, began breaking down their roster by trading Caris LeVert to the Cavs on Sunday, and then <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-exit-blockbuster-trade-with-kings-as-huge-winners-thanks-to-tyrese-haliburton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shipped off Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento</a>, as noted above. As our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-interested-in-trading-for-myles-turner-pacers-may-keep-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy reported</a>, Myles Turner is "a big fan of Tyrese Haliburton's game and is excited about the possibility of playing with the young guard." It appears Turner may stay in Indiana.
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27. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-36) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
The Thunder lost to the Warriors on Monday night, but Luguentz Dort had another strong outing, tallying 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. In the three games OKC has played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort is averaging 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 three-balls.
28. Houston Rockets (15-39) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Rockets would love to join this week's wheeling and dealing by exchanging veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon for draft capital. We'll see if they find a willing trade partner.&nbsp;
29. Orlando Magic (13-43) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
We know the Magic hope to flip Terrence Ross and Gary Harris in exchange for draft picks before Thursday's deadline. The question is whether they will also look to deal big man Mo Bamba. After struggling over his first three years in the NBA, Bamba is posting career-highs across the board this season. However, Orlando inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension back in October. The Magic are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Bamba, who has a $10.1 million qualifying offer for 2022-23 and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
30. Detroit Pistons (12-42) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
Killian Hayes has played a bit better of late, but he has failed to live up to expectations since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, Hayes is one of only two players in the NBA logging more than 20 minutes per game yet shooting below 38% from the floor and averaging fewer than 10 points per contest. For his career, he is just 50-of-179 from downtown (27.9%)... The Pistons have lost 9 of their last 10 contests.
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Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Bucks back into top tier, Mavs vault into top-10

The Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves are both interested in adding veteran forward Thaddeus Young, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sources: The Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves have discussed trading for San Antonio Spurs forward Thaddeus Young. Full details on the trade talks and players involved in the story. 👉🏼 <a href="https://t.co/Yg0jKcvDWr">https://t.co/Yg0jKcvDWr</a> <a href="https://t.co/EVQRlaD3ed">pic.twitter.com/EVQRlaD3ed</a>
&mdash; Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1491038188479332365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Young is having a dissapointing season, averaging only 6.1 points in 14.2 minutes per game. He's strugged to establish a consistent role in San Antoino's&nbsp; rotation, appearing in only three games since returning from a bout with COVID-19 in January.
Young still looked like an efective piece as recently as last season, averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game for Chicago. He was sent to San Antonio as part of the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade last offseason.&nbsp;

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

The Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves are both interested in adding veteran forward Thaddeus Young.

Report: Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves pursuing Thaddeus Young

With one week to go before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, talks are heating up around the league. In a year that seems very wide open, many teams could be enticed to make a win-now move and push some chips to the middle of the table. According to the rumor mill, we could see deadline deals involving a number of significant contributors who can swing potential playoff series.
So, which teams and players make the most sense together? Let&rsquo;s go dive into the moves that could swing the Western Conference standings despite Phoenix already creating noticeable distance up top.
Phoenix Suns: Eric Gordon
Will the rich get even richer? Phoenix may try to make a bold move and remove all debate over who's the West's No. 1 seed. As I mentioned previously, it&rsquo;s no secret that the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-suns-are-an-underrated-team-to-watch-at-the-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suns have inquired about Eric Gordon and Thaddeus Young</a> as midseason upgrades. Gordon would be via trade, while Young could be scooped up via the buyout market if no trade happens in San Antonio.
If the Suns were to accomplish this, their rotation would be absurd heading into a postseason as title favorites:
Starting Lineup: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
Second Unit: Cameron Payne, Eric Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Thaddeus Young, JaVale McGee
That right there is a dominant playoff rotation with no holes presented. On top of that, it&rsquo;s the type of trade teams make when they know how close they are to the ultimate goal. Phoenix checks all the boxes, and so do the fits of Gordon and Young in the Valley.
Gordon would immediately step in as a reliable third guard, with way less volatility than what Payne and Landry Shamet have presented this season. Gordon&rsquo;s versatility and sharpshooting would bring another boost to an already elite offense for the Suns.
Phoenix would have to send out Dario Saric, Jalen Smith and a cheap expiring contract (i.e. Elfrid Payton, Abdel Nader, Frank Kaminsky). The Houston Rockets have also let it be known they want a future first-round pick in any Gordon deal. Phoenix shouldn&rsquo;t feel concerned about relinquishing a protected 2024 first-round pick, especially with its championship window being right now.
Keep an eye on Phoenix, folks. They are positioned well to make a few notable splashes through different avenues.
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Dallas Mavericks: Myles Turner
Does Dallas really want to lock in this core around Luka Doncic? The answer should be "No," although Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith have provided strong chemistry alongside the Mavs&rsquo; young superstar point forward. Maybe the Mavs decide to keep Brunson around, but it&rsquo;s going to be a tough pill to swallow paying both him and Finney-Smith this summer.
With that being the case, now is the perfect time to strike on one of those assets to bring aboard a game-changing piece. Enter Myles Turner, who instantly jolts an already-recharged Dallas defense.
Turner instantly provides an elite rim-protector to take pressure off Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavs might take a small step back in rebounding with this move, but Doncic should be more than capable of taking on those duties.
The Indiana Pacers would receive Dwight Powell&rsquo;s salary, Finney-Smith as a looming restricted free agent and a first-round pick. With Turner&rsquo;s value down due to a foot injury &mdash; which could have him back on the court next month &mdash; this might be the best offer available for the Pacers.
With the sudden emergence of Isaiah Jackson and Terry Taylor, Indiana would be wise to move off Turner immediately. The Pacers are in a rare position to focus on the internal player development of their young core and simultaneously lose their way into a top draft pick. Focus on the young guys and take a flier on how Finney-Smith could fit next to Domantas Sabonis long-term.
Memphis Grizzlies: Kenrich Williams
One of the most underrated wings on the trade market resides in Oklahoma City. Kenrich Williams is a key glue guy for the Thunder, but imagine how much more valuable his presence would be on a real championship contender this postseason.
Williams is a name that checks a lot of boxes for wing-hungry contenders. I thought about sending Williams to Phoenix for this exercise, but settled upon how brilliant his fit would be in Memphis. The Grizzlies need another versatile wing to keep up in the West. Williams helps bring their strong start even more stability.
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Oklahoma City reportedly is looking for a future first-round pick in exchange for Williams. Memphis can provide that, plus an intriguing flier on a former lottery pick who hasn&rsquo;t panned out yet in Jarrett Culver.
It&rsquo;s not a star-type move, but Williams is one of those under-the-radar pieces that could thrive in the postseason.
Utah Jazz: Harrison Barnes
It&rsquo;s time for the Jazz to push those chips all-in, especially with their slump as of late with multiple core pieces out due to injury. Utah has fallen off its earlier pace trying to keep up with the Suns and Golden State Warriors. Now, they&rsquo;ve been leapfrogged by the Grizzlies, and multiple teams loom over the Jazz slipping even further in the standings.
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert can&rsquo;t do everything by himself in Utah. The Jazz have been exposed on multiple occasions for not having more versatile defenders surrounding Gobert to make his job a little bit easier.
Now, with Joe Ingles out for the season with a torn ACL, Utah needs to find an immediate contributor on the wing who can help bring the team much-needed, two-way versatility. Harrison Barnes makes so much sense as what the Jazz need to make the jump. Barnes and Jerami Grant have both been linked to the Jazz, so this has some serious smoke behind it.
Barnes is an excellent floor-spacing option who wouldn&rsquo;t take touches away from Donovan Mitchell. Also, the veteran forward is versatile enough to handle tough assignments on the wing, especially envisioning how it would look against Phoenix and Golden State.
Swapping out Ingles&rsquo; contract, Royce O&rsquo;Neale and a first-round pick for Barnes would be an instant upgrade for the Jazz. It brings them back into the conversation as real Finals threats atop the West with the Suns and Warriors.
How would you grade this rotation for the Jazz if it actually came to fruition?
Starting Lineup: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, Harrison Barnes, Rudy Gobert
Second Unit: Trent Forrest, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, Eric Paschall, Hassan Whiteside
That bench is a little thin for Utah, but the potency of the starting five completely outweighs that. Utah needs to make a big move, and the time is now.
Welcome to the Wild West, folks. This trade deadline is going to be a very interesting one for the Western Conference's true title contenders.
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The Western Conference feels wide open. How could the trade deadline have an impact? Here are four potentially massive moves.

4 potential NBA trade-deadline deals that would shake up the West

The 2021-22 NBA season has presented us all with its share of surprises &ndash; chief among them is the Chicago Bulls.
Chicago&rsquo;s 2020-21 season was messy. The Bulls ended the season 31-41, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference. The 2021 NBA draft marked Chicago&rsquo;s fourth consecutive lottery appearance, and the fact that none of their recent lottery picks appeared on track to lead a playoff team resulted in limited optimism. But, as is often the case, looking too far ahead results in incorrect assumptions.
Chicago had a surprising 2021 offseason centered around three key additions &ndash; DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. Ball, the first to sign, was a highly sought-after 2021 free agent. Chicago was forced to relinquish their next second-round pick for violating league rules while solidifying a sign-and-trade deal for the guard. Prior to suffering a recent knee injury that will cost him between six and eight weeks, Ball was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals (career high) per game, shooting 42.3% on three-point attempts. Caruso was playing well, too, averaging career-highs (or near career-highs) in points, rebounds, assists and steals. But like Ball, Caruso is also out for between six and eight weeks with an injury of his own.
The loss of Ball and Caruso will certainly hurt the Bulls, a team that has been playing its best basketball in years; but they are still projected to be an East leader, thanks in no small part to DeRozan. DeRozan is an enigma, in that he&rsquo;s produced everywhere he&rsquo;s been, and yet he&rsquo;s still looked over when discussing the best players in the league.
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DeRozan entered free agency hoping to head home to Los Angeles. A sign-and-trade was being discussed by the San Antonio Spurs and the Lakers, but the latter decided on adding Russell Westbrook instead. Thus, DeRozan landed in Chicago, where he is averaging a career-high 26.4 points per game.
The Bulls have won 30 of their first 47 games thanks in part to their offseason additions. But Chicago&rsquo;s success is obviously about more than just three players. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are both playing excellent basketball, as are Coby White, Patrick Williams and Ayo Donsunmu. Vucevic is another recent addition, having been added via trade at the deadline last season.
Much of Chicago&rsquo;s recent maneuvering was about keeping LaVine in Chicago. LaVine will enter free agency this upcoming offseason, and the Bulls knew they had to convince him that he could compete soon. And while LaVine and Vucevic are foundational pieces, they&rsquo;re not enough to compete without other stars around them. So, what if Ball, Caruso and/or DeRozan chose to sign elsewhere?
As far as All-Star caliber players go, only Chris Paul, John Collins, Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry hit free agency, meaning Chicago&rsquo;s options were limited last offseason. Of those four, only Lowry changed teams &ndash; and Lowry-to-Miami was the worst kept secret in the NBA for some time.
Had Ball not signed with Chicago, the Bulls probably would have pursued Spencer Dinwiddie or Dennis Schroder. Dinwiddie was immediately linked to Washington, whereas Schroder had fewer suitors. Schroder eventually signed with Boston on a one-year $5.9 million deal, making it fathomable that Schroder was an option.
The Bulls could have also pursued Victor Oladipo, who signed with Miami for the veteran&rsquo;s minimum. But Oladipo is still recovering from a torn quadricep. And while he&rsquo;s projected to return sometime in February, that type of addition tells a very different story to potential free agents. Adding Schroder and Oladipo wouldn&rsquo;t have had nearly the same impact as Ball, Caruso and DeRozan on the Bulls&rsquo; play, thus jeopardizing their ability to retain LaVine.
Who else would remain in Chicago? Obviously LaVine, Vucevic, White, Williams and Donsunmu would still be around. The Bulls dealt Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu to San Antonio for DeRozan; Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple to New Orleans for Ball &ndash; and finally Lauri Markkanen to Cleveland for Derrick Jones. Young, Aminu and Satoransky were still under contract, but Temple and Markkanen signed new contracts with their new teams after being traded. Markkanen was an RFA in 2021, whereas Temple was a UFA.
Ultimately, the lack of difference-maker free agents means that if the Bulls hadn&rsquo;t signed Ball, Caruso and DeRozan, their roster would look eerily similar this season to that of last season &ndash; and as we established above, last season&rsquo;s roster was flat-out ineffective.
Without Ball, Caruso and DeRozan, the Bulls would be mediocre at best. Their roster would be inferior to that of Miami, Cleveland, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Charlotte &ndash; and they would be in the same class as disappointing teams like Boston, Washington and New York. They would probably still qualify for the playoffs (or at least the play-in tournament), but they would struggle to compete with a top-four seed.
Talking longer term, LaVine would inevitably test free agency, taking meetings with teams with the requisite cap space or creativity to shape a deal. DeRozan joined, partially, because he wasn&rsquo;t prioritized as an elite free agent. But let&rsquo;s be clear, established superstars don&rsquo;t join teams without a clear path to compete, like DeRozan did last offseason. That means the Bulls would be under intense pressure to perform with no alternate courses of action.
Like the rest of the league, the Bulls had limited options last offseason. Fortunately for Chicago, the Bulls made the absolute best of a bad situation, signing the crown jewel of free agency in DeRozan. Free agency, and the 2021-22 season, could have gone significantly worse for Chicago. As it is, it couldn&rsquo;t really be much better.
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The Chicago Bulls made a splash in free agency, adding three impact players. What if they chose a different path forward?

What if the Bulls didn't go all-in this past offseason?

The Phoenix Suns are in the midst of a historically dominant start to their 2021-22 season. Sitting 30 games above .500 with a 39-9 record, they're creating comfortable distance atop the reloaded Western Conference.
Following a jaw-dropping run to the NBA Finals after missing the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons, Phoenix is poised to make another run for the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy. Not only is the Suns&rsquo; roster even stronger than it was last season, but they still have wiggle room to make another big-time move to shake up the hierarchy amongst title contenders.
Two weeks away from the trade deadline, could Phoenix be in a perfect position to swoop in and acquire another win-now piece to its already filled-out puzzle? Suns general manager James Jones, who <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/burns-gambo/james-jones-suns-general-manager-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared on Arizona Sports&rsquo; 98.7 FM on Wednesday</a>, was very coy about their potential intentions.
&ldquo;I always love that question,&rdquo; Jones said when asked about if the Suns will be buyers in a few weeks. &ldquo;People are always like, &lsquo;How aggressive will you be at the trade deadline?&rsquo; And I&rsquo;m always the same. I like my team. I like what we have.&rdquo;
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Jones, who is known for keeping his cards close to the vest since taking over as GM in Phoenix, isn&rsquo;t going to let everyone in the Association know who or what position the front office is targeting. At this point, it&rsquo;s well known that the Suns are one of the teams who never let anything leak out on their end. A polar opposite approach from former Suns GM Ryan McDonough, Jones lets the action come to him instead, which he implied on Wednesday.
&ldquo;If opportunities come to improve my team, I&rsquo;ll look at them,&rdquo; Jones <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/burns-gambo/james-jones-suns-general-manager-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;But every team is trying to do the same thing at the trade deadline, so unless you catching somebody who absolutely does not want to compete, you&rsquo;re really talking about lateral moves. I trust our continuity and our flow. I&rsquo;m focused on our guys and how we can improve internally. But I&rsquo;ll always say, the team I assemble in the summer is the team I believe in, and the longer we play together, the better we are. I guess that&rsquo;s a long way of saying: I like where we are.&rdquo;
So, let&rsquo;s dissect Jones&rsquo; answer a little bit further here.
Unless you catching somebody who absolutely does not want to compete.
Well, I can name multiple teams immediately off the top of my head who look to be sellers approaching the deadline &mdash; Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers &mdash; who all have players that could help put Phoenix over the top even further.
Again, Jones isn&rsquo;t going to let his intentions out, but the iron is scorching hot for the Suns to strike via multiple avenues. Not only can the Suns cobble together assets to really go after any significant bench piece around the NBA, they also can maneuver the roster around to be serious buyers for ring-chasing veterans in the buyout market. Thaddeus Young, who continues to collect DNP-CDs for the San Antonio Spurs, has long been linked to eventually land in Phoenix. With his trade value drying out with the Spurs, there&rsquo;s a lot of smoke surrounding him eventually landing in the Valley.
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Its might not seem appealing on the surface, but Phoenix actually has enough assets to put together an attractive package to a team selling at the deadline. Any combination of the following players would put Phoenix in a position to chase a significant rotational upgrade: Jalen Smith, Dario Saric, Landry Shamet, Elfrid Payton.
For example, the combined salaries of Saric, Shamet and either Smith or Payton would be enough to chase after Houston&rsquo;s Eric Gordon. Immediately, Gordon would provide much-needed juice to the Suns&rsquo; guard rotation. And if the price also includes a future first-round pick, which would be 2024 for Phoenix after the Chris Paul trade, the title window is right now so it shouldn&rsquo;t be a real debate internally.
Another scenario revolves around versatile Thunder wing Kenrich Williams, who instantly provides an ideal upgrade as the Suns' last wing above Abdel Nader. OKC reportedly wants a first-round pick for Williams, which Phoenix can do simply by swapping out Nader and a pick for Williams.
As you can see, there are multiple ways the already-dominant Suns can be become absolutely terrifying for a deep postseason run.
Could you imagine if the Suns landed one of Williams or Gordon, then signed Young on the buyout market? Here&rsquo;s what Phoenix&rsquo;s rotation would look like in the scenario they acquired Gordon and Young (hypothetical trade package for Gordon includes Shamet, Saric, Smith):
Starters: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
Second Unit: Cameron Payne, Eric Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Thaddeus Young, Bismack Biyombo
Although many wouldn&rsquo;t assume the Suns to be serious buyers at the trade deadline with their current record, the timing is setting up perfectly for them to pounce. The window to compete for championships is right now, over the next few years, as the Paul/Booker backcourt continues to burn defenses with ease.
When the Suns have made big moves, they've usually come out of nowhere. That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m recommending you keep a very close eye on what happens in the Valley over the next few weeks.
Things are about to get very interesting, I&rsquo;ll assure you that.
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With a 39-9 record, the Suns are poised to strike while the iron is hot for their championship window.

Why the Suns are a sneaky team to watch at the NBA trade deadline

Even though they fleeced the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, for, among other things, first-round draft picks that subsequently turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics still haven&rsquo;t figured out how to adequately build around the two All-Star swingmen for a sustainable period. In Part I of our joint series, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reshaping-the-celtics-for-a-playoff-push-part-1-the-backcourt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Lewis talked about solutions to the point guard predicament</a>.
Now, for Part II of this collab, I'll get into the situation with the bigs.
For the Celtics&rsquo; entire run as fringe or actual contenders &mdash; the 2016-17 season through now &mdash; think of all the times you could ever name a meaningful big man they&rsquo;ve had on their roster. The list goes as follows: Al Horford, Robert Williams and... that&rsquo;s it. Aside from that, it&rsquo;s a lot of Daniel Theis, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko, one of the Zellers, Aron Baynes and multiple runs (and name changes) with rebounding-specialist-turned-FOX-5-pundit Enes Kan... *sigh* &hellip; Freedom.
(Somehow, not one Plumlee made the list.)
Despite entering the later 2010s with a video game-like draft asset advantage over most of the NBA, the C's still haven&rsquo;t gotten to an NBA Finals, which highlights two things. One, it&rsquo;s very (emphatically insert expletive of choice here) hard to get to a Finals, never mind winning the championship. And two, just because you accumulate all those draft picks doesn&rsquo;t mean you&rsquo;re going to build a dynasty as some project. Why? Because this isn&rsquo;t a simulation... <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/15-irrefutable-reasons-we-might-be-living-in-a-simulation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even though it may feel like it sometimes.</a>
Amid <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-have-been-extremely-active-in-trade-talks-ahead-of-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade rumors involving Horford and Josh Richardson</a>, it&rsquo;s clear that the currently 25-24 Celtics are trying to execute something with an eye toward winning now and not rebuilding by splitting up the two Jays. Now, regardless of what they do, they'll probably "win now" anyway, given that the Eastern Conference is as strenuous as it is imperfect.
Sure, maybe a team other than the Nets, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks or Miami Heat break through. Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers finally make a Ben Simmons deal and push themselves into that upper-echelon group, or maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers make moves to remain afloat amid their surprising successes. Pointing all of that out is a reminder that the East is deep, and all of those teams are just better than the Celtics right now &mdash; regardless of the fact that their top two players are more talented than the top two players on at least half of those other teams.
Having <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-separating-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just written about Tatum and Brown</a> and whether or not they should even remain together, the most important thing is building this differently. Assuming the 24-year-old Williams &mdash; who is averaging 9.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this season &mdash; is your center of the present and future alongside the Jays, think about the 4-man who&rsquo;d best complement all three parties and their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reshaping-the-celtics-for-a-playoff-push-part-1-the-backcourt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hypothetical point guard change</a>. (Williams begins a four-year, $54 million extension next season.)
Thaddeus Young, San Antonio Spurs
Young&rsquo;s been in trade rumors all season and is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/spurs-thad-young-frustrated-about-role-this-situation-is-not-ideal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently not a regular part of the San Antonio Spurs' rotation</a>. But he&rsquo;d be just about perfect for so many teams, including the Celtics. In 2020-21, we saw Thad play meaningful minutes with regularity, averaging 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists; he posted a team-high 2.2 defensive win shares for the Bulls (tied with Patrick Williams).
He&rsquo;s 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, a career 50.2% finisher from the field, and 33.0% from three on 1.4 attempts per contest. Young shot 35.6% beyond the arc on a 3.5 attempts in 2019-20, but last season, he shot just 0.7 attempts per contest (26.7%) to provide more slashing ability for the Bulls. If Young &mdash; who is on a $14.1 million expiring contract &mdash; could be respectable from the perimeter, you&rsquo;d take that regardless of how little he took. (Not everyone needs to shoot mad threes to space adequately, guys.)
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The Hypothetical Trade: 
Celtics receive: Thaddeus Young ($14.1 million), Doug McDermott ($13.7 million) 
Spurs receive: Al Horford ($27 million), one or two second-round draft picks
In attaching a second-rounder or two to Horford, there&rsquo;s incentive for the Spurs to do this, even as Horford has $26.5 million coming next season, <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/boston-celtics/al-horford-2199/">though only $14.5 million is guaranteed</a>. McDermott is due $13.7 million the following two seasons, and by acquiring him, it makes the numbers work; plus this gives the C&rsquo;s an additional floor-spacer who&rsquo;d likely become a crowd favorite&hellip;.. Ya know?
Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons&nbsp;
A better and younger Thad Young? The 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist is apparently demanding, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/now/report-contract-extension-leverage-pistons-213513259.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">but you gotta respect it</a>. Grant&rsquo;s due over $20 million this season, and closer to $21 million next, the last of a three-year deal he signed just over a year ago. Grant&rsquo;s been out since Dec. 12, but over the last two seasons &mdash; in which he's played 78 games &mdash; Grant has averaged 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks since seeing an expanded role with the Pistons.
Chances are he winds up on a better team and doesn&rsquo;t have the same offensive workload, but on a good team, he&rsquo;s probably best suited as a third option (next to Tatum and Brown in Boston's case). And, if one of those two absolutely wants to leave for whatever reason down the road, you can tie yourself to whichever player you keep plus Grant, as well as whatever comes back. Grant wants an extension after all.
It&rsquo;s worth mentioning that Grant&rsquo;s shooting splits have been .425/.344/.847 with the Pistons on around six three-point and free throw attempts both per contest, but again, on that team, it&rsquo;s hard to be efficient &mdash; especially since he has more of the scoring load than he should. In Boston, you&rsquo;d expect him to be somewhere between where he was with the Denver Nuggets and where he is in Detroit now, in regards to scoring. Thus, his defense should also revert back to where it was in Denver and even in Oklahoma City, or something close to that.
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The Hypothetical Trade
Celtics receive: Jerami Grant ($20 million), Cory Joseph ($4.9 million) 
Pistons receive: Al Horford ($27 million), two first-round picks, and possible a second-rounder
You figure that multiple moves are coming, and Joseph is a very good backup point guard option who has a $5.1 million option for next season. This indicates that the Celtics would subsequently move off of others, like Dennis Schr&ouml;der and Richardson in separate deals for example. The Pistons will clearly want draft capital for Grant, more so if they&rsquo;re taking back Horford&rsquo;s contract. It feels like a win-win since the Pistons aren&rsquo;t going anywhere yet, and could try building around Cade Cunningham with a player who fit his timeline closer (i.e. Saddiq Bey and whoever you select in the 2022 NBA Draft).
Christian Wood, Houston Rockets
Wood is due $13.7 million this season and brings in another $14.3 million next season. Like Young, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-miami-heat-pursuing-christian-wood-in-trade-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he may be dealt this season</a>. Unlike Young, he isn&rsquo;t a dirty work, defensive-minded type of 4 as outlined earlier. But if you&rsquo;re hypothetically getting him, John Wall, Wood or Eric Gordon would likely come with. And Wood&rsquo;s the better fit if you&rsquo;re moving Horford, more so if it&rsquo;s Horford and Smart.
Since leaving the Detroit Pistons for the Rockets, Wood&rsquo;s averaged 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a block per game on .499/.370/.623 shooting splits across 86 games. He&rsquo;d be the third or fourth option in Boston, but a damn interesting one next to Wall, Tatum, Brown and Time Lord if you could somehow make the numbers work.
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The Hypothetical Trade
Celtics receive: Christian Wood ($13.6 million), John Wall ($44.3 million) 
Rockets receive: Al Horford ($27 million), Josh Richardson ($11.6 million), Dennis Schr&ouml;der ($5.8 million), Romeo Langford ($3.8 million), at least one first-round pick, and or multiple second-round picks. &nbsp;
I&rsquo;m not even sure that I like this move much, but if you&rsquo;re going to do this both ways &mdash; and with a need to include Wall and Horford &mdash; well, there you have it.
Grant Williams could also be included and the deal would still go through since he&rsquo;s only at $2.6 million. The Rockets should want multiple first-rounders, especially since nothing they&rsquo;d be getting back would excite them long-term otherwise. But, this is more of an &ldquo;I mean, I guess.&rdquo;
Read <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reshaping-the-celtics-for-a-playoff-push-part-1-the-backcourt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part I of this series</a>, where Justin Lewis addressed fixing the Celtics' point guard situation. 
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!&nbsp;

Bryan Fonseca looks at Boston's options in the trade market to bolster the frontcourt in Part II of his series with Justin Lewis.

Broken in Boston: Retooling the spiraling Celtics — Part II

It turns out that hoarding assets and a ton of "almost trades" may not be the best approach to build a franchise. The Boston Celtics are in the midst of suffering the ramifications of such an approach.&nbsp;
Boston has played the third-most games that come down to "clutch time," just one behind the Los Angeles Lakers and two behind the Milwaukee Bucks. They have won just 9 of those 26 games. Their .346 win percentage in clutch situations is only better than the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs; three teams you do not want to be in the same company as this season if you have serious playoff hopes.
It is hard to imagine that a team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, two undeniable stars, could be currently a half-game from not even making the Play-In Tournament. The Cs still have Marcus Smart with an emerging Robert Williams for their defensive needs, but the rest of the roster just does not make sense.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/bryan-fonseca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Fonseca</a> <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-separating-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took a dive into the Tatum-Brown pairing</a>, and he'll join me on this quest to solve this riddle that is the currenly-spiraling Boston Celtics. I will explore the need for a point guard in Part I, while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/part-two-what-fours-best-fit-beside-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan addressed the frontcourt in Part II</a>.
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Dennis Schroder and the Celtics were a marriage of neccesity rather than pure desire. Schroder bet on himself, leaving the best he ever had to look for even better, only to find out he made a mistake. Swiping through NBA Free Agency Tinder, the Celtics and Schroder matched because they both had a void to fill. After trading Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a reunion with Al Horford, newly-named president Brad Stevens had only Smart and Payton Pritchard on the roster to run the point.
Boston had an All-Star point guard for three straight seasons, and then, last year, Walker was often injured, which led to his departure. Going from big-name point guards to unproven floor generals, the Celtics gave Schroder a prove-it deal. But all it has proved so far is that he is not a fit to lead this team at the point position.
As a matter of fact, Schroder is not really fit to be the lead point guard on any team. The best seasons of his career arguably came as a backup to Jeff Teague in Atlanta. Once the Teague era ended, the Hawks, and Schroder's value, fell off a cliff.&nbsp;
In 2015-16, the final year of Teague, Schroder carried a plus-7.5 Net Rating along with his career-best Defensive Rating of 95.9. In those two following seasons as the lead guard in Atlanta, Schroder was an overall minus-8.2 with an average DRTG of 109.3.
When Schroder returned to backup duty in Oklahoma City for both Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, his NET jumped up to plus-3.6 and plus-5.5 respectively.
Looking from the lens of plus-minus, 4 of his 5 worst seasons are his rookie campaign and every year he was the primary point guard. The evidence is there: He's not built to lead a team that way.
Through trial and error, the Celtics now know that, and are reportedly open to moving him (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-have-been-extremely-active-in-trade-talks-ahead-of-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and other veterans</a>) elsewhere to open up time for their young guys. So where/who do they turn to? Smart at the point alongside Brown, Tatum, Al Horford and Williams is a plus-17.6 NET with 324 total possessions per Cleaning the Glass. But can the group get it done in the fourth quarter?
If Ime Udoka and Stevens believe they can, then moves should be made to ensure the team's depth on the bench. If not, the Celtics need grab a floor general off the trade market. Here are some scenarios:
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Memphis Grizzlies
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Tyus Jones is arguably the best backup point guard in the NBA and the current leader in Assist-to-Turnover ratio among qualified players (5.40). The Grizzlies are who they are in large part due to his ability to run the bench unit, but also hold the fort down if Ja Morant misses time.&nbsp;
So, why would Memphis do this? Well, the Grizzlies are not pressured to win the title this year. General manager Zach Kleiman has danced to the beat of his own drum, and will not accelerate his timeline simply because the team is ahead of schedule. Morant is due a rookie-scale max extension, and the Grizzlies will almost certainly have to fork over a near max to Desmond Bane when that time comes. On top of that, Jaren Jackson Jr. is already on the books for a $100 million extension, so money is tight in Memphis.
Kleiman is all about cashing in his assets; Memphis can't afford to pay Jones, so he could very well seek compensation now rather than let him walk in the offseason for nothing. Tyus will almost certainly be a starting point guard for someone next season, so Boston should look here first.
Memphis gets some expiring money back and a protected first-round pick for a player that would significantly help Boston's post season push. (It should be noted that Memphis may also try to get a hometown discount with Jones and keep him this offseason.)
Houston Rockets
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Speaking of the Grizzlies, they once traded Chandler Parsons to the Atlanta Hawks for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee. A genius financial move by Memphis. Kleiman broke down the Parsons contract into two easier-to-move contracts to get Parsons off the books.
The motivation for Houston here would be similar. Schroder is an expiring deal that the Rockets could buy out immediately, while Horford could be shipped to a third team to be broken down even further.&nbsp;
This issue with this trade on the Celtics' side is that Josh Richardson has been good for them, and while you upgrade the point guard position, the wing depth takes a hit. This is an all-in move for Boston that would most certainly be followed by either a trade for another wing or picking up a wing on the buyout market.
What does John Wall look like? Does he fit with Tatum and Brown? These are the questions that must be answered for this idea to even be kicked around. It's a rather unlikely scenario, but the market for quality point guards is quite dry.&nbsp;
San Antonio Spurs
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Here is your home-run swing. Bryan and I could not think of another available point guard (Malcolm Brogdon is ineligible to be moved) for Boston to pursue, so he mentioned this as a big swing. It may very well take more than two protected first-round picks &mdash; whether that is more picks or someone like Aaron Nesmith. The Spurs most likely have no interest in moving Murray this season, but for the right price, who knows.&nbsp;
This would be a massive deal for the Celtics. They would get a perfect point guard to play alongside Tatum, Brown and Smart, as well as a veteran in Thaddeus Young, who is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/spurs-thad-young-frustrated-about-role-this-situation-is-not-ideal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still waiting to pounce on an opportunity to play</a> after a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/thaddeus-young-was-blindsided-by-spurs-trade-bulls-said-hed-be-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">solid year in Chicago</a>. Young is almost certainly going to be moved, and if the Celtics could land him with Murray, Boston &mdash; while not becoming title favorites &mdash; could fight its way out of the Play-In Tournament.
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Danny Ainge is no longer at the helm, so what will Stevens do in his first season running the show? This roster clearly needs an immediate makeover, and it starts with repairing the point guard position.&nbsp;
Read <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/part-two-what-fours-best-fit-beside-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II of this series</a>, where Bryan Fonseca addressed the Celtics' frontcourt options in the trade market. 
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Justin Lewis looks at Boston's point guard dilemma and potential trade ideas for the Celtics in Part I of his series with Bryan Fonseca.