Lopers

The Los Angeles Lakers franchise never seems to have a dull moment, and you can bet the roller coaster will continue in 2023.
With another year gone by and 2022 officially in the rearview mirror, it&rsquo;s time for the purple and gold to look ahead. Similar to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumors-7-possible-deals-for-the-los-angeles-lakers-charlotte-hornets-washington-wizards-indiana-pacers-san-antonio-spurs-pistons-magic-knicks-lebron-james-anthony-davis-rob-pelinka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seven trade scenarios we looked at in last week's article</a>, I've decided to predict five things that could happen with the Lakers in the new year.
Let's take a look.
LeBron James will break the NBA's all-time scoring record sooner than expected
The Lakers season has been underwhelming so far, but LeBron has not been as he continues to play at an ultra-high level even in his 20th season. And now, he&rsquo;s on the verge of making history by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer.
The question wasn&rsquo;t if he would break the record this season, but when. LeBron has stayed healthy for the most part this year (only missing a handful of games so far) and finds himself just 484 points away from Kareem's mark of 38,387.
If James' scoring binge continues &mdash; he&rsquo;s averaging 36.6 points per game since Christmas, and Darvin Ham has said he will continue to ride him until Anthony Davis returns from injury &mdash; LeBron is going to top Kareem BEFORE the All-Star break.
Here are two dates to target, with both games at home:
<ul>
<li>Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 7</li>
<li>Milwaukee Bucks on Feb 9.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The Lakers finally make a trade... just not the big one
Going back to before the season started, Lakers' fans have been clamoring for Rob Pelinka and the front office to make a deal. And while LA has talked to a lot of teams, the franchise has yet to pull the trigger.
That will change before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but it won&rsquo;t be that big, potential-game changer that some are hoping for.
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The Lakers have been clinging onto their oh-so-precious, tradeable 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, and the team doesn&rsquo;t seem anxious to include either in a deal at this point. Instead, they&rsquo;d rather count on good returns for minimum-contract players like Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant, and the return of Anthony Davis before the end of January.
LA will do something, but it will be around the edges that will involve the expiring contract(s) of Kendrick Nunn ($5.2M) or Patrick Beverley ($13.0M) and some second-rounders. Think of Josh Richardson, Cam Reddish, or Mason Plumlee &mdash; players who can help now, but also are on expiring deals so the team can preserve its cap space and reset the repeater luxury tax (something owner Jeanie Buss loathes to continue paying).
The Lakers will get into the Play-in Tournament
Somehow, someway, this team will get into the postseason. Right now, LA sits at 17-21, but is just one game back of the sliding Utah Jazz &mdash; losers of five straight &mdash; for the 10th spot in the Western Conference.&nbsp;
The schedule is tough, and they'll need LeBron and Davis to stay/get healthy, but this group won&rsquo;t melt down the stretch like last season; they&rsquo;ll find an avenue into the Play-In. Maybe the Lakers could get as high as the No. 9 spot if things break their way, but that&rsquo;s probably their ceiling at this point. From there, they&rsquo;ll cross their fingers and toes that the LBJ-AD combo can do some damage. Good luck.
LeBron will remain with Lakers next season and beyond
Sure, LeBron is a bit frustrated with this season, and he already sounded off on his &ldquo;playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA&rdquo; salvo. And it&rsquo;s not wrong to think that he could get fed up with the situation in La La Land and demand a trade after the season.
(Remember, he cannot be traded during the season because he signed an extension in September and cannot be moved for six months, which is after the trade deadline.)
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lebron james is shooting 72.7% on drives&mdash;and 84.9% at the rim&mdash;since the anthony davis injury <a href="https://t.co/ji0u4Wt2kY">pic.twitter.com/ji0u4Wt2kY</a>
&mdash; Dan Favale (@danfavale) <a href="https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/1611105868736614426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2023</a></blockquote>

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LeBron has every right to be upset. Anyone would be, especially a 38-year-old, still-near-his-prime superstar who is chasing one more ring to tie him with Laker greats Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.
With that being said, he&rsquo;s not going anywhere. His sons Bronny (18) and Bryce (15) are entrenched at Sierra Canyon High School, his off-the-court businesses have thrived since moving to California and his family really enjoys the west-coast lifestyle.
LeBron doesn&rsquo;t seem interested in moving his family or being away from them during an NBA season. While he&rsquo;ll continue to put pressure on the front office when it comes to the roster, the bet here is that he&rsquo;s not going anywhere. Well, at least not for the next few seasons.
LA goes big-name hunting and lands one
Nothing says &ldquo;Lakers exceptionalism&rdquo; like the team always looking to add another superstar. And unless the organization makes a trade taking on salary for future years (don&rsquo;t hold your breath), LA is set to have around $30 million in cap space this upcoming offseason. That&rsquo;s not enough to get a star on a max deal, but it could be enough to get a distressed one.
I give you Kyrie Irving.
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While Irving has been a big part of the Brooklyn Nets turning their season around &mdash; now in the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference at 25-13 &mdash; he&rsquo;s a free agent at the end of the season, and the Nets would still have to make a commitment to him. That could come down to how far they go in the playoffs. Even then, Nets governor Joe Tsai and general Sean Marks could decide they&rsquo;ve had enough of the Kyrie experience.
Of course, the Lakers wouldn&rsquo;t shy away from Irving despite the off-court attention that comes with him. LA is desperate for another big name player. He&rsquo;s probably a much better fit that Russell Westbrook. He definitely is a better long-range shooter. But will his actions off the court get him in trouble? That&rsquo;s a big gamble for most teams.
The Lakers aren&rsquo;t one of them. They embrace chaos. LeBron has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYeEyAqkw_c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly already indicated he would welcome playing with Irving again</a>, and the <a href="https://www.nj.com/nets/2023/01/how-has-kyrie-irvings-recent-stellar-play-with-the-streaking-nets-impacted-his-free-agency-situation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feeling seems mutual</a>. Despite his sometimes jaw-dropping offensive talent, most teams will steer clear of him. That would allow the Lakers to offer him a good, but less-than-max deal of around two-years, $62M.
Is that enough for Irving? It might be the best deal he gets offered.

Brian Fritz predicts five scenarios that could happen regarding the Lakers in the new year.

Making 5 predictions for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023

As the Kevin Durant saga reaches its latest chapter, both sides are digging in for what could be an even more drawn-out process. He's already told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai to either trade him or fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, so his desires to leave Brooklyn are clear.
There's a lack of trust in the organization&rsquo;s direction moving forward, but the Nets already have shown they won&rsquo;t bend to every demand the future Hall-of-Famer makes.
But unless Brooklyn eventually lowers its asking price &mdash; which is presumably what many interested teams are betting on &mdash; there&rsquo;s no reason to believe this process won&rsquo;t drag into the regular season. If so, the next step will be Durant sitting out games away from the team until his next destination is found.
From the beginning, Durant&rsquo;s desired destination was the Phoenix Suns to team up alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul. Six weeks later, we don&rsquo;t know whether Durant has backed off that stance. If not, that could be the reason why this is dragging out even longer. Phoenix is seemingly falling off many radars, but we shouldn't rule them out of the sweepstakes just yet. Brooklyn holds power, but so does Durant to keep this tug of war going as long as possible.
As the Suns' noise quieted down, new suitors emerged &mdash; the Miami Heat and, most recently, the Celtics. SNY&rsquo;s Ian Begley mentioned the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers as new choices atop Durant&rsquo;s updated wishlist.
&ldquo;Our front office and coaching staff have my support,&rdquo; Tsai wrote on Twitter in response to his meeting with Durant. &ldquo;We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.&rdquo;
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Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
&mdash; Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/joetsai1999/status/1556791235427405824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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With Tsai picking his side, we'll all wait to see what offers are truly in the best interest of the Nets&rsquo; murky long-term outlook. In the meantime, it&rsquo;s hard not to let the mind wander on what that could entail.
What if the Nets look back upon the Pacers&rsquo; situation with Paul George in 2017, taking the best offer on the table for their disgruntled superstar in a non-preferable destination? While it seems far-fetched, anything at this point seems possible within this ongoing battle at the bargaining table for who gets what in the end.
When it was over, Indiana acquired two blossoming All-Stars in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, even when it felt like leverage wasn&rsquo;t on its side. George wanted to go to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Pacers stood firm on getting a proper return for their star forward.
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Who could come out of nowhere and surprise us all as the Nets' possible trade partner a la the Thunder to the Pacers five years ago? Excluding the known top contenders for now &mdash; Phoenix, Miami, Boston and the Toronto Raptors &mdash; let's try to find a potential team lurking in the shadows who would also check off both parties' boxes.
Philadelphia 76ers
This all comes down to the possibility of including Tyrese Maxey. If you&rsquo;re in the position of Sixers president Daryl Morey, with your chips already all-in on winning a championship with Joel Embiid and James Harden, Durant certainly makes you think for a moment. Knowing Morey&rsquo;s aggressive nature, a blockbuster centered around Maxey for Durant works well within their win-now time frame. The allure of Maxey is there (only 21 years old and blossomed upon Harden&rsquo;s arrival midseason), but this is arguably the greatest three-level scorer ever we&rsquo;re talking about.
Forming a trio consisting of Durant, Embiid and Harden is simply unfathomable to envision. The possibilities are endless, and hopefully the third time would be the charm when it comes to the former Thunder teammates reuniting less than a year removed from their split.
Philadelphia can quickly make salaries work for Durant by adding in Tobias Harris, who reportedly has been on the trading block since Morey&rsquo;s arrival. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Brooklyn&rsquo;s asking price for Boston was a young player on a star trajectory (Jaylen Brown), a solid starter (Marcus Smart), another role player and multiple draft picks. The Sixers check every box in that scenario, which should automatically make them a viable dark-horse candidate.
Would a package centered around Maxey, Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Philadelphia&rsquo;s 2029 first-round pick with little to no protections be enough for the Nets to accept? For the Sixers, there&rsquo;s a real pathway to getting a top spot at the table once the dust settles sometime on Durant.
New Orleans Pelicans
In any superstar-type trade rumor, the Pelicans tend to pop up one way or another because of their newly assembled war chest of assets. Following the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades, New Orleans sits on a treasure trove of draft capital spanning the next five years.
At any point, Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin could decide to cash in on the last piece of the Pelicans&rsquo; puzzle to become the next version of the Suns &mdash; acquiring an established veteran star to take a talented young core over the top. CJ McCollum could qualify as such following the Pelicans&rsquo; deadline move for him, but what if Durant was intrigued enough to play alongside Zion Williamson in the Bayou?
Boston putting a player of Brown&rsquo;s caliber on the table makes this debate even more interesting. In my opinion, Brandon Ingram would be a better return in comparison to Brown for Durant. Both are on the same tier, but Ingram gets the slight edge for me. Witnessing his ascent on the postseason stage, Ingram is poised to take another step forward in his rapidly climbing career.
If the Nets desire a player who meets or exceeds Brown in trade talks, Ingram is the one who'll get the job done. The question in the end, of course, would be Durant&rsquo;s blessing. If Durant doesn&rsquo;t want to play the next four years in New Orleans, these thoughts would quickly dissipate into fantasy.
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However, you can&rsquo;t deny the Pelicans as a legitimate jaw-dropping destination because they have the list all checked off for Brooklyn&rsquo;s needs as well. Ingram is the young star, and Larry Nance Jr. qualifies as the ideal veteran role player. Maybe New Orleans would have to throw in either Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III on top of draft picks too. It's a massive asking price, but one that would be necessary to make something like this go down.
Until the Pelicans eventually cash in on what they've worked so hard to build, they will always be a sneaky contender for any eventual disgruntled superstar. And if the Pelicans rise as expected in 2022-23, they will become a destination anyway for win-now veterans.
Chicago Bulls
Outside of Philadelphia and New Orleans, we now reach the organization that would truly shock everyone. What about the Bulls? Would they be willing to throw an All-NBA player into another superstar deal?
DeMar DeRozan is only 11 months younger than Durant, but he is the best chip they could bring forward to Brooklyn. On top of DeRozan &mdash; whose salary wouldn&rsquo;t be enough in a straight-up swap &mdash; Chicago would presumably include a key piece of its young core. The obvious candidate is Patrick Williams; the former No. 4 overall pick flashed promising two-way potential before sustaining a wrist injury early last season, reentered the fold in late March and became a crucial component in the postseason. Then, Chicago would probably need to throw a solid role player into the mix. Either Lonzo Ball or Alex Caruso fit the Smart type of role we discussed previously.
Although Chicago gutted its draft capital in separate deals for DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, the organization still owns a future pick from the Portland Trail Blazers that could convey as early as next season. The Bulls&rsquo; next eligible draft pick that can be included in a trade is their own 2027 first-round selection.
As I wrote earlier this offseason, the Bulls feel one big splash away from truly taking the next jump in the Eastern Conference. Rudy Gobert made so much sense to complete their defensive overhaul, but Durant represents a roster upgrade of seismic proportions &mdash; a bump that might be necessary to become a Finals contender the next few years. Why not push the chips in and see what happens with Durant and Zach LaVine as a 1-2 punch?
For a team that has to remain in win-now mode because of its draft picks being sent elsewhere, Brooklyn might be intrigued enough to listen to something centered around DeRozan, Williams and other assets.
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Atlanta Hawks
Fresh off making their own blockbuster trade to improve before the new league year, could the Hawks make sense as a Durant out-of-nowhere landing spot? There are very slim odds on that possibility, but it's a scenario worth exploring because Atlanta's roster still feels a move or two away.
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray will bring fireworks to the Hawks' backcourt on a nightly basis, but is the core right now strong enough to take the necessary steps forward in the reloaded East? We know at this point what John Collins and Clint Capela bring to the table. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a solid third guard for Atlanta, but injuries have become a problem as of late.
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Atlanta's young collection of players is what makes this thought interesting, at least for a moment. Would the Nets be intrigued by De'Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, A.J. Griffin and one of Collins, Capela or Bogdanovic to make salaries match? Compared to the other known suitors and ones already listed, it really isn't in the same stratosphere unless Brooklyn bets big on Hunter taking a huge leap. Based on Hunter's postseason performance, don't rule out the 24-year-old becoming more of a two-way focal point in Atlanta.
It might not be enough to be a real threat to swoop in for Durant, but it'd be wise to keep an eye on the Hawks as we get closer to February's trade deadline. If the Young/Murray backcourt gets off to a hot start, maybe Atlanta will go for broke and decide the time is now for a Finals push.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is not a destination market for superstars, but Giannis Antetokounmpo brings enough pull to make it such. Giannis is nowhere close to escaping the prime of his career, but could you imagine him playing next to Durant? My goodness, that's basketball heaven right there.
Before we go too deep down that rabbit hole, though, it feels almost impossible regarding the actual odds of this happening. Not only are the Bucks starved of draft capital because of the Holiday trade, but Brooklyn would need to believe Middleton could replace Durant long-term. Only a few years younger than KD and deserving of a max contract next offseason, it might not make much sense for either side to even explore this potential thought.
For the Bucks to even bring a respectable offer to the table compared to everyone else, they would likely have to include Middleton and Holiday in a massive blockbuster that sends back both Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Yeah, that's for sure fantasy land right there, but I do appreciate the few minutes we had talking about Durant and Giannis playing on the same basketball team.
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With no end in clear sight right, who knows how long this standoff between Durant and the Nets lasts? As time continues to drag on, maybe some front office executives from teams we're not even thinking of decide to call Brooklyn to inquire about an all-time great.
George wanted the Lakers, but he ended up in Oklahoma City. Kawhi Leonard's desired destination was Los Angeles upon asking out of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, but he was sent packing to Toronto instead. There is a precedent where a superstar doesn't get what he wants in the end, but a player of Durant's caliber takes it up a whole new level.
The best interest of the Nets might not be what Durant wants, and vice versa. The next steps are falling into place regarding how this could all end, and a new pseudo deadline of training camp looms around the corner.
Whether Kevin Durant remains in Brooklyn by then remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: The NBA has shown us time and again that anything is possible when it comes to superstar movement.

As the Kevin Durant trade saga reaches six-plus weeks, could teams come out of nowhere in potential negotiations? Evan Sidery dives in.

Identifying 5 sleeper NBA teams to trade for Kevin Durant

After the Utah Jazz were eliminated by the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers last June, the rumors swirling around Donovan Mitchell and his potential departure from the team began in earnest.
Following an ugly five-game losing streak earlier this year, the rumors picked up more steam. In late January, NBA analyst <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/is-grayson-allen-a-dirty-player-nba-insiders-weigh-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ric Bucher of FOX Sports reported</a> that the "incessant buzz around the league is that there are those in Mitchell's circle who believe he is too big of a star for Salt Lake City."
The league-wide gossip has only intensified, as the Jazz have imploded over the past three months and descended down the Western Conference standings in the process.&nbsp;
Utah was 26-9 over its first 37 contests this season and trailed the West-leading Suns by just a game on New Year's Day. However, the Jazz are four games below .500 (18-22) over their last 40 games. And things have gone from bad to worse as of late.
Not only have they lost 6 of their past 7 contests, but they've also somehow managed to blow massive leads in back-to-back defeats (bungling a 25-point advantage to the Clippers and a 21-point lead in a loss to the Golden State Warriors). On the season, the Jazz have lost 15 games in which they've held double-digit leads. During this current seven-game stretch, Utah's defense has been non-existent, allowing a whopping 123.2 points per 100 possessions.&nbsp;
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The Jazz currently find themselves sitting in the No. 6 spot out West, just one-and-a-half games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means Utah could potentially slip into the Play-in Tournament.
The relationship between the star duo of Mitchell three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert has been notoriously rocky in years past, and it appears to be wobbly once again.&nbsp;
Mitchell not sharing the ball with Gobert has become a topic of conversation. On the season, Mitchell has passed the rock to the big man just 151 times, or on average, <a href="https://twitter.com/DustinT_NBA/status/1510492258063163393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than twice per game</a>.
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Donovan Mitchell's full response at shootaround this morning when he was asked about the number of times he passes to Rudy Gobert per game: <a href="https://t.co/OTez0jURfz">pic.twitter.com/OTez0jURfz</a>
&mdash; Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1511390020136964102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After Utah choked away a massive lead to the Clippers last week, Gobert was brutally honest in his postgame presser.
"Nobody hits nobody. We don't get our hands dirty. We never get our hands dirty," <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/03/30/triple-team-jazz-lost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gobert told reporters</a>. "We're a very good basketball team, but I get f***ed up every night, and guys are literally beating me up every night, as they should. It's basketball; it's a physical game. But we have to get to the point where we do that to the other team too. But teams don't really expect that from us."
Mitchell was later asked about finger-pointing while the team was struggling.
"That's childish, in my opinion,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/04/01/utah-jazz-vow-not-fall/">Mitchell replied</a>. "If we do that, then we've got some big problems."
Three days later, Utah blew another double-digit fourth-quarter lead in Golden State. "I don't know how many times it's gonna happen," Gobert said afterward. Jazz beat writer <a href="https://theathletic.com/3226333/2022/04/03/jazz-blow-another-big-lead-and-seem-to-have-no-answers-to-some-troubling-questions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Jones wrote</a> that the Jazz "play as if they have zero trust in each other, and that's the hard truth."
If the Jazz flame out in the playoffs later this month (they are just 10-17 in the postseason over the last three years), Utah's front office will have some tough decisions to make. And many NBA insiders believe Mitchell may force the organization's hand.&nbsp;
Appearing as a guest on the "The Lowe Post" podcast last Friday, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/schwartz-and-macmahon/id986595124?i=1000555962078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Tim MacMahon proclaimed</a>:
<blockquote>
The idea that Donovan Mitchell is going to spend his entire career in Utah is absolutely ridiculous. That's one of the things that's staring them in the face this summer. That's also one of the things that has been looming over this franchise all season long. 
</blockquote>
MacMahon added that "other teams have been planning to make a run at Mitchell" for quite some time.
On a podcast in February, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trade-deadline-megapod-part-2-the-losers/id1078713316?i=1000550747046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated</a> also painted a grim picture of the situation in Salt Lake City:
<blockquote>
I think they're in trouble because this thing has run its course, and we know there are some tensions that are in that locker room. And I've been told recently that they might be a little worse than we've even been led to believe. And so, if this doesn't end well this postseason, and there's no reason to think that it will... Those "Donovan Mitchell wants out" rumors are going to be starting, like, as soon as the season is over.
</blockquote>
However, Mitchell signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension in November 2020, which includes a player option worth $37 million for the 2025-26 season. Thus, he is still under contract in Utah for at least three more years.
Despite some ups and downs as of late, Mitchell is undeniably one of the most dynamic and productive young players in the entire league. This season, at the ripe age of 25, he is producing 26.1 points and 4.1 rebounds to go along with career-high averages in assists (5.4), steals (1.5), made three-pointers (3.5) and field goal percentage (45.4%).
Mitchell has already tallied over 8,000 points, 1,500 assists and 1,400 rebounds in his young career (343 games). The only players to exceed those totals in these statistical categories in fewer career contests are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich and Oscar Robertson. That's decent company.
And although the Jazz have stumbled in the playoffs, it's unfair to pin those defeats on Mitchell. He has played some of his best basketball when the spotlight shines brightest. In the 17 postseason games Utah has played over the last two years, Mitchell's averaged a whopping 33.9 points and 4.9 treys per contest. Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic are the only other players averaging more than 30 points per game in the playoffs since 2020.
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So, to make a long story short, the Jazz will only consider trading away their three-time All-Star if he demands to be moved.
Should Mitchell inform Utah he wants out, plenty of pundits predict that New York will be his preferred destination.&nbsp;
There is plenty of connective tissue between Mitchell and the Big Apple. For starters, Mitchell was born and raised in New York. His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., is a former minor league baseball player who works for the Mets as the club's director of diversity, equity and inclusion. The younger Mitchell spends much of his offseasons in New York and <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1494377515300786176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494377515300786176%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Fnationals%2Fson-mets-exec-donovan-mitchell-makes-pitch-juan-soto-go-queens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often tweets about his favorite MLB team</a>.&nbsp;
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The only time we&rsquo;re happy to have a 🕷 in the house. <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a> <a href="https://t.co/G4J7Lb2a2F">pic.twitter.com/G4J7Lb2a2F</a>
&mdash; New York Mets (@Mets) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1131326274834763776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2019</a></blockquote>

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Mitchell also has a very close relationship with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, who mentored Mitchell during his days in Utah before joining head coach Tom Thibodeau's staff. Marc Berman of the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/20/knicks-hopes-of-landing-donovan-mitchell-could-hinge-on-assistant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post has reported</a>, "Bryant is a key figure in the Knicks' long-term hopes of Mitchell tiring of playing in one of the NBA's most obscure markets in Salt Lake City." In addition, New York team president Leon Rose served as Mitchell's agent before leaving CAA to join the Knicks' front office.
"Some say it&rsquo;s only a matter of time before he joins former Creative Artists Agency agent and current New York Knicks president Leon Rose," <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/is-grayson-allen-a-dirty-player-nba-insiders-weigh-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ric Bucher wrote</a> earlier this year. He added that an Eastern Conference scout told him: "They're a first-round exit from Donovan being in New York."&nbsp;
While Utah has not lived up to expectations thus far this season, their struggles pale in comparison to the dissatisfaction New Yorkers have dealt with. The Knicks have, once again, failed to advance to the playoffs coming off last season's first-round postseason exit. The franchise has won a grand total of one playoff game over the last nine years. Yes, one.
New York has not been shy about courting superstars in the past. And coming off a disappointing and unsuccessful season, the pressure will be ramped up on Rose and Co. to make a major move. A native New Yorker with All-NBA talent about to enter the heart of his prime seems like an ideal target.
So, while Knicks fans won't be able to cheer for their favorite team in this year's playoffs, you can rest assured they will be rooting very hard for one club in the first round &mdash; whichever team is matched up against the Jazz.&nbsp;
In terms of assets involved in a potential blockbuster, the Knicks have several promising young players on their roster, including RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley (who has been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-immanuel-quickleys-unusual-shot-diet-can-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">playing at a high level since the All-Star break</a>), as well as Cam Reddish, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin. New York also owns six first-round draft picks over the next five years. And if Utah were interested, the Knicks would certainly be willing to send Julius Randle (who struggled this season, but was named to the All-NBA Second Team a year ago) packing in a package deal for Mitchell.
Yet, it's important to note that even if Mitchell demands a trade and wants to relocate to New York &mdash; and whether the Knicks are willing to push all their chips into the middle of the table to bring him home &mdash; the Jazz are going to do what's best for their organization. That means canvassing the league and looking for the best possible offer.
And, make no mistake, several teams will gladly surrender a king's ransom for a young superstar under contract for three more seasons.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer explores the timeline of Donovan Mitchell's frustration in Utah and how it could lead to a change of scenery.

Expect the Knicks to make a real run at Donovan Mitchell this summer

We had a whopping <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">15 NBA trades</a> go down in an eight-day span.
The league buckled down for one of the biggest fireworks shows in recent deadline memory. Front offices dealt All-NBA superstars and hammered out four-team mazes. By the time the clock struck 3 p.m. on Thursday, we saw some teams go all-in on a playoff push, others cash out and move towards rebuilding, and many surprisingly pass on the spectacle entirely. It's a perfect time to set the table ahead of the stretch run with a fresh Sour Rankings.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;By most accounts, the Indiana Pacers crushed it with their trade deadline moves. Tyrese Haliburton instantly becomes the bedrock of the franchise's next era, and he's looked pretty good in limited time so far. Indiana also snuck in a solid flier by acquiring Jalen Smith and didn't trade away any of its veteran players just for the sake of making a move. The Detroit Pistons were also briefly in the Sour Rankings, but escape after acquiring former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III without giving up long-term pieces.
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10. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-39)
Of all the teams to hold their chips at this year's deadline, OKC might be the most surprising. The Thunder had several players worth trading for &mdash; including Kenrich Williams and Mike Muscala &mdash; and had oodles of salary cap room to take on guys with undesirable contracts. Instead, they only clocked-in one deal, trading a second-round pick to the Miami Heat for KZ Okpala, who was subsequently waived. Though it's not a colossal general-managing blunder, the Thunder may have missed some good opportunities to add to the stockpile.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Charlotte Hornets (29-29)
The Hornets added Montrezl Harrell to fill the backup center spot on paper, and he should help as a play-finisher. However, Harrell does little to address the returning defensive woes for a Charlotte team that is 3-7 in its last 10 games. The squad has also hit an offensive shooting slump while also ranking 22nd in turnover rate since the start of February. A seven-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday overshadowed a horrendous two-way performance in the first half that had me concerned.
(Last week: 10)
8. Utah Jazz (35-21)
The Jazz got involved in one minor three-team deal at the trade deadline, and it didn't do much to squelch the raised voices about their title pretender status. Mark Schindler <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-losers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">labeled them a loser of the week</a> despite acquiring a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/can-nickeil-alexanderwalker-fill-the-gaps-for-the-utah-jazz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prospect he liked in Nickeil Alexander-Walker</a>:
"There's an intriguing foundation with him that Utah could unearth more of and help him build upon, but the issue is where the Jazz are right now. They needed immediate help defensively at the point of attack and the wing, yet NAW is not really that guy right now."
Utah is on a five-game winning streak, however, which deserves some credit. The team stays where it is in these rankings for now.
(Last week: 8)
7. Houston Rockets (15-40)
Here's another rebuilding franchise that balked at the chance to capitalize on the rush of apparent buyers. Houston didn't need to trade Eric Gordon in my opinion, but he certainly could have returned value. I was more surprised that Christian Wood not only remains on the team, but also was barely brought up in public trade rumors. He has not been nearly the player he can or should be with the Rockets, and I don't know if anything he does in the next two months changes that outlook. Of course, John Wall is still on the roster too.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Portland Trail Blazers (23-34)
The Blazers are a confusing team to nail down for me. They traded CJ McCollum to New Orleans in a move many expected, but didn't get a whole lot back (aside from a very solid rotation player in Josh Hart and a protected first-rounder). A couple days go by, and then, the aforementioned Alexander-Walker &mdash; the best young player in the first trade &mdash; heads to Utah for a second-round pick, an expiring and injured Joe Ingles and a more obscure flier in Elijah Hughes.
Nekias Duncan gave those two moves a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C-minus and D in his trade deadline grades</a>. I think I'd agree, because at the end of it all, I still don't know what Portland is doing other than clearing some cap room.
(Last week: 6)
5. Sacramento Kings (22-36)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sabonis and Fox will be a natural fit 👉🏽 That P&amp;R with a guard who can slash, pass and play in between with pace paired with a highly skilled big man who is great around the rim and can shoot comfortably from 15 feet. This is the co-star both guys needed. 🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/kings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kings</a> <a href="https://t.co/ngj5TdjPp0">pic.twitter.com/ngj5TdjPp0</a>
&mdash; Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) <a href="https://twitter.com/balldontstop/status/1491657233897119746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

I'll give the Kings a little credit for the auspicious stretch they've had with Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox together since that big blockbuster move. A lot of people, myself included, probably overreacted to the deal and didn't give enough thought to what Sabonis can unlock for the players around him in Sacramento. They also did a sneaky-great job turning Marvin Bagley III into three players who can help the team win now at various levels.
I still have a hard time getting over the Kings trading Tyrese Haliburton, their most promising young player and a public advocate for turning a losing culture around.&nbsp;
(Last week: 4)
4. Washington Wizards (25-30)
Kristaps Porzingis was perhaps the most shocking name to be dealt this season; his name hadn't really popped up at all until Thursday morning. While it's fair that the Wizards needed to end the Spencer Dinwiddie-Bradley Beal experiment and Porzingis makes them better purely on paper, I don't love the fit. Will he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/so-how-does-this-kristaps-porzingis-spencer-dinwiddie-davis-bertans-thing-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make a meaningful difference for a Washington team</a> that is one of two NBA squads with bottom-five Offensive and Defensive Ratings over the past two weeks? I'm doubtful.
The Montrezl Harrell trade was also super weird because it brought back two players who probably should not be in the rotation. Washington's big mix is still backed up now with Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, Thomas Bryant and Vernon Carey Jr., plus larger forwards in Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura.&nbsp;
(Last week: 2)
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3. New York Knicks (26-31)
Whew, Saturday's blown lead to the Trail Blazers was a stinger. The Knicks led by 23 at one point before coughing up the game to a Portland team that just went through a widespread, trade-deadline fire sale. New York, meanwhile, didn't make any moves despite the glaring underperformance in recent weeks. The Knicks have two extremely winnable games against the Thunder and Brooklyn Nets before the All-Star break. If they can't find something, I'll have serious doubts about them even being close to a Play-In team.
(Last week: 5)
2. Brooklyn Nets (29-27)
In a vacuum, the Nets moved on from a disgruntled star in James Harden and returned three players who can instantly (once healthy) slot into a thin rotation. Ben Simmons makes a ton of sense as a defensive boost, Seth Curry can replace the shooting lost by Joe Harris' injury, and Andre Drummond at least gives Brooklyn a presence on the glass and center depth.
But they still gave up James Harden. Brooklyn's Big Three played 16 games together in total, and the Nets are still neck-deep in an 11-game losing streak. Things are most definitely bad.
(Last week: 1)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (26-31)
If a franchise arrives at a point in the season where <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33250361/los-angeles-lakers-feel-urgency-make-changes-trade-deadline-nears" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the locker room itself wants trades to happen</a>, then the front office should listen. But Rob Pelinka had to go all Bumi from "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and embrace neutral jing &mdash; a.k.a. doing nothing. The Lakers made zero trades this season. They are the most underwhelming team in the NBA and they made zero trades.&nbsp;
(Last week: 3)
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Ethan Fuller lines up the league's biggest underperformers, including teams who failed to maximize the NBA trade deadline.

NBA Sour Rankings: Reshuffling the deck post-trade deadline

We're flipping our calendar at BasketballNews &mdash; but not before taking one look back at a memorable 2021.
Sports never cease to give us compelling storylines. Last year, they came from all places, from the pros in the U.S. and abroad, to college, to youth levels, and even off the basketball court. Below are some of our staff's best stories, arranged in several categories. Read the Best of BasketballNews 2021:
Best Features
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gary-payton-ii_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-raptors-905-gary-payton-ii-on-growing-up-in-fathers-shadow-we-have-two-different-paths">Gary Payton II on growing up in father's shadow: 'We have two different paths'</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Former NBA execs, Overtime Elite seek to revolutionize amateur-to-pro p</a><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reparation</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-daniel-gafford-washington-wizards-russell-westbrook-bradley-beal-tony-falce-arkansas-razorbacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Gafford, Wizards surging since trade: 'When I got here, it clicked automatically'</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-dozier-took-a-whirlwind-journey-to-the-denver-nuggets-starting-lineup">Two-way threat: PJ Dozier reflects on whirlwind path to Nuggets</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/g-league-finals-mvp-devin-cannady-remains-focus-bigger-goals">NBA G League Finals MVP Devin Cannady remains focused on bigger goals</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/theres-plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-for-frank-ntilikinas-failure">There&rsquo;s plenty of blame to go around for Frank Ntilikina&rsquo;s failure</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-vucevic-may-finally-get-credit-he-deserves-with-newlook-bulls">Nikola Vucevic may finally get credit he deserves with new-look Bulls</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/meet-juste-jocyte-15-year-old-phenom-and-professional-record-breaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kristaps-porzingis-renewed-confidence-leading-to-resurgent-season-with-mavericks">Kristaps Porzingis' renewed confidence leading to resurgent season</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scoot-henderson-aspirations-far-exceed-any-hype-we-can-give-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA G League star Scoot Henderson's aspirations far exceed the hype</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
Best Interviews and Q&amp;As
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/markelle-fultz_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team">Richaun Holmes Q&amp;A: 'I definitely feel I&rsquo;m deserving of the All-Defensive Team'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling">Magic's R.J. Hampton Q&amp;A: 'I don&rsquo;t think you can put a cap on our ceiling'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-8-episode-7-stephen-curry">The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins Episode 7 - Stephen Curry</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-10-episode-9-james-jones">The Rex Chapman Show: James Jones on Suns' culture change, player-to-GM leap</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">One-on-One: Derrick White, Spurs' youth trying to make a name for themselves</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-one-on-one-patrick-patterson-los-angeles-clippers-tyronn-lue-paul-george-kawhi-leonard-demarcus-cousins-kentucky-wildcats-basketball">One-on-One: Patrick Patterson opens up as Clippers begin playoff run</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing">Larry Nance Jr. Q&amp;A: 'I did not come out here to half-ass this thing'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jermaine-oneal-on-reconciling-with-ron-artest-i-didnt-know-about-mental-health">Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal on reconciling with Metta World Peace: 'I didn't know about mental health'</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/markelle-fultz-reveals-what-really-happened-with-his-shot-shoulder">Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-29-thad-young-on-getting-blindsided-by-trade-to-spurs,-dealing-with-recent-trade-rumors,-the-key-to-nba-longevity,-more-ep-29">Thad Young on being blindsided by Spurs trade, trade rumors, key to longevity</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
Best Player Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kyle-lowry_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/on-lock-how-jrue-holiday-became-the-nba-finals-xfactor-">On Lock: How Jrue Holiday became the NBA Finals&rsquo; X-Factor</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/enough-no-bag-talk-giannis-antetokounmpo-put-the-nba-on-notice-finals-mvp-champion">Enough 'no bag' talk: Giannis Antetokounmpo put the NBA on notice</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat">Film study: What Kyle Lowry brings to the Miami Heat</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dime-fest-breaking-down-courtney-vandersloot-historic-night-wnba-playoffs">Dime Fest: Breaking down Courtney Vandersloot's historic night</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/all-signs-pointing-to-marcus-smart-as-the-celtics-swing-player">What does Marcus Smart at point guard look like for the Celtics? </a>&nbsp; &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rudy-gay-is-injecting-the-jazz-with-funk">Rudy Gay is injecting the Jazz with funk</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-jaren-jackson-jr-a-star-in-making-or-something-else">Is Jaren Jackson Jr. a star in the making, or something else?</a> &mdash; by Matt Brooks
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dissecting-desmond-bane-role-memphis-grizzlies-offense">Dissecting Desmond Bane's growing role in the Grizzlies' offense</a> &mdash; by Jackson Frank
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-dave-bing-right-about-cade-cunningham">Is Cade Cunningham a franchise player the Pistons can build around?</a> &mdash; by Mat Issa and Bryce Simon
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-nba-all-star-case-for-cavs-big-man-jarrett-allen">Making the NBA All-Star case for Cavs big man Jarrett Allen</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best Team and League Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/jarrett-allen_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-to-tank-or-not-to-tank-analyzing-the-toronto-raptors-present-and-future">To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-draft-lottery-is-not-rigged-and-heres-why">The NBA Draft Lottery is not rigged, and here's why</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings">Why NBA bigs take more time to develop: 'They're used to imposing their will'</a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-the-offseason-revs-up-what-nba-teams-are-in-the-dead-money-doldrums">As NBA offseason nears, which teams are in the dead money doldrums?</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-create-unnecessarily-awkward-situation-not-signing-deandre-ayton-to-extension">Suns create unnecessarily awkward situation by not extending Ayton</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited">Length matters: The NBA's long-ball revolution may be coming</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grindhouse-how-the-grizzlies-are-winning-with-defense">The Grindhouse: How the Grizzlies are winning with defense</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tom-thibodeau-isnt-the-only-reigning-coach-of-the-year-to-struggle">Tom Thibodeau isn&rsquo;t the only reigning Coach of the Year to struggle</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-warriors-reclaim-top-spot-from-suns">NBA Power Rankings: Bulls are hot, Warriors reclaim top spot from Suns </a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Tommy Beer
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential">Hornets' embarrassing defense sinking their enticing potential</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
Best Opinion
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/draymond-green_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all">Injuries Galore: The NBA&rsquo;s all-too-soon return has made losers of us all</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-can-the-nba-do-to-prevent-ugly-fan-incidents">What can the NBA do to prevent more ugly fan incidents?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rachel-nichols-maria-taylor-incident-exposes-espn-racism-sexism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN&rsquo;s racism, sexism&nbsp;</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-discourse-around-nba-superteams-is-tiresome-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The discourse around NBA stars and super-teams is tiresome</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-beginners-guide-to-nba-stats-written-by-a-beginner">A beginner's guide to NBA stats: The three types of statistics</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-players-could-have-realistically-played-in-the-nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA players could have realistically played in the NFL?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-enhancement-necessary-the-nba-should-leave-well-enough-alone">No enhancement necessary: NBA should leave well enough alone</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nets-should-be-ashamed-of-themselves">The Nets should be ashamed of themselves</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/missing-the-forest-through-the-trees-on-christmas-day-games">Missing the forest through the trees on Christmas Day games</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/greg-monroe-and-the-brief-case-for-us-to-see-more-nba-veterans-this-season">NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best of the NBA Draft
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-bouknight_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-behindthescenes-look-at-james-bouknights-predraft-training">Behind the scenes with projected lottery pick James Bouknight</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-nba-draft-prospect-nahshon-bones-hyland-demands-your-attention">Q&amp;A: Draft prospect Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland demands your attention</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-2021-nba-draft-intel-with-lead-draft-analyst-matt-babcock-rumors-offseason">2021 NBA Draft: Matt Babcock on rumors, trades, risers, fallers</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller and Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-little-guy-from-bendigo-dyson-daniels-game-is-unlike-anyone-elses">The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate">2022 NBA Draft Q&amp;A: French big man Ismael Kamagate</a> &mdash; by Jason Filippi
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BasketballNews highlights its best stories over the calendar 2021 year.

The Best of BasketballNews: 2021

It's a new NBA season, which means the Sour Rankings are back!&nbsp;
Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well-under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and general underwhelming play will all be considered.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Some teams value wins this season and paths to a title, while others are looking down the road at long-term pieces.&nbsp;
This week is not a "preview" installment; it is rather a barometer of the general vibe around a franchise as things get underway. The NBA preseason is generally filled with optimism; 10 teams make the Sour Rankings, but that doesn't mean they're all in dire straits, as I'll note.
So without further ado, let's get to it!
10. Washington Wizards
Given the circumstances, the Wizards had a satisfactory 2021 offseason. They returned three rotation-caliber players from the Russell Westbrook trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, and then went out and found a strong backcourt partner for Bradley Beal in Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
Washington could be a very solid team on paper with improved depth &mdash; but is that enough to make considerable playoff noise in the Eastern Conference? Beal's looming 2022 free-agent status shines a harsh spotlight on the current Wizards. Their star has stuck it out through multiple years of mediocrity. Maybe he'll re-up with the team that drafted him, but Beal would undoubtedly appreciate some serious postseason contention before having to decide.
9. Indiana Pacers
The injury bug simply will not let go of the Pacers. T.J. Warren still appears to be a ways off from recovering from a foot injury that held him to just four games last season. Caris LeVert will <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2021/10/16/pacers-caris-levert-getting-closer-but-miss-first-four-games/8489876002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly miss at least the first four games</a> of the regular season as he works to return from a stress fracture in his back. These are two top-scoring options out of the short-term picture.
Indiana largely opted to stay the course in a suddenly crowded East. The Pacers can't afford to fall behind early, and these absences certainly won't help.
8. New Orleans Pelicans
Another team hampered by health, this ranking is entirely due to Zion Williamson's injury status. The superstar forward has suffered a sprained knee, torn meniscus and foot fracture in the past years, and is now without a return timetable as he recovers from that foot surgery. Without Williamson, the Pelicans are nowhere near the playoff sleeper they could be &mdash; even with a new head coach and some positive roster moves. They need their centerpiece, and his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/we-should-be-worried-about-zion-williamson-ability-to-stay-healthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developing pattern of injuries is concerning</a>.
7. Phoenix Suns
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Mikal Bridges on being there for Deandre Ayton after not signing a new contract: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s way more mature with everything. He has great people around him. I try to do the best I can to clear his mind, but it&rsquo;s tough. .. Being around him every single day, I don&rsquo;t want to lose that.&rdquo;
&mdash; Evan Sidery (@esidery) <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1450186692871135232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Three hours before writing this, I would not have remotely considered the Suns to be in the Sour Rankings. But the rookie extension deadline has passed without Deandre Ayton securing a long-term deal, the first No. 1 pick since Anthony Bennett not to do so.
Suns general manager James Jones did not negotiate a maximum contract extension with the Bahamian big man, perhaps at the direction of team owner Robert Sarver &mdash; but the team did agree to a 4-year, $43 million extension with draft classmate Landry Shamet. As Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/evan-sidery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in regards to Ayton</a>, that's blasphemous, and it could fragment an extremely fun, likable Phoenix squad.
6. Sacramento Kings
Your 2021 Las Vegas Summer League champs are back to fight the longest postseason drought in the league. The Kings are making strides with their young talent, highlighted by the preseason success of No. 9 overall pick Davion Mitchell, and retained a core piece in Richaun Holmes.&nbsp;
But does it feel like Sacramento is any closer to the playoffs? Buddy Hield was all-but-traded to the Lakers, and his future is now uncertain as the Kings see if a De'Aaron Fox-Tyrese-Haliburton-Mitchell lineup has potential. What about 2018 No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III, who was not extended at Monday's deadline? He's as big of a question mark as one can exist among young prospects league-wide.&nbsp;
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
There's definitely reason for optimism with the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards had a phenomenal second half to the 2020-21 season and an overall stellar rookie year. Karl-Anthony Towns can be rid of the awful, awful year-plus he has endured personally. D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley can get buckets, Jaden McDaniels and Jarred Vanderbilt are intriguing defensive pieces and Chris Finch had a summer to prep for all of this as head coach.&nbsp;
But the Gersson Rosas firing and fallout feels all too Timberwolves-y. It's yet another reset for Towns, who was vocally frustrated at training camp. Is the front office in position to guide the team with the season about to start?&nbsp;
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Larry Nance Jr.'s acquisition partially salvaged what was a wildly terrible offseason in Portland between the Chauncey Billups hiring and the Damian Lillard trade rumors. It appears Lillard is content to stick with the Blazers this season and see how the team operates under its first-year head coach. That's admirable, but it also means the entire season will be laced with tension.
Portland should run back a fun, high-scoring offense. Will the defense improve with Nance in the frontcourt? That's the big question. If not, the Blazers will return to playoff mediocrity and potentially push Lillard closer to the exit door.&nbsp;
3. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks were one of my picks for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-worst-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worst NBA offseason</a> (Jackson Frank also picked them), and nothing in recent weeks has made me feel any better. Mark me down as adamantly opposed to the Jason Kidd hiring. Reggie Bullock is a fine individual player; he is not going to dramatically alter things on the offensive end. Plus, Dallas recently released 2020 draft pick Tyrell Terry, and we haven't seen much of 2020 first-rounder Josh Green. Where does the optimism come from outside of Luka Doncic?
2. Brooklyn Nets
I'm not going to get deep into the Kyrie Irving situation from a public health perspective, celebrity responsibility perspective or general common sense perspective. I don't have anything major to add to those discussions, other than to reinforce that Irving is carelessly and dangerously misusing his power as a public figure.&nbsp;
This section is about the Nets, who are paying the price for Irving's choices. The NBA title should have traveled through Brooklyn and its Big Three, and the Nets are still an elite basketball team with improved depth. But, remove an All-NBA-caliber player and the ceiling significantly lowers. Instead of being the overwhelming favorite, the Nets have become just another contender.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons has given us the Hollywood trade drama we had missed since, well, last winter. Simmons was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-thrown-out-of-practice-suspended-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tossed out of practice and suspended Tuesday</a>, so the months-long firestorm appears to still be getting hotter. But while that's a win for NBA/TMZ crossover fans, it's a serious loss for the 76ers, who now have to take this show into the regular season.
Joel Embiid has never played more than 64 games in a season, and is coming off of two shortened offseasons sandwiching an East Finals run. That should cause concern. The backcourt is fun, but nowhere near close to replicating Simmons' impact. Maybe Simmons actually does suit up in games &mdash; will he bring a positive on-court presence to a team that has publicly denounced his game?
Until Philly finally makes a trade &mdash; and who knows when it could happen &mdash; the Sixers' season could range from awkward to disastrous.

Ethan Fuller ranks the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises ahead of the season.

NBA Sour Rankings: Chaos among the contenders?

The career arc of John Wall has made yet another turn. After being traded to the Houston Rockets last offseason for Russell Westbrook, Wall is now set to join his third team in as many seasons. According to The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania, Wall and the Rockets&rsquo; front office have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/john-wall-houston-rockets-mutually-agree-to-work-out-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed upon him being active in training camp, but sitting out games as they try to move him</a>. It's the logical next step in a massive tear-down rebuild, which was put into motion with the James Harden blockbuster eight months ago to this day.
Wall was the salary-filler needed to move Westbrook &mdash; who was a part of another star backcourt combination that didn&rsquo;t work out alongside Harden &mdash; but the former has also has served a pivotal role to the current version of Houston&rsquo;s roster. As the veteran on a tanking team, Wall embraced his leadership role to its full extent, being a guiding voice for young prospects. Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals last season in Houston.
However, following unfortunate injury luck related to a torn Achilles tendon, Wall simply doesn&rsquo;t look the same as he did in his prime years being the face of the Washington Wizards franchise. For years, Wall was the most electric point guard in the Association thanks to his quickness and explosiveness towards the basket. At 31 years old, Wall's performances have taken a dip from an average efficiency mark to an abysmal one. Wall shot a career-low 40.4%, including a 50.3% True Shooting percentage clip &mdash; the worst since his rookie campaign in 2010-11.
Wall just doesn&rsquo;t fit the timeline for the Rockets, who are ready to embrace their youth movement head-on. No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green headlines an enticing core of prospects in Houston. Alongside Green, Kevin Porter Jr. will help <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/something-to-prove-kevin-porter-jr-at-point-guard-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">form an entertaining backcourt</a> filled to the brim with hot creation ability. Rookies Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba will join Jae'Sean Tate to make up a promising trio of bigs. First-year swingman Josh Christopher and Kenyon Martin Jr. also add their fun mix to the wing rotation.&nbsp;
Wall will still be around the team until a deal happens (if that ever comes to pass with the negative value associated with his remaining $91.7 million through 2022-23). Being a valuable mentor for Green and Porter will only be a positive for Houston&rsquo;s long-term outcome, and learning from a dynamic point guard like Wall certainly helps the future outlook for not only Green, but also Porter.
This could become a new trend for players on good terms with their organizations, only when it&rsquo;s apparently obvious a deal is best for both sides. Kevin Love&rsquo;s situation in Cleveland could be the next Wall-like story to surface in the NBA rumor mill soon enough.
But who would be interested in taking on Wall&rsquo;s contract? Houston would have to surrender some draft capital, being the immediate &ldquo;losers&rdquo; of the trade. When canvassing the landscape, very few fits bubble to the surface. However, there&rsquo;s a small possibility for the following three organizations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Any time a player with a bad contract becomes available, Oklahoma City is No. 1 on any potential destination. The Thunder are not being shy about their intentions over the next few years &mdash; stockpile as many draft picks as possible to take swings on high upside prospects to build around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Acquiring Wall would be an interesting move for a Thunder team who just invested heavy draft capital in the backcourt (Josh Giddey, Tre Mann), but we can never rule them out in a scenario like this. If Houston offers any future draft compensation to general manager Sam Presti, he would bite.
Wall would form a fun backcourt alongside SGA while also serving in the mentor role he just exited in Houston. If Wall were to rebuild his value for a year with the Thunder, Presti would be able to potentially receive some positive value in return next offseason.
Oklahoma City Thunder receive: John Wall, future draft compensation
Houston Rockets receive: Derrick Favors, Isaiah Roby or Gabriel Deck
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Dallas has been in the market for a point guard. Whether it be Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry or Spencer Dinwiddie, the Mavs have sniffed around adding another ball-handler who could take pressure off Luka Doncic. Wall isn&rsquo;t the perfect fit next to Dallas&rsquo; young phenom &mdash; who&rsquo;s an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mvp-odds-analyzing-the-top-5-candidates-in-2021-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MVP favorite entering his fourth season</a> &mdash; but they could make it work. Wall allows Doncic to play more off-ball, and the veteran can cut to the basket and attack off signature Luka dimes.
In order to make the salaries work, Kristaps Porzingis would be heading to Houston or another team who gets involved. Porzingis hasn&rsquo;t been the No. 2 option Dallas had hoped for when they went all-in on him a few years ago. This would certainly be one way to shake things up entirely for the Mavs. A potential starting lineup of Doncic, Wall, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell with Reggie Bullock as the sixth man is a fun thought.
Dallas Mavericks receive: John Wall, Usman Garuba or Alperen Sengun, future draft compensation
Houston Rockets receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Brown, Willie Cauley-Stein
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
This is where it gets super wacky in terms of hypothetical Wall trades. Currently, Wall&rsquo;s fit with the Spurs makes no sense. However, what about a convoluted four-team trade featuring the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns as well?
Here&rsquo;s the entire framework of a crazy four-teamer I spitballed in my head:
Houston Rockets receive: Ben Simmons, Isaiah Joe, Daquan Jeffries
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV, Jakob Poetl, Al-Farouq Aminu, multiple future first-round picks
Phoenix Suns receive: Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks
San Antonio Spurs receive: John Wall, Dario Saric, Jalen Smith, Paul Reed
That&rsquo;s the only way I could ever fathom Wall entering San Antonio&rsquo;s odd attempt of trying to thread the needle with competing and tanking simultaneously. With a young combination of guards spearheading their core, the Spurs are on pace to be a top-five team in lottery odds at the end of next season. Also, Simmons landing in Houston to lead its young core is a somewhat unrealistic, insane thought to have as well.
As you can see, there will likely not be many takers on Wall. It will be very interesting to see how this all unfolds for Wall and the Rockets.
Are we looking at an imminent deal for Wall, or one that lasts all the way until the NBA trade deadline in February?

When canvassing the NBA landscape, does any team make sense for John Wall? Evan Sidery looks at possible landing spots.

Examining potential trade destinations for John Wall

The 2021 NBA Draft is in the books. Now that we know where the prospects have landed, our NBA Draft experts Matt Babcock and Derek Murray are sharing their thoughts about the results.
Obviously, it&rsquo;s too early to definitively assess these picks (since we won&rsquo;t know the true winners and losers for a few years). Still, we still wanted to get their snap judgement on what unfolded.
Who are your biggest winners (and why)?
Matt Babcock: In my opinion, the Charlotte Hornets were the big winners last night. First of all, selecting <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/james-bouknight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Bouknight</a> at No. 11 was an excellent value pick (considering we had him mocked at No. 6 prior to the draft). The Hornets&rsquo; backcourt of LaMelo Ball and Bouknight should prove to be an exciting duo moving forward. The Hornets also added <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/kai-jones" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kai Jones</a> at No. 19, which was a great pick as well. We had projected that the Hornets would select Jones at No. 11 for a while before the draft, so to move back and get him at No. 19 was impressive. Lastly, trading up to snag <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/jt-thor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JT Thor</a>, a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jt-thor-could-be-2021-nba-draft-diamond-in-the-rough-auburn-tigers-prospect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">super high-upside</a> prospect, at No. 37 was another smart move. All in all, they added Bouknight, who I think will be able to contribute at a high level right away, and two players in Jones and Thor who possess significant potential. I think the Hornets deserve an &lsquo;A&rsquo; grade for their picks.
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Derek Murray: Charlotte and Houston. The Hornets added incredible athleticism across the board in guys who have crazy high upside. It may take a while for the group to develop as a whole, but the sky's the limit for them. I really loved Houston&rsquo;s draft too (possibly the most), as they added four first-rounders: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/jalen-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jalen Green</a> (No. 2), <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/alperen-sengun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alperen Sengun</a> (No. 16), <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/usman-garuba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Usman Garuba</a> (No. 23) and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/josh-christopher" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Christopher</a> (No. 24). They addressed multiple positions, roles and archetypes in the same first round, which is usually impossible to do. They also did it with youth across the board, so I think Houston fans should be ecstatic.&nbsp;
Who are your biggest losers (and why)?
Matt Babcock: I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d go as far to say they were my &ldquo;biggest loser,&rdquo; but I will say that I was surprised that the Memphis Grizzlies traded up to No. 10 to select <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/ziaire-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ziaire Williams</a> and moved up to No. 30 to select <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/santi-aldama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santi Aldama</a>. Although there were some whispers that Williams had drawn some interest from teams as high as the Orlando Magic at No. 8, I wasn&rsquo;t totally convinced he was going to be selected in the lottery. Therefore, I think they would have had a pretty good chance of picking him later on in the draft. I was even more surprised by Memphis trading up to No. 30 to select Aldama, as I was not expecting him to be selected anywhere near the first round. (We had him mocked at No. 55 prior to the draft).
Derek Murray: I don&rsquo;t like to call any team a &ldquo;loser&rdquo; immediately following draft night because it truly takes three years to make that call. That being said, I&rsquo;m very curious about the decision-making in San Antonio. It feels like they have a log jam at the guard/combo-guard positions with Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones under contract, and then they took <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joshua-primo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Primo</a> at No. 12 and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joe-wieskamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Wieskamp</a> at No. 41. I really like both of these players, and I do think Wiekamp at 41st is good value, but I envisioned them addressing the front-court concerns at No. 12 with either <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/alperen-sengun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alperen Sengun</a> or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/kai-jones" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kai Jones</a>.&nbsp;
Which pick surprised you the most?
Matt Babcock: There were a number of picks that surprised me: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joshua-giddey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey</a> to Oklahoma City at No.6, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/ziaire-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ziaire Williams</a> to Memphis at No. 10, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joshua-primo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Primo</a> to San Antonio at No. 12, for sure. However, the biggest surprise of the night for me was Memphis selecting <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/santi-aldama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santi Aldama</a> at No. 30.
Derek Murray: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joshua-primo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joshua Primo</a> at No. 12 stands alone for me as the biggest surprise reach, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/santi-aldama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santi Aldama</a> at No. 30 is up there. Both are great players, I just imagined them each going 10-15 spots later than they did. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/sharife-cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sharife Cooper</a> also surprised me; we knew he would slip to the second round so that part wasn&rsquo;t a shock, but to fall all the way to No. 48 is wild.
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Who were some of the best value picks?
Matt Babcock: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/james-bouknight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Bouknight</a> at No. 11 to Charlotte, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/miles-mcbride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miles McBride</a> at No. 36 to New York and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/jared-butler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jared Butler</a> at No. 40 to Utah.
Derek Murray: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/jaden-springer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaden Springer</a> at No. 26, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/miles-mcbride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miles McBride</a>e at No. 36 and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/sandro-mamukelashvili" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sandro Mamukelashvili</a> at No. 54.&nbsp;
Were you surprised that there weren&rsquo;t more trades? Why didn&rsquo;t we see more?
Matt Babcock: Yeah, I think everyone expected a more dramatic night in regards to trades. There were certainly a lot of trades discussed among teams behind the scenes. I think some of the early picks that surprised some of us changed the course of the entire draft.
Derek Murray: I imagined another move or two within the lottery, but with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joshua-giddey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey</a> being taken at No. 6, which nobody predicted, it pushed some players down one slot to the teams that wanted them. At that point, there was no rush or need to move up.&nbsp;
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Any parting thoughts?
Matt Babcock: Considering that there was no Summer League last year due to COVID-19, draft picks from the 2020 NBA Draft will be joining this year&rsquo;s class in Las Vegas for their first Summer-League action, which should make for a uniquely competitive and exciting tournament this year. Also, I&rsquo;m excited to start our rookie coverage, which will begin at Summer League in Las Vegas and carry on into the 2021-22 NBA season.
Derek Murray: I&rsquo;m fascinated with what comes from this draft for the Memphis Grizzlies. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/ziaire-williams">Ziaire Williams</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/santi-aldama">Santi Aldama</a> will be considered &ldquo;reaches&rdquo; by many, but these are two supremely talented players. It may be a few years before it clicks for them, but they could end up really, really good.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft">Check out all of BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s coverage of the 2021 NBA Draft (including interviews, highlight videos, analysis and more) here.</a>

Matt Babcock and Derek Murray share their winners and losers, biggest surprises, favorite steals and more from the 2021 NBA Draft.

2021 NBA Draft Recap: Winners and losers, steals, biggest surprises

A month before the 2019-20 NBA season started, Kendrick Nunn made some bold predictions. Despite being an undrafted player on a non-guaranteed contract, he told me that he wanted to compete for the NBA&rsquo;s Rookie of the Year award. He shared some lofty long-term goals too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an All-Star player. I&rsquo;m a Hall of Famer,&rdquo; Nunn <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1197921431532687360">told me</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my goal and I know that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m going to reach.&rdquo;
Fans saw these quotes and started cracking jokes. Many of them had never even heard of Nunn and they thought he was delusional. How could a 24-year-old undrafted prospect compete with the likes of Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett in the Rookie of the Year race?
Ten months later, Nunn finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Morant -- the best ROY finish for an undrafted player in NBA history -- and became the first undrafted player to win the Rookie of the Month award multiple times (in November, December and January).&nbsp;
Nunn emerged as a key contributor for the Heat, averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 0.8 steals on 43.9/35.0/85.0 shooting splits. And while his minutes decreased at the start of the playoffs, Nunn stayed ready and played a significant role for Miami during the NBA Finals (averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 threes in 22.7 minutes). When asked about silencing those preseason doubters, Nunn smiles.
&ldquo;It be like that; it always has to come from within first and you have to show people and prove it to them,&rdquo; Nunn said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m all about.&rdquo;
Now, Nunn is heating up again. His minutes dropped off to start the 2020-21 NBA season, but he&rsquo;s been playing more recently. Last night, he delivered one of the best performances of his NBA career to beat the Toronto Raptors, finishing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 threes and 1 steal while shooting 9-12 from the field, 4-6 from three and 6-6 from the free-throw line.
Over the last two contests (both of which Miami won), Nunn averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals on 63.0/60.0/100.0 shooting splits.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com recently sat down with Nunn to discuss his development, what he learned from the Heat&rsquo;s Finals run, trade rumors, living in Miami, his relationships with teammates and more.
You finished as the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race, and the other two finalists were the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft (Zion Williamson and Ja Morant). What did it mean to you to get the second-most votes?
Kendrick Nunn: &ldquo;It meant a lot. To even be in that position, it just showed all of the hard work that I put in - the things that I did and the belief I had in myself. [It felt good] just to show the world, just to prove to everyone what kind of player I am and what I can do.&rdquo;
Do you feel like you should&rsquo;ve won the Rookie of the Year award over Ja Morant?
KN: &ldquo;Of course! Of course I should&rsquo;ve won. I mean, if you think about it, [when have we seen] someone who was under the radar and who nobody knew and then they win multiple Rookie of the Months and has a season like that? It&rsquo;s really rare for an undrafted player to perform like that and have the kind of season that I had. Obviously, it&rsquo;s expected that a lottery pick -- the No. 1 pick or No. 2 pick or No. 3 pick -- will win that award. So, just from a &lsquo;shocking-the-world&rsquo; thing, I feel like I should&rsquo;ve won.&rdquo;
I don&rsquo;t think people realize how hard it is to make it as an undrafted player. You&rsquo;re fighting to get noticed and land on a team; then, you have to battle for your roster spot and a guaranteed contract. What were some of the challenges you faced as an undrafted player? 
[Note: Nunn slipped on draft night in large part because he <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2018/02/23/oakland-basketball-kendrick-nunn-greg-kampe/331983002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plead guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge</a> after an incident with an ex-girlfriend. Because of this incident, he was dismissed from the University of Illinois' basketball team and transferred to Oakland University. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.]
KN: &ldquo;I mean, there are a bunch of challenges. You need to have confidence in yourself and then you need to prove yourself every day. You can&rsquo;t slack; you have to show up every day and be elite at that level. I mean, the challenges come from all over the place. Adversity can hit at any time, so the thing is just fighting it and overcoming that.&rdquo;
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What advice would you give to the guys in this class who just went undrafted?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;I would just want to tell them that the journey isn&rsquo;t over. This could be the beginning of your journey. You&rsquo;re going to get a chance to go to training camp with a team and to try to make that roster. I would also tell them: Don&rsquo;t put your head down, just continue to work. Opportunities come left and right, so just be ready for them.&rdquo;
What did you learn from playing in the NBA Finals last season?
KN: &ldquo;That was a crazy experience. I mean, that&rsquo;s the highest level of basketball -- it don&rsquo;t get any higher-level than that. And I learned a lot. Just the style of play, what it takes to [produce] in the playoffs, what it takes to win a game in the playoffs, what it takes to win a series&hellip; The pace is different. You have to really lock into personnel and the tendencies of different players. The style of play is a lot different than the regular season too, so just getting used to that and comfortable with that will help me in the future, for sure.&rdquo;
What was it like to play on basketball&rsquo;s biggest stage, knowing that millions of people were watching?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;It was fun, man. It was fun. The entire world was watching. That was the only basketball that was being played at the time, so you know that the entire world is watching, and you just want to play well and you want to win. That&rsquo;s the only thing that was going through my mind, just trying to lock in, focus, pay attention to details, try to win every possession and play my best. But I love [playing on that stage]. I&rsquo;m in an empty gym working on my game and practicing so that when the lights are on and everybody&rsquo;s watching, everything becomes easy -- it&rsquo;s second nature.&rdquo;&nbsp;
At the start of the playoffs, you fell out of the rotation for a bit and there were some games you didn&rsquo;t play. That&rsquo;s happened again at times to start this season. What did you learn from that experience and how are you handling that?
KN: &ldquo;There was definitely some adversity there. It was tough. As a young guy, my first year in the NBA, after starting throughout the majority of the season and then having to come off the bench during the playoffs and things like that and then almost not playing at all during the first series, it was definitely tough, mentally. But I think I&rsquo;m just a different type of player and have a different type of mental toughness where I can get through things like that. I just see where I can improve and not get down on myself and just continue to try to stack good days on top of each other and just continue to get better.&rdquo;
It can be difficult for players to transition from starting and knowing what minutes you&rsquo;ll be playing every night to coming off the bench and not knowing when you&rsquo;ll check in or how long you&rsquo;ll be out there. And when you check in off the bench, you&rsquo;re cold too. I&rsquo;ve talked with Jamal Crawford about this: it&rsquo;s not easy to provide instant offense off the bench and deal with your minutes fluctuating.
KN: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s different. You just have to know what type of situation you&rsquo;re in. Being ready is the most important thing. If you get thrown in, you can&rsquo;t get out there and not be aggressive. Once you get out there, if you aren&rsquo;t getting as much time, as soon as you&rsquo;re out there you&rsquo;ve gotta be aggressive and play the right way. If you do that, things will fall in line. &hellip; I&rsquo;m just doing everything I can [to stay ready] and whatever Coach needs me to do, I&rsquo;m doing that. I&rsquo;m bringing my strengths to the table and I think things will fall in line.&rdquo;
Your name has popped up in trade rumors a bit over the last year. Do you keep up with trade rumors or do you try to block them out?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;I pretty much block them out unless my agent contacts and tells me that there&rsquo;s a possibility that I could get traded. Anything on social media and stuff, obviously I&rsquo;m on there so it comes up and I read it, but I try to just ignore it and stick to what my team tells me.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s been a lot of talk about the Heat&rsquo;s culture and how they do things. Since arriving in Miami, what do you think of their culture and how you&rsquo;ve fit in with it?
KN: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a perfect spot for me. I think I landed in the place where I needed to be and where I&rsquo;m most comfortable. I love to work hard. I&rsquo;m a worker, and that&rsquo;s what we do here. That&rsquo;s what the coaches are all about, just working hard and getting better. So, I fit perfectly.&rdquo;
What aspects of your game were you focused on improving over the offseason?
KN: &ldquo;Just tightening my game all around -- ball-handling and shooting because you can never get enough of that; I&rsquo;m constantly trying to get better at that. Pick-and-rolls, extending my range at the three-point line, getting stronger, getting my body more intact. Just becoming more elite, that&rsquo;s really what I&rsquo;ve been working on.&rdquo;
What are some of your goals for this season - individually and as a team?
KN: &ldquo;This season, my No. 1 goal is I want to run it back to the NBA Finals. We gotta get that Finals win. (smiles) That was kind of upsetting to me that we didn&rsquo;t get that win, and we could have. Personally, I just want to become better in all areas of the game -- all of my stats, how I contribute to the team and just be better. I definitely want to be an All-Star this season, and I&rsquo;m working hard to do it.&rdquo;
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You went from playing in the NBA Finals in October to starting a new season in late-December. How did the condensed offseason impact you and this team as a whole?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;Well, this was really my first offseason in the NBA, so I really haven&rsquo;t experienced a &lsquo;full&rsquo; NBA offseason, which is usually four or five months, I think. So, the short offseason didn&rsquo;t feel too bad to me. I took a couple weeks off after the season and then I just got right back to work, and my body felt good. So, I felt like I was ready to go.&rdquo;
You and Tyler Herro are both terrific scorers and up-and-coming players in Miami. What&rsquo;s your relationship with Tyler like?
KN: &ldquo;Man, Tyler, that&rsquo;s my brother. Me and him talk every day, and we challenge each other every day too. I love that relationship with him because we&rsquo;re so close, but we&rsquo;re also so competitive. You know what I mean? We&rsquo;re both always looking to win or get an advantage over the other, so it&rsquo;s a fun relationship. We have a lot in common. He&rsquo;s from Milwaukee and that&rsquo;s not too far from Chicago, so he&rsquo;s got some [of that] DNA in him, you know what I mean?!&rdquo;
Jimmy Butler had been labeled as a tough teammate and his leadership was questioned in the past (perhaps unfairly), but he&rsquo;s been a terrific fit in Miami. You guys seem to love his leadership style and it works to bring the best out of this team. What&rsquo;s been your experience with Jimmy and how is your relationship with him?
KN: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been great. Jimmy has been very helpful for me and he just feeds confidence to everyone on the team. And the way he plays and his unselfishness, you don&rsquo;t see that in many top-tier guys in the league. There aren&rsquo;t many stars who are unselfish like that and play the way he does and lead the way he does, so I&rsquo;m not sure where people got that &lsquo;bad-teammate&rsquo; narrative from. He&rsquo;s a great leader and I&rsquo;m very thankful for him.&rdquo;
I feel like he&rsquo;s very misunderstood.
KN: &ldquo;Yeah, definitely. I mean, if you&rsquo;re, like, sensitive, maybe he comes off [a certain way] and you wouldn&rsquo;t like him. I mean, he&rsquo;s very straight-forward. But if you&rsquo;re about winning and you want to get better, Jimmy is one of the guys you&rsquo;d love to have on your team.&rdquo;
Over the offseason, there was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30335854/nba-free-agency-winners-losers-wild-week">a report from ESPN</a> that some people around the NBA viewed Miami&rsquo;s Finals run as a fluke and that you guys aren&rsquo;t viewed as a threat to contend this season now that you&rsquo;re no longer playing in the bubble and benefitting from that set-up. What would you say to that?
KN: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always going to be haters. When we came to the bubble, we knew that there was an opportunity to win a championship. That&rsquo;s our mentality every year -- that we&rsquo;re going to try to win the championship. Fluke or not, we went to the Finals and we&rsquo;re going to try to do it again this year.&rdquo;
How have you enjoyed living in Miami? KN: &ldquo;I love Miami. It&rsquo;s been very different to get away from the cold weather because, as you know, I&rsquo;m from Chicago. The weather here is perfect year-round. I can go down to the beach in December and get a workout in. That&rsquo;s the best part of why I love living here. It&rsquo;s just a great workout spot. Like, who doesn&rsquo;t want to go out to the beach and work out in the sand year-round?! You can go outside and enjoy yourself whenever!&rdquo;

Kendrick Nunn opens up about his development, finishing second in ROY voting, trade rumors, lessons from Miami's Finals run and more.

Kendrick Nunn Q&A: 'My No. 1 goal is running it back to the NBA Finals'

Nekias Duncan previews the Southeast Division (the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Magic and Wizards) ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

With the season set to start in less than a month, the NBA fan community was treated to an accelerated offseason. The NBA Draft was on Wednesday, and free agency kicked off two days later. We got a whirlwind of signings and trades -- boy, were there trades -- on the opening night, and that activity extended throughout the weekend.&nbsp;
Rosters are still being filled, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean we can&rsquo;t evaluate early winners and losers. If we can do it <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-2020-winners-losers-philadelphia-76ers-new-york-knicks-pelicans-new-orleans-lonzo-ball-obi-toppin-patrick-williams-chicago-bulls-tyrese-haliburton-sacramento-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for the draft</a> and none of those guys have played yet, surely we can do so for more proven commodities.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s hand out some awards and slander, shall we?
Winner: Centers
If we learned anything from the bubble, particularly from the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, it&rsquo;s that size still matters in this league. The Lakers bludgeoned teams with their size all season long, led by the ultimate unicorn in Anthony Davis. With the NBA being a copycat league, there seemed to be a real emphasis on teams adding big men early on in the free agency process.
I mean sure, the Pistons tried to sign literally all of them -- I&rsquo;m still shaking my head at the Mason Plumlee 3-year, $25 million deal -- but other bigs saw a heightened market. Derrick Favors (3/$30M) went back to his stomping grounds in Utah after looking half-dead athletically in the bubble. Meyers Leonard saw a massive drop in playing time in the bubble and playoffs, and he still was able to return to Miami for nearly $10 million. Robin Lopez shockingly opted out of a $5 million player option with the Bucks, and even more shockingly got a raise from the Washington Wizards.&nbsp;
You can&rsquo;t build the boat out of centers like you could in yesteryear, but it appears that teams have swung back the other way on their utility in general. Skilled size is king, but size in general still matters quite a bit.
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
Whew, buddy, have the rich gotten richer.
After trading Danny Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a package for Dennis Schroder, the Lakers were able to find his replacement by adding Wes Matthews with their bi-annual exception. They then were able to add last year&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Harrell has his flaws defensively, but there may not be a better big in the league than Davis to cover for those warts.
Speaking of bigs, the Lakers were also able to pry Marc Gasol away from the Toronto Raptors. Gasol has slipped quite a bit in terms of mobility, but still possesses the shooting, passing and defensive aptitude to juice the Lakers&rsquo; frontcourt. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also returns on a reasonable deal (3/$40M) after the cap space market mostly dried up on him.
The Lakers&rsquo; potential playoff rotation now consists of LeBron James, Caldwell-Pope, Matthews, Davis, Gasol, Schroder, Harrell and Alex Caruso. I think it&rsquo;s safe to say, barring injury, that they are the clear favorites to win the title this year.&nbsp;
Winner: Trae Young
Have you ever played NBA 2K&rsquo;s MyCareer mode on Hall-of-Fame difficulty? It can be a frustrating experience. It&rsquo;s less about your individual skill level. if you&rsquo;re good, you should still be able to bake CPUs; if you&rsquo;re not that good, but you&rsquo;re smart, there are some pretty simple exploits (slip those PnRs!) that can get you easy buckets. It&rsquo;s more about what the talent around you does. They just perform in a way that makes you shake your head. At a certain point, you have to assume virtually all creation responsibility if you want to score enough against the CPU to win games, assuming you don&rsquo;t stash your player on the Lakers or something. The stats you put up and the skill/badge points you earn alleviate some of the frustration, but it&rsquo;s still a pain to deal with.
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This is what I imagine Trae Young felt like last year.
His skill level is obviously high; he&rsquo;s one of the NBA&rsquo;s best passers and is a pull-up threat the second he crosses half-court. But between not having an NBA-caliber backup point guard until the Jeff Teague addition, injury woes from second-in-command Kevin Huerter and John Collins (more on him later) getting himself suspended for 25 games, it felt like Young was the only player on the Hawks that could generate offense for himself or others.
Within that lens, this offseason has been huge for him. Signing Danilo Gallinari gives the Hawks (and Young) a bonafide three-level scorer that can hold his own weight. The merits of Rajon Rondo&rsquo;s (regular season) value can be debated, but he is a high IQ guy and a tremendous passer that can create for others in the half-court. There may be more reinforcements on the way, with Kings restricted free agent and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-trade-grade-milwaukee-bucks-jrue-holiday-bogdan-bogdanovic-giannis-antetokounmpo-nekias-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">honorary Bucks legend</a> Bogdan Bogdanovic signing a hefty offer sheet (4/$72M) over the weekend. If the Kings don&rsquo;t match, Bogdanovic will give the Hawks another shot creator that also offers some passing chops in pick-and-roll.
The Hawks still have some, uh, roster balancing to do, but they&rsquo;ve undoubtedly taken some of the burden off of Young&rsquo;s plate. That feels like a win for the young lad.&nbsp;
Winner: Portland Trail Blazers
I&rsquo;m not sure if &ldquo;quietly&rdquo; is the right way to describe it, but the Blazers have had themselves one heck of an offseason. It started with their pre-draft trade for Robert Covington, a ridiculous help defender that should allow the Blazers to ramp up their defensive aggression if they so choose. Of course, that doesn&rsquo;t count as a free-agency move, but the Blazers have plenty of ammo in that department as well.
Bringing back Rodney Hood was a smart move. Hood was in the midst of his most efficient season by far (with a career-high 62.5% True Shooting percentage) before injuries derailed his campaign. His off-the-bounce shooting is a wonderful counterpunch to teams that overreact to the Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum backcourt and scramble after getting the ball out of their hands.&nbsp;
The Blazers also added Derrick Jones Jr. on a sorta-rich-but-mostly-fine 1+1 deal at the mid-level. He gives Portland a level of athleticism that they haven&rsquo;t had since, well... when have they had a guy who can jump like he can? Jones is a versatile defender in terms of his individual skill set, but also brings with him a diversity of scheme deployment after playing just about any defense you can think of under Erik Spoelstra in Miami last year.
Circling back to the &ldquo;Centers Matter!&rdquo; point, the Blazers also made sure to bolster their frontcourt. Enes Kanter is back to provide interior scoring and rebounding against specific matchups. Harry Giles is a mystery box; a tremendous passer with plus-athleticism that also has no idea what he&rsquo;s doing on defense. Carmelo Anthony isn&rsquo;t a center, but does provide some semblance of frontcourt depth as a spacer and occasional end-of-shot-clock option.
Health is the big caveat for the Blazers (when hasn&rsquo;t it been?), but they&rsquo;re set up to push for a top-four seed this season.
Loser: Denver Nuggets
I have two issues with the Nuggets&rsquo; opening weekend -- enough that I&rsquo;d consider them a loser versus a team I&rsquo;m just concerned with.
First, losing Jerami Grant hurts, even if that was mostly out of their control. Grant reportedly chose a larger role in Detroit over sticking with the Nuggets, despite a willingness from Denver&rsquo;s side to offer a similar deal. It&rsquo;s hard to blame a young dude for wanting to expand his game. And as we know in today&rsquo;s NBA, good, young-ish players on bad NBA teams can always be flipped to good teams for draft compensation. I&rsquo;d be surprised if Grant finishes his deal as a member of the Pistons.
Regardless, the athleticism, shooting, cutting and defensive versatility that Grant brings will be missed in Denver. Bringing back Paul Millsap and signing JaMychal Green are solid counters, but they didn't replace Grant&rsquo;s skillset (or youth).&nbsp;
Second, even if they were able to retain Grant, the Nuggets would still be in need of an actual-factual wing defender. They&rsquo;ve done absolutely nothing to fill that void. The closest version of that player on the roster was Torrey Craig and they pulled his qualifying offer, leading to Craig signing with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Craig is a flawed player, particularly offensively. This isn&rsquo;t a &ldquo;wow, the Nuggets really dropped the ball&rdquo; type of complaint, but he was at least a facsimile of what they needed. Who is the guy on the roster that can match up -- forget defend, just match up -- with the LeBrons, Kawhis and Paul Georges of the conference? That is a lot of pressure on Will Barton or Gary Harris or PJ Dozier -- and all of those guys are undersized against 3s or 3/4 hybrids.
Loser: Charlotte Hornets
Four years, $120 million for Gordon Hayward. Even with the theoretical small-market/bad-team tax that has to be paid to land second-tier free agents, that is a steep price for a guy who:
1) Hasn&rsquo;t made an All-Star team in three seasons.
2) Has played in 125 games over the past three seasons due to lower-body injuries.
3) May still be dealing with a <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/07/gordon-hayards-takeover-ability-foot-pain-and-absence-3-big-questions-as-the-boston-celtics-restart-their-season.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nerve issue in his foot</a> from his catastrophic injury in 2017.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_9765789-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
On top of that, the Hornets elected to waive-and-stretch Nicolas Batum -- their last big-money-gone-bad-due-to-injury wing signing -- to free up the money to bring in Hayward. Let&rsquo;s say Hayward is reasonably healthy (60 of 72 games?) and slaps up, like, 19-5-5 on solid efficiency. Is that enough to get these Hornets into the play-in tournament? Maybe?&nbsp;
I don&rsquo;t love it. I can also quibble about the Bismack Biyombo signing because there were (and are) better center options on the market, but there is familiarity there and he&rsquo;s a genuine locker-room presence.&nbsp;
Loser: John Collins
As mentioned earlier, the signing of Gallinari takes quite a bit of pressure off of Young in terms of shot creation. Gallinari is also pretty firmly a 4, which happens to be the same position that Collins plays.&nbsp;
You may say, &ldquo;Just slide Collins over to the 5!&rdquo; and sure. But the Hawks traded for Clint Capela to operate as a rim runner and rim protector. They also just drafted Onyeka Okongwu at No. 6 overall. He may be mobile enough to survive at the 4, but he does not have the shooting or ball skills (yet) to play it offensively. He should also get burn at the 5.&nbsp;
If the Hawks are serious about making the playoffs (which they seem to be based on the money they&rsquo;ve shelled out so far), then improving the defense should be priority number one. Capela, Okongwu and the recently-signed Kris Dunn all fit that billing. Capela and Okongwu are better options at holding down the fort defensively than Collins is.
These moves conveniently come during an offseason in which Collins is extension-eligible and fresh off a season where Collins missed 25 games due to stupi-, er, suspension.
I&rsquo;m not the best at math, but 2 + 2 has always come out to 4 in my experience. It&rsquo;s starting to feel like Collins is going to end up being the odd man out.&nbsp;
Collins is very talented, a legit stretch option at this point while also being a violent rim-runner and offensive rebounder; but the lack of positional versatility due to his &ldquo;meh&rdquo; length and defensive aptitude cap his ceiling in terms of playoff value. And it&rsquo;s hard to argue giving max money to a guy like that, especially when your franchise player is one of the worst defenders in the sport. If building around Young is the priority, you&rsquo;re going to need a team full of wing defenders and interior stoppers. Collins, as good as he is, doesn&rsquo;t qualify as either.
Loser: JaVale McGee
Opting into your contract, only to be shipped to Cleveland to make room for your replacement has to sting. Assuming he stays, he&rsquo;s also not any closer to consistent playing time. And even if he does carve out a 14-16-minute role as the back-up 5, he&rsquo;ll be going from LeBron to&hellip; Collin Sexton and Darius Garland as pick-and-roll passers?&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13781902-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
Quite a drop, I&rsquo;d say.
Stray Thoughts
- Maybe not a loser, but the Brooklyn Nets are loser-adjacent right now. Bringing back Joe Harris is smart, even if that price (4/$75M) seems a smidge steep for my liking. But they&rsquo;re still a couple of perimeter defenders short, and they need a 4. Badly. Go flip some stuff for Aaron Gordon, please.
- Very nerdy thing, but I love the DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry signing for Toronto. He can&rsquo;t shoot, which stinks, but he can defend multiple positions, plays at 150 MPH all the time and can make some funky passes from time-to-time. He&rsquo;s going to be fun (and sometimes infuriating) for their bench unit.
- The Bogdanovic flop was funny to watch for non-Bucks fans, but I think the consensus around the Bucks&rsquo; offseason has become overly negative because of it. They still improved their team, highlighted by the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-trade-grade-milwaukee-bucks-jrue-holiday-bogdan-bogdanovic-giannis-antetokounmpo-nekias-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jrue Holiday trade</a>. They&rsquo;ve also made some solid bargain signings. Bryn Forbes can shoot, as can D.J. Augustin. Bobby Portis can score, though that&rsquo;s probably all he can do. None of those guys are plus-defenders, but if you&rsquo;re of the belief that they&rsquo;ll be flanked by at least one of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez at all times, you have the interior infrastructure in place to protect them from being abused. Of course, none of this matters if head coach Mike Budenholzer doesn't evolve a bit. Which, well, I guess we&rsquo;ll see.
- Seriously, is there a single Knicks player on the roster that isn&rsquo;t repped by CAA? Somebody has to intervene, right? Right? Bueller?&nbsp;
- Shout-out to the Suns for drafting Jalen Smith at 10, then proceeding to sign or bring back three frontcourt players in less than a week. Bringing him along slowly isn&rsquo;t a bad idea, but it does make the pick look more questionable in the short-term.
- It&rsquo;s at least a little odd we&rsquo;ve heard next to nothing on the extension talks of Giannis Antetokounmpo (and by proxy, Bam Adebayo) or Brandon Ingram. I would expect the Ingram shoe to drop first, but the silence on the other end is... odd, to say the least. Teams like the Heat, Raptors and Mavericks might smell blood in the water.
- Honestly would&rsquo;ve liked to see the Hawks take the $12-or-so-million per year they spent on the Rondo/Dunn combo and use it for a De&rsquo;Anthony Melton offer sheet, but good on the Grizzlies for locking him up for cheap. That deal is going to age well, methinks.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the teams and players that were affected the most after the first three days of NBA free agency.

Early winners and losers of NBA free-agency weekend

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

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

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

This year&rsquo;s NBA Draft was always going to be a fun one. There was no clear-cut superstar prospect in the class, which led to a lot of uncertainty at the top. There was plenty of noise that virtually every team in the top five was looking into trading their pick, though ultimately none of those rumors came to fruition.
Still, we had plenty of movement in terms of trades, and we got the usual brand of surprise swings (hi, Jalen Smith to the Phoenix Suns at No. 10) and somewhat inexplicable slides from players that will outperform their draft slot (more on that shortly).
Is it too early to dub teams winners and losers of a draft that we won&rsquo;t have a real handle on for half a decade?&nbsp;
Yes.
Will that stop me from doing so?
Absolutely not.
Without further ado, here are some of the winners and losers from last night&rsquo;s action:
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
Have yourself a night, Daryl Morey.
It&rsquo;s hard to argue that any team addressed their needs in the manner that the Sixers were able to. They land Tyrese Maxey, one of the best guard defenders in the draft with some on-ball chops. He had an underwhelming shooting season during his lone stint at Kentucky, but his lower-level sample -- AAU, high school, etc -- leaves room for optimism that his Kentucky year was the outlier, and that he should settle in as a plus-shooter in the future.
It doesn&rsquo;t stop there, of course.
Isaiah Joe was a steal at No. 49, even more so considering the Sixers basically told anyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn&rsquo;t) that they planned on taking Joe at some point. Joe is one of the best shooters in the class, so his role on a team with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons couldn&rsquo;t be more obvious.
The big move was turning Josh Richardson -- a talented defender and jack-of-all-trades offensive piece that has been miscast into a somewhat heavy creation role for two consecutive seasons -- and the pick that became Tyler Bey into Seth Curry, one of the league&rsquo;s most lethal shooters and an underrated pick-and-roll initiator. The dribble-handoff sets that JJ Redick and Embiid infuriated defenses with should be replicated easily with Curry, with even more on-ball creation available.&nbsp;
The Sixers are dangerous - on paper, at least - and there&rsquo;s still time for them to make moves this offseason.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/draft_toppin_lg.jpg" alt="" width="519" height="AUTO" />
Loser: New York Knicks
It&rsquo;s fun to crack jokes at the Knicks&rsquo; expense. I do it, and you probably do too. Your favorite tweeter probably does it. It&rsquo;s low-hanging fruit, but an apple a day keeps the doctor away. You know the vibes.
And as much as I would like to give the Knicks a little leeway with their draft, I just can&rsquo;t get there with the Obi Toppin pick. There are ways to talk yourself into it. He&rsquo;s an absurd pick-and-roll finisher, decent enough shooter, and has shown hints of short-roll passing ability. Mitchell Robinson is one of the best rim protectors in the sport; surely he can cover for some of Toppin&rsquo;s defensive shortcomings, no?
Well &hellip; I kinda lean no.
Toppin is an incredible offensive talent. Most of his skills should translate. But to be a pick-and-roll menace, you need someone to feed you the ball; at the very least, you have to have someone that can draw attention so somebody else can feed you the ball. The Knicks don&rsquo;t really have that. RJ Barrett has a ways to go as a lead ball-handler, and teams are going to duck under his picks until he proves he can shoot anyway.
I don&rsquo;t really see any upside with Toppin defensively. He doesn&rsquo;t have the length to play small-ball 5; his hip movement is awful (to be kind), which limits how well he moves laterally. What exactly is the hope there, playing almost exclusively ICE defense (hi, Thibs) and hoping he can funnel drivers to Robinson, who famously doesn&rsquo;t have issues with fouls whatsoever?&nbsp;
Can you feel the sarcasm?
I like the addition of Immanuel Quickley, a solid shooter with some defensive upside. But the Knicks desperately need to get someone that can set up their offense. Free agency is going to be huge for them. Address that need, and their draft selections will look a little better. For now, though, it&rsquo;s hard to be a fan.
Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton not going in the top five isn&rsquo;t a surprise. His lack of scoring aggression and physical strength made his statistical profile a little less impressive than it looks on the surface. There are real questions about him being a lead guard or a top-end on-ball defender because of those limitations. Landing on a team with an actual point guard would be huge for Haliburton, because it would allow him to slot in as a secondary creator and defend wings, unlocking his strength as an off-ball/team defender.
Enter the Sacramento Kings, who have their franchise point guard in De&rsquo;Aaron Fox.
Fox can get to the rim whenever he wants. Haliburton is a reliable spot-up threat, and has the passing chops to beat an already-bent defense as a close-out attacker or someone that can navigate a secondary pick-and-roll. The Kings still have work to do on the perimeter; it doesn&rsquo;t appear Buddy Hield wants to be there, and there&rsquo;s no telling where Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to end up at this point (if the sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks is, in fact, dead). But for Haliburton, it&rsquo;s hard to think of a much better on-court fit among teams in the lottery.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/t2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="586" height="AUTO" />
Loser: Patrick Williams
Williams going No. 4 to Chicago was the first surprise of the draft. He was a late riser in the process, with his age (the youngest guy in the draft), physical tools and versatility on both ends providing plenty of intrigue to evaluators. The Bulls taking a swing is very good for Williams&rsquo; bank account, but I&rsquo;m not sure if I love the basketball fit.
The frontcourt is a bit jumbled with Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and vets like Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young that will have a claim to minutes at the 4 as long as they&rsquo;re on the roster. Williams doesn&rsquo;t quite have the ball skills or defenses-have-to-account-for-you shooting ability to survive at the 3. There also isn&rsquo;t a true tablesetter to get Williams easy looks; Zach LaVine and Coby White are talented scorers, but they aren&rsquo;t the kind of gravitational forces to make life easier on their frontcourt partners.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs did pretty darn well for themselves, landing Devin Vassell at No. 11, then snagging Tre Jones at No. 41.&nbsp;
Vassell can slot in now as a genuine 3-and-D piece, though he&rsquo;s shown enough flashes at Florida State with the ball in his hands to believe he could grow into a more complete player. Jones is a tremendous decision maker and point-of-attack defender. How you feel about his jumper - improving but still a tad underwhelming - will shape how you feel about his long-term prospects, but he adds point guard depth to a team that has to make some decisions pretty soon.&nbsp;
Patty Mills&rsquo; name has been swirling in trade rumors over the past couple of weeks. Bryn Forbes is set to hit free agency. Derrick White is going to be up for a payday pretty soon, and the extension of Dejounte Murray just kicked in. If the Spurs decide to make some changes, there will be room for Jones to provide value in Year 1.&nbsp;
Loser: Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s future at point guard
If acquiring Eric Bledsoe and George Hill as part of the Jrue Holiday package wasn&rsquo;t enough to seal Lonzo&rsquo;s fate as a lead ball handler, drafting Kira Lewis Jr. at No. 13 was surely the last blow. During <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-2020-basketball-news-show-live-stream-alex-kennedy-matt-babcock-fran-fraschilla-derek-murray-jason-filippi-doc-martin">BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s NBA Draft Show</a>, our Matt Babcock said that the Pelicans view Lewis Jr. as their point guard of the future and that the team will likely trade Ball.
Lewis Jr. is an absolute speed demon with complementary passing and off-the-bounce shooting chops. The common De&rsquo;Aaron Fox comparison falls apart because they use their speed to win in different ways - Lewis Jr. with his shot, Fox with his rim finishing - but Lewis Jr. has the profile of a half-court creator that Lonzo just doesn&rsquo;t.
I&rsquo;m not sure what Lonzo&rsquo;s future in New Orleans is, but he&rsquo;ll definitely be off the ball more if he stays. That should be good for him, should he accept it. He&rsquo;s at his best as a connector in the half-court, making the first swing in a swing-swing sequence, or capping off possessions with catch-and-shoot opportunities. If he still fancies himself as an actual point guard, it wouldn&rsquo;t shock me to see him push for greener pastures elsewhere via trade, or once he hits restricted free agency next summer.
Winner: Draft Twitter&nbsp;
And by Draft Twitter, I mean the Memphis Grizzlies for apparently being secret members of Draft Twitter.
Their 2019 draft saw them land the electric Ja Morant, then nab Brandon Clarke late in the first (HOW DID THIS HAPPEN). Morant would of course go on to win Rookie of the Year, while Clarke had a strong case for being the second-most productive rookie in the league last season. Clarke&rsquo;s slide was infuriating to watch during last year&rsquo;s draft. He was arguably the best non-Zion player in college basketball that year, showcasing elite movement skills, vertical pop, intermediate and paint touch, and IQ on both ends of the floor. But because of his age and wingspan, teams talked themselves out of him. Memphis swooped in and the rest was history.
Desmond Bane and especially Xavier Tillman fit the bill as upperclassmen with NBA-ready games that had no business sliding to the 30s in terms of their skill level. They went a step further after the draft, adding the super talented but oft-injured Killian Tillie.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies now have Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Clarke, Tillman, Bane, Tillie, John Konchar (post-draft addition), Jontay Porter, and other funky guys like Justise Winslow and DeAnthony Melton on their roster or books. They are very, very high on my League Pass list this year and moving forward.
Loser: LaVar Ball
I mostly like the LaMelo Ball pick for Charlotte. He has arguably the highest ceiling in this year&rsquo;s class, a virtuosic passer at 6&rsquo;8 (!!!!) who can and will fling shots from anywhere on the court. The Hornets need star talent and a star personality; Ball can provide both.&nbsp;
It was also pretty clear that LaMelo&rsquo;s father, LaVar, was, uh, less than enthused about ending up in Charlotte. I&rsquo;m not sure he&rsquo;s unfolded his arms yet. As someone that basically lives in the area, I think the Hornets have a pretty underrated and devout fanbase. They&rsquo;ll take to the Ball Family if the family takes to them. One trip to Cook Out should boost morale for everyone.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/draft_hampton_lg.jpg" alt="" width="540" height="AUTO" />
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">I love that the entirety of the Precious Achiuwa-to-Miami analysis was some variation of &ldquo;this is a Heat pick.&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Provided he stays healthy, Josh Richardson will probably have the best season of his career next year. He&rsquo;s never been surrounded by this level of playmaking and shooting, and should slot in rather easily as Dallas&rsquo; best perimeter defender.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Malachi Flynn to Toronto is a fun selection, with a smidge of writing on the wall about the Fred VanVleet free agency. Let&rsquo;s say the writing is in pencil; the Raptors are still the favorites to bring him back.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Simply can&rsquo;t believe Grant Riller almost went undrafted. The College of Charleston guard will head a couple hours north to Charlotte, finally giving them a guard who CAN GET TO THE FREAKING BASKET</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">I was honestly surprised the Thunder didn&rsquo;t cash in some of their chips to move up for LaMelo, but landing Aleksej Pokusevski (Poku!) is still quite the upside swing. There&rsquo;s no telling how bad the Thunder will be next season, if at all, but they&rsquo;re set up nicely for the Cade Cunningham Sweepstakes next year.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Seriously, how the heck did Xavier Tillman not go Round 1?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">RJ Hampton to Denver is one of my favorite on-court pairings in the draft. Hampton being coached by Mike Malone is something I&rsquo;m a little uneasy about. I wonder how much leeway he&rsquo;ll get to make some mistakes and grow. If he&rsquo;s afforded a little freedom, the rim pressure he can provide in lineups alongside Jamal Murray could be pretty darn valuable.</li>
</ul>

Nekias Duncan shares his early winners and losers from the 2020 NBA Draft (including the Knicks, Spurs and 76ers among others).

Early winners and losers from the 2020 NBA Draft

Nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving has opted out of his $43 million player option and agreed to a three-year, $119 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania.
The deal, which includes a player option for the 2027&ndash;28 season, comes as Irving recovers from a torn ACL sustained in March and underscores a mutual commitment to anchor Dallas&rsquo;s core alongside Anthony Davis and presumed incoming rookie to be drafted no.1 overall in this year&rsquo;s draft Cooper Flagg.
Last season, Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists over 50 games. Playing all 22 playoff games, he averaged 22.1 points and 5.1 assists while leading the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals. With the extension, Dallas lowers his annual cap hit and drops below the luxury-tax second apron &ndash; freeing up the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception for potential offseason moves.
Irving, 33, spoke briefly on the decision: he and team officials are united in building a legacy in Dallas, with eyes on a championship window. Returning from ACL surgery as early as January, he signals his readiness to help the Mavericks contend at the highest level.
ANALYSIS: This move marks the roster continuity for Dallas, as Irving solidifies their core alongside Davis and Flagg, signaling intent for long-term competitiveness. By opting out and thus lowering the cap burden, the Mavericks restored mid-level exception with its cap strategy and it gives their front office flexibility to make more moves in the future.&nbsp;
Although injured, Irving&rsquo;s contract shows faith in his return and his role as team leader. Dallas positions itself to build around Irving, Davis, and Flagg &ndash; balancing short-term title ambitions with sustainable growth. This deal not only secures their veteran playmaker but also opens room to add supporting pieces needed to compete next season.

Nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving has opted out of his $43 million player option and agreed to a three-year, $119 million extension.

Kyrie Irving resigns three-year, $119 million contract extension with Mavericks

The 2024&ndash;25 NBA regular season concluded with a dramatic final day, solidifying the playoff picture and setting the stage for an exciting postseason.&nbsp;
The Clippers beat the Warriors in a tough game, with all the stars coming out to play. Golden State&rsquo;s Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler went toe-to-toe with LA&rsquo;s James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, with the latter coming out on top in overtime. With the Clippers&rsquo; win, they are slotted at the 5th seed and will face 4th-seeded Denver after also winning against Houston.
The Warriors&rsquo; loss will put them in the play-in tournament, which they will host against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Minnesota Timberwolves booked a date with the 3rd-seeded Lakers after their win vs the Utah Jazz.&nbsp;
The Play-In Tournament is scheduled for April 15&ndash;18, followed by the commencement of the playoffs on April 19.​&nbsp;
<h3>Western Conference</h3>
The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the top seed in the West with a franchise-best 68&ndash;14 record, while the Houston Rockets claimed the second seed. Both teams now await their playoff opponents with the results of the play-in tournament.
Play-In Matchups:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">(7) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">(9) Sacramento Kings vs. (10) Dallas Mavericks ​</li>
</ul>
<h3>Eastern Conference</h3>
The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the top seed in the East with a 64&ndash;18 record, marking their first number 1 seed since 2016. The Boston Celtics secured the second seed, followed by the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
Play-In Matchups:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">(7) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">(9) Chicago Bulls vs. (10) Miami Heat</li>
</ul>
The Play-In Tournament will determine the final two playoff spots in each conference. The winners of the 7-8 games will earn the seventh seed, while the losers will face the winners of the 9-10 games to compete for the eighth seed.&nbsp;
The playoffs promise intense matchups, with teams like the Thunder and Cavaliers aiming to capitalize on their strong regular-season performances, while other teams like the Lakers, Warriors, Celtics, and Bucks looking to make deep postseason runs.​

The 2024–25 NBA season concluded with a dramatic final day, solidifying the playoff picture and setting the stage for the playoffs.

2025 NBA Playoffs set after thrilling regular season finale

The East Asia Super League (EASL) is set to host its highly anticipated Final Four 2025 in Macau SAR for the very first time. From March 7-9, Melco Resorts &amp; Entertainment&rsquo;s Studio City Event Center will be the stage where Asia&rsquo;s basketball elite clash for glory.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This marks the EASL&rsquo;s second-ever Final Four, building on the success of its inaugural home-and-away season format introduced during the 2023-24 campaign, following a series of thrilling and competitive tournaments.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Asia&rsquo;s finest teams will battle it out in Macau for the EASL Final Four 2025,&rdquo; said CEO Henry Kerins. &ldquo;This event is the Champions League of Asian basketball, bringing top-tier talent, electrifying action, and an unmatched atmosphere. It&rsquo;s everything basketball fans could hope for.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Two teams have already punched their tickets to the Final Four, both representing Japan&rsquo;s B.LEAGUE. The Ryukyu Golden Kings secured the first spot on December 25 with a gritty 82-74 win over the New Taipei Kings. They were soon joined by the Hiroshima Dragonflies, who earned their berth with a dominant 94-63 victory against the San Miguel Beermen on January 8. The B.LEAGUE continues to showcase its dominance in EASL, highlighted by the Chiba Jets&rsquo; championship run last year with an unblemished 8-0 record.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With three game days left and two Final Four slots still available, the battle for postseason spots is intensifying.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The stakes couldn&rsquo;t be higher, as the EASL Champions will take home a grand prize of $1 million, while the runner-up will receive $500,000, and the third-place team will earn $250,000. The semi finals are set for March 7, with the winners advancing to the Championship Game on March 9. Meanwhile, the semi final losers will compete in a Third-Place Game also scheduled for March 9.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Fans eager to witness the action can grab their tickets starting February 7 at 12 p.m. CST through Studio City Macau&rsquo;s official website: [https://www.studiocity-macau.com/en](https://www.studiocity-macau.com/en).

The East Asia Super League (EASL) is set to host its highly anticipated Final Four 2025 in Macau SAR for the very first time.

EASL Final Four 2025 Heads to Macau

The article was initially published on BasketballNews on April 6, 2022.
Anyone else love going back and looking at old box scores and falling down afternoon-long rabbit holes, or am I the weirdo?
You might&rsquo;ve read the headline and either recalled this event actually happening, or are befuddled at how such a thing could take place, even in that NBA.
This article, published on April 6, 2022, marks 25 years since the Del Harris-led Los Angeles Lakers held Jim Cleamons and his Dallas Mavericks to 2 points in the third quarter of a regular-season game.
The contest was held at the LA Forum, where a 50-24 Laker team met a 22-53 Mavs squad with two weeks remaining before the playoffs started. Staples wasn&rsquo;t that big yet, and Crypto didn&rsquo;t exist. (Some might say it still doesn&rsquo;t, but you can fight about that amongst yourselves.)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
A large-ass, Biggie verse-having, All-Star center named Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal had been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/14/sports/injury-to-o-neal-is-a-blow-to-lakers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out with a knee injury</a> suffered that February, which he returned from five days later. Something tells me, if you made it here, you&rsquo;ve heard of him. Also on the Lakers, quite famously, was a talented rookie named Kobe Bryant, who had been playing regular rotation minutes at 18 years old, but wasn&rsquo;t yet Kobe.
The Mavericks had traded a controversial-but-talented point guard in Jason Kidd earlier in the season &mdash; along with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer &mdash; to the Phoenix Suns for a package highlighted by Michael Finley, Sam Cassell and A.C. Green. They also dealt Jamal Mashburn to the Miami Heat several weeks later for Kurt Thomas, Sasa Danilović and Martin M&uuml;&uuml;rsepp.
And right before the deadline, Dallas rerouted Cassell as part of a five-man package including Jim Jackson, George McCloud (who wound up on the Lakers retroactively), Eric Montross and Chris Gatling for Shawn Bradley, Khalid Reeves, Robert Pack and Ed O&rsquo;Bannon &mdash; famously the Most Outstanding Player of the 1995 Final Four, and <a href="https://www.primerus.com/business-law-articles/ed-obannon-shines-a-light-upon-student-athletes-right-of-publicity-624201.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killer of EA's NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball video game franchises</a>. This move not only cemented Dallas&rsquo; rebuild, but it officially made way for a <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2018/06/06/flashback-jamal-mashburn-on-what-really-happened-between-jason-kidd-jim-jackson-and-toni-braxton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toni Braxton-less future in Texas</a>.
The Mavericks, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/1997_games.html">who came in as losers of 10 straight heading into this game</a> &mdash; a lengthy skid that never saw the team score more than 92 points &mdash; went into Hollywood and started Pack, Finley, Green, Bradley and Derek Harper. Without Shaq, the Lakers began with Derek Fisher, Eddie Jones, Jerome Kersey, Corie Blount and Sean Rooks, who played a game-high 43 minutes (33 over his season average).
<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199704060LAL.html">The Mavericks led 30-17 after the first quarter and 51-37 at halftime</a>. The teams combined to attempt 12 threes in the first half, which most teams would typically combine to do in a quarter today. The Mavericks shot 21 of 44 from the field and outrebounded the Lakers 24-16 while holding L.A. to 12 of 32 shooting.
Bryant and Robert Horry went a combined 2 of 9 off the bench, and Rooks had logged 10 points and 7 boards to that point. Harper and Finley combined for 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while Bradley had 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Okay, now let's get to why you&rsquo;re here.
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Not only did the Mavericks score 2 points in the entire third quarter, but the points came from a pair of Harper free throws with 1:51 left in the quarter. So it took over 10 minutes to even get on the board in this period.
Anyway, the Mavericks shot 0 of 15 from the field for the quarter and missed all 4 of their three-balls. They also had 9 turnovers and only made one substitution over the entire 12 minutes, removing Pack for Sa&scaron;a Danilović about halfway through the third. That meant Green, Harper, Finley and Bradley were each a minus-25 for the quarter, and Pack was a minus-20.
For good measure, the Mavericks third quarter could be summed up like this:
<ul>
<li>Points: 2</li>
<li>Fouls: 3</li>
</ul>
The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 27-2 and still just led 64-53 after three. L.A. shot 10 of 17 in the quarter, made 5 of 7 triples, only needed to pull down 8 rebounds and turned the ball over just twice.
The Mavs outdid their horrific third quarter only 48 seconds into the fourth with two layups. They even cut their deficit to as close as 7 points in garbage time before the Lakers pulled away with a 87-80 win.
Fisher scored 21 points &mdash; not even close to a career-high for him &mdash; but to that point, his highest point tally had been just 14. In fact, the 21 points would remain a career-best mark for Fisher until he netted 26 points on March 13, 2001 in a win over the Boston Celtics four years later.
Sean &ldquo;2019 Bam Adebayo&rdquo; Rooks ended the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Bryant logged about 22 minutes off the bench, netting 13 points on 3 of 9 shooting, also finishing with 3 steals and going a perfect 5 of 5 at the free-throw line.
Harper led the Mavs with 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting. Finley only put up 9 shots in over 34 minutes of play. The next time he put up just 9 shots in that many minutes? <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200203310WAS.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March 31, 2002</a>.
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So, what ended up happening to these two teams? Glad you asked!
The Lakers finished 56-26 and fourth in the Western Conference, sweeping the Kenny Anderson, Isaiah Rider, and Rasheed Wallace-led Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1. Then, in the West semifinals, L.A. fell to the No. 1 seed Utah Jazz, who eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 NBA Finals. The Lakers still had a few more years of Harris before Phil Jackson eventually came to clean things up prior to the 1999-2002 three-peat era.
The Mavericks finished 24-58 and were actually still fourth in the Midwest Division among seven teams, completing 1996-97 with only the sixth-worst record in the league. Unfortunately, they didn&rsquo;t own their own draft pick, but fortunately, the Celtics &mdash; who had it at No. 6 &mdash; used it on Ron Mercer, so it wasn&rsquo;t an egregious miss.
Tracy McGrady did go No. 9 overall, and the Mavs did settle on Kelvin Cato at No. 15, but they landed with a kid named Dirk Nowitzki in the 1998 NBA Draft after another 20-win season.
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Bryan Fonseca revisits when the Mavericks only mustered a measly 2 points in the third quarter against the Lakers.

Revisiting the time the Mavericks scored just 2 points in a quarter

The NBA announced that the Dallas Mavericks will play a preseason game against reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid at the WiZink Center in Madrid on Oct. 10, 2023, at 8:45 p.m. CET.
This will be the NBA&rsquo;s eighth game in the Spanish capital and 20th game in Spain overall, and it will mark 35 years since the NBA's first game in Spain in 1988.
The Mavericks currently feature four-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team member Luka Dončić, who joined Real Madrid at the age of 13 and became the youngest-ever EuroLeague MVP and EuroLeague Final Four MVP when he led Real Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title at age 19. The Mavericks also feature 2016 NBA champion and eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving.
Real Madrid features Spanish legend and former NBA draftee Sergio Llull as well as several former NBA players, including Rudy Fern&aacute;ndez, Mario Hezonja, Džanan Musa and Sergio Rodr&iacute;guez. Real Madrid has won a record 36 La Liga ACB championships and is the winningest team in EuroLeague history with 11 titles.
The matchup marks the first preseason NBA game in Madrid since 2016, when Dončić and Real Madrid hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 1988, the Boston Celtics played two games in Madrid against the then Yugoslavian Men&rsquo;s National Team and Real Madrid.
Prior to the game in Madrid, the Mavericks will play two preseason games against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 5 and 7 as part of The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023.
&ldquo;Bringing the live NBA experience directly to our passionate international fans is an important part of our year-round efforts to grow basketball and the NBA around the world,&rdquo; said NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited for the Mavericks to play Real Madrid and look forward to engaging with fans from Spain and across Europe around this historic matchup.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Following our preseason games in Abu Dhabi, we are thrilled to play the game we love for the MFFLs in Madrid,&rdquo; said Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall. &ldquo;Our team is lucky to have one of the greatest international NBA ambassadors in Luka, and we look forward to connecting with Real Madrid and their fans.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Facing an NBA team is always special, but on this occasion even more so, as it will give us the opportunity to once again enjoy a Real Madrid legend and NBA star like Luka Dončić, who proudly carries the name of our club and presumes of being a Madridista wherever he goes,&rdquo; said Real Madrid ambassador Felipe Reyes. &ldquo;It will be a great spectacle and a very exciting moment for all madridistas and basketball lovers.&rdquo;
Tickets for the game will go on general sale Aug. 31.&nbsp; Fans can check Real Madrid&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.realmadrid.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.realmadrid.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693516418041000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1N6d_mVGbXuv9mwGvRYEfp">website</a> for more information. The game will air live in the U.S. on NBA TV and Bally Sports Southwest. Additional broadcast distribution details will be available at a later date.
There have been 16 NBA players from Spain, including 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Pau Gasol. NBA games have aired in Spain since the 1987-88 season, and the league opened its office in Madrid in 2007.&nbsp;
NBA games are currently available in Spain on NBA League Pass via the NBA App, including 39 weekend games during the 2023-24 season that will air in primetime in Europe as part of the league&rsquo;s &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays&rdquo; initiative.

The Dallas Mavericks will play a preseason game against reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid at the WiZink Center in Madrid.

Dallas Mavericks, Real Madrid to play preseason game in Madrid

It&rsquo;s the easiest call of the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-draft-2023-wembanyama-b3449d1a5f7a7de5906bb1979ffb2a26">NBA draft</a>: The San Antonio Spurs won.
That&rsquo;s not to say other teams didn&rsquo;t do very well on Thursday, when 58 players were selected as the league&rsquo;s newest members. But the Spurs being able to take generational French talent Victor Wembanyama puts them at the head of the class.
Some of the teams that also did well: NBA champion Denver, Golden State, Toronto &mdash; even with just one pick &mdash; and Orlando, which might now be closer to returning to the postseason mix.
A breakdown of which teams had Excellent drafts, those that had Good drafts and others that will have to Wait and See:
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">EXCELLENT</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">DALLAS MAVERICKS</h3>
Picks: Dereck Lively II (12, via trade); Olivier-Maxence Prosper (24, via trade).
Dallas got the big man it wanted and created opportunity by moving Davis Bertans. Hard to argue that it wasn&rsquo;t a good night. And now free agency awaits. Prosper is another player with big potential and was extremely hard to guard at Marquette.
Picks: Julian Strawther (29), Jalen Pickett (32, will be acquired via trade), Hunter Tyson (37),
Pickett should have gone in the first round. He&rsquo;s that good, and the NBA champions just got another do-it-all guy who will also serve as insurance should Bruce Brown leave in free agency.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">DETROIT PISTONS</h3>
Picks: Ausar Thompson (5), Marcus Sasser (25, via trade), James Nnaji (31)
No matter what, the Pistons were going to get better and deeper on Thursday night. Thompson is incredibly athletic (even by NBA standards) and plays defense with a ton of energy.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS</h3>
Picks: Brandin Podziemski (19), Trayce Jackson-Davis (57, via trade)
Play to your strength, and the Warriors got another shooter to add to the mix with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Podziemski could add something right away, and came to Golden State on the same day that the Warriors swung a deal for Chris Paul by sending Jordan Poole to Washington.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">HOUSTON ROCKETS</h3>
Picks: Amen Thompson (4), Cam Whitmore (20)
Thompson is a great move and gives Detroit another great option as it builds. If Whitmore is healthy, then Houston got an absolute steal by getting the Villanova forward at No. 20.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER</h3>
Picks: Cason Wallace (10, via trade), Keyontae Johnson (50)
Wallace was great for Kentucky in his lone college season and played perhaps his best game in the Wildcats&rsquo; finale in the NCAA tournament. He can score; he didn&rsquo;t look to score quite often enough at times in college.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">ORLANDO MAGIC</h3>
Picks: Anthony Black (6), Jett Howard (11)
Paolo Banchero got a couple more shooters to help him out, and the young and talented Magic got more young talent. An excellent night again and it&rsquo;s time to start thinking about Orlando as a team that should make a run at the play-in &mdash; at minimum.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">SAN ANTONIO SPURS</h3>
Picks: Victor Wembanyama (1), Sidy Cissoko (44).
Their grade was secured at the very moment that the last ping-pong ball appeared at the lottery last month. Wembanyama was a no-brainer, and now it&rsquo;s up to the Spurs to start the real work &mdash; get him into the gym, see how he fits, and figure out what the plan is going forward.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">TORONTO RAPTORS</h3>
Pick: Gradey Dick (13)
Dick showed up to the draft in a red-and-black jacket &mdash; a nod to Dorothy from &ldquo;The Wizard of Oz&rdquo; and his Kansas roots. The color scheme will work in Toronto as well. Dick is a pure shooter, and no team can have too many of those. The jury&rsquo;s still out on what the Raptors will be this coming season, but this kid will be a rotation piece.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">UTAH JAZZ</h3>
Picks: Taylor Hendricks (9), Keyonte George (16), Brice Sensabaugh (28)
Hendricks is what an NBA big pretty much is now; a power forward who can also defend centers. George was the Big 12 rookie of the year at Baylor and is a proven scorer. He&rsquo;s good from the line, has 3-point potential and can get to the rim. There&rsquo;s some work to do, but he&rsquo;s a serious prospect.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">GOOD</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">BROOKLYN NETS</h3>
Picks: Noah Clowney (21), Dariq Whitehead (22), Jalen Wilson (51)
Clowney is an athletic big from Alabama whose game is still a bit unfinished. Whitehead has enormous potential and was highly recruited by Duke, but foot issues are a concern. Wilson was the Big 12 player of the year at Kansas. The Nets likely didn&rsquo;t choose three elite programs accidentally. Lot to like here.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CHARLOTTE HORNETS</h3>
Picks: Brandon Miller (2), Nick Smith Jr. (27), Amari Bailey (41).
Miller made sense over Scoot Henderson because the Hornets have a point guard already. But Henderson might be the more NBA-ready player.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">INDIANA PACERS</h3>
Picks: Jarace Walker (8, via trade), Ben Sheppard (26), Julian Strawther (29), Mojave King (47, via trade), Isaiah Wong (55)
Walker plays hard on both ends, and this is rare to say, but he might play harder on defense than he does on offense. And getting Wong &mdash; the ACC player of the year &mdash; so late is a steal.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS</h3>
Picks: Kobe Brown (30), Jordan Miller (48)
Brown is a strong player, addicted to rebounding, and probably needs to improve considerably on the offensive end. Miller did a little of everything for the Miami Hurricanes in their run to the Final Four.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">LOS ANGELES LAKERS</h3>
Picks: Jalen Hood-Schifino (17), Maxwell Lewis (40, via trade).
Hood-Schifino got NBA coaching in college last season; Indiana is coached by Mike Woodson. He&rsquo;s a winner; his high school teams won, his Indiana team went to the NCAA Tournament and he&rsquo;ll obviously benefit from time with LeBron James.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MIAMI HEAT</h3>
Pick: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18)
A four-year college player whose game got more complete each year, Jaquez has a notorious work ethic that should fit in quite well with the Eastern Conference champions.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">NEW ORLEANS PELICANS</h3>
Pick: Jordan Hawkins (14)
Hawkins was a big part of UConn&rsquo;s team that won the national title last spring, earning his way onto the All-Tournament team. New Orleans got a winner.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS</h3>
Picks: Scoot Henderson (3), Kris Murray (23), Rayan Rupert (43).
Henderson has shown that he&rsquo;s NBA-ready. The Blazers drafted well. But really, the only question now is whether Damian Lillard is happy or not. Murray is the twin brother of Sacramento&rsquo;s Keegan Murray and had a big season for Iowa &mdash; averaging just over 20 points per game.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">WASHINGTON WIZARDS</h3>
Picks: Bilal Coulibaly (7, via trade), Tristan Vukcevic (42)
The Wizards are starting over, and on the day they also agreed to acquire Jordan Poole from Golden State they just happened to get a French player. (No, not that one.) But Coulibaly is highly touted by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, and that&rsquo;s enough of an endorsement for us.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">WAIT AND SEE</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">ATLANTA HAWKS</h3>
Picks: Kobe Bufkin (15), Mouhamed Gueye (39, via trade), Seth Lundy (46)
Bufkin had a great second half of the season at Michigan, and left-handers always provide defenses with an extra challenge. The best way to describe his game is this: He doesn&rsquo;t do much wrong. Very solid, can help the Hawks in a lot of ways.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">BOSTON CELTICS</h3>
Picks: James Njaji (31, via trade), Jordan Walsh (38, via trade)
Still only 18, Njaji started playing the game about seven years ago and is not even close to reaching his potential yet. Big prospect.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CHICAGO BULLS</h3>
Pick: Julian Phillips (35, via trade)
The Bulls had to forfeit what would have been their pick because of free-agency violations last summer, and swung a deal with Boston to land the Tennessee wing.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CLEVELAND CAVALIERS</h3>
Pick: Emoni Bates (49)
He was touted as a star since basically middle school, had more than his share of promising moments in college, and now has to really prove himself.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES</h3>
Picks: Gregory Jackson II (45), Tarik Biberovic (56)
Prospects. They&rsquo;re not expected to provide any real help anytime soon.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MILWAUKEE BUCKS</h3>
Picks: Andre Jackson (36, via trade), Chris Livingston (58)
Jackson was a big part of UConn&rsquo;s national championship. He&rsquo;s only going to benefit from being around Giannis Antetokounmpo every day.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES</h3>
Picks: Leonard Miller (33, via trade), Jaylen Clark (53)
Miller had a lot of big moments playing with Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite this past season. Athleticism is tough to ignore.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">NEW YORK KNICKS</h3>
No picks.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h3>
No picks.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PHOENIX SUNS</h3>
Pick: Toumani Camara (52)
Given the trades that they&rsquo;re making, this might be one of their last picks for quite some time. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with not valuing the draft, but giving up on it entirely is a dangerous game to play too often.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">SACRAMENTO KINGS</h3>
Picks: Colby Jones (34, via trade), Jalen Slawson (54)
Jones has skills the Kings crave; great shooter, great passing and great vision. A young Kevin Huerter-type in those regards.

Which teams came away from the 2023 NBA Draft as big winners? Check out the AP's draft report cards.

NBA draft report cards: Spurs, Rockets among teams that hit it big

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.
Less discussed &mdash; at least these days &mdash; was their willingness, in 1999, to dive into a messy acquisition process for a largely irrelevant franchise that had been considered a relocation prospect as the 21st century approached.
All of the talk of them relocating no longer exists.
Now, the conversation is about how the Nuggets were able to reach their first NBA Finals thanks to the stubborn patience displayed by the Kroenkes, who have taken an unorthodox route toward assembling an unorthodox winner. Denver hosts the Miami Heat in Game 2 Sunday night after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-denver-nuggets-nba-sports-755531bae7f944958c4225f8d5f54bad">winning the Finals opener</a>.
Kroenke&rsquo;s deal to purchase the Nuggets, along with the Colorado Avalanche and their home arena for $450 million, included a clause that tethered the NBA franchise to Denver for the ensuing 25 years. These days, the Nuggets are estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.93 billion.
&ldquo;One thing I know about Stan is that when he sets his mind to doing something, and when he thinks he&rsquo;s right, he&rsquo;s going to fight for that,&rdquo; said Wellington Webb, who was Denver&rsquo;s mayor in 1999 and helped broker the deal that closed a year later between Kroenke and the Nuggets.
Though Kroenke married into money &mdash; he wed Walmart heiress Ann Walton in 1974, a few years after meeting her during a ski trip to Aspen &mdash; he had already honed his business chops. His first deal: Taking a $1,500 loan at 6% interest from his dad so he could buy part of a clothing shop with his friend.
Not long after, he got into the real estate business, building shopping centers with a developer who was tight with Walmart founder Sam Walton.
Real estate and sports are, these days, almost intertwined &mdash; a reality Kroenke grasped quickly.
&ldquo;I always thought I&rsquo;d enjoy (owning a sports franchise) because the professional sports business is part business and part sports,&rdquo; Kroenke told the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune in 2022, &ldquo;and I love both of them.&rdquo;
Kroenke&rsquo;s representatives did not return messages left by The Associated Press seeking an interview.
His first major jump into sports was his partnership with Rams owner Georgia Frontiere. In the mid-1990s, Frontiere was chafing at the inability of Los Angeles to build a new stadium, She was looking for partners to bankroll a move to St. Louis. Kroenke bought in, and when Frontiere died in 2008, he exercised his right to purchase a majority stake in the team.
The sad irony is that it was Kroenke, the Missouri native, who moved the Rams out of St. Louis and back to LA where they are the main tenant in his $5.1 billion stadium. His connection with Denver &mdash; much different.
&ldquo;One of my dreams was to be involved in a professional basketball team,&rdquo; Kroenke told The Denver Post, shortly after closing the deal for the Nuggets. &ldquo;This is a dream I&rsquo;ve had for a long time.&rdquo;
There is, in fact, a strong argument that the basketball trophy might be the most meaningful for a family that has amassed three Stanley Cup trophies with the Avalanche, a Super Bowl trophy with the Rams and is still looking for glory with Arsenal, the Premier League soccer team it has had a controlling interest in since 2011.
Kroeke&rsquo;s son, Josh, was a standout basketball player in high school and played at University of Missouri. He now runs the Nuggets.
&ldquo;I thought that you could bring a championship to Denver,&rdquo; Josh said in a recent interview on team-owned Altitude Sports Radio. &ldquo;Trying to do something that&rsquo;s never been done before, it&rsquo;s not always easy, and it&rsquo;s usually met with a lot of resistance. ... We&rsquo;re mostly excited for the city to get to experience this. But the job&rsquo;s not done.&rdquo;
The Nuggets were parked squarely in NBA purgatory when the team went on the block in 1999, having not sniffed relevancy since their mid-80s heydey, when the teams were highlighted by coach Doug Moe&rsquo;s uptempo offense. Their situation off the court wasn&rsquo;t much better. In the late &rsquo;80s, then-owner Sidney Shlenker had toyed with the idea of moving the team to Memphis.
His sale to a media conglomerate that was never truly hot on owning sports teams did nothing to tamp the idea that the Nuggets were a team that might be available to move. And teams were moving; Between 2001-08, Memphis (from Vancouver), Oklahoma City (from Seattle) and New Orleans (from Charlotte) all adopted existing franchises in a flurry of NBA reshuffling.
When Denver went on the block, the highest bidder, billionaire businessman Donald Sturm, came in with a $460 million offer, but balked at the idea that he couldn&rsquo;t move the team.
In stepped Kroenke, who had no problem with the arrangement. A side note: To close the sale, Kroenke had to outmaneuver another group fronted by none other than John Elway.
&ldquo;It was clear Sturm wasn&rsquo;t going to work out,&rdquo; Webb said. &ldquo;And my only question was, &lsquo;Is the new guy going to be supportive of the team winning?&rsquo; Because if the arena is full, not only do the owners make money, but city makes money, as well.&rdquo;
The Kroenkes have answered Webb&rsquo;s question with their willingness &mdash; increasingly rare in pro sports &mdash; to play the long game, both on the roster and on the bench.
The roster was built in workmanlike,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-nuggets-jokic-murray-malone-18329e13dfecae50834ebc06d409027c">no-drama fashion</a>,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-mvp-lebron-lakers-8e668572f9f43942175ded63e7a61832">highlighted by Nikola Jokic</a>, who entered the league as an unheralded second-round pick from Serbia. The coach, Michael Malone, was hired in 2015, and there was never much talk of making changes after disappointing finishes to their seasons in 2018, 2019 and even last year.
Today, Malone sits behind only Gregg Popovich (Spurs), Erik Spoelstra (Heat) and Steve Kerr (Warriors) &mdash; who have a combined 11 championships on their coaching resumes &mdash; in terms of longevity among the NBA&rsquo;s 30 head coaches.
&ldquo;That has a ton to do with where we are today,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be more thankful for working for an ownership group that is not impatient and is not trying to find the next great thing, but is saying &lsquo;Hey, listen, let&rsquo;s let this grow and marinate into something special.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Despite his family&rsquo;s large role in the Denver sports scene &mdash; the Kroenke business also owns the MLS Colorado Rapids, and the National Lacrosse League&rsquo;s Colorado Mammoth, who lost the deciding game in that league&rsquo;s title series Saturday &mdash; Kroenke has still taken his fair share of criticism around town.
It&rsquo;s a byproduct of his 2004 move to bundle his teams&rsquo; TV rights and air them on company&rsquo;s new regional television network, Altitude.
In 2019, the region&rsquo;s biggest cable operator, Comcast, stopped carrying Altitude due to a disagreement over fees the cable giant was charging to carry the network. The ensuing legal battle has kept the Nuggets off the local airwaves in millions of homes for the last four seasons. The battle between billion-dollar companies has left many average Nuggets fans feeling like the only real losers in the equation.
But whatever bitterness lingers from the cable dispute has mostly been set aside over the past few months. All the playoff games have been on national TV.
Meanwhile, Kroenke stays firmly in the background. He can make it from his apartment at the top of Ball Arena through some back passageways and into his luxury suite to watch games in less than two minutes. Sometimes he brings his German Shepherd along.
&ldquo;I think that not only is he a good businessman,&rdquo; Webb said, &ldquo;but he also feels he has something special in Denver. And I think it&rsquo;s always been his goal to do right by Denver.&rdquo;

Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.

Kroenke bought Nuggets, kept team in Denver, now hoping to deliver title

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; It was October 19, the night the season started for most NBA teams. Chicago went to Miami, Oklahoma City went to Minnesota.
Nearly six months later, here they are again: Chicago at Miami, Oklahoma City at Minnesota.
This time, the season is about to end for two teams.
The NBA&rsquo;s play-in tournament wraps up Friday night with a pair of elimination games &mdash; the Bulls at the Heat for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Thunder at the Timberwolves for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The winners go on, the losers go home.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a lot of ups and downs this season,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Nothing about this season has been easy.&rdquo;
Chicago and Oklahoma City have already won road games to stay alive, at Toronto and New Orleans, respectively. They became the first No. 10 seeds to win on the road in the three-year history of the play-in tournament &mdash; and if they do it again Friday, they&rsquo;re going to the postseason.
&ldquo;We know going there, it&rsquo;s another great road test against a team that&rsquo;s seasoned and is coming off a loss and will look to rebound and play to their identity and their style,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;We have a lot to get ready for.&rdquo;
The Bulls were 3-0 against Miami in the regular season. Minnesota took three of four from the Thunder in the season series.
&ldquo;This is a new opportunity, a new challenge in front of us,&rdquo; Donovan said.
MATCHUPS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NO. 10 CHICAGO (40-42, 1-0) AT NO. 7 MIAMI (44-38, 0-1)
Friday, 7 p.m., TNT
Season series: Bulls, 3-0
How they got here: Miami lost to Atlanta 116-105 on Tuesday, Chicago defeated Toronto 109-105 on Wednesday.
Previous play-in appearances: Both teams made their play-in debuts this week.
At stake: Winner plays Milwaukee in Game 1 on Sunday; loser&rsquo;s season is over.
Outlook: Miami is trying to avoid becoming the first team to go 0-2 at home in a play-in tournament. &hellip; Chicago had the NBA&rsquo;s best scoring defense after the All-Star break, and Miami had the NBA&rsquo;s lowest scoring offense all season. &hellip; The matchup pits Heat guard Kyle Lowry against Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan, longtime teammates and backcourt standouts in Toronto. &hellip; Other ties that bind: Heat star Jimmy Butler faces his former team, Heat forward Udonis Haslem ( in perhaps the last game of his career ) facing his college coach in Donovan, and Bulls guard Patrick Beverley facing a team that he nearly made back during Miami&rsquo;s Big 3 era in the early 2010s; he was an end-of-camp cut.
X-factor: Chicago held Miami to 34% shooting on 3-pointers in the three regular-season meetings. Heat are 19-24 this season when shooting no better than that from beyond the arc.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
NO. 10 OKLAHOMA CITY (40-42, 1-0) AT NO. 8 MINNESOTA (42-40, 0-1)
Friday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Season series: Timberwolves, 3-1
How they got here: Minnesota wasted a 15-point lead and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 108-102 in overtime on Tuesday, Oklahoma City won at New Orleans 123-118 on Wednesday.
Previous play-in appearances: Both teams made the play-in for the first time this season.
At stake: Winner plays Denver in Game 1 on Sunday; loser&rsquo;s season is over.
Outlook: Minnesota had the upper hand in much of the season series, holding leads of 14 points in one game, 16 in another and 22 in a third. The Thunder&rsquo;s biggest lead in any of the four games was 12, and didn&rsquo;t lead by more than six points in any of the other three games. &hellip; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had games of 35, 33 and 32 points against the Wolves, while Anthony Edwards had the high game for Minnesota in the season series with a 30-point contest. &hellip; The Wolves were 2-0 with Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup against the Thunder. &hellip; Minnesota is trying for back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2003 and 2004. The Thunder haven&rsquo;t made the playoffs since 2020.
X-factor: Minnesota center Rudy Gobert returns after his one-game suspension for the altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson. He&rsquo;s surely going to face pressure; how he responds might be critical.

The final two games of the NBA play-in tournament are tonight:  Chicago at Miami and Oklahoma City at Minnesota.

Final NBA Play-In matchups: Bulls at Heat, Thunder at Wolves

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Slow-starting Gonzaga finally shook off the first-round jitters, then wore out Grand Canyon 82-70 behind 28 points and 10 rebounds from Julian Strawther in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Zags senior Drew Timme brought his sweatband and handlebar moustache back to March Madness and finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the third-seeded Bulldogs (29-5), who haven&rsquo;t lost a first-round game in the tournament since 2008.
Next up for Gonzaga is a game Sunday against the winner of a later West Region contest between TCU and Arizona State.
Like almost every Zag outside of Strawther, Timme was bottled up and frustrated in the first half, then came out of halftime and looked like a different player. After trailing by as many as seven, Timme&rsquo;s three-point play gave Gonzaga a 48-40 lead early in the second half.
&ldquo;As I walked into the locker room, Drew was talking to guys about &lsquo;Hey, now the jitters are out of the way and now we&rsquo;ve got to play,&rsquo;&rdquo; coach Mark Few said about halftime. &ldquo;I thought we came out, certainly for that first 15 minutes in the second half, and we got back to the plan.&rdquo;
Grand Canyon&rsquo;s Ray Harrison answered Timme&rsquo;s three-point play with a driving layup. After that, Gonzaga went on a 16-0 run during which the 14th-seeded Lopes (24-12),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/wac-championship-grand-canyon-southern-utah-451bf2a672a8a18636443ed288baf18e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">champions of the Western Athletic Conference</a>, missed 11 straight shots and fell behind by 22.
With the game a laugher, the rowdy &ldquo;Havocs,&rdquo; as the Grand Canyon fans are known, turned their attention to the end of No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson&rsquo;s shocker over No. 1 Purdue playing on the big screen above the court.
But there was no upset in Denver.
&ldquo;I told our guys &lsquo;Eyes on the court. We don&rsquo;t need another circus show going on, we&rsquo;ve got one going on here right now,&rsquo;&rdquo; Timme said.
Harrison led Grand Canyon with 20 points and Chance McMillian had 16. Noah Baumann (eight points) made a pair of 3s during a 12-4 stretch that helped the Lopes to their seven-point lead in the first half.
Strawther, who decided to come back to Gonzaga for his junior season instead of heading to the pros, kept Gonzaga in it early. He scored 16 of his 28 in the first half.
The second half was more of a team effort for Gonzaga, which also got 14 points, 11 rebounds and a rugged defensive effort from Anton Watson that included two steals.
In the end, the game was a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/gonzaga-saint-marys-west-coast-conference-ncaa-tournament-8309d967f68424b76b6eb8d40e35babc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lot like Gonzaga&rsquo;s season</a>&nbsp;&mdash; slow start, better as things kept going and a chance to do more. The Bulldogs had their 75-game home winning streak snapped in January and this marked the first time since 2018 they came into the tournament as anything other than a No. 1 seed.
&ldquo;I thought we were in a good place going into halftime,&rdquo; Lopes coach Bryce Drew said. &ldquo;But Gonzaga&rsquo;s one of the best programs in the nation for a reason.&rdquo;
NOT AGAIN
Harrison led Grand Canyon, a fifth seed in the WAC tournament, to four straight wins and the March Madness bid by becoming the first Division I player to collect 80 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a conference tournament since Kemba Walker (Big East) in 2011. On Friday, though, Harrison was bottled up. He needed 19 shots to get his 20 points, and finished with two rebounds and three assists.
NOT AGAIN, PART II
This marks the 25th anniversary of Drew&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1eOGcHXsgU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memorable game-winner</a>, when he was a guard for Valparaiso and shot the Crusaders to a 13-over-4 upset over Ole Miss. Nobody had a chance to replicate that for the Lopes, though. Still, this was Grand Canyon&rsquo;s second trip to the tournament since its move to Division I in 2017.
&ldquo;I wish we could skip a lot of steps and upset a team like Gonzaga and make the Sweet 16,&rdquo; Drew said, &ldquo;but in a normal situation, you have to go step by step.&rdquo;
ELLIS&rsquo; KID
With his dad, LaPhonso Ellis, sitting in the stands, Walter Ellis had nine points before fouling out for Grand Canyon. LaPhonso Ellis, the former Notre Dame star, played in Denver for the Nuggets from 1992-98.

Gonzaga wore out Grand Canyon 82-70 behind 28 points and 10 rebounds from Julian Strawther in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Gonzaga wears down Grand Canyon 82-70 in March Madness

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young had 24 points and a season-high 17 assists, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter added 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the reeling San Antonio Spurs 125-106 on Saturday night.
The Spurs (14-43), losers of a season-high 12 straight, are a half-game ahead of last-place Houston (13-43) in the Western Conference. Atlanta (29-28) has won two straight and four of six. The Hawks are eighth in the East.
The losing streak is San Antonio&rsquo;s longest since the 1988-89 club dropped a team-record 13 in a row.
&ldquo;They play their (butt) off,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;They do everything they can. We&rsquo;ll just keep forming good habits and hope that this builds and builds as the weeks and months and next season come along.&rdquo;
Atlanta never trailed after Young&rsquo;s layup early in the third made it 65-64. The Hawks went on a 12-0 run to take a 75-64 lead, the game&rsquo;s first in double digits, on a pair of free throws by John Collins. A dunk by Clint Capela made it 82-70 at the 4:39 mark of the third, and the Spurs called timeout.
&ldquo;San Antonio is always going to play hard and always play the right way, meaning there&rsquo;s going to be five guys out there connected,&rdquo; Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to be moving the ball. They&rsquo;re going to be working hard trying to outscrap you. That&rsquo;s just the way they play.
&ldquo;It took us 24 minutes to start establishing and coming with that urgency that we needed on both ends of the floor.&rdquo;
Young hit two free throws to make it 93-77 entering the fourth with Atlanta&rsquo;s biggest lead. San Antonio was just 5 for 22 from the field in the third and was outscored 32-17. The lead swelled to 23 in the fourth.
&ldquo;I think we just picked up the pressure defensively and got out and ran more and got some better shots and some faster shots,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;I think we were going too slow in that first half, and they were pushing the pace and pushing it at us. We just knew we had to pick up the pressure.&rdquo;
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio&rsquo;s leading scorer this season, was back in the lineup after missing Friday&rsquo;s double overtime loss at Detroit with left ankle soreness and finished with 25 points. Jeremy Sochan added 18.
Capela finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Collins added 17 points for the Hawks.
The Hawks led 61-60 at halftime as Hunter had 17 points, Capela had 12 points with eight rebounds and Young 12 points with 10 assists. Johnson and Sochan each scored 18 before intermission for San Antonio.
Atlanta outscored the Spurs 25-12 in points off turnovers.
TIP-INS
Spurs: One night after scoring 31 points to set a franchise record in a San Antonio debut, Devonte&rsquo; Graham, acquired in Thursday&rsquo;s trade with New Orleans, finished with nine points off the bench. ... G Tre Jones was back in the lineup after missing four straight games with left foot soreness and scored eight points. ... Sochan returned after missing four straight games with lower back soreness. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high nine rebounds.
Hawks: In his first game against his former team, Dejounte Murray scored 18 points. ... Young passed Lenny Wilkens for fourth place on the Hawks&rsquo; career assists list with 3,050. ... Newly acquired C Bruno Fernando and G Garrison Mathews were not in uniform, but McMillan hopes they will be ready to debut Monday at Charlotte. ... Hunter had 12 points and Young had six assists in the first quarter.
ON SITE
McMillan said Saddiq Bey sat on the bench as the newly acquired swingman was in limbo with Thursday&rsquo;s four-team trade uncertain because Gary Payton II allegedly failed a physical with Golden State. Payton was supposed to return to the Warriors from Portland. Bey was acquired from Detroit. Golden State has until Sunday to decide whether to go forward with the deal or nix it.

Trae Young had 24 points and a season-high 17 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the reeling San Antonio Spurs 125-106.

Young, Hunter pace Hawks past reeling Spurs 125-106

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat San Antonio 137-125 on Friday night, sending the scuffling Spurs to their eighth straight loss.
Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and James Harden added 16 for Philadelphia, which has the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;Tonight was one of those games where it was difficult to get up,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve got to still be professional. You&rsquo;ve got to be an elite team. That&rsquo;s where we are trying to get to consistently. We weren&rsquo;t consistent enough tonight.
&ldquo;We got a win, but we&rsquo;ve got to try to be better overall.&rdquo;
San Antonio rookie Malaki Branham set a season high for the second straight game with 26 points, eclipsing his 22-point outing Wednesday in a loss to Sacramento.
Keldon Johnson added 18 points and Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 10 rebounds in San Antonio&rsquo;s final home game before embarking on a nine-game road trip that ends Feb. 28.
The Spurs are 9-37 since opening the season 5-2.
Embiid, Harden and Tobias Harris returned to the court with five minutes remaining after San Antonio trimmed Philadelphia&rsquo;s 22-point lead to just 10 at 122-112. Embiid and Harden combined for eight points and three rebounds in 3 1/2 minutes to seal the victory.
&ldquo;A couple of us older guys on the bench were happy for them when they brought it back all the way to like 10 or nine points,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;Made them bring their starters back in. It was fun to watch them out there just playing free, playing aggressive.&rdquo;
Embiid, who was listed as questionable with a sore left foot, was 10 for 18 from the field, 2 for 3 on 3-pointers and 11 for 13 on free throws in an efficient 29 minutes. Named an All-Star reserve Thursday, Embiid added four assists and two steals.
The Spurs were without injured starters Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones, as well as Romeo Langford, who has started 19 games.
Their absence contributed to San Antonio committing 18 turnovers that led to 26 points for Philadelphia.
&ldquo;Giving up 26 points off turnovers makes it impossible (to win),&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;That was the most disappointing part of the game. Their grunt and their ability to just play the game is super, but taking care of the basketball is pretty important and we didn&rsquo;t do that tonight. That was the bad part of the game.&rdquo;
Philadelphia started the game with three straight turnovers in falling behind 8-1. The 76ers rallied to end the first quarter tied at 26 and then outscored the Spurs 47-35 in the second quarter.
The run included a one-handed alley-oop dunk by Embiid on a pass from Harden followed by a fastbreak dunk by Harris in building a 66-49 lead.
The second unit then began a charge that ended in Philadelphia&rsquo;s bench outscoring San Antonio&rsquo;s 67-42.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re going to need from them,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Consistently they run their sets. With that unit, it&rsquo;s about just getting stops. We get stops, we give ourselves a chance to get out in transition.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden said he was fine after exiting for the locker room with a second remaining in the first half after falling on his elbow late in the first half. Harden returned early for warmups and started the second half. ... Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers was honored before the game as part of the Spurs&rsquo; 50th anniversary celebration. Rivers played his final two seasons in the NBA with the Spurs, beginning in 1994. ... Play was stopped midway through the first quarter so the 76ers could tend to a minor cut near Embiid&rsquo;s right thumb that was bleeding. Embiid drained a 3-pointer on the next play.
Spurs: San Antonio&rsquo;s next home game is March 2 against Houston. ... San Antonio has the league&rsquo;s second-longest active losing streak, trailing New Orleans&rsquo; 10-game skid. ... Popovich received a technical foul with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter after stomping down the sideline and screaming at official Mousa Dagher. Popovich was upset no foul was called on a reverse layup attempted by Keldon Johnson.
UP NEXT
76ers: At Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Spurs: At Chicago on Tuesday.

Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-125 on Friday night.

Embiid’s double-double leads 76ers past Spurs, losers of 8 straight

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Jrue Holiday scored 27 points, Brook Lopez had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Atlanta Hawks 114-105 on Wednesday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added seven points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, and Bobby Portis II had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Milwaukee has won four of five.
The Hawks, playing without Trae Young and Clint Capela, erased a 24-point deficit early in the third to make it 101-all on John Collins&rsquo; fast-break layup with 4:05 remaining. They took their first lead on Bogdan Bogdanovic&rsquo;s baseline jumper coming out of a timeout. Lopez answered with a corner 3, and the Bucks went on a 10-0 run and led the rest of the way.
Bogdanovic scored 22 points, and De'Andre Hunter had 16 for the Hawks.
An illness left the Hawks without Young, averaging 27.3 points and 9.8 assists. Leading rebounder Capela was was sidelined with a strained right calf.
TIP-INS
Bucks: G Khris Middleton missed his 34th game, the last 13 with right knee soreness, but he participated in 5-on-5 drills Tuesday in Atlanta and is getting closer to returning. ... Milwaukee shot 64.3% on 3s while the Hawks 0 for 3 beyond the arc in the first quarter. ... Starting guard Grayson Allen sprained his right ankle in the first half and did not return. He finished with six points. ... Holiday improved to 6-2 in games against brothers Aaron and Justin Holiday.
Hawks: Capela missed his eighth straight game and 11th overall. ... Atlanta was outrebounded 32-20 in the first half and 57-41 overall. ... Aaron Holiday started in Young&rsquo;s spot and finished with four points in 14 minutes. Justin Holiday did not play.
IN HIGH FAVOR
Derrick Favors, a 12-year veteran forward-center, was added to the Hawks&rsquo; roster on a 10-day contract to give the team more size during Capela&rsquo;s absence. He has not played this season.
&ldquo;He was just introduced to the team this morning at the shootaround and was out there for the walkthrough,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;Our coaches pretty much gave him as much as they could as far as video, walking through a few sets in case I do decide to put him out there.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Jrue Holiday scored 27 points, Brook Lopez had 20 points and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Atlanta Hawks 114-105.

Holiday, Lopez help Bucks hold off Hawks, 114-105

Depleted and fatigued as they get set to wrap up their season-long, six-game road trip Wednesday night in Cleveland, the reeling Phoenix Suns are keeping things in perspective.&nbsp;
It started with a candid conversation between the whole team, coaching staff included, following a listless 102-83 loss to the Knicks on Monday afternoon in New York &nbsp;&mdash; Phoenix&rsquo;s third straight defeat and sixth in seven contests. However, the topic of discussion shifted Tuesday on the heels of the tragic cardiac arrest that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered mid-game in Cincinnati after Phoenix's contest ended.
&ldquo;We saw last night how important our brotherhood in sports is, watching the young man [Damar Hamlin] go down on the field last night. We talked about that today,&rdquo; &nbsp;Suns head coach Monty Williams told Basketball News and the Arizona Republic at an afternoon practice on Tuesday.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Yeah, we want to be really good as a team, but let's not forget people are going through a lot more worse than us. We lost a few games, you know? This young man is fighting for his life and his family's going through a tough time... I think it's just another situation where a guy was doing the very best to help his team in one of the biggest NFL games of the year, and then that happened and the whole scene changed from 'sport' to 'life.' And that always has to be at the forefront. With that in mind, we have to be able to compartmentalize as best we can and do the jobs that we're paid to do.&rdquo;
Suns forward Mikal Bridges echoed Williams&rsquo; sentiments about the trivial nature of the game versus the health of a human being.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's life. It's gonna get bumpy on the road. Luckily for us, our 'bumpy on the road' is just losing games. [There are] a lot of other things that's worse,&rdquo; Bridges told Basketball News and the Arizona Republic. &ldquo;We've just gotta stay with it, just keep getting better and just get through it. You know, it ain't gonna rain forever, but if you just soak it in, just sit out there, it will. So you've just gotta keep fighting through it, keep going and just get through it.&rdquo;
On the court, away from the Footprint Center since Christmas Day, Phoenix has had its troubles with the injury bug and finding a rhythm on both ends. Devin Booker went down four minutes into a trip that began on a holiday in Denver and will conclude across the country in Cleveland just days into the New Year.&nbsp;
Nobody&rsquo;s body feels perfect; Bridges had a bag of ice on his right knee and Chris Paul had a wrap on his left calf, while Cam Payne just reentered the fold last game after missing half of December with a foot injury and Landry Shamet even missed some time with a sore Achilles following a 31-point outburst in relief of Booker. Cameron Johnson is still on the mend as well, recovering from meniscus surgery, and hasn&rsquo;t played a game since Nov. 4. (He was getting shots up on Tuesday, so that&rsquo;s a good sign.)
But the longtime NBA player and coach Williams knows this is what happens over the course of an 82-game NBA season, and in these short-handed times, it&rsquo;s about finding a way to execute with the Suns players who are available to go.
&ldquo;I just think you want to see a consistent style of play, no matter who you have on the floor,&rdquo; Williams responded to Basketball News. &ldquo;The outcome might not be the same because of the talent, but you can still play the same style. Nobody can take away your effort and your defense, and that's something that is an old adage in the NBA. I'm looking more for a consistent style of play. Sometimes you're not gonna make shots, but you can still play hard, you can still defend.&rdquo;
Williams said that the Suns were shocked when he told them they actually won the second half against the Knicks. (Phoenix outscored New York 52-48.)
&ldquo;You always want to finish out a road trip on a winning note, but in order to do that, it has to be a step-by-step process,&rdquo; Williams stated. &ldquo;We have to stack salad as best as we can, and not get deflated if you miss a few shots. I thought that hurt us in the first half. The first half put us in a hole; that can't happen, but more in a hole emotionally.
"I believe we'll be better tomorrow because you have to learn through these moments. Everybody in the league is gonna go through it. You can lose, or you can lose and learn, and I hope we do the latter.&rdquo;
Bridges kept it simple about his expanded role and how the team can adapt.
&ldquo;Maybe being a little more aggressive, but I just feel like keep playing the right way, find opportunities to score and then, just playing good ball. Play the right way at all times,&rdquo; Bridges said.
&ldquo;I just know you have to be resilient through the ups and downs of a season,&rdquo; Williams added. &ldquo;Like, no team in this league is gonna have a full allotment of their players through the season. So you're gonna have those adversities. No team is gonna play a game where they agree with the whistle every game. And I could go through the list of notes. You have to be resilient. We've had a long road trip. We've been on the road for a long time. It's like, look, man, that's life. You could be digging a ditch in a different country. So our guys understand what we have to do, we gotta do it more consistently, but we also understand that basketball is just a game.&rdquo;
Whether the Suns finish with a victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse or not, they&rsquo;ll return home for a quick cup of coffee against the Miami Heat and the same Cavs they&rsquo;ll face Tuesday. Then, another four-game swing on the road will await.
The competition will come fast and furious, and there will be no time to feel sorry for themselves. Williams appreciates the fact that Phoenix is unhappy with its play of late and has taken initiative to ensure things get turned around.
&ldquo;I mean I think teams have these [meetings] two or three times a year, especially if you have expectations. I applaud the guys for caring enough to talk about it,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;I'm not into the 'team meetings' stuff where they go off and do all that. That's just not my thing. If you're gonna have a team meeting, in my opinion, you do it with everybody, [including] coaches, so we can all hear each other talk about stuff.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And it's not that dramatic. The guys understand that there's things that we have to do at a higher level because we are one, missing guys, and two, playing on the road against good teams. It's not like Hebrew math. You've gotta figure it out. So I applaud the guys for talking and caring, and they care. Our team is filled with a bunch of poor losers. It's one of the reasons I love these guys so much.&rdquo;

Monty Williams and Mikal Bridges share their thoughts on Damar Hamlin and how a Suns slump is trivial. Spencer Davies writes.

Suns keep things in perspective after frightening Damar Hamlin moment

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored 27 points and the Brooklyn Nets built a huge lead before beating the Toronto Raptors 114-105 on Friday night.
Kevin Durant had 17 points and Nic Claxton chipped in 15 for the Nets, who have won four consecutive games and seven of 10.
Brooklyn shot 53.7% and had 27 assists on its 44 baskets.
&ldquo;(We&rsquo;re) just playing with a lot more confidence, everybody&rsquo;s accepting their role,&rdquo; Irving said, adding that Brooklyn &ldquo;is catching a good rhythm right now. We just want to keep it going.&rdquo;
Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and O.G. Anunoby added 21 points for the Raptors, losers of two straight games.
It was the second consecutive game that Toronto was down by at least 31 points.
&ldquo;We got punched in the mouth,&rdquo; said Fred VanVleet, who added 10 points. &ldquo;And waited (until) we were down 30 points to fight back, which was a little too late. That&rsquo;s just part of being professional and being ahead of punching, being more physical and just being more aggressive and on your toes to start the game.&rdquo;
Brooklyn led by 36 points midway through the second quarter and held a 93-72 advantage at the start of the fourth.
The Raptors rattled off 11 straight points to pull within 110-103 after Scottie Barnes&rsquo; dunk with 37 seconds left.
Durant was then fouled on the next possession and hit a pair of free throws. Anunoby missed a 3-pointer and Seth Curry knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
Brooklyn has won all three games against the Raptors this season.
Irving and Joe Harris combined for 31 points to help the Nets take a 72-49 lead at halftime.
Brooklyn&rsquo;s 72 first-half points were a season high as they shot 28 for 48 from the field and 8 for 17 from long distance.
&ldquo;We talked about it before, who was going to hit first, and we hit first,&rdquo; Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
Brooklyn raced out to a 41-17 lead in the first quarter. Siakam hit a pair of free throws with 8:01 to play and Irving answered by initiating 15-0 run with a basket before T.J. Warren &mdash; playing for the first time in nearly two years &mdash; capped it with a pullup jumper to extend the lead 32-10 lead with 3:38 remaining.
The Raptors missed seven shots and turned over the ball three times during a stretch of five minutes before Thaddeus Young hit a jumper.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Toronto has lost three straight games on the road. &hellip; Barnes had 15 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 16 off the bench.
Nets: Brooklyn&rsquo;s previous high for points in the first half was 69 against New York on Nov. 9.
IT&rsquo;S BEEN A LONG TIME
Warren was back on the court for the first time in two years, coming off the bench in the first quarter with 4:14 left and got his first shot to fall on his first attempt a minute later.
The 29-year-old forward had not played in a game since Dec. 29, 2022, while he was with Indiana, due to multiple stress fractures on his left foot.
Warren said it took him two to four months to recover following both surgeries, which he said was a &ldquo;difficult process dealing&rdquo; with.
Warren led the Pacers with 19.8 points per game during the 2019-20 season and enjoyed a breakout performance in the NBA bubble, averaging 31 points, including a 53-point outburst.
He hopes his addition to the rotation would be a boost to a team that has struggled during the early on this season and entered play Friday night just one game over .500.
&ldquo;Just effort, my ability to be versatile out there, just be a two-way player, something I took pride in since coming in the NBA, just being able to guard multiple guys and just be able to be that three-level scorer at the same time and just try to feed off guys that just play hard,&rdquo; Warren said.
Warren had 10 points in 17 minutes.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
Nets: Host the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.

Kyrie Irving scored 27 points and the Brooklyn Nets built a huge lead before beating the Toronto Raptors 114-105 on Friday night.

Nets build huge lead, beat Raptors 114-105 for 4th straight

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The Phoenix Suns got beat in dramatic fashion by the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
In response, they made sure there was zero doubt about Saturday's outcome.
Devin Booker scored 24 points, Chris Paul added 15 and the Suns cruised to a 102-82 win over the Trail Blazers.
&ldquo;We have a team full of sore losers,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;I knew the way that we lost last night, we'd get an intentional effort tonight on both ends. Defensively, I thought we were locked in.&rdquo;
The teams were playing each other for the second straight night. The Blazers won 108-106 on Friday when Jerami Grant hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer.
By comparion, Saturday's game was a snoozer. The Suns pushed to a 61-40 halftime lead and had a comfortable advantage throughout the second half.
&ldquo;That's what good teams do &mdash; make adjustments,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;We had a chance to do that tonight.&rdquo;
Phoenix has the best record in the Western Conference with a 7-2 mark. Both of the losses have come to the Blazers, who fell to 6-3. The teams have already completed their three-game series in the regular season.
Grant scored 14 points and rookie Shaedon Sharpe added 13. The Blazers were held to their season low in points.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t pass the ball enough,&rdquo; Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;Kind of played a little one-on-one too much in the first half. That is an elite defense.&rdquo;
The Blazers were again playing without their high-scoring backcourt of All-Star Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons because of injuries. The two have combined to average 53 points per game.
Booker scored 16 points while Paul had 13 before halftime. The Blazers shot just 34.8% from the field in the first half.
"I am not disappointed in our performance at all, we fought," Billups said. &ldquo;I am disappointed when the effort is not there. We fought hard. It was just a better team tonight.&rdquo;
MISSING CAM
The Suns were playing their first season without starting forward Cam Johnson, who could miss extended time because of a right knee injury suffered on Friday night.
The fourth-year player had moved into a starting role this season after being a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year last year.
He was averaging a career-high 13 points per game and had just scored a season-best 29 points in a win over the Timberwolves earlier this week. The Suns haven't elaborated on the severity of the injury, but The Athletic reported that the Suns fear he has a torn meniscus.
&ldquo;It's really tough, obviously mostly for him,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;We're here with him for whatever he needs. He's going to be around the team. We say &lsquo;family&rsquo; every time we break it down and that's the situation we're in.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Blazers: Lillard missed the game because of a right calf strain. Simons was out with left foot inflammation. ... Drew Eubanks was called for a flagrant foul in the first half after knocking Damion Lee to the floor.
Suns: Backup G Cam Payne (left foot soreness) missed his second straight game. ... Hosted their 33rd consecutive sellout crowd. ... All 12 players on the roster scored at least two points.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Chris Paul added 15 and the Suns cruised to a 102-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Booker, Paul lead Suns to blowout win over Blazers 102-82

If the latest spasm of conference realignment in college sports was supposed to spell doom for the Big 12 or Pac-12 &mdash; or for any other conference, for that matter &mdash; somebody forgot to tell the basketball coaches.
In college hoops, where virtually all success is measured by how a team, or conference, fares in March Madness, the 2022-23 campaign about to tip off looks a lot like business as usual.
With football-driven realignment joining the rapidly expanding transfer portal and the players&rsquo; newfound and meagerly regulated ability to make money off their celebrity, the postseason NCAA tournaments, men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s, are, more than ever, the glue that holds the increasingly fractured fabric of college sports together.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, you play for the tournament,&rdquo; Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said recently in summing up the bottom line of any college basketball season. &ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t play in the tournament, then you&rsquo;re not good.&rdquo;
In football, even after the announcement that the postseason will expand to 12 teams by 2026, a conference title has and will always be the most direct route to one of the few coveted spots in the playoff.
In basketball, whether a team wins a conference regular-season title, a conference tournament title or no conference title at all has little bearing on what the final verdict will be. Of the past 10 national champions, only three won their conference tournament. Hardly anybody, for instance, thinks of St. Peter&rsquo;s as the MAAC champion but anyone following the sport knows the Peacocks made it to the Elite Eight last year.
The same is true whether a team hails from the West Coast Conference (where Gonzaga is a major power every year) or the Big 12 or Pac-12, which appeared to be among the so-called &ldquo;losers&rdquo; in the most recent shuffling of teams to new conferences.
Last summer, Texas and Oklahoma announced they would be leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC. This summer, UCLA and Southern California said they were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
Shortly after the Big Ten expansion was announced, the conference cut a seven-year media rights deal worth more than $7 billion. The SEC will make about $7 billion over the next 10 years. Over the weekend, the Big 12 agreed to a six-year contract extension for its media rights worth more than $2 billion through 2030-31.
Though there will only be room for one or two teams from each conference, the expanded football playoff could be worth more than $2 billion in media rights for 11 games. That would be about double what the basketball rights are worth in annual terms (and not distributed to as many conferences or programs).
It explains the reason for the moves, but does not necessarily portend the end of the Big 12 or Pac-12.
A lot of that is thanks to March Madness. Letting small guys go against the behemoths in a 68-team bracket each season remains an ingeniously simple idea &mdash; one that has left the bottom line in basketball, at least on the court, largely the same despite steady changes to the business model.
&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t need football to have a good basketball program,&rdquo; Baylor coach Scott Drew said. &ldquo;It does help financially. It does help in recruiting, because people want to have a good football program to go watch and support. But you can do it without, as well. That&rsquo;s been proven.&rdquo;
In fact, the Big 12 heads into the 2022-23 season as the top-ranked basketball conference in the nation, on the strength of the last two national champions (Kansas and Baylor), a stacked team at Texas (still in the league for now), a strong TCU team and perennial contenders such as Kansas State and West Virginia. As of last week, for what it&rsquo;s worth, the conference had three football teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
And coming soon to the Big 12, after the latest round of realignment is complete, are Cincinnati and Houston &mdash; a pair of brand names in basketball; the Cougars were in the Final Four two seasons ago.
The Pac-12 does not have the same depth, but even after it loses the two SoCal teams, it will still have a perennial powerhouse in Arizona, a 21st century Goliath in Oregon and at least one program enjoying a mini-renaissance in Colorado; neither Arizona nor Colorado have been powerhouses in football for decades.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t lose any sleep over what conference we&rsquo;re going to be in, or what could happen,&rdquo; said CU coach Tad Boyle. &ldquo;Because the University of Colorado is a great academic institution. We&rsquo;ve got a great brand name.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s a brand name that has shown up in the bracket in five of the last 10 tournaments &mdash; hardly the stuff of North Carolina or Duke, but enough to keep it relevant, even in an era in which the football program has struggled to 13 victories over the past 3 1/2 seasons.
Which is still 13 more victories than Gonzaga has because Gonzaga does not play football.
The Zags open yet another season as a favorite to make the Final Four. A few years ago, with the football-playing Mountain West Conference perennially knocking on the door, Gonzaga cut a deal with the WCC: It would stay in the hoops-only league if, instead of splitting things evenly, the conference would give the Zags a bigger share of its NCAA tournament proceeds based on how they performed in March.
&ldquo;We just felt that the more you advance, the bigger the amount should become,&rdquo; then-athletic director Mike Roth said, &ldquo;because at that point, it&rsquo;s not about the conference, it&rsquo;s the school that&rsquo;s earning it.&rdquo;
Unlike football, where Alabama, Georgia and LSU are intrinsically linked to the SEC and all the advantages that conference offers on the gridiron, when people think &ldquo;Duke, or &ldquo;Kansas&rdquo; or &ldquo;Gonzaga&rdquo; they don&rsquo;t think as much about a conference.
Unlike football, where wins in the Auburn-Alabama, Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma or UCLA-USC games can define a season for a program, regardless of the postseason, there is hardly ever such meaning attached to a regular-season meeting in basketball outside of Tobacco Road.
Nobody articulates it better than Boeheim, a 47-year coaching veteran whose program moved from the Big East to the ACC in 2013. Since then, the Orange have been to five tournaments, three Sweet 16s and one Final Four. Not once did they get a piece of either the regular-season or conference-tournament titles.
So, while Boeheim, like every college coach, was busy getting ready for his team&rsquo;s opener in November, it&rsquo;s not where the real focus of his season will be.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll take the Sweet 16 if we finish&rdquo; sixth in the ACC, he said. &ldquo;Would I like to do better in the regular season? Sure. But I&rsquo;ll take that every year. We&rsquo;ve been very good in the tournament.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writers Ralph Russo and Pat Graham contributed to this report.&nbsp;

Postseason NCAA tournaments are now, more than ever, the glue that holds the increasingly fractured fabric of college sports together.

March Madness a bedrock in ever-changing college landscape

The 2022 NBA Draft is in the books! Last Thursday, BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock was in attendance at the Barclays Center. Now, he shared his post-draft thoughts and answered some questions from readers in the video below.
Matt discussed the Orlando Magic's smokescreen, Jabari Smith to the Houston Rockets, the draft's biggest winners, the night's surprises, his potential steals and much more.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-j122Izudtk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
For more 2022 NBA Draft analysis, BasketballNews.com's NBA Draft Analyst Derek Murray shared his biggest winners and losers on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-41-2022-nba-draft-recap-analyzing-the-biggest-winners,-losers,-surprises-ep-41" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the most recent episode of The Alex Kennedy Podcast.</a>

Matt Babcock discusses the Magic's smokescreen, Jabari Smith to Houston, the draft's biggest winners, his potential steals and more.

2022 NBA Draft Recap: Biggest winners, surprises, steals, more

The end of the 2021-22 NBA season is remarkably bittersweet. The basketball was great, with an incredible level of competitiveness, a revamping of defense, an embracing of coverage versatility and an impressive rookie class. Covering it was an absolute joy.
On a personal note, a massive thank you to all who read my work, supported me, encouraged me or interacted with me during the season. Last May, I graduated from college with roughly a year-and-a-half of covering basketball in some part-time fashion under my belt.
I took a bit of a leap of faith to write about basketball full-time or go broke trying, and because of BasketballNews and a few other platforms, I was able to stay afloat and eventually break even for the first time in my life based on work I'm truly passionate about. My athletic &lsquo;career&rsquo; ended in 2018 and it took me a long time to really find out what was next and what my purpose was. Writing and talking about the game just does something for me that I can&rsquo;t explain, so I&rsquo;ll just reiterate: thank you all again for making this life possible. Without help from many of you and my family, I wouldn&rsquo;t be in this position. I&rsquo;m an extremely lucky person and I&rsquo;m so glad to do what I do, and I'm fortunate that my work resonates with people.
So as per usual, my main takeaway is never from the result, even when looking at my own track through basketball. The process is 97% of why I care and watch the games. It&rsquo;s what I love to track and decipher. Nekias Duncan exemplified that and then some <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jayson-tatum-boston-celtics-improvement-nba-finals-leap-nekias-duncan-golden-state-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with his piece yesterday</a>.&nbsp;
The seasons within each season define the process. A player returns from injury or makes a key development that shapes a rotation, changes a team's identity or defines a stretch of play. Rinse and repeat, as this happens a multitude of times for each team to varying degrees. The contention landscape is an ever-molding horizon that whittles away as the year goes by.
A third of the way through the season, I thought the Cleveland Cavaliers had a shot at winning a series and making a second one raucous for their opponent. I didn&rsquo;t have faith in the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; frontcourt rotation and halfcourt offense, leading me to think they&rsquo;d be out of the playoffs before the Conference Finals (lol).
Along those lines, perhaps the biggest takeaway I have from this season and the postseason is that it&rsquo;s just really freakin' hard to win a title. That sounds reductive, and perhaps it is in essence, but that&rsquo;s sort of the point. I think it&rsquo;s a bit foolhardy and lacking in context at times to take away any sweeping thoughts on the ideology of basketball in such a volatile setting.
We at large don&rsquo;t know the full slate of what is or isn&rsquo;t going on behind the scenes or in a locker room until it&rsquo;s being broken nationally and is about to be resolved one way or another. That&rsquo;s not an excuse for poor or underwhelming play, rather to say that it&rsquo;s hard to place and capture the magic of incredible success. I, and many, thought that the Phoenix Suns would walk into the Western Conference Finals. The vibes dissipated with a quickness from immaculate to disastrous in a way I haven&rsquo;t felt since the 2013-14 Indiana Pacers.
I can point out the poor play and roster flaws that led to their on-court demise, but whatever happened off the court without a doubt contributed. It would be in poor faith to say, &ldquo;Because of this they lost." But it would be just as wrong to say, &ldquo;Well, they just didn&rsquo;t have that dog in them.&rdquo;
The Suns did have that magic for much of the season. We&rsquo;ve seen teams find it and lose it during the course of the year time and time again. Finding that run of play and maintaining it is so much more difficult than we lend credence to. We tend to decry the losers rather than pointing out the immaculate nature of those who stood the test of four playoff series. We should change that! Winning the NBA Finals is extremely difficult.
As Nekias pointed out in his<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jayson-tatum-boston-celtics-improvement-nba-finals-leap-nekias-duncan-golden-state-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aforementioned article</a>about Jayson Tatum, think about all of the fantastic moments and series that Tatum did have leading up to the Finals. That man balled the heck out. We&rsquo;re talking about how making the Finals and losing is bad for Tatum&rsquo;s legacy??? That&rsquo;s crazy to me. I understand the importance of legacy to some, but those arguments shed 97% of what got us here and hyperfocus on a six-game series at the highest level of play.
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Basketball and sports in general are meant to be analyzed; it&rsquo;s a large part of my job. But I feel the championship series should ultimately be much more about enjoying two incredibly good, incredibly talented and incredibly fun teams duel for the top spot in the league after the season tipped 240 days before.
To lead into some of the more tactical/schematic takeaways, advantage continuation is paramount. It probably seems obvious, but the ability to keep moving the ball, keep a play running and force the defense to react in kind is so important, even if it doesn&rsquo;t lead to a bucket. I was routinely stricken by how often the Warriors had first, second, third or even fourth actions sputter out, but they routinely found a small crevice upon which to expand and keep the advantage flowing.&nbsp;
I saw so many times throughout the series, &ldquo;How was this Boston defense good during the regular season?&rdquo; Was I doomscrolling and over-indexing? You bet. But it still stood out. The Celtics fought for their lives on possessions, and the way they shut down the Warriors time and time again in the halfcourt only to be whiplashed by a backcut, a broken play, an impromptu DHO, a Steph Curry deep three or a quick putback after 15 seconds of scramble felt back-breaking. I&rsquo;m not sure I&rsquo;ve ever felt Steph&rsquo;s shooting gravity and never ending off-ball movement like I did in this Finals.
Even with players who weren&rsquo;t shooters on volume, the Warriors unclogged possessions due to Steph&rsquo;s otherworldly play and the quick decision-making of his teammates. Draymond flipping the switch on his offensive aggression, adjusting the shot tendencies like we WISH NBA 2K would even consider absolutely changed the series. Eliminating some of the indecisiveness and unwillingness made Golden State that much harder to guard.&nbsp;
As athletic and sizable as the Celtics were across the board, they often felt a step behind and rarely dictating the dance in defensive possessions, which felt quite polar to their first three series.
Prior to the final few games against the Warriors, the Celtics toed that line of having enough of that ball movement and redrive oomph, attacking with secondary and tertiary drives to maintain an advantage. That, uhhh, did not hold up in the Finals, as the Warriors played phenomenal defense, but it also felt like Boston went away from what made them the best offense in the league in 2022. Marcus Smart has his fair share of erratic offensive possessions, but he spurred the offense throughout the year as Ime Udoka charged him with more primary ball-handling duties to put Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in more optimal offensive situations.
It wasn&rsquo;t that he needed to always have the ball, and he still handled much in the postseason, but it assuredly happened less, and penetration and kickouts became more sparse. Again though, the point is that secondary creation juice is a large part of how they got to the Finals.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks both felt as though they really lacked another secondary creator or enough of that ability to continue the advantages of Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo respectively. Again, not fully that dumbed down, but the Griz dealt with the issues of too many shooters who were hesitant and also not impacting the defense. The Bucks rarely sniffed the paint outside of Giannis or Jrue Holiday&rsquo;s forays to the rim. Kick-outs were routinely one-and-done shots. Injuries certainly played a factor, as Khris Middleton changes things greatly for the Bucks, but that wasn&rsquo;t the case. Even during the regular season, Milwaukee felt short of another shot creator.
On a similar note, the use of the clock to cut down or exacerbate your advantages on the margins is essential if you have some semblance of halfcourt struggles or are facing a top-notch defensive team. The Warriors absolutely bodied teams in transition and with early offense (no stats, just vibes; this was clear while watching). I think back to that Denver series and how masterfully the Warriors forced cross-matches and shifted the defense before plays started just by running like mad down the court.&nbsp;
Boston was on their heels for so much of the series due to how much concerted effort the Warriors put into getting into early sets. Running off of misses was a huge swing factor, feasting on Boston&rsquo;s at-rim misses in droves and parlaying a 4-on-3 against them into a 4-on-3 the other way. It honestly felt devastating at times, the basketball version of Sisyphus&rsquo; toil playing out on the parquet.
The Celtics felt on the verge of an eight-second violation every possession coming up court. Golden State employed a good array of pressure to slow down the Celtics; that&rsquo;s one of my favorite random things. You&rsquo;d think pressure would speed things up, right? Nope, it made the Celtics bog down and sink like a tank traversing through mud (shout out Call of Duty 4, mission War Pig; a throwback to seventh grade). In turn, they were sped up due to facing the shot clock with a proverbial back against the wall. All of the tendencies were loaded up in Golden State&rsquo;s favor given how they worked the margins.
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My last point I really want to stress is my ultimate Old-Man-Yells-at-Clouds moment. It is really, really, really, reaaaallllllyyyy hard to be a big in the NBA. So often, there&rsquo;s this idea that's consistently projected that you can "just scoop up a viable big for the mid-level exception" or that "teams shouldn&rsquo;t draft a big in the lottery." And sure, you can get a really serviceable backup or spot-starter for the MLE!
But you know that defensive-coverage versatility we mentioned earlier? It is so hard to be a big who can only play one coverage. I&rsquo;d argue being a coverage-versatile big who can make quality decisions and continue advantages if you don&rsquo;t craft them themselves is the most lacking positional archetype in a league that looks starved for them.&nbsp;
This is not my attempt to display how I think basketball should be played; there are a ton of viable ways to win a title and construct a roster even if there are some underscored guidelines that set the boundaries of what a team can be at the highest level.
But let&rsquo;s just run through some of the most important players on the deep playoff teams (who made it to the second round or further):
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Jaren Jackson Jr.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Giannis Antetokounmpo</li>
<li aria-level="1">Deandre Ayton</li>
<li aria-level="1">Robert Williams III</li>
<li aria-level="1">Al Horford</li>
<li aria-level="1">Draymond Green</li>
<li aria-level="1">Kevon Looney (who was incredible throughout the Warriors' run)</li>
<li aria-level="1">Bam Adebayo</li>
<li aria-level="1">Maxi Kleber</li>
</ul>
The NBA 5 is so pivotal upon how defenses play the game on either side. For a defense, they need to be able to hang up in a multitude of schemes while ideally being a backline eraser with strong-help instincts and the athleticism to deter shots. Switch everything is a lie, but some switchability is pretty nice too! Can you play close to the level? Can you show and recover? Can you display enough hand activity to add a modicum of hesitation on pull-up twos or a guard turning the corner out of a ball screen as your point-of-attack defender fights over to reconnect?
There are a trillion responsibilities seemingly, and ground coverage is a must.
Offensively, the 5s routinely were the focal point of how a defense looked to stifle an offense. While Draymond isn&rsquo;t technically a 5, he played a great deal of time there and his improved play and aggression over the backend of the series was paramount in attacking Boston&rsquo;s defense and tipping the scale. In the previous series, I can still hear Steve Jones Jr.&rsquo;s voice ringing out from the Dunker Spot (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen and subscribe!</a>) about how teams played him as a post decision-maker with Golden State&rsquo;s patented split cuts.
Al Horford broke defenses with his consistent shooting in the playoffs, something that wasn&rsquo;t there much of the regular season. Shooting in that sweet spot of league average or slightly higher without hesitation at the 5 spot is back-breaking. Miami and Milwaukee routinely tried to negate Horford&rsquo;s presence, but if you&rsquo;re going to shoot like that without thinking, it changes the way a defense can play you. Much of the same should be said of Maxi Kleber for the Mavs. His personal heater against the Suns altered that series and forced Phoenix into a defensive bind that restructured the way they could play defense without getting absolutely pelted from Kleber&rsquo;s above-the-break dynamism.
Being a capable two-way NBA big is freakin' hard. The game is still shifting more and more toward size and skill, something the next few draft classes exemplify. I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s as drastic as every player being 7-feet tall and taking pull-up threes out of ball screens, but there&rsquo;s real credence to acknowledging that the first few draft classes of players that grew up playing AAU and youth ball after the spacing revolution are coming in with skill sets to match. A few seasons ago, I was speaking with a prominent high school coach who mentioned that the high-school game was a half decade behind the NBA, as players adapted to what they saw and took in growing up. We&rsquo;re seeing that start to play out and that&rsquo;s absurdly cool to witness.
What will the game look like in 2027? I don&rsquo;t have the answer, but I have a semblance of an idea of where it&rsquo;s headed in the next few years, and I&rsquo;m excited.
What will the next shift be? How is the game going to bend the court dimensions again? It continually happens over time, as innovation and adaptation occurs.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The game is beautiful, and I&rsquo;m lucky to cover it. Once again, a heartfelt thank you to anyone who's reading and those who have shared or interacted with my work over the last season. It&rsquo;s odd to say goodbye to 2022, but I have a good feeling about next season.
Who knows, maybe this is the year for the Sacramento Kings?! Maybe the Orlando Magic are our wondrous young team that takes a sizable step forward from fun and young to fun, young and funkily effective. I don&rsquo;t know what next year holds and I can make as many predictions as I want, but that unknowing is part of what makes the game so mystifying to me. I love uncovering and trying to learn more about what the game is, and the skill sets and stories that make up the humans who play the game. I truly loved the process and unraveling of the 2022 season, and I hope you can say the same!
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The 2021-22 NBA season is over. What can we take away from it and where is the game headed in the coming years?

Bidding adieu to the 2021-22 NBA season: Final(s) thoughts

Terrence Ross&nbsp;is available on the trade market, league sources told HoopsHype. Previously at the trade deadline, the asking price for Ross was a first-round pick. 
With Ross now owed&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://hoopshype.com/salaries/orlando_magic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$11.5 million</a>&nbsp;in the final year of his contract, rival teams with interest are hoping Orlando lowers its asking price to multiple second-round picks, similar to when the team previously traded&nbsp;Evan Fournier&nbsp;to the Celtics.
SOURCE: Michael Scotto of HoopsHype
ANALYSIS: Last season, the 31-year-old averaged 10.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 threes, while shooting 39.7% from the field, 29.2% from three and 86.2% from the free-throw line. 
His three-point percentage has dipped significantly over the last two seasons, but Ross could still have some trade value as someone who can create his own shot and provide instant offense off the bench.

The Orlando Magic are open to trading Terrence Ross, who is entering the final year of his contract worth $11.5 million.

Orlando Magic are open to trading Terrence Ross

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; James Harden saw the fake beards dangling from chins, oversized cutouts of his head waving above outstretched arms and heard 76ers fans shouting from the stands that they loved him.
Harden knew from his first step on the court that his nearly 14-month, three-team journey &mdash; that he in large part orchestrated &mdash; brought him exactly where he wanted to play.
&ldquo;I just wanted to come out there and show my love back,&rdquo; Harden said.
Much like the bushy beard that defines his image, Harden has grown on the 76ers.
Harden had a packed house in a frenzy from the moment he was introduced as &ldquo;making his Philadelphia home debut,&rdquo; then flashed his MVP form with 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 123-108 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Joel Embiid had 27 points and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points.
&ldquo;We all just fit together,&rdquo; Embiid said.
But the night belonged to the Beard.
The Sixers moved to 3-0 with Harden in the lineup and his dynamic duo hookup with Embiid has suddenly stamped the Sixers as legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;I feel like you can put me anywhere in the room and I can fit in,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Here is no different. Just see what you have and try your best to fit in. Be the best James Harden I can be in every aspect.&rdquo;
Harden needed time to warm up to the new digs. His first points came with 5:32 left in the first quarter on, naturally, an and-1 conversion. He followed that with, yup, his step-back 3 to give him five fast points.
There was much more to showcase.
He scored 13 points in the second quarter and had fans shooting video on their phones.
Philly&rsquo;s hype for the new arrival rivaled the anticipated first games over the last 25 years of Terrell Owens (Eagles) and Bryce Harper (Phillies). The Wells Fargo Center was jammed with 21,333 fans and tickets for a top seat -- not far off from rapper Meek Mill&rsquo;s courtside view -- were sold for thousands on the secondary market.
Even director M. Night Shyamalan attended for the city&rsquo;s biggest happening on the sports scene.
&ldquo;It felt like a playoff atmosphere,&rdquo; Embiid said. &rdquo;I&rsquo;ve given a lot of credit to Philly fans over the years and they&rsquo;ve always come through, win or lose.&rdquo;
The masks came off -- and the beards went on. With Philadelphia dropping the indoor mask mandate, Sixers fans had faces clear to buy the $5 fake beards in team merchandise stores. The Sixers seemingly could have paid Harden&rsquo;s salary on the amount of his gear sold alone before tipoff. Fans packed the stores and stands and picked up the new No. 1 jerseys, socks and T-shirts emblazoned with Harden&rsquo;s image.
Sixers fans wore his jersey as they hanged over the tunnel to the locker room and waited for Harden to run out onto the court. With about an hour left in warmups, Harden emerged to a big ovation. He shot 3s and joked with coaches and teammates, oblivious to the expectations ahead.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers has built winners with Hall of Famers and All-Stars on his roster and understands the need to shut out the frenzy that followed Harden&rsquo;s debut.
&ldquo;I do the same job, the same work. It&rsquo;s just that more people notice,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;I think when you get a guy like James and Joel together with what we have, with all of our other guys, our guys sense it, too. Not the hoopla, though. It&rsquo;s that they have a real shot. You don&rsquo;t get many of these.&rdquo;
The Knicks, losers of 13 of 15 games, led at halftime and kept the lead early in the third. Embiid twice hit 3s that brought the Sixers within one. Then Philly got going. Maxey scored 11 points in the quarter and the Sixers outscored the Knicks 38-19 to finally grab the lead for good. Embiid, Maxey and even Georges Niang each hit two 3s in the quarter.
TIP-INS
Knicks: New York is 9-20 against opponents over .500. ... Kentucky coach John Calipari reunited for a brief chat with his former player, Julius Randle. ... RJ Barrett scored 30 points.
&ldquo;I just want us to lock into improvement. come in every day, put everything you have into it,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where our focus has to lie right now. We&rsquo;ve got to get over the hump and close the games out. That&rsquo;s our challenge. Keep growing, keep getting better ,learn from mistakes.&rdquo;
76ers: Harden hit two 3-pointers. Ben Simmons, the All-Star he was traded from Brooklyn for, made five total in his four-year 76ers&rsquo; career.
WILT&rsquo;S 100
The 76ers celebrated the 60th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain&rsquo;s 100-point game. On March 2, 1962, at the Hershey Sports Arena, Chamberlain shot 36 of 63 from the floor and an un-Wilt-like 28 of 32 from the free throw line. He played all 48 minutes in the Philadelphia Warriors&rsquo; 169-147 win over the Knicks. Members of Chamberlain&rsquo;s family helped ring the pregame bell.
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BOOS TO BOOZE
Stateside Vodka, a Philly-based vodka company, had offered $25 gift cards as part of a trade-in for old Simmons jerseys. The company said Wednesday it received 352 jerseys that were donated to shelters in Brooklyn.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host Cleveland on Friday.
Knicks: Open a six-game road trip -- though the final game is in Brooklyn -- on Friday in Phoenix.

Harden flashed his MVP form with 26 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 123-108 win over the Knicks.

Harden shines in Philly home debut with 26 points vs Knicks

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?

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 asked the rest of our team to react to the results of the ever-so-eventful week.
Yesterday, our staff shared their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winners of the 2022 NBA trade deadline</a>. Now, in&nbsp;our latest Roundtable, we asked our writers the following question:
Who are the biggest losers of the NBA trade deadline? 
Alex Kennedy:&nbsp;The Los Angeles Lakers feel like losers since they weren't able to make a trade when it's clear that changes were desperately needed. However, I'm not surprised that they weren't able to make a move given how their assets are perceived around the league. The Sacramento Kings stand out too. It&rsquo;s rare for a blockbuster trade to warrant such a one-sided response amongst people around the NBA, but every <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-decisionmakers-criticize-kings-trade-i-dont-get-it-at-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA decision-maker I spoke to questioned the Sabonis-Haliburton trade for Sacramento</a> &mdash; mainly because the Kings traded away a 21-year-old budding star and didn't seem to improve all that much.
Spencer Davies: While Josh Hart is fun... I, uh, got nothing for the Portland Trail Blazers. Why not try out Nickeil Alexander-Walker with Anfernee Simons instead of flipping him to Utah? Simons handled the ball alongside his partner Gary Trent Jr. (extra thumbs down for that one; do you see what the man&rsquo;s doing to teams in Toronto?) quite a bit. Kudos to those who are gaining valuable experience &mdash; shout out to C.J. Elleby and Greg Brown Jr., not your fault &mdash; and those former lottery picks who are trying to stick &mdash; Justise Winslow and Dennis Smith Jr. With that said: This is considered a win-now roster that is retooled? Not quite. We&rsquo;ll see what interim general manager Joe Cronin does (if he&rsquo;s in charge, that is) with the oodles of cap space the team has created. Surely Damian Lillard is watching, though he has already voiced his thoughts on staying in Portland.
Mark Schindler: It's hard for me to not view Utah as the biggest loser at the deadline. I like Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a prospect, but he's had a very rough season and is a negative-impact NBA player at the moment. There's an intriguing foundation with him that Utah could unearth more of and help him build upon, but the issue is where the Jazz are right now. They needed immediate help defensively at the point of attack and the wing, yet NAW is not really that guy right now. Perhaps Utah envisions him being squeezed into a honed-in role, more focused as a connector and less as a shot-creator; expecting a change in wiring mid-season before a playoff run when this team NEEDS a deep run to succeed, is questionable. I'm hopeful for NAW, doubtful for this season.
Ethan Fuller: Both sides of that Mavericks-Wizards trade... lost? Kristaps Porzingis is not the type of upgrade to sway Washington's playoff hopes or convince Bradley Beal the future is in good hands. It also creates a logjam of ill-fitting bigs with Porzingis, Daniel Gafford and Thomas Bryant. Meanwhile, the Mavericks added a questionable fit of their own in Spencer Dinwiddie and didn't address the resulting needs in the frontcourt. I don't get why either side was motivated to get this deal done, and I question if either team meaningfully improved.
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Moke Hamilton: I think there&rsquo;s enough of the pie to go around. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have gotta be somewhat disappointed that they weren&rsquo;t able to do anything of significance, but I think the Lakers are probably the &ldquo;winner&rdquo; here. With LeBron James continuing to advance in age, they came into the season with championship aspirations, but as of right now, would have to play their way into the playoffs. The team still doesn&rsquo;t seem to have an identity and Russell Westbrook and Frank Vogel obviously have some issues they need to figure out. To be honest, I&rsquo;m also not too enthused about the Kristaps Porzingis deal for Washington. If he can stay healthy for them, then I&rsquo;ll feel differently, but at this point, he has to prove that he&rsquo;s worthy of the hype and the big contract he got from Dallas. I know the Wizards wanted to get away from Spencer Dinwiddie, but drama has followed Kristaps in each of his previous two stops. Now, he&rsquo;ll be Dallas&rsquo; headache.
Bryan Fonseca: I'd like to say us since we were deprived of the theater scenario where Brooklyn and Philly don't make the James Harden-Ben Simmons swap, but I won't. This could be Dallas or Washington because of what they actually did, but since that was one trade, we'll let them cancel each other out. Let's go with the Knicks and Lakers. I don't know how those teams just stand pat. The Knicks should've moved off a couple of guys, like Alec Burks and Kemba Walker, to gain draft capital and free up minutes elsewhere. And the Lakers, well ... yanno.
Evan Sidery: Not many teams stand out here, but one obvious one is the Washington Wizards. What exactly were the Wizards thinking with Thursday&rsquo;s acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis? Hopefully the Wizards truly don't believe Porzingis can keep Bradley Beal around long-term, but here we are. Porzingis is a great talent, but he's simply proven to be unreliable due to continuous injury woes. In D.C., Porzingis plays next to Beal and a lot of young, raw talent. The team-player fit here is just so confusing.
Mat Issa: The Bulls and Jazz are the two biggest losers to me. For the Jazz, the need for an upgrade at the perimeter defensively was pretty apparent, but instead, they only came away with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is a fine young player, but probably not a bonafide playoff stopper. For the Bulls, their inactivity hurts them here, as pretty much every other top-nine team in the conference did something to bolster their roster for the stretch run.
Justin Lewis: The Charlotte Hornets didn&rsquo;t do anything to improve their atrocious defense. Portland is in absolute shambles, moving quality rotation pieces for hypotheticals. The Dallas Mavericks were making strides and they blew it up for what?
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.&nbsp;<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>!

Who are the biggest NBA trade deadline losers? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: Who are the biggest losers of the NBA trade deadline?

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 asked the rest of our team to react to the results of the ever-so-eventful week.
Here are our staff's thoughts on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-losers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losers of the 2022 NBA trade deadline</a>. Now, in our latest Roundtable, we asked our writers the following question:
Who are the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline? 
Alex Kennedy: My trade deadline winners are the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers. I was someone who believed that Daryl Morey should trade Ben Simmons sooner than later, because I thought Simmons' trade value would only decrease over time. I didn't think the 76ers would actually be able to land a star player for Simmons, but I was clearly wrong. Morey's gamble paid off and now he's reunited with James Harden. As for the Pacers, I love&nbsp;what they did over the last week. We all knew that they were going to make drastic changes, but I was really impressed with how much they were able to get back for Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert and Torrey Craig. I love the addition of Tyrese Haliburton, and I truly believe he's going to develop into a star in Indiana. I also liked the buy-low addition of Jalen Smith, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan deserve credit for pulling off some smart trades and assembling an impressive young core.
Spencer Davies: I&rsquo;m going to be contrarian here, but good for the win-now teams who aren&rsquo;t really in a position to contend this season, yet still went for a swing. I&rsquo;m talking about the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. The Pels acquired a 20 point-per-game scorer in CJ McCollum to put next to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson (defense we&rsquo;ll worry about later; Herb Jones and his 10 arms have it all covered anyway). My thoughts on the Kings acquiring an All-Star such as Domantas Sabonis are well-documented, and now, they&rsquo;ve added an underappreciated two-way guard in Donte DiVincenzo, who&rsquo;s still finding his form since his playoff injury last year. Finally, as for the Clippers, Norm Powell and Robert Covington are championship-caliber veterans who will get acclimated the rest of the season as L.A. stays afloat &mdash; and fit like a glove in Tyronn Lue&rsquo;s rotation next year beside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Individually, I also have to give big-ups to Daryl Morey for sticking to his guns.
Ethan Fuller: The Celtics and Pacers each made the right moves for their franchise directions. Boston needed to find another ball-handling guard to fit with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the team did exactly that by adding Derrick White. They also brought back a perfect third center in Daniel Theis while clearing roster space to pursue bench upgrades on the buyout market. Indiana is crushing its rebuild initiation. Tyrese Haliburton is obviously the headliner, but the Pacers also netted a first and second-round pick, plus a noteworthy flier in Jalen Smith and tradeable players like Buddy Hield. They also didn't overextend with any forced moves.
Bryan Fonseca: It would be silly to say Indiana, and as much as I do like Tyrese, I'm not a *full-blown* Haliburton hipster. He can be an All-Star, for sure, but Domantas Sabonis is already that. The deal isn't *that* one-sided. I could say Brooklyn or Philly for getting themselves out of a situation, but both teams might've just traded one set of problems for another. In fact, I'd say that's likely. So, you know what, I really enjoy what New Orleans did. You can't rebuild forever and Zion Williamson's already extension-eligible this summer. We'll have to see him again at some point, and with CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, you should be competitive, especially next year &mdash; if you have mostly good health. To me, it's a diet version of the Chicago Bulls adding DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
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Evan Sidery: Exiting this year&rsquo;s trade deadline, it's rare to list both teams from the biggest transaction as winners. That's exactly what happened in the Sixers and Nets&rsquo; blockbuster when James Harden and Ben Simmons swapped places. Harden joins Joel Embiid forming a lethal, potentially transcendent one-two scoring combination. Philadelphia pushed the chips in as Embiid continues to display rare big man dominance. For Brooklyn, this situation was untenable with Harden&rsquo;s on-court pouting. The Nets&rsquo; Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden will be looked back on with so many questions down the road. Both teams shook it up, and in the end it's fair to say both teams made weaknesses a strength. Harden is Daryl Morey&rsquo;s big moment in Philly, but Simmons could finally be fully maximized alongside Durant.
Mat Issa: Of course, the 76ers are &ndash; any time you can end an annoying, eight-month-old saga by securing a top-12 player in the world, you&rsquo;ve won immensely. However, the team that really stands out to me is their counterpart in the deal, the Brooklyn Nets. Despite having their back against the wall with very little leverage (thanks to Harden&rsquo;s displeasure being confirmed the morning of the deadline), the team netted a pretty nice return. Say what you will about him, but Simmons was a solid All-Star in a suboptimal situation in Philadelphia. Next season, he&rsquo;ll be operating with the perimeter gravity that the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, and Seth Curry (another valuable piece from the deal) afford you. Also, adding a solid backup center and some draft capital is always nice, as well.
Justin Lewis: The Brooklyn Nets, because they just became a better team. The Detroit Pistons paid next to nothing for a shot at Marvin Bagley. The Memphis Grizzlies because Dallas got worse and no one in the West really made a move to pull closer or further away from them.
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Who are your biggest NBA trade deadline winners? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: Who are the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline?

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

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

In theory, the ball should stick less with White and Marcus Smart in the backcourt, and White is more than capable of running an offense when Smart and/or Jayson Tatum isn't on the floor. In the below clips, he's making reads in split seconds. It's easy to picture Robert Williams or Al Horford as Jakob Poeltl, or Grant Williams/Jaylen Brown shooting these corner attempts.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/cdlrna" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
White isn't going to wow you with a highlight reel pass. But whether it's turning a good shot to a great shot, applying pressure with his cuts or pushing the transition pace, he brings several skills that Boston hasn't nailed down consistently.
Many Celtics fans were immediately concerned by White's 31.4% three-point clip. It's reasonable, and he likely won't ever be an elite marksman or pull-up dagger machine. But there's a bit more to unpack on the efficiency front.&nbsp;
White is making 22% of his corner threes this season. That is... extremely bad, and also 26 percentage points lower from 2020-21. He's making 34% of his threes above the break, which is slightly above league-average. White is making 32.3% of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers, per NBA Stats, when he's typically been in the 38-39% range in recent seasons. Brad Stevens said on Friday he thinks White is a better shooter than the base numbers suggest. I'm inclined to agree.&nbsp;
These aren't even White's key selling points. Flip to the defensive side of the ball and he'll show you why many now think the Celtics could boast the stingiest unit in the NBA. Nekias Duncan lauded White as one of the best point-of-attack players in the league on our show yesterday, and I'd take him at his word. White has a fantastic blend of speed and strength at 6-foot-4 and can mirror drives from the NBA's toughest guards. Here's one clip of him smothering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/cd0piy" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
White's block rate is in the 97th percentile at his position. It has been there, or higher, in each of the last four seasons. I truly fear for opposing backcourts if he and Marcus Smart share the floor.
The Celtics gave up Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 lightly-protected first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2028 in exchange for White. That's quite a package for a player who is either a solid complementary starter or a really great bench piece. Stevens himself acknowledged that giving up first-round picks is an inherent risk. But it's the type of move that signals to Tatum and Brown that they're worth building around.&nbsp;
With minutes left on the clock, Boston snuck in another deal with the Rockets. Stevens sent Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando and Schr&ouml;der to Houston for Daniel Theis. With White in the fold, there was no need to keep Schr&ouml;der even in the short term, and the Celtics also moved two centers who should not play in the rotation to bring back a very capable depth big.
Theis returns after less than a calendar year away from Boston. The 29-year-old started 21 of 26 games with the Rockets and averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He's a stalwart interior finisher; per Basketball Reference, Theis has made at least 71% of his shots within three feet of the basket in every year of his NBA career. He's not the stretch big man his three-point volume suggests, but Theis can at least make around one per game in theory.
Theis also isn't an event-creator on defense. He's a bruiser who can come off the bench and be a more viable switcher than Freedom or Fernando ever were. Ime Udoka should at least feel more comfortable deploying Theis in the rotation so Robert Williams III and Al Horford are not overextended.
"Rob and Al are our guys and they're playing great, but if you miss any time with those two guys, you can plug Theis in and it'll be a seamless transition," Stevens said.
So in two trades, the Celtics have upgraded their secondary guard spot and their bench center spot at the risk of missing out in the draft. With the help of a third trade from earlier in the morning, they also gave themselves extra time for moves via the buyout market.
Boston dealt PJ Dozier, Bol Bol, a second-round pick and cash considerations to Orlando for a conditional second-round pick. The goal was clearly to get under the luxury tax, and per <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/boston-celtics/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotrac</a>, Boston did that.
Between the three moves, the Celtics have a whopping five open roster spots to fill. The needs are glaring: shooting and wing depth. That's especially compounded after trading Richardson.
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<a href="https://theathletic.com/3124166/2022/02/10/celtics-trade-deadline-roundtable-brad-stevens-bets-big-on-derrick-white/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's&nbsp;Jared Weiss</a> wrote that he's "gotten the impression" the Celtics will at least take a look at Gary Harris on the buyout market. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-gary-harris-likely-on-the-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan</a> listed Boston as a potential landing spot for Harris. If the three-point clip stays up, Harris would make a lot of sense as a plug-and-play shooting guard.
With so many lopsided deals around the league in terms of roster size, Boston should have options. Maybe Orlando also buys out Terrence Ross. Perhaps the Lakers waive Kent Bazemore or the Clippers let go of recently-acquired Rodney Hood?
The G League is also loaded with potential fits. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston is already signing Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet to rest-of-season contracts from the Maine Celtics. Hauser's signature skill is shooting and Kornet can stretch the floor as well.
Stevens was vague at his press conference, saying he wanted players with "skill." The Celtics have five opportunities (including Hauser and Kornet) to find such players. Udoka has another tough choice to make, too &mdash; should he break up the current buzzsaw starting lineup and insert White, or bring a starting-caliber guard beginning a four-year, $73 million contract extension off the bench?
For all the angst about Schr&ouml;der's tendency to stop the ball, he was also a much-needed driving threat. White gets to the rim at a level around league-average, but he's not the blazing downhill driver Schr&ouml;der is. Will that affect how the ball is able to move, especially if the Celtics don't have enough shooters on the perimeter?
Clearly these deals don't end the questions. For now, though, fans should feel confident that Brad Stevens was clear and deliberate with his trade deadline moves. Derrick White and Daniel Theis appear to be the complementary talents Boston should be seeking to bolster a lineup hunting postseason contention.
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Ethan Fuller shows how the additions of Derrick White and Daniel Theis fit into the current rotation for the Boston Celtics.

Evaluating the Celtics' trade deadline additions and next steps

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

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

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

The Washington Wizards aren't having a good time right now.
After a 10-3 start to the season, they've gone 13-24 since. Their offense (109.5 Offensive Rating, 23rd) and defense (114.7 Defensive Rating, 27th) have been woeful during this stretch. They're currently losers of six straight, which include an epic collapse against the Los Angeles Clippers and some insert-the-this-is-fine-GIF commentary from Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
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Here's video of Dinwiddie's comments. Question from <a href="https://twitter.com/Tsaltas46?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tsaltas46</a> <a href="https://t.co/xkCSVaI1FE">https://t.co/xkCSVaI1FE</a> <a href="https://t.co/y2iRJMBsxs">pic.twitter.com/y2iRJMBsxs</a>
&mdash; Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChaseHughesNBCS/status/1487653921049006080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Add in the cloud of Bradley Beal's impending free agency, and you have a less-than-fun situation on your hands. Beal has been signaling his interest in re-signing for ages, but he's also been clear about his desire to win. If things don't improve, would it truly shock anyone to see him sign a long-term extension before requesting a trade early into the deal?
The Wizards want to avoid that reality, which would explain their activity in trade talks as the deadline approaches. Both Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report have reported the Wizards being in the hunt for a high level talent. Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis certainly qualifies.
<a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bradley-beal-future-jazz-pelicans-bulls-trade-targets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From Scotto</a>:
<blockquote>
Several people I&rsquo;ve spoken to around the league believe the Wizards will look to go big-game hunting with the trade deadline coming up to keep&nbsp;Bradley Beal&nbsp;happy, and they could look to acquire&nbsp;Domantas Sabonis&nbsp;or&nbsp;Jerami Grant.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953006-trade-deadline-intel-wizards-among-nbas-most-active-shoppers-eyeing-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From Fischer</a>:
<blockquote>
Just a week out from the Feb. 10 trade deadline, the Washington Wizards are being described by league personnel as one of the more active teams on the&nbsp;NBA&nbsp;trade market. As the Wizards have discussed adding key reinforcements&nbsp;such as Jerami Grant, Indiana Pacers forward&nbsp;Domantas Sabonis&nbsp;has also emerged as another significant trade target, sources told B/R.&nbsp;
</blockquote>
If the Wizards are in the market for someone to take creation pressure off of Beal, Sabonis certainly fits the bill. As mentioned <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exploring-trade-destinations-for-domantas-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in this space</a>, Sabonis is one of the best high-post hubs in the NBA. He's averaging 5.0 assists this season, a top-five mark among big men this season, but it's less about that archaic number.
Not only can Sabonis hit cutters, he has a way of prying guys open with (off-ball) screens and handoffs. He's lead the NBA in screen assists in 2 of the last 3 seasons. His off-ball partnership with Justin Holiday has been the NBA's best this year; the Pacers are generating over 1.4 points per possession on direct hookups between the two, per Second Spectrum.
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Veer screens. Flare screens. Pindowns. Pin-ins.
Sabonis can do it all, which could be a godsend for Beal. The star hasn't shot as well this season, but he's still masterful as an off-ball mover. Having someone like Sabonis pry him open could lead to a cleaner shot diet. Considering the passing growth he's exhibited this season, more downhill reps could improve the flow of the offense.
Per Fischer, the <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953006-trade-deadline-intel-wizards-among-nbas-most-active-shoppers-eyeing-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacers are looking for a package</a> "similar to or greater than the haul Nikola Vuceivic drew for the Orlando Magic last season." The Wizards have a trio of rookie-deal prospects &mdash; Deni Avdija, Rui Hachiumura, and Corey Kispert &mdash; that the Pacers could choose from, and enough mid-tier salaries to put a package together.
If they're adamant about saving face with Beal, pursuing a Sabonis trade would be a smart option.&nbsp;
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The Wizards have expressed trade interest in Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis. How would that look?

Wizards pursuing Domantas Sabonis could save face with Bradley Beal

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-a-new-years-resolution-for-each-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
Ja Morant and his high-flying Memphis Grizzlies, who are riding a nine-game winning streak, leap all the way up to No. 3 in this week's Basketball News Power Rankings.&nbsp;
1. Golden State Warriors (30-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
The Warriors, who were already one of the best teams in the league, welcomed back one of this generation's best two-way players in Klay Thompson on Sunday night. We'll see if Klay can stay healthy, but he certainly looked solid in the Dubs' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes. Cool factoid on Thompson: He had been sidelined for 941 days before suiting up Sunday and scoring 17 points. The only player in NBA history to miss more time due to injury and score more points in his first game back was Bill Walton (20 points in 1982) after missing 962 days. (Editor's Note: Etan Thomas <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exwarriors-coach-mark-jackson-is-happy-to-see-klay-thompson-back-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke with Mark Jackson about Thompson's return</a> recently.)
2. Phoenix Suns (30-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
After a disappointing rookie season, the Suns declined Jalen Smith's team option of $4.7 million for the 2022-23 season. As a result, Smith, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Well, after injuries and a Covid outbreak left the team short-handed in late December, Smith <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-have-a-big-man-predicament-theyre-happy-to-deal-with" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped in and stepped up</a>, surprisingly averaging 15.8 points (on 55.4% shooting) and 10.2 rebounds over a six-game stretch.&nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (28-14) ⬆️ Last Week: 6
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LeBron on <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>'s insane block: "They got rockets in his calf muscles. It was a spectacular play. Salute." <a href="https://t.co/FSkjD6nXZ5">pic.twitter.com/FSkjD6nXZ5</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1480539311921577992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ja Morant set the internet ablaze when the highlight clip of his block of Avery Bradley went viral, and the Grizzlies notched a franchise-record ninth straight win Sunday night in Los Angeles. "That's probably the best block I've ever seen live. Probably the best block I've ever seen, period," Jaren Jackson Jr. told reporters after the game. "That was crazy. I knew he was going to do it, too, because he always loads up right before." In the two games Memphis played in L.A. over the weekend, Jackson was magnificent, racking up 47 points, 20 rebounds, 11 blocks (!!), 4 steals and 3 treys.&nbsp;
4. Chicago Bulls (26-11) &harr;️ Last Week: 4
Thanks to a rare poor shooting night, the Bulls finally had their nine-game winning streak snapped Sunday night in Dallas. Chicago, which leads the NBA in three-point accuracy this season, made only 11 of the 33 triples the team tried vs. the Mavs. No Bulls team has won 10 or more games in a row since Michael Jordan's final season in the Windy City (1997-98).
5. Utah Jazz (28-13)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 3
The Jazz wrapped up a five-game road trip Monday night with a disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons. Utah led Detroit by as much as 22 points in the first half, but was outscored 94-62 in the final 30 minutes. It's the Jazz's third straight defeat. They'll look to get back on track when they return home Wednesday to host the Cavs. &nbsp; 6. Miami Heat (25-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
Like most other teams in the league, the Heat have been hit hard by injuries and COVID this season, but it hasn't slowed them down. Consider this: Tyler Herro leads the team in total points this season, Caleb Martin leads the team in blocks and the team's three leading rebounders are Dewayne Dedmon, Omer Yurtseven and P.J. Tucker. And yet, Miami is still somehow 10 games over .500 and in third place in the conference. Head coach ​​Erik Spoelstra is doing an excellent job once again.&nbsp;
7. Milwaukee Bucks (26-17)&nbsp;⬇️&nbsp;Last Week: 5
After back-to-back defeats in Charlotte, the Bucks have lost 4 of their past 5 games. "You are definitely concerned anytime you lose four out of five," <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401360426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khris Middleton said</a> after Monday's loss to the Hornets. "And you never want to lose two in a row. You understand what the circumstances are (with players being out) and you never want to use that as an excuse. We understand what we're going through and everybody is going through. But we still have to go out there and compete." Things don't get any easier for the Bucks, as they travel home to take on the Warriors on Thursday night.&nbsp;
8. Brooklyn Nets (25-14) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Nets are in the middle of a brutal stretch in which they play four games in five days, and five games in seven days. After beating the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon, Brooklyn flew across the country to Portland to make up for a contest initially scheduled for Dec. 23 that was postponed because of COVID-19 complications. James Harden was unable to play in Monday's loss to the Blazers due to a hyperextended left knee, but head coach Steve Nash said Harden should be available for Wednesday's game in Chicago.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (23-16) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Philly is rolling right now. Having won seven straight games, it is the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference; the Grizz are the only team in the league with a longer streak. Joel Embiid has been the engine driving the Sixer train all season, and during this seven-game stretch, he is doing it all, averaging 32.9 points (on 56% shooting), 10.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 blocks.&nbsp;
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 9
Darius Garland continues to make his case for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. Over his last eight appearances, Garland is averaging 20.9 points, 6.8 assists, 3.0 boards, 1.1 steals and 2.6 made three-pointers. He also has posted a remarkably impressive +253 plus/minus this season, which is the sixth-best individual +/- in the NBA, one spot ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
11. Charlotte Hornets (22-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 12
After closing out last week with a victory over the defending champs, the Hornets started this week on a high note by defeating the Bucks once again. Terry Rozier poured in 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 triples and 2 steals in Monday's victory. Over the Hornets' last seven games, Scary Terry is averaging 23.9 points, 4.7 boards, 3.7 assists, and 4.6 triples, while shooting a scorching 51.7% from the field and 50% from downtown (having made 32 of his last 63 three-point attempts).&nbsp;
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12. Dallas Mavericks (22-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Mavs have won six straight, and registered one of their most impressive victories of the season Sunday night vs. the Bulls, ending Chicago's nine-game win streak. The Mavs have missed Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis for stretches this season, but Jalen Brunson has appeared in 39 of Dallas' 40 games this season and played very well. (Coming into Sunday, he led the team in total points and assists in 2021-22.) Brunson has been especially productive this past month, averaging 19.3 points (on 51% shooting), 7.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 made treys over the Mavs' previous 13 contests.&nbsp;
13. Toronto Raptors (20-17) ⬆️ Last Week: 18
The red-hot Raps extended their winning streak to a season-high six games on Sunday with a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Fred VanVleet has been playing at a truly elite level as of late. Over his last seven appearances, FVV is averaging 30.6 points, 7.4 assists, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 5.9 (!!) made three-pointers and just 0.9 turnovers, while shooting 46% from downtown and 96.7% from the charity stripe. The Raps are 7-0 in those seven games. VanVleet <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves an All-Star nod this year</a>.&nbsp;
14. Denver Nuggets (20-18)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 11
The Nuggets are back above .500 after winning 5 of the 7 games they've played since Christmas. It's been Nikola Jokic, of course, who has powered Denver during this recent streak. Over his last eight games, the Joker is averaging a mind-boggling 26.1 points, 17.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.&nbsp;
15. Los Angeles Lakers (21-20)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 13
The Lakers' had won four in a row and 5 of their previous 6 games before getting blown out by the Grizz on Sunday night. However, the loss can't be pinned on LeBron James, who is somehow still playing at an incredibly high level despite turning 37 years old two weeks ago. Over L.A.'s past 11 games, James is averaging 34.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 3.1 triples.&nbsp;
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-20) ⬆️ Last Week: 19
Karl-Anthony Towns was dominant in the Wolves 141-123 victory over the Houston Rockets in Sunday night, pouring in a season-high 40 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Last week, the Wolves also received a nice boost from Jarred Vanderbilt, who has averaged 16.0 rebounds (!!), 12.3 points (on 63% shooting), 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals over Minnesota's past three games.&nbsp;
17. Washington Wizards (20-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 14
The Lakers may be questioning their end of August's blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade, but the Wizards have to be delighted with the early returns. On Sunday night, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14 points, including a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to lead the Wiz past Orlando; meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma racked up 27 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in the victory. Over Washington's last six games, Kuz is averaging 27.0 points (on 53% shooting) and 13.0 rebounds. The only other player in the league averaging at least 27 points and 11 boards this month is Giannis.&nbsp;
18. Los Angeles Clippers (20-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Clippers had lost 6 of 8 since losing Paul George to an elbow injury, but L.A. got back on track Sunday with a much-needed victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Clips fans also got some encouraging news via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who reported late last week that Kawhi Leonard is ahead of schedule in his rehab from his torn right ACL, and there's a "strong possibility" <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kawhi-leonard-knee-ahead-of-schedule-strong-chance-he-returns-this-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he could return this season</a>.
19. Boston Celtics (20-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 17
After losing last Wednesday to San Antonio and then blowing a 25-point second-half lead to the New York Knicks the following night, it appeared the Celtics were spiraling. However, Boston head coach Ime Udoka challenged his team, and the C's have responded with two consecutive wins, including a revenge win over New York and an overtime victory vs. the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
20. New York Knicks (20-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 21
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
30-ball from Barrett 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/RjBarrett6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RjBarrett6</a> drops 31 PTS to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a> to the huge home win! <a href="https://t.co/qkgDGoIldA">pic.twitter.com/qkgDGoIldA</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1480894789356769281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

The Knicks got a much-needed win over the Spurs on Monday, thanks in large part to RJ Barrett's 31 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. It was the fourth time Barrett has scored 30-plus points this season, and New York is undefeated (4-0) in those games, with three of the wins by double-digits. After a nasty midseason slump, it appears Barrett is back on track. Over his last six games, RJ is averaging 23.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 triples. &nbsp;
21. Atlanta Hawks (17-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
The Hawks wrapped up their six-game road trip Sunday with a loss in Los Angeles, finishing just 2-4 on their West Coast swing. Atlanta, now five games under .500, has been one of the league's most disappointing teams this season. Interestingly, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Hawks have emerged as a new "suitor to watch" and potential <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hawks-emerging-as-a-potential-landing-spot-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sixers trade partner in the Ben Simmons saga</a>.&nbsp;
22. Portland Trail Blazers (16-24) ⬆️ Last Week: 23 
Anfernee Simons remained red-hot in the Blazers' victory over the Nets on Monday night, dishing out a career-high 11 assists to go along with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Given an expanded role with Dame Lillard sidelined by an abdominal injury, Simons <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/anfernee-simons-is-stepping-up-with-more-responsibility-portland-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has played remarkably well</a>. Over Portland's last five games, he is averaging 27.8 points (on 51% shooting), 7.6 assists and 5.0 made treys. He's one of seven players averaging more than 27 points and 5 dimes in January. The other five are Giannis, Trae Young, Joel Embiid, Fred VanVleet, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Not bad company for the kid to keep.
23. Indiana Pacers (15-26) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
The Pacers have lost 7 of their last 8 games, but Domantas Sabonis has done everything possible to prop up his teammates during this stretch, as he's averaged 23.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.1 made three-pointers.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (16-27)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 22
Encouragingly, over his last 14 games dating back to Dec. 17, Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 18.4 points, 9.1 assists (vs. just 2.7 turnovers), 1.5 steals and 2.7 made three-pointers while shooting 50.8% from the field, 50.7% from downtown and 84.6% from the free-throw stripe. Discouragingly, over that same stretch, De'Aaron Fox is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 assists (vs. 2.9 turnovers), 0.9 steals and 0.5 made three-pointers while shooting 43.2% from the floor, 17.9% from downtown and 77.6% from the line. The Kings have lost five straight games.
25. San Antonio Spurs (15-25) &harr;️ Last Week: 25
The Spurs are struggling as losers in 7 of their last 8. Yet, one bright spot has been the play of Dejounte Murray. In the four games he's played since returning from COVID protocols, Murray is averaging 23.0 points. 9.5 dimes, 6.8 boards, 1.3 triples and 2.5 steals.&nbsp;
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-26) &harr;️ Last Week: 26
OKC has lost 6 of its last 7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has appeared in 5 of these 7 contests, and although he's put up solid counting stats, he's been highly inefficient offensively. During this current stretch, SGA is attempting a team-high 17.6 shots a night, but is shooting just 33% from the floor and 20.8% from downtown.&nbsp;
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27. New Orleans Pelicans (14-26) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
Before sitting out Sunday, Josh Hart had been on a two-week tear for the Pels. Over his previous eight games, Hart was averaging 17.8 points (on 53.3% shooting), 9.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 treys. However, New Orleans has lost 4 of its past 5 contests. &nbsp;
28. Detroit Pistons (9-30) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Pistons stunned the Jazz on Monday night, beating Utah by double-digits. Rookie sensation ​​Cade Cunningham led the way, scoring a career-high 29 points (on 10-of-17 shooting) and chipping in 6 rebounds, 5 treys, an assist, a block and just 2 turnovers in the 126-116 win.
29. Houston Rockets (11-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
After getting blown out by the Sixers Monday night, the Rockets have now lost 11 of their past 12 games. Things don't get any easier for Houston, as they are about to embark on a five-game road trip that concludes with back-to-back games vs. the Jazz and Warriors.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (7-34) &harr;️ Last Week: 30
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Monday that the Magic had signed president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond to contract extensions that run through the 2025-26 season. Despite Orlando's struggles this year, ownership is "pleased with the direction of the team's rebuild, including the hiring of coach Jamhal Mosley and drafting of first-round picks Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony."

Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Grizz sizzling; Raptors, 76ers, Mavs streaking

ESPN Sources: The NBA and NBPA have agreed on new protocols that would allow Covid-positive players to clear isolation after five days if &ldquo;CT values&rdquo; are above 30. That lowers threshold from seven days and CT values above 35.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1476962768796499972" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Based off the CDC's new recommendation, the NBA will adopt a similar but more cautious approach by now allowing players to clear quarantine after five days.

The NBA and NBPA have agreed on new protocols that will allow players to clear isolation after five days.

NBA, NBPA agree on new protocols; players can clear isolation after 5 days

Betting on the NBA is a great way to invest yourself into the action, literally. Around 35% of the way through the 2021-22 NBA regular season, I thought it would be an interesting time during the holidays to check in on how teams are faring against the spread.
For those wondering, what exactly is a spread? Well, it&rsquo;s how much sportsbooks predict a team to win in that game. For example, the Utah Jazz were favored to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves by at least 11 points on Thursday night with the spread at -10.5. (Since the Jazz won that game by 12, they covered.)
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Here on BasketballNews.com, yours truly runs a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/nothing-but-bets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daily NBA betting podcast</a> called &ldquo;Nothing But Bets.&rdquo; If you haven&rsquo;t already, make sure you check it out as I provide you the betting edge before tip-off with picks against the spread, plus over/under player props via PrizePicks.
When putting the whole league under a betting-related microscope, there are a few eye-opening takeaways. Here are teams' records against the spread as of Dec. 24, 2021:
Cleveland Cavaliers: 24-8
Oklahoma City Thunder: 20-11
Golden State Warriors: 20-11-1
Charlotte Hornets: 20-13-1
Chicago Bulls: 19-11
Miami Heat: 19-14
Memphis Grizzlies: 19-15
Sna Antonio Spurs: 18-13
Boston Celtics: 18-14
Phoenix Suns: 17-14
Utah Jazz: 16-15
Indiana Pacers: 16-16-1
Minnesota Timberwolves: 16-16
Houston Rockets: 16-16-1
Detroit Pistons: 15-16
Dallas Mavericks: 15-17
New Orleans Pelicans: 15-18
Milwaukee Bucks: 15-20
Toronto Raptors: 14-15
Washington Wizards: 14-17-1
Philadelphia 76ers: 14-18
Los Angeles Clippers: 14-18
Orlando Magic: 14-19
Sacramento Kings: 14-19
Brooklyn Nets: 13-17
Atlanta Hawks: 13-18
Denver Nuggets: 13-18
New York Knicks: 13-19
Portland Trail Blazers: 12-20
Los Angeles Lakers: 11-21-1
First off, hello Cleveland. The Cavaliers are well ahead of the pack as it relates to their record against the spread at a dominant 24-8 mark. They have a full four-game lead on second place, which says a lot not only about Cleveland&rsquo;s eye-opening improvements this season, but also how often betting prognosticators continue to doubt the team's legitimacy.
Incredibly enough, the Oklahoma City Thunder are right behind Cleveland at No. 2 in the ATS standings. Before losing in Phoenix last night, OKC was 6-point underdogs at home against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening. The Thunder not only covered the spread, but won outright in blowout fashion. This says a lot about the progress they&rsquo;re making in their rebuild attempt. Somehow, someway, the Thunder are 27-36 overall when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has started for them over the last two seasons.
On the other hand, at the bottom of the list, it's no surprise who ranks last. There were NBA Finals hopes for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but they continue to get in their own way constantly. What were high hopes in terms of adding Russell Westbrook and ample floor-spacing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis have now turned disastrous. Not only has the Westbrook fit been clunky at best &mdash; which was a worry once the blockbuster trade happened during the 2021 NBA Draft &mdash; but the lack of depth is also startling compared to actual contenders within the league. Checking in with a 11-21-1 record against the spread, Los Angeles continues to lose cash for those who bet on the purple-and-gold at a rapid rate.
A good indicator of this list, as hinted at above, is how these teams rank in record are really based off preseason expectations. Alongside the Lakers at the bottom are the Trail Blazers, Knicks, Hawks and Nuggets, four teams who also got off to very slow starts. Atlanta and Denver are finally climbing out of their ruts, but Portland&rsquo;s lack of aggressiveness to make a true contender around Damian Lillard continues to be a major problem. Meanwhile, New York&rsquo;s magic from last season is wearing off, as Tom Thibodeau's crew seems stuck in the lower portion of the reloaded Eastern Conference.
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At the top, Cleveland is going to stay at No. 1 for awhile unless it completely nosedives before the All-Star break. Next to the Cavs are the aforementioned Thunder, Warriors, Hornets and Bulls. Chicago and Golden State were expected to improve during the 2021-22 campaign, but not many thought they would reach these levels already; both teams seem settled into the top tiers of their respective conferences. I was high on the Hornets&rsquo; potential entering this season thanks to LaMelo Ball&rsquo;s expected sophomore leap, but the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defense has collapsed</a> to the point where it&rsquo;s hard to even trust them to stop opposing teams from scoring 125 points on a nightly basis. (Last night's 115-107 win in Denver was a step in the right direction at least.)
The rest of the standings within the middle are jumbled up together, which should come as no surprise with the unpredictability of the NBA from a betting perspective. However, that&rsquo;s what makes it so fun. Current betting trends like this not only showcase the winners and losers to stake wagers on, but also&nbsp; paint a clearer picture of how teams are valued in a different manner.
Stay tuned for more NBA betting content on BasketballNews.com throughout the season, and make sure to subscribe to &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on our own podcast network featuring 12 excellent shows.

Looking at the NBA from a different viewpoint, how do teams stack up against the spread so far this season?

How NBA teams are stacking up against the spread this season

What if I told you the Houston Rockets now have the longest active winning streak in the NBA, and that the New Orleans Pelicans have won more over their last 10 games than many playoff contenders?
We've hit the holiday season with a bizarre stretch of basketball, where it truly seems like any non-Oklahoma City Thunder team can win on any given night. But with every surprise winner somes a disappointed loser, and as the .500-ish squads stack up, many fans are growing increasingly frustrated.
These are prime conditions for a much-needed Sour Rankings shakeup. Over half of this week's field is comprised of previously-unranked teams.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going:
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;Cleveland is officially back with Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen has been playing at an All-Star level lately. Even the losses have been of good quality. The Philadelphia 76ers went 2-1 this past week and beat the Atlanta Hawks on national TV behind Joel Embiid's return to his normal self. Pascal Siakam's 31-point game in Toronto's win on Sunday inspired enough confidence in his return to push the Raptors out of these rankings.
Houston also makes the most impressive escape of the season to date. Its six-game winning streak propels the team out of our No. 2 spot. Meanwhile, New Orleans is a respectable 5-5 in the last 10 games and breaks out after holding the No. 1 ranking for most of the early weeks. Good on the Pels.
10. Miami Heat (14-10)
Bam Adebayo is down for an extended period due to thumb surgery, and the Heat have won just one game in his absence against the rudderless Indiana Pacers. They were hit by two crushing losses to the Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks who, not coincidentally, have some dominant interior presences. In the defeat to Milwaukee, Miami rolled with a Dewayne Dedmon/PJ Tucker/Max Strus/Omer Yurtseven frontcourt rotation. They're fine players, but none bring the combination of defensive acumen and offensive playmaking of Adebayo.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Detroit Pistons (4-18)
The Pistons are tied for the longest winless streak and worst record in the NBA &mdash; not exactly coveted crowns. Things have still been touch-and-go for most of the young prospects, but Cade Cunningham does appear to be growing into his role as the offensive hub of the franchise. Cunningham dropped 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Trail Blazers, and then 19 points and 5 assists vs. Phoenix.&nbsp;
(Last week: 8)
8. Sacramento Kings (10-14)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marvin Bagley III (<a href="https://twitter.com/MB3FIVE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MB3FIVE</a>) in the Kings last 3 wins 20 MINS vs Clippers 12 PTS, 11 REB, 67% FG 35 MINS vs Lakers 13 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 100% FG 19 MINS vs Blazers 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 3PTS, 67% FG<a href="https://t.co/RbwXyg4woi">pic.twitter.com/RbwXyg4woi</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1467520387697287168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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A solid week for Sacramento, who rebounded from a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers by sweeping the L.A. Clippers in a two-game series. Terence Davis logged two outings of 20-plus points to help grab that win, and Marvin Bagley III chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second victory over LAC. The Kings are in the midst of a pretty odd stretch, having played just one game in five days. Hopefully that's given interim head coach Alvin Gentry some time to stabilize things.
(Last week: 6)
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-16)
Look, I'm still a massive believer in the overall franchise direction of the OKC Thunder franchise. And a young team is going to take its lumps as part of the rebuilding process. But a 73-point loss is a 73-point loss, and an eight-game losing streak is an eight-game losing streak. OKC has to find some way to play meaningful, competitive hoops for the sake of learning and development. Nine of the team's 16 defeats have been by double digits.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Dallas Mavericks (11-11)
The Mavericks are 2-7 in their last nine games, with those wins coming against the Clippers and Pelicans. They missed Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on Saturday and lost to a Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies squad in a contest that was not as close as the final score indicates. In this nine-game stretch, the once-high-octane Mavs offense has cleared 110 points just three times.
Dallas fans had to watch with longing as Texas native Desmond Bane, who the team passed on in favor of Josh Green in the 2020 NBA Draft, lit up the court. Green has played 54 minutes this season.
(Last week: Unranked)
5. Portland Trail Blazers (11-13)
So Neil Olshey is finally out as general manager, and based on the reports of his workplace culture (and the team's perpetual mediocrity), that seems like a long overdue move. But the act of firing a general manager midseason should never make you feel good about the team &mdash; it's just an obvious sign that things are not going well. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-damian-lillard-wants-to-play-with-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Damian Lillard wants to play with Ben Simmons</a>, but would this theoretical pairing be enough to drastically alter Portland's ceiling?&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Lillard is out with an abdominal injury, and the Blazers are 1-5 in their last six games.
(Last week: Unranked)
4. Denver Nuggets (11-11)
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Joker leads the way 🃏 Nikola Jokic goes for 32 PTS, 11 REB and 5 AST in 27 minutes as the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> pick up the win in NYC! <a href="https://t.co/uLvOrnFDIn">pic.twitter.com/uLvOrnFDIn</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1467233497051926530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Nikola Jokic returned and yanked Denver out of the No. 1 ranking with his 32-point performance in a win over the Knicks. The Nuggets did still drop one to the lowly Orlando Magic, and now Bones Hyland, Austin Rivers and Bol Bol are all in the league's health and safety protocols. We'll see how this ragtag rotation does with four games in the next six days.
(Last week: 1)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (12-12)
The Lakers have played one contest in six days &mdash; a loss to the Clippers. Frank Vogel has now labeled Dwight Howard as the only center in the rotation, which is most notable because it means he still won't label Anthony Davis a center. L.A. gives up the fifth-most turnovers in the league and allows the fourth-most opposing offensive rebounds, so teams receive plenty of chances to score. Next up is a pivotal rivalry rematch against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
(Last week: 3)
2. New York Knicks (11-12)
Shaking up the rotation hasn't changed the results. The Knicks are on a three-game losing streak, and got trounced by the injury-plagued Nuggets this weekend. Julius Randle sporadically flips from All-NBA superstar to two-way negative, and RJ Barrett still cannot buy a consistent jump shot. New York got shredded by Denver's bench, consisting of Facundo Campazzo, Zeke Nnaji, Vlatko Cancar, JaMychal Green and the recently-signed Davon Reed.
(Last week: 4)
1. Indiana Pacers (9-16)
Indy Cornrows' Caitlin Cooper wrote an excellent analysis of just <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/2021/12/5/22815853/how-crunch-time-defines-the-current-state-of-the-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how bad the Pacers are when crunch time comes</a>. Our own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-must-accept-new-reality-and-become-sellers-at-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Sidery slammed the franchise</a> for languishing in mediocrity well past due. Indiana is 9-16 and on the thin edge of the playoff race. Altogether, that alone should explain why the Pacers have plummeted to the No. 1 spot in these rankings.
(Last week: Unranked)

Five new teams appear in the Sour Rankings after some major shakeup.

NBA Sour Rankings: With losers winning, the rankings turn upside down

I'm going to give you a moment to prepare your eye roll.
Go on. Take a few seconds. Get it together.&nbsp;
You ready?
[Clears throat]
Houston, you have a problem.
The losers of 15 straight games, the Rockets currently hold the worst record in the NBA at 1-16. Their 0-11 record on the road seems like a typo.
While it's understood that this was supposed to be ground zero of the post-Harden era, I'm not sure anybody expected things to look like this. Chief of among the "anybody" group: Rockets management.&nbsp;
Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, head coach Stephen Silas is <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2950751-sources-houston-rockets-weighing-future-of-head-coach-stephen-silas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">firmly on the hot seat</a>. From Fischer:
Now, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have indicated to B/R that Rockets brass are weighing the future of Stephen Silas, who may become the league's next coach to be terminated, following Luke Walton's exit in Sacramento last weekend.
It would be a tough break for Silas, whose first head coaching gig has been the literal opposite of what he expected.
He beat out candidates like Jeff Van Gundy for the job heading into last season, with the reward being James Harden and Russell Westbrook as a star backcourt duo. Instead, Westbrook was traded before the year began; Harden was later flipped to the Brooklyn Nets for a bounty of picks.
Shifting from "dark-horse contender" to "let's kick off the rebuild" isn't an easy transition. With the roster trending much younger &mdash; the primary goal being to foster the development of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. &mdash; it would make sense that the losses would pile up this season. Silas is not the&nbsp;reason the Rockets are awful right now.
It is fair, however, to acknowledge that he has a role to play in the rough start.
If you looked at the Rockets' roster heading into the season, you'd likely assume they'd be a poor defense and a below-average offense. A bad team, of course, but one in which you'd see a little more cohesion on the offensive side of the ball.
That just hasn't happened.
The Rockets rank dead last in offensive rating (97.3) despite having the most efficient shot profile in the NBA. Per PBP Stats, the Rockets (and Blazers) have an expected Effective Field Goal percentage of 55%; put another way, based on where they get their shots from, they should be blowing teams out of the water offensively.
Put&nbsp;another&nbsp;way: roughly 80% of the Rockets' shots come at the rim or behind the arc, easily tops in the league.
But this reminds me of last year's Timberwolves before the Chris Finch hire. They had a similar share of shots from fruitful areas of the floor, but&nbsp;how&nbsp;they got those shots &mdash; and who took those shots &mdash; made their profile fool's gold.
The Rockets have a double-whammy in this regard. Their starting backcourt of Porter and Green, when healthy, is a combined&nbsp;40 years old. On top of the two needing experience to effectively lead an offense, neither of them are natural playmakers.
On top of&nbsp;that,&nbsp;and this is where Silas deserves some blame, their offense is pretty static from a scheme standpoint. They're a drag-screen-or-bust group in early offense, with middle ball-screens (that devolve into isolations if they don't work) making up the largest chunk of their half-court attack.
They often empty a side to stress the defenders of the ball screen &mdash; and simplify reads for their young backcourt. With no real weak-side movement, or at the very least some decoy action to set up that empty corner action, you get a lot of possessions that look like this.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ud10f4" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
There are hints of goodness in there. Go back to the Warriors game earlier in the month and you'll find some flavor. A Spain pick-and-roll here:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wh1t47" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
A middle pick-and-roll, but with David Nwaba (love that guy) attempting to set up a flare behind him (don't mind the miss).
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More often than not, though, it's a bunch of bland. The young guys are often left to make a dollar out of 15 cents.
And about that youthful exuberance: they make mistakes. They try things. They turn the ball over, and boy, does this Rockets team turn it over. Their 18.2% turnover rate not only ranks last in the league by a wide margin, it's the worst mark since the Process Sixers back in the 2014-15 season (18.3%).
(That might be the biggest reason Silas doesn't trust Alperen Sengun with more minutes yet, though I &mdash; and probably 80% of Rocket fans &mdash; would argue his injection of randomness is worth it from a development&nbsp;and&nbsp;give-me-something-fun-to-watch standpoint.)
When the personnel isn't great, there's a limit to how effective you can be. Another benefit of empty corner pick-and-rolls, for example, is to generate an extra pocket of space; the Rockets kinda have&nbsp;to spam that to a degree because of the lack of shooters available. That isn't completely on Silas.
He certainly isn't helping himself right now, though. Playing Tate, Theis and Christian Wood together just hasn't worked out. Whatever benefit they're getting from the defensive insulation Tate and Theis provide is throughly erased by the lack of spacing the trio brings.&nbsp;
Houston's two most-played five-man linups <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612745" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feature those three</a>; those groupings have an 80.9 and 67.0 offensive rating respectively.
The third unit &mdash; Porter, Green, Eric Gordon, Tate and Wood &mdash; has a 106.0 Offensive Rating, and plus-13.3 Net Rating overall. It might&nbsp;be worth exploring that one a little more when everyone's available.&nbsp;
Defensively, it's easier to explain. They're an absolute mess at the point of attack with Porter, Green and D.J. Augustin logging most of the guard minutes. Porter and Green are even messier off the ball &mdash; typical young guy stuff &mdash; which further forces Silas into a tough spot.
There are defenders on this team that can help &mdash; Tate, Theis, Nwaba, KJ Martin (weak-side rim-protecting GAWD), and rooksters Josh Christopher (fiesty at the point of attack) and Usman Garuba &mdash; though none of them help the spacing issue in a real way.
In short (shut up), the Rockets don't have a Stephen Silas Problem. They have an Everything Problem. The organizational goal shifted underneath Silas' feet. The roster is young and flawed. Silas has failed to implement a system with any real juice, and his handling of the ill-fitting roster has been poor.
It's hard to imagine a Silas firing fixing everything, as a good chunk of this is out of his control. But there are certainly improvements that could be made. Drawing back to the Timberwolves example from earlier, if the Rockets feel their version of Finch is available on the market, it makes some sense to get that guy in place.
It would be an unfair shake for Silas, but such is life as an NBA coach.

Nekias Duncan breaks down what's going on in Houston, and why head coach Stephen Silas is on the hot seat in year two.

The Rockets' problems extend beyond Stephen Silas

Only two new teams join the Sour Rankings this week, and they're a couple of squads who have recently been ransacked by the injury bug.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets have already battled minor ailments across parts of the roster, but the loss of Collin Sexton and potential long-term loss of Michael Porter Jr. loom large for both franchises. The two teams got off to fantastic starts this season, but as is the case in the NBA, things suddenly feel very different from two weeks ago.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going:
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;It should surprise absolutely no one that the Milwaukee Bucks have won three-straight as their roster finally gets close to full health. The Boston Celtics also break free of the rankings by showing some sustained defensive improvement. They're back up over .500 and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.&nbsp;
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-8)
Collin Sexton is going to miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left meniscus. That's a brutal blow for Sexton, who will enter next summer as a restricted free agent, and the Cavs, who have needed him to bolster an offense that ranks 29th in the league over the past two weeks. Cleveland lost three tough matchups against the Celtics, Nets and Warriors this past week, but the Cavs now have to regroup without their best scorer.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Atlanta Hawks (8-9)
Winners of their last four, the Hawks have created some solid momentum ahead of a three-game Western Conference road trip. They put up at least 110 points in all three of last week's wins over the Magic, Celtics and Hornets, and now have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA over the past two weeks (per Cleaning the Glass). It's not enough to get them out of the Sour Rankings yet. But with games against the Thunder, Spurs, Grizzlies and Knicks upcoming, Atlanta can really hit the gas pedal.
(Last week: 3)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (7-9)
Last week felt very, very important for the Timberwolves, who went 3-1 with their lone loss coming in a respectable 99-96 defeat to the red-hot Suns. Minnesota held every single one of its opponents under 100 points in a much-needed defensive resurgence.
Jarred Vanderbilt has started the last six games next to Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt and Minnesota is 4-2 in those contests, with the lone serious blemish being a 27-point loss to the Clippers. Vanderbilt is an awesome player and a great fit in the starting lineup so far.
(Last week: 2)
7. Memphis Grizzlies (8-8)
Here's another squad that has appeared to somewhat right the ship after tumbling down the Sour Rankings last week. Memphis rolled through the Rockets and Clippers before getting steamrolled themselves in a 138-95 loss to Minnesota. That loss underscores the persistent defensive woes. The Grizzlies didn't exactly lock up Houston and LAC, and when their offense went cold, the Wolves trampled them. Memphis is last in opponent Effective Field Goal percentage (56.3%) this season.
(Last week: 4)
6. Denver Nuggets (9-8)
Denver has lost four-straight contests and is scrambling to find some consistent offensive help for Nikola Jokic. But the far bigger worry is the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/michael-porter-jrs-season-in-jeopardy-due-to-potential-nerve-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> of Michael Porter Jr.'s potentially season-ending nerve issue in his back. According to The Denver Post's Mike Singer, Porter could be lined up for his third surgery in five years. It's a sobering reminder of why the talented wing fell so far in the 2018 NBA Draft.
(Last week: Unranked)
5. Sacramento Kings (6-11)
We have our first head coach ousting of the season! <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kings-fire-head-coach-luke-walton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luke Walton is gone</a> and Alvin Gentry is his interim replacement, and I would actually be surprised if Kings fans were upset by all of this. Outside of his fill-in run with the Warriors, Walton has never coached an NBA team to a winning season. He finished 68-93 in Sacramento. Still, any midseason firing is a clear sign that said NBA franchise is in the wrong place.
(Last week: 5)
4. New York Knicks (9-8)
The Knicks may have gone 2-2, but those weren't exactly inspiring wins against the Pacers and Rockets, and they also lost to the Magic and Bulls. New York has the 26th-ranked offense in the league over the last two weeks. RJ Barrett is still searching for his lost jumper, and has lagged on the defensive end. Kemba Walker sat out the closing minutes against Chicago, and rightfully so, given his struggles on defense. This team has a lot to figure out, and they'll have time with just one game before Thanksgiving.
(Last week: 7)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (9-9)
LeBron James was ejected last night for the elbow he threw on Isaiah Stewart. That storyline veered off from the game itself &mdash; the Lakers barely hung on to beat the lowly Pistons &mdash; but it's pretty symbolic of the frustrating year to date. L.A. lost a close contest to the Bucks and was blown out by Boston in the 1-2 week, even with LeBron making his return.
The biggest, bright spot seems to be Talen Horton-Tucker right now, and as fun as he is, that's not a good sign for an alleged championship contender. L.A. is 26th in net rating over the past two weeks.
(Last week: 6)
2. Houston Rockets (1-15)
At a certain point, winning does count toward building a culture on a young team. That's simply not happening for the Rockets, who are losers of their last 14 contests. While the prospects are enduring their learning curves, the veteran talent hasn't exactly helped out, either. According to NBA Stats, Houston has given up the most wide-open shots per game this season (where a defender is no closer than six feet away).
Offensively, the Rockets aren't shooting well from anywhere on the court, even with Eric Gordon making 43.1% of his threes. This is just a miserable team to watch without nearly enough upside shining through.
(Last week: 8)
1. New Orleans Pelicans (3-15)
The Pelicans pulled off a rare win in a 94-81 grind against the Los Angeles Clippers this week. That didn't stop them from going 1-3 in depressing fashion. Not much has changed here.
I'll throw in a positive: Herb Jones has been a very solid contributor as a second-round rookie. The 23-year-old has picked up a steal and a block in each of his last three games. He's made 61.8% of his shots inside of three feet of the hoop and is 5-for-14 from long range (35.7%).&nbsp;
(Last week: 1)

Ethan Fuller ranks the most dire situations in the NBA, with injury-plagued teams beginning to feel the toll.

NBA Sour Rankings: Lakers in turmoil, Cavs and Nuggets in injury peril

Let's talk about passed-up layups.&nbsp;
The scene has been set, explored, revisited, psychoanalyzed. You name it, it's been done.&nbsp;
Ben done, if you will.
Ben Simmons, in a high-pressure situation against the Atlanta Hawks, had a layup opportunity. Instead of taking it, he dished the ball off to Matisse Thybulle, who would eventually earn a trip to the free-throw line. It was an inexplicable choice by a player as talented &mdash; and even more simply, as large and open &mdash; as Simmons, but it was just that. An inexplicable choice.
But it's a choice that began (or accelerated, depending on your priors with Simmons) the downward spiral of his status as a star-caliber player. It set the stage for the mess we've had the (dis)pleasure of reading about for months.
The Philadelphia 76ers lost the series to the upstart Hawks. Doc Rivers said things that he later said he didn't say. Simmons didn't take too kindly to it.
Simmons asked out. The Sixers made it clear they would only move him for a bounty. Teams weren't &mdash; and, as of this writing, still aren't &mdash; willing to give up said-bounty.
Simmons didn't report to training camp, and was fined. The fines stopped once Simmons did report, but before expressing his bout with mental health issues. The mental health element permeating throughout the entire ordeal is a sensitive one &mdash; one that has made me incredibly uncomfortable to see dissected and speculated about in real time.
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Meanwhile, the Hawks are in their own sort of spiral.
Their playoff run ended with a loss to the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, but things were looking upward.&nbsp;
Trae Young (further, officially) announced himself to the world as a bona fide star. His supporting cast, highlighted by John Collins, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, proved to be impactful in its own right. Skilled. Versatile.
It was hard not to be excited by this Hawks team. Star talent, strong coaching, a deep roster.
Whew, buddy, is this a deep roster!
Whew, buddy... this is... a deep roster.
So deep, in fact, that head coach Nate McMillan mentioned during Media Day we'd see some all-bench units in an effort to spread the wealth.
Those lineups haven't done very well.&nbsp;
The Hawks have dealt with lineup questions, a lack of "oomph" defensively (27th in defensive rating), an adjustment period to let-'em-play officiating, a who-gets-to-the-rim-besides-Trae problem, a tough opening schedule and a stronger conference overall.
They are currently the losers of five straight, tied with the Hornets for the longest skid in the conference. Words like "sacrifice" and "boredom" have been uttered; that ain't what you want to hear less than a month into a new season.
I have a theory. A question, really: What if the Hawks are passing up a layup of their own?
What if the Sixers and Hawks have the answer to each other's problems?
Why haven't we explored the possibility of Simmons as a Hawk?
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On the Sixers' side, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/early-results-suggest-sixers-may-be-better-off-without-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they haven't missed Simmons too much</a>. They're 8-4, sporting a top-five offense and defense in the half-court, per Cleaning The Glass. A COVID outbreak has Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris out of the lineup, so a slide wouldn't come as a surprise. But when upright, this team has been good.
You can thank The Others&trade; for that. Seth Curry is the best shooter in the league right now. Tyrese Maxey has taken a step as a shot-creator. The bench, headlined by Andre Drummond and Georges Niang, has been stellar.
This is where they stand while getting zero production from Simmons' roster spot; one would think that replacing that spot with someone who actually wants to play there would be a positive.
And for the Hawks, Simmons could solve a bit of their squad's on-court issues.&nbsp;
Young is averaging 20.8 drives per game, and is taking 9.2 shots via drives per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612737&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com tracking data</a>. Bogdanovic is second on the team in drives... at 6.8. Simmons has averaged north of 10 in all but one season of his career; he averaged 9.9 during the 2018-19 campaign, operating in a phone booth while splitting ball-handling duties with Jimmy Butler.
Simmons, despite his own self-creation limits, is an elite creator of offense for others. From 2018 to 2021, only Russell Westbrook (747) has assisted on more three-pointers (694) than Simmons. Young ranks No. 6 in that time frame with 650 helpers. That drive-and-kick dynamic would be a nice complement to Young, who leads NBA in rim-assists (947) during that stretch.
It's fun to imagine a Young-Simmons pick-and-roll tandem. Simmons has the finishing and playmaking chops to be a devastating short-roll guy. On one hand, he's never had a ball-handler as dynamic as Young to set him up. On the other, he hasn't consistently screened hard enough to maximize his opportunities as a roll-man.
As the Hawks have seemingly leaned into more switching this season, is there a better fit for that kind of scheme than Simmons? Having Simmons in the frontcourt could open up a world of grab-and-go sequences that can't be replicated by anyone else in their frontcourt.
(Well, there's rookster Jalen Johnson, but he isn't on the main roster right now, much less in the big-boy rotation.)
And to that point: the Hawks are 19th in transition frequency this year after ranking 20th the season before.
The Sixers have ranked seventh, eighth, 15th (the Al Horford season) and fifth in transition frequency over the past four seasons, mostly off the strength of Simmons pushing the pace.&nbsp;
There are half-court questions to be had, dependent on lineups. What would a potential Simmons-Collins-Capela frontcourt look like, especially when Simmons isn't involved in ball-screens?
Luckily, Simmons has experience navigating tight quarters. He's had to operate around the dunker spot (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscribe!</a>) when necessary. He's also adept at making slot cuts from the perimeter if defenders cheat off of him.&nbsp;
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Of course, that's making the assumption that all three would play together.
If the Hawks are intent on switching as much as they have been this season, they could opt to start Simmons and Collins up front and really lean into that style. If Capela &mdash; off to a slow start on both ends this year &mdash; becomes the odd man out entirely, there are teams (DAL, CHA, BKN, TOR) that make sense as suitors when he's trade-eligible this offseason.
The real question is one I admittedly don't have a great answer to, that question is: What would the Sixers want from the Hawks?
Aside from the optics of trading with the team that just beat you in the postseason, it would take some creativity from Atlanta's side to appease Daryl Morey. The good news is the Hawks have the salary and pieces necessary to put together intriguing packages.
Even if we were to work under the assumption that Young and Collins are off the table, the Hawks have three young pieces (De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Onyeka Okongwu) who could potentially serve as a headliner, mid-to-high salary vets that could bolster Philadelphia's rotation and <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Hawks.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most of their future picks</a> moving forward.
An example &mdash; example, people! &mdash; of something that works salary-wise:
<ul>
<li>Hawks get: Ben Simmons, Shake Milton</li>
<li>Sixers get: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish, Delon Wright, Jalen Johnson</li>
</ul>
Just eye-balling it, I'd imagine the Sixers would want more in terms of draft capital. They might push for Okongwu over Johnson if they'd prefer a young big in the pipeline behind Embiid. Have your own fun with the trade machine if you must.
The important thing here is that there's a conversation to be had between the two sides.
Simmons and the Sixers are primed for a divorce. The Hawks are primed for a consolidation deal. It's at least worth exploring if these two can make magic.

Nekias Duncan explores what a Ben Simmons-to-Atlanta deal would look like, and why it would make sense for both sides.

The Hawks should look into a Ben Simmons trade with the 76ers

The design meetings have been going on for years. Technology has evolved throughout the process. Painstaking decisions were made time and time again, right down to what an inch or two difference in leg room between rows would mean or where cupholders should be affixed to the seats.
Finally, Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers are ready to build their new home.
The Clippers&rsquo; long-awaited, $1.8 billion, privately funded arena officially got a name Friday &mdash; Intuit Dome, it&rsquo;ll be called when it opens in 2024, the team making that announcement hours before the formal groundbreaking ceremony. The practice facility, team offices for both business and basketball operations, retail space and more will all be on the site.
Ballmer, the team&rsquo;s owner, simply believes it&rsquo;ll be like no other building in the NBA.
&ldquo;Basketball mecca! Basketball palazzo!&rdquo; Ballmer, in his usual excitable way, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He might be right.
Every detail &mdash; from the huge two-sided halo video screen that will hover over the court, to the triple-wide escalators, to how the bathrooms will be designed to get fans back in their seats as quickly as possible &mdash; has a purpose. The halo will include 44,000 square feet of 4K LED lighting, slightly more than one full acre and roughly six times the average size of other &ldquo;big" screens in NBA buildings. The roof of the dome was designed to accommodate the halo, not the other way around.
Things the Clippers have seen in play at German soccer stadiums, other NBA buildings, NFL stadiums, even the Amazon Go checkout-free convenience stores all sparked various ideas that will be put into play at Intuit Dome.
&ldquo;They've all led us here, to this vacant lot that we're about to transform to the singular best place for fans and players throughout the world," Ballmer said.
The Clippers currently play at Staples Center, also the home of the Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. Ballmer &mdash; who originally didn't want to build an arena when he bought the team &mdash; wound up beginning to plot a Clippers-only home years ago and formally unveiled the project in 2019, saying then that the Clippers would break ground in 2021 and open in 2024.
So far, even with a pandemic and following some legal challenges, he&rsquo;s right on schedule. The Clippers often felt like tenants at Staples Center, sometimes playing 12:30 p.m. games &mdash; which they loathed &mdash; because the Lakers or Kings would be playing later that day in the same building.
&ldquo;We don't want to play in anybody's shadow," Ballmer said.
Soon, they'll have a home of their own, built to what Ballmer says are ideal specifications for basketball and music.
&ldquo;Today, a construction site but tomorrow, a global destination for basketball fans, music lovers and anyone who's ever been moved to stand with 18,000 voices that echo as one," Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker said.
Technology will be everywhere, such as some that would allow fans to leave their seat, walk to a concession stand in the concourse, grab a beverage or snack and then &mdash; if they do as Ballmer hopes &mdash; get right back to their seat. There would be no cashier, nobody to take the order, and the customer&rsquo;s account would be charged automatically. Other than the paying-for-it part, it would be akin to opening the refrigerator at home, getting a drink and going back to the couch.
Even the best suites won&rsquo;t have big televisions. The reason is simple: Ballmer wants fans watching the game from their seat and being part of a home-court advantage.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about the game of basketball ... and we&rsquo;re trying to get you back in your seat as quickly as we can,&rdquo; Ballmer said.
He wants them comfortable in those seats, too. The leg room &mdash; which will be a constant throughout the arena, from the lowest rows all the way to the very top &mdash; is going to far exceed the standard in most buildings.
&ldquo;We treated like the upper bowl like the lower bowl,&rdquo; Ballmer said. &ldquo;Nobody gets a bad seat, no matter where you sit in the building.&rdquo;
His favorite feature: It&rsquo;ll be known as The Wall.
Beyond the end of the court where Clippers&rsquo; opponents will have their bench will be 51 uninterrupted rows of seats, room for about 4,700 fans, with a standing-room-only section in the middle of it all. There&rsquo;s no upper or lower deck there, just row after row after row of what Ballmer hopes is a bunch of fans that, well, act like he does during games.
Again, it was designed with a purpose. Acoustics experts were brought in to ensure that The Wall generates as much sound as possible.
&ldquo;I mean, if we&rsquo;ve got to do it right, we&rsquo;ve got to get the fans there activated,&rdquo; Ballmer said.
Put simply, one of the league&rsquo;s best-known fans, and one of the world&rsquo;s wealthiest men &mdash; the former Microsoft CEO is generally believed to be worth around $100 billion &mdash; may be building the coolest possible basketball hangout for himself and 18,000 of his closest friends.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a very well-put statement,&rdquo; Ballmer said.

Finally, Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers are ready to build their new home.

At long last, Ballmer, Clippers break ground on new home

As a lyricist, Lil' Kim was light years ahead of her time.
When the Brooklynite released her debut album "Hard Core" in 1996, it was unlike anything we'd heard before. Here was this woman rapping unapologetically about sex, her own prowess in that arena and what she demands. Every bar she dropped oozed confidence, seduction and sex-positive empowerment. Kim was the Queen Bee. Her aura, style, grace and swagger backed up her provocative lyrics and showed why she brought the "workers" to her hive.&nbsp;
Ironically, Kim didn&rsquo;t embody that same confidence and bravado off the stage. Sometimes, beauty and glamour hurt, and for Kim, her scars were subcutaneous with a superficial edge. She listened to men who were beneath her. She bought into their narratives of not being enough. Her complexion wasn&rsquo;t light enough. Her features weren&rsquo;t keen enough. For as long as she could remember, her boyfriends kept cheating on her with those &ldquo;European-looking&rdquo; women, &ldquo;the long-hair type.&rdquo; Even her father verbally humiliated her. Former lovers. All of them taught Kim how to hate herself.
She bought into the notion that she couldn&rsquo;t compete &ldquo;as is&rdquo; &mdash; a &ldquo;regular around-the-way, black girl&rdquo; with extraordinary charm and charisma. After an ex broke her nose, Kim became addicted to plastic surgery. She was trying to find liberation and acceptance through reconstruction, only for her not to recognize her own face when she looks at her reflection in the mirror.
The NBA, just like Lil' Kim, has a narrative of inadequacy around it. There&rsquo;s a notion that the league as we know it isn&rsquo;t enough &mdash; isn&rsquo;t exciting enough, isn&rsquo;t entertaining enough and in need of a "makeover."
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According to The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania, the league is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-discussing-midseason-tournament-with-1-million-prize-per-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discussing the addition of an in-season tournament</a> with $1 million per player in prize money. This is also coming off the heels of exploratory talks about a &ldquo;Field Of Dreams&rdquo; game. If the NBA implements these concepts and variations, the league will run the risk of not recognizing its own face and ruining what makes it great.&nbsp;
Usually, botox and nose jobs are considered &ldquo;gateway&rsquo;&rsquo; procedures in plastic surgery. A subtle tweak, nothing too dramatic. The NBA had its version of such an enhancement with the inaugural play-in tournament. Initially introduced in the NBA Bubble to help sort out seeding in the restart after the shutdown, the league brought it back this past season. The play-in was intriguing since it put the last two playoff seeds up for grabs and made the games more meaningful.
Adding the play-in, even though it can be considered as a &ldquo;gateway&rdquo; enhancement, was fine and organic. It only enhances intrigue in terms of the playoffs, giving off vibes of wildcard matchups, which can potentially alter the trajectory of the playoffs and make the games more exciting. Adding a midseason tournament and &ldquo;Field Of Dreams&rdquo; game, on the other hand, is gimmicky and unnecessary &mdash; extra enhancements that the league doesn&rsquo;t need.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has discussed his proposed midseason tournament at a number of events in the last few years. He reiterated that idea two months ago during the NBA Finals in his annual state-of-the-league press conference. His logic for the tournament is recouping lost revenue that stemmed from the pandemic and having another &ldquo;goal&rdquo;&nbsp; for teams to shoot for. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski via Bleacher Report, the concept looks something like <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10003528-jamal-murray-on-possible-nba-midseason-tournament-no-need-to-make-season-complex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this</a>:
&ldquo;Original midseason tournament proposals centered around a European soccer model event that would tie into the NBA&rsquo;s traditional schedule... An eight-team single-elimination tournament that would be incentivized with $1 million per player payouts to the winning team. The NBA had discussed a scenario of pool play embedded in the regular-season schedule to determine the teams.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A midseason tournament with a $1 million prize per player? 👀 The NBA reportedly discussed this today, per Shams Charania:<a href="https://t.co/h8kQXdRshg">https://t.co/h8kQXdRshg</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1437536505094975489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

A midseason tournament does nothing for the players. The only goal that matters to them is hoisting the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy in June and unveiling that championship banner on opening night. That is what they are playing for... not some &ldquo;Stern Cup.&rdquo;&nbsp; Also, this tournament does nothing for the fans. There is already a play-in and the playoffs. A midseason cup is taking a page from soccer by having multiple titles up for grabs. The premise is exciting. The execution, however, is distracting.
If I wanted to be distracted by multiple cups and storylines highlighting the promise of reaching said cups and titles, I&rsquo;d watch soccer. In the NBA, all that&rsquo;s needed is a regular season &mdash; regardless of the length and the playoffs following to determine a champion. Why is there a need to make matters complicated? The Larry O'Brien is enough, and it is what matters to both the players and the fans. "The David" will never compare, no matter how much money Commissioner Silver is willing to throw at creating it.
The "Field Of Dreams" game is also not needed. Again, another enhancement only for the sake of it. To make matters worse, it&rsquo;s a copycat enhancement. In order to inspire and renew interest in the league and the sport of baseball as a whole, MLB recently came up with a &ldquo;Field Of Dreams" game. Taking a page from the classic sports film last month, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees played in Dyersville, Iowa. The game drew the highest ratings for a regular-season telecast on FOX. Okay cool, but what works for MLB may not work for the NBA.&nbsp;
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For one, the interest in the NBA is already there regardless of what the ratings say. Secondly, it worked for MLB because it leaned into nostalgia; the NBA doesn&rsquo;t need that. Thirdly, sometimes, it&rsquo;s not what you do, but how you do it. If the NBA leans into hooper culture and sets up a game at Rucker Park or any other legendary court or slab of blacktop in the country, it's easy to see how it would work. But these gimmicks don&rsquo;t drive the interest of the game, and they never will.&nbsp;
It is the players that drive the interest of the NBA. Fans are entranced by seeing their unmatched skill and athleticism night after night in all of their vivid intimacy. You can see these players do what they do. You can see their emotions. You can see their grit, their swag and their grace running up and down the court without the armor of their major sports counterparts. The narratives, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-discourse-around-nba-superteams-is-tiresome-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as tired and burdensome as they are</a>, serve a purpose. The players&rsquo; skill, athleticism and charisma are just enough to draw you into their individual storylines &mdash; not gimmicks with the hopes of a rating spike or a money grab.&nbsp;
The NBA is beautiful just the way it is, with perceived flaws and all. If there are any enhancements that should be made, they'll be superficial. The league can stand a field-of-16 playoff format regardless of conference or rules that help defenses out in the interest of balance, but nothing like what&rsquo;s being proposed.
The league has what it needs to succeed: current and future stars, and their storylines and their style, on and off the court. Dedicated and invested fans regardless of team and individual player. The ratings are what they are, and they can climb again &mdash; but no matter what the ratings say or what people say, the NBA's still got it going on.

Jannelle Moore argues that the NBA's recently proposed midseason tournament and "Field of Dreams" game are not needed.

No enhancement necessary: NBA should leave well enough alone

LaMelo Ball has put the Charlotte Hornets back on the map.
The 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year helped energize a fanbase that was yearning for a long-term building block after Kemba Walker&rsquo;s departure in 2019. Ball provided a spark of youthful energy and displayed extremely intriguing two-way upside, averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. In the process, the 19-year-old accelerated the Hornets&rsquo; development curve.
Since 1996-97, only seven rookies have put up a year-long 15-6-1.5 statline: Allen Iverson, Steve Francis, Chris Paul, John Wall, Michael Carter-Williams, Ben Simmons and Ball. Throw in Ball's 5.9 rebounds and only Carter-Williams and Simmons matched his first-year production. And once Ball became a full-time starter, his numbers were even more impressive: 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals on a 54.5 True Shooting percentage.
The Hornets have a budding superstar who's ready to take the NBA by storm in short order, which is a key component for any organization looking to take the ever-important leap forward.
Quietly, Charlotte has been one of the biggest offseason winners. Across the board, the Hornets improved their roster and made moves that will allow them to compete in the immediate future while also developing an enticing young core. Take a look at how they tinkered with their roster to best fit Ball&rsquo;s strengths as a fast-paced floor general with blossoming three-level scoring ability:
Outgoing: Devonte&rsquo; Graham, Cody Zeller, Malik Monk, Bismack Biyombo, Brad Wanamaker, Caleb Martin
Incoming: James Bouknight, Mason Plumlee, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kai Jones, Ish Smith, Wes Iwundu, JT Thor, future first-round pick (via the New Orleans Pelicans)
The Hornets drew huge praise for their draft-night haul, for obvious reasons. Landing James Bouknight, one of the best pure scorers in the 2021 draft class, was a massive steal at No. 11. Charlotte traded up to acquire tantalizing big man Kai Jones, who possesses unicorn-esque traits, which gives their backcourt a future transition running mate who can protect the rim with further physical development. JT Thor, who has been described as a possible <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jt-thor-could-be-2021-nba-draft-diamond-in-the-rough-auburn-tigers-prospect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diamond-in-the-rough</a>, is an upside swing who could also pay huge dividends down the road. BasketballNews.com's NBA Draft experts Matt Babcock and Derek Murray both named the Hornets as one of their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-recap-winners-and-losers-steals-biggest-surprises-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest draft-night winners</a>.
Add Charlotte's strong 2021 draft haul alongside Ball, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington and the Hornets&rsquo; core should be set for years to come. Ball and Bouknight are an awesome one-two scoring punch who can play off one another seamlessly. Bridges and Washington have flashed immense upside already in their young careers. If Jones and Thor reach their max ceilings, Charlotte has a terrifying big duo that can do things on both ends of the court.
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Pivoting over to the veterans that Charlotte acquired, these three immediate contributors will add a much-needed boost to a rotation that's filled to the brim with youth.
Recently signed to a two-year, $25 million deal, Kelly Oubre Jr.&rsquo;s run-and-gun mentality should allow him to flourish alongside Ball, who will set him up for easy looks in transition. If Oubre completely buys into a sixth-man role, there&rsquo;s real potential for him to garner Sixth-Man-of-the-Year consideration next season. One year ago, Oubre was coming off a career-best season with the Phoenix Suns in which he averaged 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks while mastering his role as a cutter in Monty Williams&rsquo; &ldquo;0.5 Offense.&rdquo; After a down year with the Golden State Warriors, it's very possible that the 25-year-old can have a strong bounce-back season in Charlotte.
Mason Plumlee is an upgrade over Zeller as a starting center, and he can also be an underrated secondary playmaking engine. Charlotte only had to give up the No. 57 pick for Plumlee and the No. 37 pick (which became Thor) since the Detroit Pistons wanted to dump Plumlee's salary due to Isaiah Stewart&rsquo;s emergence. It seems like a draft-night steal for the Hornets. With the Pistons, Plumlee&rsquo;s high-basketball IQ allowed him to set up opportunities for others around the rim as a high-post initiator, averaging a career-best 3.6 assists. And if Jones' development is accelerated during his rookie campaign, Plumlee would accept a bench role, or he can be flipped at the trade deadline for a future asset.
Ish Smith is a reliable backup point guard and a steady presence, who can also play alongside Ball in spurts. With 11 years of experience, Smith is a great veteran leader who can teach Ball some more tricks of the trade throughout the season.
To top things off, Charlotte was also able to swindle a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick from the Pelicans in the Devonte' Graham sign-and-trade, which was another big offseason win. Graham&rsquo;s role in the Queen City was capped, especially after Bouknight was drafted No. 11 overall. Now, the Hornets have another first-round pick at their disposal.
Even with all of these moves by <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-mitch-kupchak-wait-3-4-years-before-judging-lamelo-ball-charlotte-hornets-michael-jordan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GM Mitch Kupchak</a>, the Hornets still have two key pieces already on their roster: Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier. Both were integral parts to the Hornets reaching the Eastern Conference play-in tournament last season.
In Hayward&rsquo;s best season since 2016-17 with the Utah Jazz, he poured in 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 41.5% on three-pointers. Before Hayward&rsquo;s season-ending right foot sprain in early April, the Hornets were above .500 at 25-23. Once Hayward went down, Charlotte finished their season 8-17 if you include their 144-117 blowout defeat versus the Indiana Pacers in the play-in game. A healthy Hayward should slide right back into a primary role within the Hornets&rsquo; offense.
Meanwhile, Rozier finally put together an efficient season in which he reached another level as a scoring dynamo. Rozier averaged a career-high 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals while hitting three-pointers at a 38.9% clip. During his two-year stint in Charlotte, Rozier has stabilized as a high-volume perimeter scorer, converting 39.6% from deep on 7.5 attempts per game.
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Entering the final year of his contract, Rozier is unlikely to be in the Hornets&rsquo; long-term plans with Bouknight&rsquo;s arrival. This means Rozier could be used later this offseason or near the trade deadline to add another future asset. However, if Charlotte becomes a true playoff threat, Rozier&rsquo;s bucket-getting ability will be big for the Hornets.
Entering into an important season for prospect development and immediate improvement, here&rsquo;s how the Hornets&rsquo; rotation shapes out:
Starters: Ball, Rozier, Hayward, Bridges, Plumlee
Second Unit: Smith, Bouknight, Oubre, Washington, Jones
Many teams in the Eastern Conference have assembled strong rosters that seem poised to leap into playoff contention. Charlotte has joined this ever-growing list with their eye-opening offseason haul. If the Hornets are able to finally crack through into postseason play for the first time since 2016, it will prove their rebuild is finally heading in the right direction.
Ball headlines a new era that's generating plenty of buzz in Charlotte, but there&rsquo;s a lot more depth to this roster that's ready to surprise the Association this upcoming season.&nbsp;

Led by LaMelo Ball, the Charlotte Hornets' strong offseason moves make them a legitimate playoff contender in 2021-22.

Hornets ready to fly up standings following strong offseason

By trading long-time franchise building blocks Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic at last season's trade deadline, the Orlando Magic finally pushed the reset button after toiling below even the Eastern Conference's middle tier for way too long. &nbsp;
Fortunately for the franchise, Orlando was one of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-recap-winners-and-losers-steals-biggest-surprises-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest winners</a> of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Selecting Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs at No. 5 and Michigan forward Franz Wagner at No. 8, the Magic's young core got a much-needed boost toward respectability as they begin the process of building out a talented crop of young prospects.
Suggs has the alpha dog mentality many stars need to thrive on the next level. Winning has always been in his DNA, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jalen-suggs-thinks-2021-class-definitely-has-a-chance-to-rival-2003" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he made it known</a> that the teams who passed over him would eventually regret it.
"I will say: the ones that do pass on me and take another prospect, it will come back," Suggs told reporters prior to the draft. "It will be to their detriment, honestly, because you can look at my track record &mdash; what I&rsquo;ve done and where I&rsquo;ve been &mdash; it&rsquo;s always win at the highest level. And my play has been at the highest level.
"As far as that goes, if somebody makes a decision that&rsquo;s not me, that&rsquo;s their opinion and I can never be angry at them for that. But I don&rsquo;t forget those kinds of things; that&rsquo;s just how competitive I am.&rdquo;
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Leading a new era of Magic basketball, Suggs is exactly the type of prospect needed to take their rebuild off ground level. An aggressive scorer, willing defender and growing playmaker, it's hard to envison the 20-year-old failing in the NBA. Possessing one of the highest floors of any player in this year's draft, Suggs will be a long-time starter who could quickly ascend to a star-caliber player. If all works out for Suggs, he's someone Orlando can build the next great Magic team around, in short order.
As a freshman last season, Suggs averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 threes, while shooting 50.3% from the field, 33.7% from three and 75.4% from the free-throw line. He shined during the NCAA Tournament, leading the Bulldogs to the National Championship Game, elevating his averages to 16.2 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals.
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Franz Wagner also has a high floor, as he can serve as the new connective tissue to help Orlando leap up another rung on the proverbial ladder to relevance. A great help defender with real versatlity to guard three positions, Wagner helps cement an identity for the Magic, which can become a respectable two-way team that flanks Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr.
Reportedly growing to 6-foot-11, Wagner also offers floor-spacing potential from NBA range, which raises his own ceiling.
Both Suggs and Wagner are very unselfish players with high basketball IQs. Inserting these two prospects into an already enticing core should make Magic fans giddy for the future. Check out how Orlando's potential rotation stacks up for 2021-22:
STARTERS: Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr.
SECOND UNIT: Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Chuma Okeke, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba
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Terrance Ross is missing from the projected rotation because the acquisitions of Suggs and Wagner could signal that Ross will be dealt once the new league year begins next week. There's already interest around the Association in Ross, <a href="https://www.sny.tv/articles/several-teams-have-been-in-touch-with-magic-on-trades-involving-terrence-ross" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per SNY's Ian Begley</a>, and Orlando's draft results will only add to the speculation.
In the end, shipping Gordon and Vucevic out led Orlando to these potential long-term pieces: Harris, Hampton, Carter, Wagner, and a 2023 first-round pick (via Chicago) and a 2025 protected first-round pick (via Denver). Add on another potential asset or future pick in a possible Ross deal, and the Magic will continue to help themselves in their rebuild.
Trotting out a rotation with nine players who are age-25 or younger next season, Orlando is back to square one. Where the club goes from here all depends on its player development, but hiring former Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley to be their new head coach fits right into that critically important strategy. Luka Doncic, who established himself as an MVP contender in his third season, was a huge Mosley supporter. Now, with a copious amount of young talent to groom, the coach-organization fit between Mosley and the Magic is perfect.
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All teams start where Orlando currently is.
The Phoenix Suns toiled in mediocrity for years before finally breaking through this past season, and after hiring Tom Thibodeau, the New York Knicks finally returned to respectability after the coach helped to elevate the team's young core, led by Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. Philadelphia endured "The Process" years, and now they are a perennial contender.
Orlando now has all the pieces in place to eventually make a leap back to where they haven't been since the prime Dwight Howard days &mdash; regarded as a real threat in the Eastern Conference. With Mosley leading a strong young core that's spearheaded by Isaac and their two top-eight picks, the Magic could soon have Orlando back on the map.

After selecting two of the 'safest' prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft, the rebuilding Magic have a solid foundation to stand upon.

Orlando Magic kick-start rebuild by drafting Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner

Team USA did what was expected of them in Saitama, Japan, on Wednesday, making a mockery of competitiveness by clobbering Iran 120-66 in their second game of the Tokyo Olympics.
Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s team of figuring-it-out-on-the-fly Olympians finally looked dominant.
&ldquo;The defense is the key, and obviously when the ball is going in, it gives everyone a lot of confidence,&rdquo; assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said.
He was absolutely correct, but judging the U.S. team off this particular mismatch makes about as much sense as judging them off of their first scrimmage, a loss to a Nigerian team that appears to have peaked in Las Vegas (since they are 0-2 in Japan).
This was one particularly easy thanks to Damian Lillard, who knocked down six three-pointers in a first half that ended with the Americans ahead 60-30. The onslaught continued in the third quarter, as the Americans exhibited a particularly acute defensive intensity. But again, this was a mismatch against the reigning FIBA-Asia champions, and not much of a test is expected in the final game of the group stage against the Czech Republic on Saturday.
Circle next Tuesday on your calendar, because that is when the knockout stage begins &ndash; when the competition gets tougher and the stakes are do-or-die. The winners in the quarterfinals advance. The losers are knocked out of the Olympics.
Team USA will finish second in Group A if France wins out, and though it is too early to accurately predict who the quarterfinal opponent will be, the four top seeds in the quarterfinals go to the three group winners along with the best second-place team (which is determined by point differential).
The Americans may or may not be that team, depending on the results of games still to be played. That &ldquo;top four&rdquo; comprises Group D, while the other two second-place finishers along with the two best third-place finishers will comprise Group E. The quarterfinals matchups are determined by a draw, and all that the Americans know is that they will not play France in the quarters.
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Thursday&rsquo;s game was about showing the right combination of energy, offensive prowess and defensive intensity, and the Americans received an &lsquo;A&rsquo; grade on all three. But their opponent was horribly overmatched except at center, where NBA veteran Hamed Haddadi (who now plays in China) scored Iran&rsquo;s first four points off of offensive rebounds &ndash; something that other opponents will try to emulate since Team USA has only two centers, Bam Adebayo and JaVale McGee, who are unlikely to be paired together on the court at the same time. This will matter if there are two Gasols on the court if they play Spain, or if they eventually play France in the semifinals or gold medal game and Vincent Collet trots out Rudy Gobert and Vincent Poirier again.
Nothing short of a gold medal will be acceptable for the Americans, who now must deal with nearly five full days of downtime before playing a meaningful game (assuming they handle the Czechs with ease). Typically at an Olympics, the players would take in other events and go out and mingle with the public, but fraternization outside of the Olympic bubble is a no-no in Japan, and checking out a random judo match or badminton game may not have quite the same appeal when surrounded by thousands of empty seats.
Remember, it&rsquo;s still early in this tournament. And FIBA basketball always brings surprises, most often when the stakes get a whole lot higher. Veteran USA Basketball officials know which referees have a history of making things tough on American teams, and that information will be passed down to the coaching staff and then to the players.
Back home, there is still a significant portion of the basketball-viewing public in America that expects these games to resemble the 1992 Dream-Team games, but to borrow a quote from Popovich that was first uttered 15 years ago but remains relevant today: &ldquo;Those people must have been living in a phone booth the past few years.&rdquo;
Still, social media lights up when Team USA falters, and social media is available in Japan. So if the Americans are struggling, they are going to know about it &ndash; maybe even more than they normally would because of the amount of downtime they are dealing with.
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So the trick now is to forget about the Iran game. It was a blowout, which is what it should have been. It was not much of a watch for Americans who streamed it online over the Peacock Network (since NBC again chose to broadcast different sports). Lillard finished with a team-high 21 points, Devin Booker had 16, Jayson Tatum scored 14 and Zach LaVine had 13. The U.S. had only six turnovers.
&ldquo;We came out with a lot more energy,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;We came out here and made it happen, and that&rsquo;s what we are going to have to do in these Olympics. We&rsquo;re here to dominate and be winners and represent our country the right way. My primary focus was to come out, be aggressive and be myself.&rdquo;
The fun stuff happens next week, which allows hoops fans to concentrate on the 2021 NBA Draft and all the accompanying deals that will be made between now and the wee hours of Friday morning. The Olympics will continue, but the basketball will take a back seat for several days.
It is on Popovich and the players to keep their focus on familiarizing themselves with each other, studying their possible opponents and keeping their sanity amid the isolation.
There&rsquo;s no chance they are done with the drama after experiencing so much of it already.

Team USA blew out Iran, 120-66, and Gregg Popovich’s squad of figuring-it-out-on-the-fly Olympians finally looked dominant.

After a dominant win over Iran, what's next for Team USA?

The two regular-season games between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns this season fit the same script. Both were extremely high scoring. Both went down to the wire. Both saw Phoenix win by a single point, with a free throw by Devin Booker ending up as the game-winner each time.
There was also this: Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn&rsquo;t be guarded in either game.
And now, it&rsquo;s the Bucks and Suns &mdash; forever tied together after Milwaukee won a 1969 coin flip after the teams&rsquo; first seasons for Lew Alcindor &mdash; in the NBA Finals, with Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s status a major question.
The NBA&rsquo;s title series is set: Game 1 between the Bucks and Suns will be in Phoenix on Tuesday night, the last matchup of this compressed season that navigated its way through the coronavirus pandemic, players and coaches testing positive for COVID-19, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a slew of injuries to some of the game&rsquo;s biggest stars</a> &mdash; Antetokounmpo and Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul included.
Paul is back, set to play in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.
Antetokounmpo can only hope to be that fortunate.
The two-time NBA MVP averaged 40 points on 60% shooting against the Suns this season, but hyperextended his left knee during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta. The Bucks went 2-0 in the two full games that Antetokounmpo missed to win that series in six games, eliminating the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday night and earning the team&rsquo;s first NBA Finals berth since 1974.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got more work to do,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said during the East trophy ceremony.
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The Bucks lost 125-124 in Phoenix on Feb. 10, then lost 128-127 to the Suns in overtime at Milwaukee on April 19.
Milwaukee won its lone NBA title in 1971. The Suns have never won a championship, last getting to the Finals in 1993. They also lost the Finals in 1976.
The Bucks advancing to the NBA Finals means USA Basketball will be more than a bit short-handed when it starts Olympic training camp in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The U.S. has a<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/boredom-is-one-enemy-team-usa-must-fight-at-2020-tokyo-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 12-man team for the Tokyo Games</a> &mdash; and three of those 12, the Suns&rsquo; Booker and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday &mdash; will be otherwise engaged for the next few days.
Game 7 of the NBA Finals, if the series goes the distance, would be July 22. The Olympics open July 23 and the first U.S. game in Tokyo is July 25 against France. USA Basketball will arrange to get Booker, Middleton and Holiday to Tokyo as quickly as possible if the American team leaves for Japan while the finals are still happening.
&ldquo;It could be worse,&rdquo; USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. &ldquo;I guess one option is we&rsquo;re going to have nine players for the first game against France. That&rsquo;s the worst-case scenario.&rdquo;
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No player on either team has ever won an NBA championship. Nobody on the Bucks' roster has ever appeared in the NBA Finals; Milwaukee is hoping to join the 2015 Golden State Warriors as recent teams that won the championship despite having zero Finals experience.
The Suns have only one player with previous NBA Finals experience: Jae Crowder, who went to the Finals with Miami last season. Then, he chose to sign a three-year deal with Phoenix last offseason.
&ldquo;I knew our potential,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;I knew where we could get to, the level of basketball we could play, when I first got here. I just knew it was a special group. I knew we had a chance to do something special.&rdquo;
The Suns indeed have that chance.
So, now, do the Bucks.
One of them is only four wins from hoisting the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy.

The Suns are hoping to win their first-ever NBA title, and the Bucks haven't won since 1971. No player on either team has won a ring.

The 2021 NBA Finals are set: Bucks-Suns should be interesting

NBA discourse has shifted with the growth of social media. Sports shows are all about debates, and the louder you are, the more persuasive your argument seems. The only way to win is by going viral on Twitter and the only losers are those of us in search of nuance.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With virality being the goal, sports takes have become akin to hit TikTok songs. Substance is lost in favor of something attention-grabbing, memorable and not too complicated (otherwise it&rsquo;s no longer memeable on Instagram).
This form of media taints the discourse as we&rsquo;re left with polarizing, hyperbolic takes devoid of any nuance. Intricate analysis is hard to come by in favor of snappy nicknames like Pandemic P or obviously outrageous takes like Max Kellerman of ESPN saying that with the fate of the universe on the line, he&rsquo;d pick Andre Iguodala (a career-33% three-point shooter!) to take the shot over the likes of Stephen Curry, the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Hot takes like these are especially prevalent in the NBA Playoffs.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;re an audience that&rsquo;s been fed a narrative (meant to draw in views) that the NBA Playoffs are where amazing happens, where we weed out the greats from the very-goods and not-good-enoughs. And we don&rsquo;t take kindly to losing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Though entertaining, this is a flawed way to analyze the playoffs. The playoffs are about matchups, with a dash of luck for shooting variance. Teams that fare well are versatile, making them difficult to scheme for and affording them the ability to go toe-to-toe with just about any squad.
When a team lacks versatility, what should be a criticism on the roster becomes a critique of the superstar, especially ones who have just won regular-season awards (like Nikola Jokic).
Jokic, the NBA&rsquo;s 2021 Most Valuable Player, was more than deserving of his regular-season award after averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. His team losing was not an indictment on his performance, but a result of the injuries the Nuggets sustained, losing playmaking and shot creation, leaving them with little offensive firepower to combat the Phoenix Suns.&nbsp;
The attacks on Jokic are about how he was destroyed defensively. And I&rsquo;m not going to try and defend Jokic&rsquo;s defense; instead, I&rsquo;ll drop back, and let you fire away. Lord knows, that&rsquo;s what he did.&nbsp;
My argument is that we knew that Jokic in drop coverage against the best pick-and-roll guard in the league was going to be a struggle for the Nuggets defensively, so why fault him for it now?&nbsp;
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There are arguments to be made that Nuggets head coach Michael Malone should have adjusted, or that Jokic should not have continuously fallen so deep in the drop, affording Chris Paul the luxury of taking every mid-range shot available or kicking it out for three. And though those arguments are valid, and rich debate can be had, the internet so often widdles it down to catchy and easily repeatable slogans like, &ldquo;Is This Your MVP?&rdquo; or, &ldquo;#NotMyMVP&rdquo;, discrediting how spectacular Jokic was offensively throughout the series and all year long.&nbsp;
In our (very online) modern era, everyone has space to voice their opinions and only the hottest takes survive. Our attention spans have gotten shorter and our memories rival that of goldfish. We only hold space for the most polarizing and outrageous takes&hellip; or slander. Slander lives forever.&nbsp;
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Nba fans don&rsquo;t like anything about the nba and it&rsquo;s weird
&mdash; Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1376187247461023746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The internet can be a vicious place, with many NBA players saying they have to log off throughout the playoffs.&nbsp;
Log on to Twitter and you&rsquo;d think most people tuned in to berate and defame the league&rsquo;s biggest stars, and not because they actually wanted to enjoy the show.&nbsp;
Jokic seems unperturbed by it. However, Rudy Gobert has been going back and forth with trolls online as people question the validity of his 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award.&nbsp;
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3 of em and they all real, more to come also. <a href="https://t.co/HEDrRR6sQn">https://t.co/HEDrRR6sQn</a>
&mdash; Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) <a href="https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1406774669479333888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Gobert struggled against the Los Angeles Clippers, not because he&rsquo;s a fraud undeserving of his award, but because the Clippers posed a unique matchup problem for him when they go small with Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum at the 5.&nbsp;
The playoffs are about matchups and beating the team in front of you. It&rsquo;s about solving your opponent before they can solve you. The Clippers&rsquo; small-ball, five-out lineup proved to be unsolvable for a team that&rsquo;s built their entire defense on the back of the best rim protector in the league, a defense that routinely forces teams into the shots the Clippers will gladly take.
Kristaps Porzingis, nicknamed the Unicorn for his unique skill set as a big man, was tasked with facing a team whose own unique skill set perfectly exploits said big man. Once again, we&rsquo;re talking about the small-ball Clippers.&nbsp;
Completely unfazed by his size, they attacked Porzingis on defense and often ignored him on offense, as he struggled to effectively post-up smaller guys. They rendered Porzingis invisible on defense and he was relegated to the corners on offense (for spacing purposes), which is a far cry from the role your second option and highest-paid player should have.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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And while it&rsquo;s fair to criticize players like Porzingis for underperforming, it&rsquo;s important to not lose the context with which these series happen. The playoffs do not exist in a vacuum; 82 games are played beforehand in which we learn each team&rsquo;s (and each player&rsquo;s) strengths and weaknesses. It&rsquo;s unfair to everyone involved to pretend as though the regular season does not matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Whether it&rsquo;s praise like ESPN&rsquo;s Stephen A. Smith calling Devin Booker &ldquo;Kobe Bryant&rdquo; on First Take because of 11 playoff games against teams missing Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard or criticism levied at Gobert for his failure to contain Terance Mann, reactionary takes will always take precedence over long-form analysis.&nbsp;
I didn&rsquo;t write this to be the &ldquo;old-man-yells-at-cloud&rdquo; meme. I take part in slandering players as much as anyone, but there needs to be a clear demarcation where we understand what&rsquo;s a joke and what&rsquo;s a measured take. And when talking heads blur the lines, it muddies the waters for everyone.
Takes then become facts, soundbites become referendums and suddenly, like a watered-down TikTok dance, you&rsquo;re left with a take devoid of the substance the originator intended. 
Welcome to the modern NBA.
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NIKOLA JOKIC DID TIKTOK <a href="https://t.co/4i3UwOl0vj">pic.twitter.com/4i3UwOl0vj</a>
&mdash; Ali (@hanafire_) <a href="https://twitter.com/hanafire_/status/1229307363733016576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2020</a></blockquote>

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The criticism of Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis is being driven by hyperbolic takes devoid of nuance, writes Imman Adan.

The NBA Playoffs: Where hot takes and overreactions happen

Twice, like a thief in the night, Lady Luck picked his pocket cleaner than even Allen Iverson could&rsquo;ve.
That fistful of rings that Magic Johnson possesses could&rsquo;ve easily been seven, but she &mdash; perhaps put up to it by the Basketball Gods &mdash; had other plans.
A five-time champion, the legendary Magic Johnson won the league's MVP award in 1989. His Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a three-peat, which seemed inevitable. They'd be squaring off against Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the prior year's Finals, one in which the Lakers prevailed in seven games.
Au contraire.
After losing Game 1 in Detroit, Johnson suffered a season-ending strained hamstring in the third quarter of Game 2. The Lakers would go on to lose that one, as well as both Game 3 and Game 4 &mdash; neither of which saw Johnson take the court.
Two years later, after Michael Jordan knocked off the Pistons and ascended to the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s throne, he would see Johnson in what was the Laker legend's ninth and final trip to the championship series. Those 1991 NBA Finals should have been a clash of the titans... But Jordan&rsquo;s Bulls rolled over the Lakers in just five games.
James Worthy, the Lakers&rsquo; leading scorer that season, suffered a sprained ankle during the Western Conference Finals. It hampered him before a reaggravation caused him to check out of the series for good with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter of Game 4. The Bulls, in all fairness, led the series 2-1 at that point. But the Lakers would lose Game 4 and Game 5, the second of which was played without both Worthy and key reserve Byron Scott.
As a result of those absences, in that fateful game, the Lakers played only seven players.
Magic wouldn't see the Finals again. His 5-4 record there is pretty good, but not nearly as spectacular as a 7-2 record would have been. But that&rsquo;s okay&hellip; Injuries always have and always will be a part of the game.
Somewhere, Kevin Durant is nodding in agreement. And Kyle Lowry is raising his eyebrows and shrugging his shoulders.
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As safe a bet as there is, your last nickel can confidently be wagered on injuries playing a part when it comes to the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy. One of LeBron James&rsquo; Finals losses came without Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love by his side. Doc Rivers would quickly remind you about Kendrick Perkins&rsquo; torn ACL.
So yes. It happens&hellip;
But damn, bro&hellip; Not like this.
The 2021 NBA Playoffs &mdash; where asterisks abound.
Unlike Magic&rsquo;s first NBA Finals in 1980, and still quite dissimilar to his last one in 1991, today, the NBA is a billion-dollar business. We love the game. We watch players like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Durant make Herculean feats looks routine. Larger than life in every sense of the word, having an in-person conversation with an NBA superstar &mdash; no matter how long you&rsquo;ve been around the business &mdash; is pretty damn cool.
For most of us, making eye contact with LeBron or giving a fist bump to Zion Williamson is the closest we&rsquo;ll ever get to meeting a superhero. We can&rsquo;t help but wonder what it feels like to fly.
So we watch games and we buy tickets. Now, we place bets. StubHub wants in on the action, so does BetQL. And the likes of ESPN and TNT pay the NBA billions of dollars to televise everything from preseason games to the newest phenomenon: the All-Star Game Draft.
The trickle-down effect of that &mdash; thanks to a player-friendly collective bargaining agreement that usually distributes the majority of revenue to the players &mdash; is merely &ldquo;decent&rdquo; pro players becoming centimillionaires.
They employ agents, business managers, public relations professionals, bodyguards, nutritionists, strength trainers, chauffeurs and nannies. And in each their own right, NBA players have become their own economic solar systems with their own individual sets of celestial objects.
So when there&rsquo;s a work stoppage and Player X doesn&rsquo;t have the means to earn his millions, the aggregate economic impact for those within his ecosystem is catastrophic.
For that reason, as we learned in the Orlando Bubble last season, the game must go on, even if the NBA&rsquo;s players don&rsquo;t necessarily want it to.
It&rsquo;s just sad now that everyone seems to be paying the price.
The powers that be in the NBA and its players union jointly agreed to ask its workforce to play 80 regular season games and two postseasons in less than one year. For the Lakers and the Miami Heat, specifically, their 2019-20 season ended on Oct. 11, while their 2020-21 season began on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, respectively.
Neither would get out of the first round this time around. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it&rsquo;s hard to make that argument based on what we&rsquo;ve seen transpire before our very eyes.
Between then and now, scores of impact players have had their seasons derailed by injury. Without knowing better, you could believe the names to be a recital of some All-NBA teams.
Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown and Victor Oladipo never played a minute in the 2021 playoffs. Neither did Myles Turner or Gordon Hayward (whose teams didn't qualify for the playoffs but did make it to the play-in tournament, where perhaps they could've secured a spot if they were at full strength).&nbsp;
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Among the difference-makers who sustained significant injuries, but played through them, are LeBron, Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Michael Porter Jr.
Many others weren&rsquo;t as lucky.
Anthony Davis, who officially missed only one playoff game, was essentially absent from the Lakers&rsquo; final three. Chris Paul will likely begin the Western Conference Finals on the shelf after testing positive for COVID-19, but let&rsquo;s not forget about the shoulder injury that threatened to derail the Suns&rsquo; title run before it even began. He was favoring the shoulder as recently as Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets.
Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s season is potentially over, while many other participants in the NBA&rsquo;s Elite Eight are attempting to shake off their ailments and return to form. Entering play on June 18, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving and even Mike Conley, in their truest forms, are still M.I.A.
Ja Morant and Devin Booker have arrived. Porter grew up. Durant returned. But we&rsquo;ve been distracted from it by the fact that many of our favorites are dropping like flies.
Thus far, eight of the 26 players selected as 2021 NBA All-Stars have missed playoff games which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is an all-time record.
That sobering statistic led to LeBron &mdash; still the face of the NBA &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1405236532215095301?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">going on a mini-rant on Twitter</a>, essentially wagging his finger and saying, &ldquo;I told you so!&rdquo;
James reportedly advocated for the start of the 2020-21 season to be pushed back until at least some point in January due to, according to him, fears of increased injury probabilities due to fatigue.
James obviously lost. And now, unfortunately, so has everyone else.
Superheroes they may be, but the exploitation of their talents &mdash; and our collective willingness to watch it, talk about it, and yes, write about it &mdash; is the NBA&rsquo;s business. The decision to begin the 2020-21 season days before Christmas was made with careful thought, and after balancing many factors. But for the NBA, as is usually the case, business won out.
From the beginning, it was always a zero-sum game: playing as close to 82 games as possible was the priority and completing the season with enough time to get the 2021-22 season back on its traditional schedule was necessary.
The beauty of an NBA Finals played in June has always been not having to compete with Major League Baseball&rsquo;s pennant races or with the NFL. This year in particular, the league had to consider the Tokyo Olympics, which is set to commence on July 23.
So business won out. It&rsquo;s just a shame that, in the form of their health, the league&rsquo;s players had to pay the bill.
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When the smoke clears, the 2021 NBA Champion, without question, won&rsquo;t be able to flatly lay claim to being the best team &mdash; not with so many impact players hobbling into the postseason.
What we&rsquo;ve seen this postseason in terms of injuries, is unprecedented, and even though injuries have always been a part of the game, Magic Johnson himself probably can&rsquo;t help but to be blown away.
Jamal Murray should&rsquo;ve had a chance. Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s season shouldn&rsquo;t end with him in a suit. Kyrie Irving isn&rsquo;t supposed to be sidelined for a Game 7. Nobody ever wanted to see Anthony Davis limp off the floor, just like nobody wants to see Joel Embiid reduced to being a wounded warrior.
We now know that LeBron was right. We&rsquo;ve seen enough to say that, with confidence, the NBA returned to action much too soon. We all understand why, but in deciding to do so, Adam Silver, Michele Roberts and the powers that be decided to sigh, inhale, look up into the sky and shoot the dice.
With one flick of the wrist, they decided to take a monumental risk and bet that their players would hold up over the long haul.
Defiantly, they shook up the dice and shot. And with it all on the line, they rolled snake eyes.
In the end, they've made losers of us all.

Injuries have always been a part of the game, but this postseason has been different. It's obvious why, writes Moke Hamilton.

Injuries Galore: The NBA’s all-too-soon return has made losers of us all

Before we look ahead to Lakers-Warriors (the most epic game of the week, one would think), the play-in tournament and all of the first-round playoff series that will begin next weekend, we need to take a closer look at the 10 teams that failed to make the expanded postseason and what to expect from them this offseason.
This will be play-in week for the eight NBA teams that qualified for the expanded postseason but did not finish top-six in their respective conferences. Two of them (the losers of the 9/10 games) will be finished with their seasons by Wednesday night, and two more by Friday, moving them into exit interviews and draft-prep mode.
But let&rsquo;s start with a bottom-up look at the teams conducting exit interviews with their players today.
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HOUSTON ROCKETS: The Rockets finished with the NBA&rsquo;s worst overall record (17-55) and worst home record (9-27), and lost their season finale to Atlanta by 29. Since March 29, they lost 23 of 27 games. And let&rsquo;s just say it wasn&rsquo;t supposed to be this way when they opened the season with James Harden, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins on their roster and immediately started getting huge production from Christian Wood. Not yielding to Harden&rsquo;s trade demand in the preseason cost them; the deal that brought them Victor Oladipo actually didn&rsquo;t turn out all that bad for them when they flipped Oladipo for a very productive Kelly Olynyk, but now there is talk of a buyout for Wall, who is owed $91.6 million over the next two years if he exercises his player option, as a long rebuild ensues. Olynyk will be an unrestricted free agent and will likely leave, which means the core they are building around includes Wood, Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, KJ Martin, Kevin Porter Jr. and whatever they can get for Eric Gordon, who injured his groin in early March and did not return. The next big date on their calendar is the June 22 draft lottery, and because they finished with one of the three worst records, they have an equal chance (with Detroit and Orlando) of winning the No. 1 overall pick, which is projected to be Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State.
DETROIT PISTONS: A season that began with Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin on the roster ended with a 13-point loss to a Miami Heat team that rested most of its regulars, and Troy Weaver heads into the offseason with decisions to make on Cory Joseph (non-guaranteed $12.6 million), Rodney McGruder (non-guaranteed $5 million) and Dennis Smith Jr. (eligible for a $7.7 million qualifying offer). Assuming all of those are declined, but Hamidou Diallo&rsquo;s $2.07 million qualifying offer is extended, the Pistons will have somewhere in the area of $20 million in cap room, depending on where the salary cap comes in following a season of vastly reduced revenues. Jerami Grant was a nice signing a year ago, and now the Pistons need to find some offense from the wing positions and hope Killian Hayes can have a full healthy season. Detroit had the league&rsquo;s fourth-worst offense in terms of points per game. With Isaiah Stewart finishing the season so strongly, is there a market for the underrated Mason Plumlee?
ORLANDO MAGIC: A bottom-three finish seemed unlikely after they started 4-0 and had Nikola Vucevic playing at an All-Star level, and it never quite made sense that they offloaded Vucevic at the same time they got rid of Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. All-Stars do not grow on trees, and Wendell Carter Jr. (acquired from Chicago) was being outplayed by other bigs on the Bulls and now the same thing is happening on the Magic. They will have Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac back next season, Otto Porter and his expiring $28 million contract now comes off their books, and the only contract decision they have to make soon is whether to pick up Dwayne Bacon&rsquo;s $1.8 million non-guarantee. R.J. Hampton <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just won Rookie of the Month for May</a> and Cole Anthony has shown plenty of promise as well. John Hammond, Jeff Weltman and Steve Clifford have roughly $28 million of cap space to work with, and the Magic have their own pick along with Chicago&rsquo;s (top-4 protected). Choosing three of the top-33 draft picks will keep the scouting staff busy.
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One of the most exciting rookies in the NBA! HBD <a href="https://twitter.com/The_ColeAnthony?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_ColeAnthony</a> <a href="https://t.co/KW0Y04sOUY">pic.twitter.com/KW0Y04sOUY</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1393623077238493184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: The only NBA team that never opened its arena to fans, the Thunder made the questionable decision to shelve Al Horford immediately after the trade deadline, after which they lost 26 of their final 29 games, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's injury was handled with extreme caution. Their victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on the final night of the season actually hurt them because it prevented a tiebreak situation with the Magic, who finished with a 21-51 record to OKC&rsquo;s 22-50 record. Sam Presti is going to do what Sam Presti wants to do, and it will be interesting to see whether NBA commissioner Adam Silver addresses the unprecedented move that was made with Horford &ndash; something his predecessor, David Stern, never would have allowed. If the veteran big man and Gilgeous-Alexander had finished the season, we probably would not have the Spurs in the No. 10 spot. OKC was just five games under .500 in late March.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Cleveland's trophy acquisition is Jarrett Allen, who was a superb pickup by Koby Altman. Still, they were unable to turn Andre Drummond into anything, and the loss of Darius Garland for most of the final three weeks of the season kept him from further developing chemistry with fellow backcourt speedster Collin Sexton. The Cavs still owe Kevin Love $60 million, and they must pay Taurean Prince $13 million next season unless they can find a taker on the trade market. He averaged only 10.1 points and 3.7 rebounds after coming over from Brooklyn, but Altman had to take him for salary-matching purposes. The Anderson Varejao re-signing was pretty cool, so we will give them that. Otherwise, the rebuild figures to be slow unless Love and Prince can be moved, which seems unlikely.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The A-Rod era will begin next season, and keeping Karl-Anthony Towns happy will be Project A, B and C. One of the league&rsquo;s best people and best players, he has been in the NBA for six years after being the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 draft, and he has a nice running mate now in Anthony Edwards along with his buddy, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell. Ricky Rubio, entering the final season of a contract that will pay him $17.8 million, seems superfluous and could be moved if a pick was coming back in return. The Wolves&rsquo; pick in this year's draft will go to Golden State unless it is top-3, in which case Minnesota's 2022 pick becomes unprotected and will go to the Warriors. Chris Finch will have a training camp for the first time to work with whatever the roster looks like, and help will not come through free agency, as the Wolves are projected to be over the cap.
TORONTO RAPTORS: The future of team president Masai Ujiri seems very much up in the air. He is the director of Basketball Without Borders, and ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has suggested Ujiri <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CODxcX6haii/?igshid=1nsv2bsewml2h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will look elsewhere for his next job</a> and hand the reins over to general manager Bobby Webster. The Raptors get a pass for their failure of a season because they had to relocate to Tampa, Fla., which meant that they basically played 72 road games when not working on their tans and fighting off mosquitoes and alligators. Webster/Ujiri will likely look at all possible sign-and-trade scenarios for Kyle Lowry, who may feel it is time to move on. Decisions must be made on the non-guaranteed contracts of Rodney Hood, Aron Baynes, Chris Boucher, DeAndre' Bembry, Paul Watson Jr., Yuta Watanabe and Freddie Gillespie. If all are declined, the Raps would have about $30 million in cap space to play with.
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2020-21 Closing thoughts: Coach Nurse <a href="https://t.co/ffAsqLN1zv">pic.twitter.com/ffAsqLN1zv</a>
&mdash; Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1394319579237736449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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SACRAMENTO KINGS: It would not be surprising to see the Kings lose Richaun Holmes, who has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned into a terrific NBA player</a> and may want to play in a bigger market for a franchise that has not grown as accustomed to bad seasons as the Kings have. They have not won a playoff series since 2003-04 and have not played a playoff game since 2005-06. Does Vivek Ranadive keep head coach Luke Walton around? De'Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield account for more than $70 million of next season&rsquo;s payroll, and Marvin Bagley III adds an additional $11.3 million. General manager Monte McNair came up under Daryl Morey in Houston, so he has seen proactive roster turnovers when the situation called for it. What is in question is whether Bagley or Hield could bring anything of value in return on the trade market because both have not lived up to expectations. They seem likely to appear in a similar column approximately one year from now.
CHICAGO BULLS: The Bulls made so many deals at the deadline and did not have enough acclimation time following March 25. Getting Nikola Vucevic at such a small cost was a coup for executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas in his first season. Now he must decide on non-guarantees for Thaddeus Young ($14.1 million) and Tomas Satoransky ($10 million), and the franchise should expect to see Al-Farouq Aminu exercise his player option and thereby remain on the roster with a salary of $10.1 million. Lauri Markkanen should receive his qualifying offer of $9.026 million, and perhaps the biggest question is whether this team will stick with Coby White as the point guard of the future or try to find a way to get a player such as Kyle Lowry to be their primary playmaker.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: All in all, it was not a good season for David Griffin, Stan Van Gundy, Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram after the previous campaign ended with so much promise. The JJ Redick episode did not make anyone happy. The season ended with four-consecutive losses and Ls in six of the final eight games, a $50,000 fine for Griffin for complaining that Williamson&rsquo;s broken finger was the result of rough treatment of the former overall No. 1 pick that was being overlooked by the referees. Not one single player appeared in all 72 games &ndash; although Eric Bledsoe came up closest with 71. James Johnson and Willy Hernangomez are the only unrestricted free agents of note, and Lonzo Ball will be a restricted free agent who could solve some roster problems through a sign-and-trade. Griffin will have three extra second-round picks, and next year he gets the Lakers&rsquo; pick unprotected.

Chris Sheridan checks in with the organizations whose respective seasons ended Sunday and areas they'll need to address.

Nebraska-Kearney Lopers