We've officially witnessed the most shocking scoring performance in NBA history.   That's saying ...

<p>We've officially witnessed the most shocking scoring performance in NBA history. </p><p>That's saying something, considering Malachi Flynn somehow <a href="https://youtu.be/AhINjHK0oZc?si=NK8ZFJzfyyFX-EsI">scored</a> 50 points in a game less than two years ago (on his way out of the league). But Bam Adebayo's 83-point outburst Tuesday against Washington is truly without precedent.</p><p>It's not that Kobe Bryant's 81 points felt insurmountable. It's just that if anyone was going to wedge their way between Bryant's historic figure and Wilt Chamberlain's mythical 100-point total, Adebayo might've been the unlikeliest candidate.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>A scoring champion in his prime going for 80-plus - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Luka Doncic - seemed conceivable. Perhaps even an audacious young scorer such as Anthony Edwards or Victor Wembanyama once the giant Frenchman masters his offensive skills. But a non-shooting big man who set his previous career high of 41 points five years ago? A defensive star in the midst of his least-efficient season, three years removed from his only 20 points per game campaign? Preposterous.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Season points per game prior to their 80+ point performance<br><br>Wilt Chamberlain (1961-62) 50.2<br>Bam Adebayo (2025-26) 18.9<br>Kobe Bryant (2005-06) 34.8</p>— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNstats/status/2031582263159263286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure><p>Adebayo's outrageous performance is obviously worthy of praise. The three-time All-Star and the entire Heat organization should cherish the moment and milk every ounce of its novelty. But in recognizing how special the night was, we can also acknowledge that the final tally was a bit of a farce.</p><p>Not because head coach Erik Spoelstra kept Adebayo in the game while cruising to a blowout win over the lowly Wizards. Who could blame him for doing so as one of his players chased history? Did folks think Adebayo would do what former Pacers big man Jermaine O'Neal <a href="https://x.com/Ballislife/status/2007859822138638549">did</a> in 2005, when he subbed himself out of a 55-point performance to avoid breaking Reggie Miller's Indiana record? Anyone who believed Adebayo would do so out of respect to the late Bryant was surely wearing purple-and-gold-tinted glasses.</p><p>The sham wasn't that the Heat kept force-feeding Adebayo, just as the Lakers did Bryant even after they pulled away from Toronto in the final minutes of that 2006 classic. What else were Adebayo's teammates to do on a night when he was quite literally unstoppable?</p><p>And it wasn't because Adebayo set records for free-throw makes (36) and attempts (43) in a game. He attempted more free throws Tuesday than 14 <em>teams</em> have taken in any contest this season, but if a shamelessly tanking Wizards lineup couldn't stop him without fouling, that's on them. After all, it's not like Adebayo makes a habit of parading to the stripe. He entered the contest 68th in free-throw attempt rate (FTA per FGA) among qualified scorers.</p><p>Make no mistake, the biggest shame lies in Washington, where a wretched team capable of surrendering such an unfathomable sum was purposely constructed. There's a reason Rockets head coach Ime Udoka insinuated that the Wizards' very existence helps <a href="https://x.com/big_business_/status/2031581305578692743">explain</a> how Adebayo reached 83.</p><p>But there's something cheap about the ways Miami created additional garbage-time possessions in a bid to inflate Adebayo's production. The Heat began intentionally fouling while leading by 27 points with 100 seconds remaining. When the Wizards responded by intentionally fouling Heat forward Keshad Johnson to keep the ball out of Adebayo's hands, Johnson intentionally missed a free throw to give his teammate a chance at an offensive rebound ... while Miami led by 26.</p><p>The tactics turned what was already an unforgettable performance into something gimmicky, tarnishing an otherwise magical night. Adebayo's late-game chucking also contributed to a statistical quirk in which he managed to score the second-most points ever on what was essentially just league-average efficiency from the field (54.7% eFG).</p><p>Many have pointed out that the 1962 Warriors engaged in similar late-game shenanigans to push Chamberlain's point total to triple digits. If that's the case, their actions were equally bush-league, but it doesn't make what Miami did any less so.</p><p>There's nothing wrong with celebrating the astonishing feat. As Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said Tuesday, "It doesn't matter how you get there. All that matters is that you got it. In 10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody's going to remember how many free throws he shot. I don't think I remember how many shots Kobe shot or how many free throws he made or threes. All you remember is 81. Wilt, 100. ... So, at the end of the day, he got 83 points."</p><p>Fair enough, but those who watched it unfold can still be honest about how it happened.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34827880/related

It's OK to celebrate and criticize Bam's historic 83-point outburst

Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theSc...

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>Hornets' heater getting ridiculous</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824711/cropped_GettyImages-2264093556.jpg?ts=1772776153" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824711/w220xh124_GettyImages-2264093556.jpg?ts=1772776153 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824711/w320xh180_GettyImages-2264093556.jpg?ts=1772776153 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824711/w640xh360_GettyImages-2264093556.jpg?ts=1772776153 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824711/w768xh432_GettyImages-2264093556.jpg?ts=1772776153 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824711/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2264093556.jpg?ts=1772776153 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Kent Smith / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>I didn't expect to lead off another edition of this series talking about the Hornets only weeks after I had already done so. Still, Charlotte's stunning rise up the Eastern Conference standings is worth mentioning again.</p><p>The Hornets were seven games under .500 and stuck in 11th place when we first <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3467130" href="https://thescore.com/news/3467130">examined</a> what drove their January hot streak. They're now a ninth-place club with a winning record and have closed to within 2.5 games of a top-six seed, which would guarantee a playoff berth. If we thought this young squad could crash the play-in party and perhaps steal a game or two from an East contender a month ago, it's now time to consider the possibility of an actual playoff run.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>I know that sounds wild, especially given Charlotte's 2-7 record against the East's top-four teams, but is it really that far-fetched? The Hornets have won 16 of 19 to vault from 12 games below .500 to one game above the benchmark in just six weeks. They also own the league's second-best record over the last two months. On the season, Charlotte boasts a top-five offense and a top-10 point differential. Since the calendar flipped to 2026, the Hornets have won on the road against Oklahoma City, the Lakers, Denver, and Houston, and have taken down the surging Spurs in Charlotte. Their road performances in January resembled those of an <a href="https://x.com/OptaSTATS/status/2016713271135408511">all-time</a> champion, and they're now enjoying the most <a href="https://x.com/keerthikau/status/2029389114265461075">dominant</a> six-game stretch any team has put together since the 2017-18 Warriors.</p><p>Those aren't indicators of an overachieving young squad just happy to be here. They're the marks of a burgeoning contender. Whatever happens over the next couple of months, Hornets fans - who've never experienced a conference finals appearance - should be ecstatic about what the future holds for Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Moussa Diabate, and Co. And you better believe Charles Lee will end up on some Coach of the Year ballots.</p><h3>Ayton <em>wishes</em> he was Capela</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823698/cropped_GettyImages-2260332069.jpg?ts=1772776214" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823698/w220xh124_GettyImages-2260332069.jpg?ts=1772776214 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823698/w320xh180_GettyImages-2260332069.jpg?ts=1772776214 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823698/w640xh360_GettyImages-2260332069.jpg?ts=1772776214 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823698/w768xh432_GettyImages-2260332069.jpg?ts=1772776214 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823698/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2260332069.jpg?ts=1772776214 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Deandre Ayton made headlines last week when he <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48034239/los-angeles-lakers-deandre-ayton-future-contract-lebron-james-luka-doncic-2026-playoffs">shouted</a> (in a locker room full of media members), "They're trying to make me Clint Capela. I'm not no Clint Capela." The irony here is that the Lakers probably wish the former No. 1 overall pick was Capela.</p><p>Ayton's story is one of underwhelming play, inconsistency, and a stunning lack of self-awareness. Perhaps in his own mind, he may still be the extremely gifted big man drafted ahead of Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson. Yet what does it say about a former top prospect who was picked before those household names but remains a zero-time All-Star eight years into his career?</p><p>Once every couple of weeks or so, Ayton will put forth an effort like the 21-point, 13-rebound performance that preceded his Capela-related outburst. To the 27-year-old center, those outings are proof of the star talent he possesses but isn't free to showcase. To the rest of us, it's evidence that his motor doesn't run often enough.</p><p>Ayton struggles to protect the rim on defense and fails to space the floor effectively on offense, making it difficult for him to consistently thrive in the modern game. He also lacks the commitment to a screen-setting, rim-running, and lob-finishing offensive role that Doncic-led teams require of their bigs. Although Ayton clearly believes the role Capela filled so admirably in Houston years ago is beneath him, accepting such a job would probably lead to bigger paydays.</p><p>If teams believed Ayton could fill the more primary role he clearly envisions for himself, the Lakers wouldn't have been able to sign him to a cheap two-year contract (worth $16.2 million) last summer. If he seems unwilling to play a lesser, more team-oriented role on a playoff club, what will his next contract look like? And how long after that until Ayton's complaints are coming while he's playing overseas, if he's playing at all?</p><p>Meanwhile, Capela is now 12 years into a $130-million career that has seen him be a key contributor on several contending teams despite being drafted 25th overall as a project with limited offensive abilities. A respected veteran on the court and in the locker room, Capela's standing among his peers was punctuated by how many active and former players came to his defense after Ayton's remarks.</p><p>Ayton may have been blessed with more athletic gifts and offensive talent, but he's correct when he says he's not Capela. It just doesn't mean what he thinks it does.</p><h3>Can the Pacers bounce back?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823496/cropped_GettyImages-2262196998.jpg?ts=1772776289" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823496/w220xh124_GettyImages-2262196998.jpg?ts=1772776289 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823496/w320xh180_GettyImages-2262196998.jpg?ts=1772776289 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823496/w640xh360_GettyImages-2262196998.jpg?ts=1772776289 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823496/w768xh432_GettyImages-2262196998.jpg?ts=1772776289 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823496/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2262196998.jpg?ts=1772776289 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Scott Taetsch / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>This topic comes from user 'metsryallskings,' who wanted to know if the Pacers have enough excuses to be this bad and whether Indiana can bounce back when Tyrese Haliburton returns from an Achilles injury next year.</p><p>The short answers are yes and yes.</p><p>Even without Haliburton, I expected the Pacers to be much more competitive than the East's worst team that they've become. However, their wretched season can be tied to injuries, luck, and intent. Indiana was buried by an injury-plagued start to the season, during which four of its first six losses came by five points or less (or in overtime). The club has also dropped more than 65% of its clutch games (when the score is within five minutes in the final five minutes).</p><p>At some point, the Pacers - who've lost the second-most value <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/injured/_/year/2025/view/team">to injury</a> - decided to make the most out of being a cellar-dweller and embrace a tank, or at least a gap year. Then they traded for Ivica Zubac in a deal that left their 2026 first-round pick top-four protected, only to shut down the stellar center for the rest of the season.</p><p>Indiana wants to be as bad as possible for the next six weeks, but this is a team completely capable of returning to Finals contention next year. The Pacers have Haliburton, Zubac, All-Star Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jay Huff, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, Jarace Walker, and Ben Sheppard all under contract next season. Should Haliburton recapture his All-NBA form that led the team to the 2025 Finals, that roster will already be formidable enough. Now imagine the group being bolstered by the addition of a top-four pick in a potentially historic draft class.</p><h3>Inside the locker room</h3><p><em>What I'm hearing from players and people around the Association.</em></p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824460/cropped_GettyImages-2264101293.jpg?ts=1772776402" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824460/w220xh124_GettyImages-2264101293.jpg?ts=1772776402 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824460/w320xh180_GettyImages-2264101293.jpg?ts=1772776402 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824460/w640xh360_GettyImages-2264101293.jpg?ts=1772776402 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824460/w768xh432_GettyImages-2264101293.jpg?ts=1772776402 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824460/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2264101293.jpg?ts=1772776402 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Mark Blinch / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Brunson's the pound-for-pound champ</strong>: The risk of building a contender around an undersized guard is that smaller stars don't usually hold up in the postseason, when games can become half-court slogs. Such stars often see their offense dry up in the face of increased physicality, and they become easy targets for opposing offenses on the other end. Though he's yet to make the Finals, Brunson has largely bucked this trend, emerging as an admirable playoff performer in New York and Dallas despite his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame.</p><p>Brunson's underrated strength and unmistakable toughness are the stuff of legend in the Knicks' locker room and across the league, with the high-usage guard finding a way to thrive in big-game settings despite his physical limitations.</p><p>That toughness became a talking point again this week. On Tuesday, Brunson overcame full-court pressure and intensely physical play from 6-foot-8, 237-pound Defensive Player of the Year candidate Scottie Barnes to record 26 points and 10 assists in a road win over the Raptors. Just 24 hours later, the Knicks narrowly lost in a defensive slugfest against the defending champion Thunder, who punished Brunson from start to finish. Though he missed 13 of his 18 field-goal attempts, Brunson still recorded 16 points, 15 assists, and a positive plus-minus, keeping New York in the game.</p><p>"He's built for that," head coach Mike Brown told theScore about how Brunson manages to thrive against such physicality. "It makes him that much more competitive as the game goes along. If teams want to be physical with him, mentally, he's built that way, and physically, he's built that way."</p><p>Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns credited Brunson's broad shoulders and overall frame for making him much stronger than his height suggests. "He's Big Body Brun," Towns laughed. "His footwork is impeccable, he's got great touch, and a high IQ for the game," Towns said, with Brunson's devastating floater and ability to draw fouls key to leveling the playing field (though his floater efficiency and free-throw attempt rate have dipped this season).</p><p>"I just try to adjust to how defenses are playing and attack the best way I can," Brunson said about handling teams being extra physical with him. "I think the most important thing is just keeping my composure and trying to stay as levelheaded as possible to make sure I'm being me."</p><p>There are bigger stars (literally) and a select few better players, but I'm not sure any modern superstar can match Brunson when it comes to pound-for-pound toughness.</p><h3>Player of the week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824886/cropped_GettyImages-2264401173.jpg?ts=1772776951" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824886/w220xh124_GettyImages-2264401173.jpg?ts=1772776951 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824886/w320xh180_GettyImages-2264401173.jpg?ts=1772776951 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824886/w640xh360_GettyImages-2264401173.jpg?ts=1772776951 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824886/w768xh432_GettyImages-2264401173.jpg?ts=1772776951 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/824886/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2264401173.jpg?ts=1772776951 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Ronald Cortes / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Victor Wembanyama</strong>: 24.3 PPG, 64% TS, 12.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 6.0 STL + BLK, 2-1 record</p><p>I also considered Gilgeous-Alexander, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Edwards for this week's award (which covers games played since last Friday), but Wembanyama's performance Thursday in a rout over the East-leading Pistons cemented it. Wemby racked up 38 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks, and three assists (with zero turnovers) in 39 minutes of flawless two-way ball.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
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https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34748490/related

Hornets are ridiculous, Ayton's delusional, Brunson's tough as nails

The final quarter of the NBA's regular season is upon us, with storylines and drama abound. Here ...

<p><em>The final quarter of the NBA's regular season is upon us, with storylines and drama abound. Here are six things worth watching over the next six weeks.</em></p><h3>Jayson Tatum's return</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816776/cropped_GettyImages-2238152276.jpg?ts=1772563026" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816776/w220xh124_GettyImages-2238152276.jpg?ts=1772563026 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816776/w320xh180_GettyImages-2238152276.jpg?ts=1772563026 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816776/w640xh360_GettyImages-2238152276.jpg?ts=1772563026 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816776/w768xh432_GettyImages-2238152276.jpg?ts=1772563026 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816776/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2238152276.jpg?ts=1772563026 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Brian Babineau / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>After losing Tatum to a devastating Achilles injury last spring and then moving on from core pieces like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, the Boston Celtics were expected to take a one-year break from perennial contention. Head coach Joe Mazzulla's squad had other ideas.</p><p>Behind a career-year from Jaylen Brown, the usual steady two-way excellence of Derrick White, and the contributions of role players like Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta, among others, the Celtics have surged to second place in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. The overachieving bunch only knows one gear, and it's playing with maximum effort.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>The Celtics are the only team that ranks in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They own the East's best point differential, and boast the league's fifth-best record against winning teams. Boston has the look of a contender as presently constructed, which begs the question, how good can this team be with Tatum back in the lineup?</p><p>We should get an answer soon, as the six-time All-Star is <a href="https://x.com/GetUpESPN/status/2029196413737865482">expected</a> to return this season.</p><p>We can't expect Tatum to return from a 10-month absence in peak form - which saw him make four straight All-NBA First Teams - but the scary thing for the rest of the East is that the Celtics don't need him to. The addition of another elite shot-creator, shot-maker, and star wing might be enough to put Boston over the top, even if Tatum is 75% of what he used to be when he first comes back.</p><h3>Can San Antonio catch Oklahoma City?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821668/cropped_GettyImages-2261178187.jpg?ts=1772563084" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821668/w220xh124_GettyImages-2261178187.jpg?ts=1772563084 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821668/w320xh180_GettyImages-2261178187.jpg?ts=1772563084 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821668/w640xh360_GettyImages-2261178187.jpg?ts=1772563084 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821668/w768xh432_GettyImages-2261178187.jpg?ts=1772563084 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821668/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2261178187.jpg?ts=1772563084 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>There are a few races to monitor down the stretch. The Thunder and Pistons continue to jockey for the No. 1 overall seed. The Celtics, Knicks, and Cavs are in a tight battle to determine the East's second-through-fourth seeds. The Magic, Heat, Hawks, and surging Hornets could threaten the 76ers and Raptors for a top-six seed. Out West, the Rockets, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Lakers, and Suns are separated by just 3.5 games between third and seventh.</p><p>However, the most fascinating race is atop the West, where Oklahoma City's one-time stranglehold over the conference is down to a three-game cushion over second-place San Antonio. The true margin is even slimmer, as the Spurs trail the Thunder by only two games in the loss column and already own the season-series tiebreaker. Meanwhile, the league's <a href="https://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength">second-toughest</a> remaining schedule awaits the Thunder down the stretch.</p><p>Such a contest seemed unfathomable when OKC raced out to a 24-1 start, but the defending champions have looked rather pedestrian at times since then (at least by their standards), while the Spurs survived an injury to Victor Wembanyama and have thrived since the big man's return. San Antonio owns the league's best record over the last three months, with a four-game lead over any other West team during that time. I wouldn't put anything past them.</p><h3>MVP race and the 65-game rule</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/cropped_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w220xh124_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w320xh180_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w640xh360_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w768xh432_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Joshua Gateley / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>I've already voiced <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3487356" href="https://thescore.com/news/3487356">my concerns</a> with how the 65-game rule could skew major award races and the history books. Availability is an extremely valuable ability, but voters should get to use their judgement rather than having players disqualified prematurely.</p><p>If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic suffer injury setbacks, it could hand the MVP award to a down-ballot candidate like Cade Cunningham by default. Elsewhere, Wembanyama is four absences away from forfeiting the Defensive Player of the Year award to one of Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Scottie Barnes, or Ausar Thompson.</p><p>The All-NBA teams could also be plunged into chaos, with megastars like Jokic, Wembanyama, and Kawhi Leonard on pace to play 61 games, 63 games, and 63 games, respectively. It's one thing to ignore someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ranks <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=vorp&amp;year_min=2026&amp;year_max=2026&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=24.1&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=mp_per_g">16th</a> in Value Over Replacement Player despite missing half the season, because, well, he's <em>missed half the season</em>. But players like Jokic, Wembanyama, and Leonard being omitted from consideration for playing a few games less than some arbitrary cut-off line would be a travesty.</p><h3>Knueppel eyeing Rookie of the Year</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820133/cropped_GettyImages-2258377621.jpg?ts=1772563141" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820133/w220xh124_GettyImages-2258377621.jpg?ts=1772563141 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820133/w320xh180_GettyImages-2258377621.jpg?ts=1772563141 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820133/w640xh360_GettyImages-2258377621.jpg?ts=1772563141 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820133/w768xh432_GettyImages-2258377621.jpg?ts=1772563141 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820133/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2258377621.jpg?ts=1772563141 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Cooper Neill / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The Rookie of the Year award is not included in the NBA's 65-game rule, but No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg's latest absence due to a foot injury has hurt his chances nonetheless. That's because 20-year-old phenom Kon Knueppel is playing well beyond his years for the rising Hornets.</p><p>Knueppel, who recently broke the record for most 3-pointers made by a rookie, is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 64.8% true shooting for a .500 team in the thick of the East playoff race. He's started in 60 of his 61 appearances this season and leads the Hornets in minutes played, with his combination of shooting and movement serving as the perfect connector between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.</p><p>Flagg's two-way play has been almost unbelievable for a teenager. But Knueppel's production in what have become meaningful games for Charlotte means Flagg needs to get back on the court if he's going to hold off the Hornets freshman down the stretch.</p><p>It's a shame Flagg missed the final matchup of the season between Dallas and Charlotte this week, as in the first professional clash between the former Duke teammates, Flagg and Knueppel combined for 83 points on 67% shooting.</p><h3>What do Giannis and the Bucks want?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821773/cropped_GettyImages-2261140511.jpg?ts=1772563288" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821773/w220xh124_GettyImages-2261140511.jpg?ts=1772563288 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821773/w320xh180_GettyImages-2261140511.jpg?ts=1772563288 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821773/w640xh360_GettyImages-2261140511.jpg?ts=1772563288 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821773/w768xh432_GettyImages-2261140511.jpg?ts=1772563288 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821773/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2261140511.jpg?ts=1772563288 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Rich Storry / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>In the aftermath of another trade deadline, chatter surrounding Antetokounmpo's long-term future has quieted (with talks sure to pick up again in the offseason). But the immediate future of Antetokounmpo and the Bucks is murkier than ever.</p><p>On one hand, Milwaukee has every incentive to tank down the stretch. The Bucks will receive the less favorable of their own first-round pick and New Orleans' first-rounder, the team doesn't control its own first-round pick until 2031, and the franchise has nothing resembling a blue-chip prospect on the roster. This year's draft could be Milwaukee's only chance to add such a young talent outside of an Antetokounmpo trade. Given those factors, it would've made sense for the Bucks to keep the Greek Freak on the sidelines for as long as possible due to his latest calf injury.</p><p>On the other hand, Antetokounmpo has repeatedly stated that he wants to play if he's healthy enough to do so, and the Bucks - as always - are at his mercy. Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup Monday, when Milwaukee lost to Boston to fall four games back of 10th-place Atlanta with 22 games to go.</p><p>Committing to an uphill battle just to get into the play-in tournament seems like a shortsighted decision, but if that's what Giannis wants and the whole point is keeping him happy in Milwaukee, what choice do the Bucks have? It's worth mentioning that the Bucks will face one of the league's easiest remaining schedules, and that Milwaukee has performed like a top-seven team when Giannis is on the court (plus-5.1 points per 100 possessions) as opposed to a 27th-ranked club when he sits (minus-8.1).</p><h3>The great tank ... and the resulting rule changes</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/cropped_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w220xh124_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w320xh180_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w640xh360_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w768xh432_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>For roughly a third of the league, the final quarter of the season offers teams a chance to answer an important question: how low can they go?</p><p>With a star-studded 2026 draft class, a couple of weak classes projected for 2027 and 2028, and the fact that three of the league's worst teams at the moment will only retain their picks if they're in the top four (Indiana) or the top eight (Washington and Utah), the NBA is staring at a potentially unprecedented tankathon. Many teams view this year's draft as their best and potentially last chance to acquire a franchise-changing talent over the next few years.</p><p>All of that has led to much angst in the league office, with commissioner Adam Silver considering a number of lottery-related <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3481787" href="https://thescore.com/news/3481787">changes</a> to disincentivize and discourage intentional losing in the future.</p><p>As fascinating as this year's race to the bottom and the lottery itself will be, perhaps most interesting is how it will impact the years (and drafts) to come.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34721067/related

6 biggest storylines to watch as NBA season enters stretch run

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>SGA's return saves NBA from embarrassment</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/cropped_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w220xh124_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w320xh180_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w640xh360_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w768xh432_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823897/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1755089891.jpg?ts=1772205192 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Joshua Gateley / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Many fans lauded the NBA's decision to establish a 65-game minimum for major award eligibility in 2023, but the move was an overreaction to a genuine issue. Cracking down on teams that rest star players unnecessarily is one thing, but tying award eligibility to an arbitrary number of games played was always a disaster waiting to happen. The chickens may now be coming home to roost.</p><p>A left knee injury sidelined three-time MVP Nikola Jokic long enough to have him on the precipice of disqualification, as the Nuggets superstar can miss only one more game to remain eligible for MVP and All-NBA consideration. Meanwhile, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to return from an abdominal injury that sidelined him for Oklahoma City's last nine contests. Thankfully, Gilgeous-Alexander still has six absences' worth of wiggle room to remain eligible, while Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama is down to just three games.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Any setback that takes Gilgeous-Alexander or Jokic out of the race would make a mockery of the NBA's most prestigious individual award. Gilgeous-Alexander is enjoying the <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=ts_pct&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=30&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=pts_per_g">most efficient</a> 30-points-per-game season in NBA history. Jokic is averaging a 29-point triple-double, leading the league in rebounds and assists (per game), and posting the best <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=ws_per_48&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req">advanced</a> <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=bpm&amp;qual=pts_per_g_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=11.5&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=bpm">metrics</a> ever recorded. As impressive as Pistons star Cade Cunningham's season has been for league-leading Detroit, he's not on the same planet as Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. Cunningham "winning" the award by default would be a farce.</p><p>Perhaps the only thing more ludicrous would be the exclusion of players like Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, and Luka Doncic (who's on pace for precisely 65 games played) from this year's All-NBA teams.</p><p>If a player's performance is so special that he still deserves to be in the running for major awards despite missing a quarter of the season, so be it. Let the voting body make that determination, especially when legitimate injuries are involved. The league already entrusts media members to vote on awards that could have massive financial implications for players and teams. Let those same voters use their judgment rather than eliminating players prematurely.</p><p>History tells us that common sense would prevail, as the only MVP winner to play less than 79% of his team's games (which is what the 65-game cutoff represents) was Bill Walton in 1977-78. Preventing Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander from competing for the same award nearly a half-century later would be a disservice to the NBA, not a win for star availability.</p><p>The league might as well carve an asterisk in the Michael Jordan Trophy.</p><p><em>Thanks to reader Harley Stein for the emailed question about the MVP availability issue.</em></p><h3>OKC's B team still pretty damn good</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823539/cropped_GettyImages-2262896303.jpg?ts=1772205022" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823539/w220xh124_GettyImages-2262896303.jpg?ts=1772205022 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823539/w320xh180_GettyImages-2262896303.jpg?ts=1772205022 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823539/w640xh360_GettyImages-2262896303.jpg?ts=1772205022 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823539/w768xh432_GettyImages-2262896303.jpg?ts=1772205022 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823539/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2262896303.jpg?ts=1772205022 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Cole Burston / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>When the defending champion Thunder cooled off following a historic start to the season and then lost their two best players to injuries, rivals smelled blood. But Oklahoma City's recent performance has been inspiring for a shorthanded club.</p><p>The Thunder went 5-4 over their last nine games despite being without Gilgeous-Alexander for all nine contests and All-NBA forward Jalen Williams for seven. Four of those victories came against teams with winning records (Lakers, Suns, Cavs, Raptors), and three were earned on the road. Notably, Oklahoma City found itself in competitive games at San Antonio and Detroit - the teams with the league's best and third-best records, respectively - even while missing Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and All-Star big man Chet Holmgren.</p><p>It's been a collective effort. Subtract Williams' two appearances from the nine-game sample, and sharpshooter Isaiah Joe has been the team's leading scorer at 15.3 points per game. Third-year guard Cason Wallace has stepped up to provide arguably the best two-way play of his career. Newcomer Jared McCain has shot the ball well off the bench. Holmgren, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso have helped the squad maintain its suffocating defensive identity.</p><p>"You can't control your circumstances. We always want to be fully healthy, but when you get dealt a hand, you have to play it as best you can," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after a recent win in Toronto. "We try to be optimistic. We try to be a team that leverages the circumstances to our favor and tries to use every situation as a challenge to build some momentum. The guys have done an unbelievable job. They see these types of things as a challenge. That's one of the special things about this group of guys. We've strung together some good basketball despite some adversity and some wind in our face."</p><p>The stakes and spotlight pale in comparison to former Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich's legendary 1995 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTyP7I8X4UY">interview</a> on the championship dais, but Daigneault could be forgiven for echoing Tomjanovich's words about the heart of a champion.</p><p>Daigneault credited his group, and Holmgren in particular, for continuing to play within themselves rather than trying to do too much without Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. "You still have to play within your strengths and inside your game. If you do that, then this experience can scale forward," Daigneault said. "But if you play outside of your game, and then you add (Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams) back in, then none of this translates. None of it is an investment. I think we've done a good job of that, of staying inside of ourselves, playing to our strengths, and making investments during this period of time that can pay dividends for us down the road."</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander returns to a team clinging to a 1.5-game lead over San Antonio atop the West standings, with one of the league's toughest remaining schedules awaiting the Thunder.</p><h3>Player of the Week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821047/cropped_GettyImages-2260083403.jpg?ts=1772205084" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821047/w220xh124_GettyImages-2260083403.jpg?ts=1772205084 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821047/w320xh180_GettyImages-2260083403.jpg?ts=1772205084 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821047/w640xh360_GettyImages-2260083403.jpg?ts=1772205084 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821047/w768xh432_GettyImages-2260083403.jpg?ts=1772205084 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821047/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2260083403.jpg?ts=1772205084 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Pamela Smith / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Nikola Jokic</strong>: 32.3 PPG, 63.2% TS, 13.7 RPG, 8.3 APG, 3.0 STL + BLK, 2-1 record</p><p>I usually find myself debating between a handful of players each week, but no one came close to Jokic over the last seven days. Although he hasn't rounded all the way back into form since returning to the Nuggets' lineup, Jokic doesn't need to hit full throttle to be the best player on the floor. During a week in which Denver had to play road games at Portland and Golden State before a home matchup with the feisty Celtics, the Nuggets outscored their opponents by 20.1 points per 100 possessions (23 points per 48 minutes) when Jokic was on the court. What a travesty it would be if the (All-NBA) records show he wasn't even a top-15 player this year.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
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https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34650985/related

NBA's 65-game rule ruined MVP race, OKC's depth shines, Jokic rolls

Welcome to theScore's sixth annual All-Nobody Team, an exercise meant to identify a handful of NB...

<p>Welcome to theScore's sixth annual All-Nobody Team, an exercise meant to identify a handful of NBA players who have made a name for themselves after entering the season with relative anonymity.</p><p>We're looking for players whose NBA futures were uncertain before the 2025-26 campaign tipped off, but who have since convinced me they can be Association mainstays. In prior years, this space has spotlighted or mentioned previous unknowns like Austin Reaves, Naz Reid, Isaiah Joe, Keon Ellis, Jay Huff, Neemias Queta, and Moussa Diabate, among others.</p><p>As a reminder, players drafted in 2025 and first-round picks from any year are ineligible, as are players who had already logged at least 1,000 career minutes coming into this season (which eliminated candidates like Dominick Barlow and Brandon Williams).</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>Cam Spencer, Grizzlies</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822775/cropped_GettyImages-2260295975.jpg?ts=1771951875" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822775/w220xh124_GettyImages-2260295975.jpg?ts=1771951875 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822775/w320xh180_GettyImages-2260295975.jpg?ts=1771951875 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822775/w640xh360_GettyImages-2260295975.jpg?ts=1771951875 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822775/w768xh432_GettyImages-2260295975.jpg?ts=1771951875 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822775/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2260295975.jpg?ts=1771951875 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Noah Graham / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The 53rd overall pick in the 2024 draft, Spencer has been a revelation off the bench for the rebuilding Grizzlies. The sophomore combo guard brings an impressive blend of shooting, efficient all-around scoring, and sound playmaking to the table, teasing the potential of an elite reserve (at least) on a bargain contract.</p><p>Spencer is averaging 11.3 points and 5.6 assists (with a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) while shooting 52.1% inside the arc, 43.9% from deep, and a league-leading 93.3% from the free-throw line. The 25-year-old is also owed less than $7.9 million over the next three years, with his annual salary worth less than 2% of the yearly salary cap.</p><p>Among 90 players who've logged at least 1,000 minutes and posted a 20-plus usage rate this season, Spencer ranks fifth in points per shot attempt, according to Cleaning the Glass. Only Reaves and the All-Star trio of Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Duren are producing more per attempt.</p><p>Perhaps most impressive for an athlete of Spencer's generation is the youngster's lack of interest in social-media noise, as Spencer refuses to create an account. "I don't really see a need to have social media," he told theScore at All-Star Weekend. "We live in a world where people think their opinions matter more than they do, because they can post something online. If I want somebody's opinion, I'll probably go ask for it myself."</p><h3>Daniss Jenkins, Pistons</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820920/cropped_GettyImages-2259683612.jpg?ts=1771951918" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820920/w220xh124_GettyImages-2259683612.jpg?ts=1771951918 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820920/w320xh180_GettyImages-2259683612.jpg?ts=1771951918 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820920/w640xh360_GettyImages-2259683612.jpg?ts=1771951918 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820920/w768xh432_GettyImages-2259683612.jpg?ts=1771951918 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820920/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2259683612.jpg?ts=1771951918 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Nic Antaya / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>An undrafted guard whose collegiate journey took him to four different schools, Jenkins may have finally found a basketball home in Detroit. The 24-year-old's numbers (7.9 points, 3.1 assists) don't pop off the page, but he's a smart reserve whose defense and toughness fit Detroit's culture to a tee. The East-leading Pistons also desperately need Jenkins' 3-point shooting (37.6%) and self-creation.</p><p>"The way that I play is never predicated on stats or anything like that, but I always knew the impact I could have on the team," Jenkins told theScore before a recent victory in Toronto. "I knew I impacted winning, so I was always thinking, 'Once I get my opportunity to play, (I can prove it). You're going to have hot games, and you're going to have cold games. I like the challenge of seeing how you can still impact the game. Sometimes I'll be on the floor in close games, and you'll look up, and I don't have a lot of points, but my impact on both ends of the floor is helping the team. That's what I pride myself on. I always knew that any coach, any organization would love a player like that, who doesn't need the stats, doesn't need a play (drawn up), they don't need the ball, but they can still impact winning. That was always my mentality."</p><p>Jenkins logged less than 47 minutes over five appearances in the team's first 10 games of the season, then averaged roughly 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals in 34 minutes per game across injury-riddled Detroit's next five contests. Though his numbers have obviously dipped since then, his impact and place in head coach J.B. Bickerstaff's rotation have mostly remained steady. Jenkins' play no doubt factored into the Pistons' decision to trade former fifth overall pick Jaden Ivey earlier in February.</p><p>"When we watched (Jenkins) play in Summer League this past summer, and then in training camp, we knew we had a problem on our hands as far as the logjam of guys who could get on the court and play," Bickerstaff said. "We had so many guards. Fortunately-unfortunately, it took some injuries to get him an opportunity, and then he took advantage of it. It wasn't something like, 'Oh wow, we didn't know this.' We knew it was coming. It was just a matter of him getting the opportunity."</p><p>The Pistons initially signed Jenkins to a two-way contract in 2024, but they converted his deal to a standard contract after the trade deadline, following reports that rival teams made offers for the sophomore guard.</p><h3>Collin Gillespie, Suns</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823459/cropped_GettyImages-2259925303.jpg?ts=1771952160" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823459/w220xh124_GettyImages-2259925303.jpg?ts=1771952160 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823459/w320xh180_GettyImages-2259925303.jpg?ts=1771952160 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823459/w640xh360_GettyImages-2259925303.jpg?ts=1771952160 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823459/w768xh432_GettyImages-2259925303.jpg?ts=1771952160 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823459/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2259925303.jpg?ts=1771952160 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Soobum Im / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>It took three years for the former NCAA champion and two-time Big East Player of the Year to get his opportunity, but when he finally did, Gillespie ran with it. An undrafted point guard out of Villanova, Gillespie has emerged as a starter for a Suns team in the thick of the West playoff race.</p><p>The scrappy Suns have been one of the league's biggest surprises, and Gillespie very much embodies the team's identity. He's a tough guard who competes on both ends, shoots the hell out of the ball, makes good decisions, screens for bigger players, and generally does whatever head coach Jordan Ott asks of him.</p><p>After recording roughly five points and two assists per game over his first two NBA seasons, Gillespie has significantly improved this year, averaging 13.4 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. He's also shooting 42% from deep on seven 3-point attempts per contest.</p><p>"I think he's caught a lot of people by surprise, but nobody in this locker room," Suns All-Star Devin Booker <a href="https://www.nba.com/suns/news/collin-gillespie-is-surprising-the-nba-but-his-teammates-always-knew">said</a> last month. "He does everything out there. He's a warrior for us."</p><p>Phoenix can only hope Gillespie will continue to be that player in a Suns uniform, as the pending unrestricted free agent is due for a mammoth raise this summer. Gillespie, who originally signed a two-way contract with Phoenix in 2024 after one season in Denver, earned about $2.3 million this year. Don't be shocked if his salary is more than five times that amount next season (Using Gillespie's early Bird rights, the Suns can sign him to a four-year, $66.6-million contract).</p><h3>Ryan Rollins, Bucks</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823458/cropped_GettyImages-2263298755.jpg?ts=1771951995" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823458/w220xh124_GettyImages-2263298755.jpg?ts=1771951995 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823458/w320xh180_GettyImages-2263298755.jpg?ts=1771951995 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823458/w640xh360_GettyImages-2263298755.jpg?ts=1771951995 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823458/w768xh432_GettyImages-2263298755.jpg?ts=1771951995 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823458/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2263298755.jpg?ts=1771951995 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Patrick McDermott / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>No player has increased their per-game scoring more than Rollins, who surged from 6.2 points per contest last season to 17.2 this year, all while maintaining solid efficiency. A second-round pick out of Toledo in 2022, Rollins has been a rare bright spot in a tumultuous season for Milwaukee, averaging 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while starting 49 of his 54 appearances.</p><p>Rollins' slight frame (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) puts him at a defensive disadvantage, and he can look miscast as a lead guard, but the fight and the activity are there. These on-ball reps can only help Rollins' development, and he's shown a knack for getting to the rim to complement his 3-point marksmanship (42% on six 3-point attempts per contest).</p><p>Regardless of whether Rollins ultimately lives up to his lofty numbers, the 23-year-old at least looks like a genuine NBA rotation player. That's the kind of pleasant surprise the asset-starved Bucks desperately needed.</p><h3>Dylan Cardwell, Kings</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823460/cropped_GettyImages-2261677821.jpg?ts=1771952289" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823460/w220xh124_GettyImages-2261677821.jpg?ts=1771952289 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823460/w320xh180_GettyImages-2261677821.jpg?ts=1771952289 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823460/w640xh360_GettyImages-2261677821.jpg?ts=1771952289 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823460/w768xh432_GettyImages-2261677821.jpg?ts=1771952289 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/823460/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2261677821.jpg?ts=1771952289 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Rocky Widner / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>An undrafted center out of Auburn, Cardwell has provided much-needed entertainment for Kings fans since breaking into Sacramento's rotation in December.</p><p>Cardwell's enthusiasm is both inspiring and hilarious, as the big man has no qualms about celebrating loud plays - like thunderous dunks and impressive blocks - even when the Kings trail by insurmountable amounts. Some might mock such celebrations from the losing team, but give Cardwell a break. He worked his way to the NBA after going undrafted, plays for the league's worst club, and genuinely works hard on both ends of the court (even if he doesn't always work <em>smart</em> on the defensive end, where he's too jumpy and foul-prone).</p><p>Cardwell is averaging 5.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 21 minutes per game. The 24-year-old ranks <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;draft_pick_type=overall&amp;match=player_season&amp;order_by=orb_pct&amp;comp_type=reg&amp;season_start=1&amp;season_end=-1&amp;year_max=2026&amp;display_type=totals&amp;year_min=2026&amp;comp_id=NBA&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=mp&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=600&amp;offset=0">seventh</a> in offensive rebound rate and 15th in total rebound rate among 307 players who've logged 600 minutes this season. His block rate is also in the 96th percentile, according to <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/5545#tab-defense_rebounding">Cleaning The Glass</a>.</p><p>The Kings clearly see more than just an over-exuberant youngster, as the team converted Cardwell's two-way contract to a standard deal earlier this month. After making roughly $871,000 in 2025-26, Cardwell will earn a fully guaranteed $2.2 million next season, followed by a non-guaranteed $2.5 million in 2027-28 and a $2.7-million team option in 2028-29.</p><p><strong>Honorable mentions</strong>: Ryan Nembhard (Mavericks), Spencer Jones (Nuggets), Jordan Walsh (Celtics), Pat Spencer (Warriors), Jamaree Bouyea (Suns)</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34619131/related

The All-Nobody Team: 5 NBA players making a name for themselves this season

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>Is tanking fixable?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/cropped_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w220xh124_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w320xh180_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w640xh360_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w768xh432_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/815087/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2245536164.jpg?ts=1771554886 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Various factors have conspired to make the league's 2026 tank-off the deepest example of intentional ineptitude we've seen.</p><p>For one, there's no escaping tanking in a sport uniquely susceptible to the impact of one superstar. Secondly, this year's draft class boasts at least three players good enough to be No. 1 overall selections in most other drafts, while 2027 and 2028 are projected as historically weak classes. That leaves cellar-dwellers desperate to land a franchise-changing star this summer, with the rewards for futility expected to be worth less in the coming years. Additionally, three of the six worst teams at the moment owe protected picks, retained only if their selections land in the top four (Indiana) or the top eight (Washington and Utah).</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Those are among the many reasons roughly one-third of the NBA's 30 teams will try to lose as many games as possible over the season's final two months. That's an obvious problem for the Association, which needs to maintain the competitive integrity of its product while promoting gambling responsibly on it.</p><p>Commissioner Adam Silver recently fined the Pacers and Jazz $500,000 and $100,000, respectively, for tanking measures that he said "undermine the foundation of NBA competition." During All-Star Weekend, Silver emphasized that everything is on the table when it comes to figuring out a solution. Meanwhile, team owners have spoken out on social media. Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban took to X to explain why he thinks the league should <a href="https://x.com/mcuban/status/2023775633122210022">embrace</a> tanking, while Suns owner Mat Ishbia - who traded a plethora of picks to build an immediate winner upon buying the Suns - <a href="https://x.com/Mishbia15/status/2024531384581165102">called</a> the practice loser behavior.</p><p>When it comes to tanking, everyone has an opinion. And a solution. There are surely arguments to be made for abolishing the draft, separating it from team performance, and randomizing rookie assignments. But any supporters of such radical change would likely cry foul if a juggernaut added another superstar because it was their turn to have a top pick, or if star youngsters maneuvered their way to more desirable markets before they even played a pro game.</p><p>The concept of awarding top players to languishing teams (who properly manage their picks) is fine. The league needs to find a way to accept <span style="margin:0px; padding:0px; text-align:left"><em>some</em> level of tanking </span>while disincentivizing the most shameful forms of it. Silver's recent punishments are a step in the right direction, but some of the league's <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2024603693673271697">reported</a> ideas are not.</p><p>Flattening the odds for all lottery teams and including all play-in teams in the lottery would only further incentivize mediocre clubs to drop out of the playoff race. Therein lies one of the dilemmas. Equalizing the odds encourages decent teams to be artificially bad, which is one of the biggest issues fueling this year's crowded field of tankers. However, placing too much weight on being the worst encourages franchises to punt entire seasons before they even begin.</p><p>Freezing the odds at the trade deadline or a mysterious point in the season would still lead to tanking. Rewarding teams for wins accumulated after being mathematically eliminated would only encourage hapless squads to race toward elimination to gain a head start.</p><p>A couple of good options have reportedly been mixed in. I like the idea of limiting the protections teams can place on picks, specifically eliminating the mid- to late-lottery protections that cause postseason contenders to purposefully sink their playoff odds. Likewise, the league should adopt its reported plan to prevent organizations from drafting in the top four in consecutive years.</p><p>However, there's one idea I've long been harping on that still hasn't been broached: The NBA should eliminate the floor for lottery teams by drawing all 14 picks rather than just the top four. The current system ensures teams can't fall more than four spots in the lottery, meaning securing the worst record guarantees a top-five pick. Meanwhile, teams that own protected picks know exactly how bad they need to be to keep said selections.</p><p>Would teams be as eager to throw away entire seasons - sacrificing precious revenue in the process - if they knew their pick could fall anywhere in the top-14, no matter how bad they were?</p><p>In this scenario, the odds of landing the top pick wouldn't change. The only odds to adjust would be each team's chances of landing fifth through 14th.</p><p>There are no catch-all solutions, and the NBA doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, but common-sense tweaks are staring it in the face. Underwhelming draft classes might've meant a two-year break from the worst forms of tanking, anyway. The league has the power to ensure the reprieve lasts much longer. They should use it.</p><h3>KD's burner scandal, explained</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822710/cropped_GettyImages-1125230711.jpg?ts=1771563340" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822710/w220xh124_GettyImages-1125230711.jpg?ts=1771563340 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822710/w320xh180_GettyImages-1125230711.jpg?ts=1771563340 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822710/w640xh360_GettyImages-1125230711.jpg?ts=1771563340 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822710/w768xh432_GettyImages-1125230711.jpg?ts=1771563340 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/822710/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1125230711.jpg?ts=1771563340 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Andrew D. Bernstein / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Is Kevin Durant behind a burner account that trashed teammates while using problematic language? The internet seems to think so.</p><p>Durant, who inadvertently used his real account rather than a burner to defend himself against critics in 2017, said at the time that criticizing his former team (Thunder) and coach (Billy Donovan) was childish and idiotic, though he admitted to still using burners a couple years later. Fast-forward to the present day, and internet sleuths believe they've uncovered one of those burners.</p><p>We'll spare you the <a href="https://x.com/KDTrey5/status/2023090637437096152">trophy-design</a> and drone-related conversations that led to the purported discovery, but the gist of it is this: Screenshots of a group chat that took place on X show a user by the name 'getoffmydickerson' criticizing past and present Durant teammates like Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Devin Booker, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun. While disparaging those players, the account in question used concerning language. The account used the R-word to describe Rockets big man Smith Jr., while it compared Suns star Booker and former head coach Frank Vogel to brutal <a href="https://x.com/saeedemon25/status/2023129048369545389">dictators</a> (some of whom committed war crimes).</p><p>So, how does the evidence point to Durant? When searching the account on X, sleuths discovered that everyone who follows the burner is followed by the real verified Durant. In addition, many replies from those followers hint at events in the real KD’s life, like wishing 'getoffmydickerson' happy birthday on Durant’s birthday and asking him when he’ll be back on the court during a time when the real Durant was sidelined.</p><p>The now-private '<a href="https://x.com/gethigher77">getoffmydickerson</a>' uses an image of an owl for its header photo, which looks identical to an image the real Durant <a href="https://x.com/KDTrey5/status/1433513280388177929">shared</a> around the time 'getoffmydickerson' was created in 2021. Perhaps the most damning evidence came from X user '16and0.' The user, who <a href="https://x.com/16and0/status/2023290732040380451">claims</a> to have been in a group chat with Durant's burner while Durant played for the Nets, <a href="https://x.com/16and0/status/1621384991245574145">posted</a> three years ago that the account in question was Durant’s burner. The same user also replied to a 2022 tweet about Kevin Durant by <a href="https://x.com/16and0/status/1554129171064000512">replying</a> to 'getoffmydickerson.'</p><p>Is this all just one giant coincidence? Was it a five-year plot to target Durant? Were the messages forged? Or is the real answer the most obvious and damning one? </p><p>Durant’s only response thus far has been that he’s not going to get into "Twitter nonsense," which seems like the furthest thing from a denial for a guy who's relished <a href="https://x.com/KDTrey5/status/2023069409552875561">partaking</a> in said nonsense. Barring the emergence of irrefutable evidence that discredits the claims, this story isn't going away. How will Durant’s teammates and peers around the league respond or move on? How will his many sponsors react given some of the alleged language used?</p><p>Whatever comes of this social-media scandal, it's about time for the terminally-online superstar to start looking in the mirror instead of his phone.</p><h3>Inside the locker room</h3><p><em>What I'm hearing from players and people around the Association.</em></p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820565/cropped_GettyImages-2259413256.jpg?ts=1771554807" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820565/w220xh124_GettyImages-2259413256.jpg?ts=1771554807 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820565/w320xh180_GettyImages-2259413256.jpg?ts=1771554807 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820565/w640xh360_GettyImages-2259413256.jpg?ts=1771554807 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820565/w768xh432_GettyImages-2259413256.jpg?ts=1771554807 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/820565/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2259413256.jpg?ts=1771554807 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Steve Russell / Toronto Star / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Fresh off an All-Star MVP performance in a surprisingly competitive tournament he helped set the tone for, Anthony Edwards appears poised to add another accolade to his resume: Clutch Player of the Year. Edwards is the betting favorite to win the award, and it's not hard to see why. He ranks second (to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) in per-game clutch scoring and fourth in total clutch scoring despite ranking 43rd in clutch minutes.</p><p>Edwards has been virtually unstoppable in crunch time, converting on an unfathomable 73.8% (31-of-42) of his two-point attempts in the last five minutes of games within five points.</p><p>"I think you need to have go-to shots. That's the most important thing," Edwards told theScore about his growth as an NBA closer. "You can have all the dribble moves in the game, but you've got to have a go-to shot. You've got to be able to get to a spot that you're comfortable with. I worked on that all summer, getting to a spot where I'm super comfortable, no matter if it's a heavily contested shot."</p><p>While Edwards certainly has go-to spots on the floor, he's scored his 113 clutch points in just about <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;ContextMeasure=FGM&amp;GameID=&amp;PlayerID=1630162&amp;Season=2025-26&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612750&amp;flag=3&amp;sct=plot&amp;section=game">every way</a> (and from every spot) imaginable.</p><p>As Edwards sees it, refusing to fear failure and having a short memory help separate true closers from mere mortals. "I missed so many game-winners and shots to take the lead in my first two years. Even this year, I probably missed a whole bunch of them. But those don't count," Edwards laughed. "It's the ones that go in that people remember, so I don't really care about the ones that I miss. And I'm gonna make more than I miss. I promise you that."</p><p>The numbers agree.</p><h3>Player of the week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821663/cropped_GettyImages-2260621600.jpg?ts=1771565799" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821663/w220xh124_GettyImages-2260621600.jpg?ts=1771565799 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821663/w320xh180_GettyImages-2260621600.jpg?ts=1771565799 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821663/w640xh360_GettyImages-2260621600.jpg?ts=1771565799 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821663/w768xh432_GettyImages-2260621600.jpg?ts=1771565799 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821663/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2260621600.jpg?ts=1771565799 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Cole Burston / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Cade Cunningham</strong>: 27.5 PPG, 60.9% TS, 5.9 RPG, 9.6 APG, 2.3 STL + BLK, 7-1 record</p><p>I also considered Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and Kawhi Leonard for this award, which takes a couple of weeks' worth of games into account since our last edition of "From The Logo." Cunningham was an easy choice in the end, with his recent heater helping Detroit leapfrog Oklahoma City for the league's best record.</p><p>A career 33.7% 3-point shooter, Cunningham shot 40% from deep over the last two weeks, which can mostly be attributed to his last two games. The rising MVP candidate went 6-of-11 from deep in a victory over the Raptors to enter the All-Star break, then shot 5-of-11 in a 42-point, 13-assist masterpiece against the Knicks in Detroit's first game back. Given Cunningham's size and playmaking abilities, he becomes unguardable when his jumper is falling.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
<li>Comment on this story in theScore app</li>
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https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34554269/related

The NBA's tanking problem, KD's burner scandal, Ant's clutch gene

The NBA's All-Star break presents more than just the league's annual mid-February festivities. It...

<p>The NBA's All-Star break presents more than just the league's annual mid-February festivities. It also brings annual angst for those who want to watch a somewhat competitive basketball game contested by the world's best ballers.</p><p>San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama has heard your cries, <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3477523" href="https://thescore.com/news/3477523">reiterating</a> that he'll never step foot on a basketball court without caring about the final result. "I want to push the great players of this sport to play in the All-Star Game just as hard as I will," the 22-year-old said recently. "We'll see how it goes, But if they don't play hard, I'll do it without them."</p><p>Wembanyama might be the NBA's last hope to save its midseason event.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Whether the Association even needs a competitive All-Star Game is a conversation worth having. North America's other major sports leagues rarely see intense All-Star clashes, save for the odd Midsummer Classic in baseball, and yet those entities don't seem to mind. The NBA clearly does.</p><p>As conversations about waning All-Star enthusiasm grew louder, commissioner Adam Silver publicly acknowledged the issue, and the league office spent years tweaking the product. Player-drafted squads captained by top vote-getters replaced the traditional East-versus-West format, which is how we got six years of Team LeBron versus Team Curry, Team Giannis, or Team Durant. Then came a target score and the Elam Ending, which have since been discontinued.</p><p>Introductions were shortened, halftime shows were minimized, all in the interest of creating an atmosphere for the players that more closely mimicked a real game. The 2024 edition featured an anticlimactic return to East versus West, while 2025 produced a four-team tournament consisting of Chuck's Global Stars, Kenny's Young Stars, Shaq's OGs, and Candace's Rising Stars. <em>Seriously</em>.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/770912/cropped_GettyImages-2199458152.jpg?ts=1770927154" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/770912/w220xh124_GettyImages-2199458152.jpg?ts=1770927154 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/770912/w320xh180_GettyImages-2199458152.jpg?ts=1770927154 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/770912/w640xh360_GettyImages-2199458152.jpg?ts=1770927154 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/770912/w768xh432_GettyImages-2199458152.jpg?ts=1770927154 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/770912/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2199458152.jpg?ts=1770927154 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Adam Hagy / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Along the way, there have been grand <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/nba-hoping-for-more-competitiveness-in-this-years-all-star-game">proclamations</a> and even locker room <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1760075155391308086">pep talks</a> from basketball royalty, including Larry Bird. It's all fallen flat, as it's become quite obvious the league's modern stars want no part of a decent basketball game breaking out Sunday evening. No one's asking players to risk injury or treat the All-Star Game like a postseason contest, but can the league's 24 best players at least be bothered to get into a defensive stance or put a hand up once every two or three possessions?</p><p>Against this backdrop, Silver's office has created yet another new format: the United States against the world. Except not really. It's actually the U.S. versus the U.S. versus the world, as this year's All-Star "game" will feature another mini-tournament. The concept is somewhat defensible, as players being split evenly between an American squad and an international one might've left a number of deserving American standouts snubbed.</p><p>As much as the rest of the world has caught up to the U.S. at the top of the heap - with an international-born player favored to win MVP for an eight straight year - the U.S. still dominates when it comes to depth. But if the league wanted to maximize its chances of a competitive game between Americans and international players, it's already dropped the ball.</p><p>The NBA undoubtedly took inspiration from hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off, which replaced the NHL's 2025 All-Star festivities. However, that rare public relations win for the NHL was due to a variety of factors that can't be replicated. The league took two weeks off to stage the tournament, which saw Canadian, American, Swedish, and Finnish players represent their own countries. Hockey fans also hadn't witnessed a best-on-best international tournament in roughly a decade. Finally, the 4 Nations Face-Off took place during a uniquely tense political period between the U.S. and Canada, leading to an outsized sense of patriotism and bragging rights for the victors of the tournament.</p><p>Conversely, the world's greatest American ballers play best-on-best international hoops two out of every four years between the World Cup and Olympics. Add Eurobasket to the mix and the league's proud European stars can represent their countries in three-quarters of their summers. A three-team, one-day tournament featuring USA Stars, USA Stripes, and Team World isn't coming close to matching the stakes of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Thinking otherwise is laughable.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/740563/cropped_GettyImages-2165611913.jpg?ts=1770925500" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/740563/w220xh124_GettyImages-2165611913.jpg?ts=1770925500 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/740563/w320xh180_GettyImages-2165611913.jpg?ts=1770925500 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/740563/w640xh360_GettyImages-2165611913.jpg?ts=1770925500 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/740563/w768xh432_GettyImages-2165611913.jpg?ts=1770925500 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/740563/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2165611913.jpg?ts=1770925500 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic aren't going to transform from the players who <a href="https://youtu.be/JhSgMzTNMBE?si=PyM4-c4egzpEhVhD">care</a> <a href="https://x.com/theScore/status/1759694664595071370">least</a> about the exhibition to suddenly playing with the same sense of pride they would for Serbia and Slovenia, respectively, just because the word "world" is scrawled across their chest.</p><p>Unless Wembanyama's desire is really <em>that</em> infectious.</p><p>However, as Kevin Durant recently pointed out, Wembanyama made similar comments heading into his All-Star debut last season. "He said that last year too. They (still) said it was the worst All-Star Game that people watched," Durant reminded reporters. "So, we'll see."</p><p>We can at least applaud Wembanyama for trying after years of hearing his fellow All-Stars admit they didn't want to be the only players defending or looking like they cared.</p><p>Therein lies the issue. Whether it's fear of social media trolling or something else, somewhere along the way, today's generation of stars started believing that there's less honor in showing you care and losing than there is in showing no care at all - that trying and failing is worse than not showing up to compete. As I <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2850730">wrote</a> on this very topic two years ago, where have all the Kyle Lowrys gone? The undersized guard didn't seem to mind whether the other nine players on the court were taking the result seriously when he supercharged the Chicago crowd (and his peers) by taking two <a href="https://youtu.be/z6_G3PUjV4s?si=e9xRU_eafYbzUC0u&amp;t=36">charges</a> in crunch time of the 2020 All-Star Game.</p><p>Perhaps Wembanyama can do the same this year. If he can actually get today's stars to show some competitive pride Sunday, it might be the freakish Frenchman's most impressive feat yet.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34484265/related

Is Wemby our last hope to save the NBA All-Star Game?

Just before the NBA's 2025-26 season tipped off, I previewed one of the league's most unpredictab...

<p>Just before the NBA's 2025-26 season tipped off, I previewed one of the league's most unpredictable teams, <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3352610" href="https://thescore.com/news/3352610">asking</a> whether the Toronto Raptors were directionless or on the rise.</p><p>The fifth-place Raptors enter the All-Star break at 32-23, already eclipsing their win total from last season. It's clear the league's seventh-<a href="https://nbaage.com/">youngest</a> team (by weighted minutes) is ascending. But there are still big-picture questions to consider for a team that's gone 4-13 against the league's 10 best clubs. Let's dive into what's gone right, what's gone wrong, and what Toronto still needs to figure out.</p><h3>Barnes is a franchise star</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817350/cropped_GettyImages-2255288167.jpg?ts=1770832592" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817350/w220xh124_GettyImages-2255288167.jpg?ts=1770832592 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817350/w320xh180_GettyImages-2255288167.jpg?ts=1770832592 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817350/w640xh360_GettyImages-2255288167.jpg?ts=1770832592 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817350/w768xh432_GettyImages-2255288167.jpg?ts=1770832592 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817350/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2255288167.jpg?ts=1770832592 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Cole Burston / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Regardless of the Raptors' ultimate postseason performance, the biggest takeaway from Toronto's season is that Barnes is an undeniable franchise star. The 24-year-old can be the centerpiece of a future contender even though his shooting limitations prevent him from being the traditional three-level, No. 1 scoring option we usually envision in that role.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Barnes has become a dominant all-around force, with the arrival of fellow All-Star Brandon Ingram allowing him to fill a predominantly off-ball role he's best suited for. Barnes still bullies his way to points inside, shows off an improved mid-range touch, slings breathtaking passes, and leads the fast break as a playmaking forward, but it all comes more naturally than it did when he was miscast as a pure point-forward.</p><p>The biggest jump has come on the other end of the court, where Barnes' nightly impact has caught up to his defensive potential. The 6-foot-8 forward has guarded big men and point guards, all while clogging passing lanes, disrupting ball-handlers, and protecting the paint. Leading the league in total stocks (steals plus blocks), Barnes has been everything everywhere all at once for the Raptors' seventh-ranked defense. If Victor Wembanyama falls short of the 65-game minimum for award eligibility, Barnes deserves serious Defensive Player of the Year consideration.</p><p>"Scottie is Defensive Player of the Year. Scottie is an All-Star. Scottie is going to be Finals MVP one day. Scottie's going to be MVP of this league one day. I'm calling it now. You can write down the date when I said it," head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters earlier this week. Rajakovic's effusive praise of Barnes and outsized expectations for the two-time All-Star have long been a source of comedy for Raptors fans and media alike, but Barnes' two-way play this season has made his coach's predictions more believable.</p><p>The best part for Toronto is that Barnes is only in the first year of a five-year contract that contains no options and is worth roughly 25% of the annual cap (rather than 30%). That already looked like a team-building boon coming into the season. Now it looks like a massive advantage.</p><h3>Ingram's comeback season</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821424/cropped_GettyImages-2255801041.jpg?ts=1770840001" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821424/w220xh124_GettyImages-2255801041.jpg?ts=1770840001 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821424/w320xh180_GettyImages-2255801041.jpg?ts=1770840001 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821424/w640xh360_GettyImages-2255801041.jpg?ts=1770840001 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821424/w768xh432_GettyImages-2255801041.jpg?ts=1770840001 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821424/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2255801041.jpg?ts=1770840001 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Michael Hickey / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Toronto's midseason trade for Ingram amid last year's tanking campaign was defensible but controversial. The move served as the prototype deal for rebuilding teams striking in "<a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3472596" href="https://thescore.com/news/3472596">pre-agency</a>," buying low on a tarnished star (and pending free agent) to set up their return to relevance a year later. However, Ingram would need to prove he could stay healthy and play his game in a winning environment.</p><p>Check and check thus far. After averaging 56.5 appearances per 82 games over his first nine years, the 28-year-old has already appeared in 53 of 55 contests this season. Ingram has emerged as the leading scorer (21.8 points per game) on a team playing at a 47-win pace, with the mid-range maestro helping address the Raptors' formerly glaring need for shot creation and tough shotmaking, particularly in crunch time. He's also playing the most inspired defense of his career.</p><p>Although Ingram's production and efficiency as a Raptor look quite similar to what they've been for most of his career, there have been subtle refinements. He's doing more with a little less of the ball - holding it and dribbling it slightly less than he used to - while being a more willing catch-and-shoot threat. During his last full season in New Orleans (2023-24), 52% of Ingram's field-goal attempts were of the pull-up variety, and 16% of his 3-point attempts were catch-and-shoots. This season, his pull-up frequency has decreased slightly to 49% of his total attempts, while his catch-and-shoot 3-point frequency has increased to 22%. Additionally, the percentage of Ingram's shots taken after zero dribbles has increased from 23% to 32%.</p><p>All of this has led to a 20% increase in Ingram's per-touch scoring efficiency.</p><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Ingram</th>
<th>2023-24</th>
<th>2025-26</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Touches/min</td>
<td>1.96</td>
<td>1.66</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Secs/touch</td>
<td>4.01</td>
<td>3.30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dribbles/touch</td>
<td>3.17</td>
<td>2.20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pts/touch</td>
<td>.325</td>
<td>.390</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>Ingram has found a way to both be himself and fit in. "I want every player on our roster to feel that he's being himself, that he's being used to the best of his abilities," Rajakovic said. "But at the same time, I expect every single player to improve and get better. Not necessarily just percentages and shots and production, but fitting into the system, playing to our standard, playing with ball movement."</p><p>It's not often a player goes six years between his first and second All-Star selections, but it's a fitting reward for Ingram's comeback season.</p><h3>Frontcourt questions</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792651/cropped_GettyImages-2207281012.jpg?ts=1770840054" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792651/w220xh124_GettyImages-2207281012.jpg?ts=1770840054 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792651/w320xh180_GettyImages-2207281012.jpg?ts=1770840054 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792651/w640xh360_GettyImages-2207281012.jpg?ts=1770840054 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792651/w768xh432_GettyImages-2207281012.jpg?ts=1770840054 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/792651/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2207281012.jpg?ts=1770840054 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Scott Taetsch / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>In my season preview, I called starting center Jakob Poeltl Toronto's most indispensable player. As the Raptors' only true center and 7-footer, there are things a healthy Poeltl can do consistently that no one else on the roster is equipped to.</p><p>The fact that the Raptors are having the season they're currently enjoying, even with a back injury limiting Poeltl to 22 games of mostly disappointing play, is a testament to the other two bigs in their rotation. Floor-spacer Sandro Mamukelashvili has been one of the league's biggest free-agent bargains, averaging 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench while hitting 38.3% of his threes. More importantly, rookie power forward Collin Murray-Boyles has been a revelation.</p><p>Selected ninth overall in last year's draft, Murray-Boyles entered the Association with a defensive reputation that preceded him. But the level to which that defensive potential has immediately translated at the pro level has still been stunning. Opposing stars, coaches, and scouts are unanimous in their praise for Murray-Boyles and their projections of him as a future defensive star. The undersized rookie has also contributed on the offensive end despite clear limitations, with his rebounding, screening, playmaking, and smarts standing out.</p><p>Since Jan. 3, Murray-Boyles has ranked fourth on the team in minutes per game and has started all 15 contests he's suited up for. While seeking frontcourt depth ahead of last week's trade deadline, general manager Bobby Webster wanted to do so without disrupting Murray-Boyles' playing time and development.</p><p>"The silver lining of the (Poeltl) injury has been Collin in so many different ways," Webster told theScore. "Obviously, he's not 7-feet, but it's been a great surprise to see him (play like this) this quickly. Even tonight, I was talking to someone, it's like, he just sort of fits."</p><p>The Raptors addressed those aforementioned depth concerns with the addition of Trayce Jackson-Davis. The former Warriors big man is almost a discount version of Murray-Boyles, with a team option for only $2.4 million next season. Jackson-Davis is capable of slotting in as a good team's fourth or fifth big, and those team-friendly terms could help the Raptors in their quest to retain fellow reserve Mamukelashvili, who's sure to decline his $2.8-million player option for next season and opt for free agency.</p><p>Still, whether the goal is to solidify the frontcourt in the short term or to use his contract as part of a trade for a more starry upgrade, the Raptors need Poeltl healthy for everything to fall into place.</p><h3>Trade chips or core pieces?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810706/cropped_GettyImages-2247559166.jpg?ts=1770840088" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810706/w220xh124_GettyImages-2247559166.jpg?ts=1770840088 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810706/w320xh180_GettyImages-2247559166.jpg?ts=1770840088 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810706/w640xh360_GettyImages-2247559166.jpg?ts=1770840088 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810706/w768xh432_GettyImages-2247559166.jpg?ts=1770840088 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810706/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2247559166.jpg?ts=1770840088 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Emilee Chinn / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Much like Poeltl's contract, which will pay the veteran big man $27.3 million (roughly 14.2% of the cap) in 2029-30, the issue with Quickley's deal is more about the length (three more years) than the salary ($32.5 million). Those terms make both players tough to trade without attaching draft capital to their contracts, an inadvisable move for a still-building Raptors club.</p><p>And like Poeltl, Quickley still provides immense value to the Raptors' roster when he's at his best, as his ball-handling, shooting, and off-the-dribble creation are irreplaceable given the team's current construction.</p><p>Meanwhile, hometown star RJ Barrett is his own conundrum. The 25-year-old has found a nice fit in Toronto, where his slashing, cutting, and occasional shooting streaks help keep the team's offense flowing. The Raptors are a better team with Barrett in the lineup, but his defense still lags (particularly guarding off the ball), his shooting remains inconsistent, and his fit on winning teams is far from universal. On one hand, extending Barrett at a reasonable number makes sense. On the other hand, letting someone else pay Barrett what he believes he's worth when his contract expires in 2027 might make more sense, which is why he remains a fixture in trade rumors.</p><p>All of these factors put the Raptors in a tough spot at the deadline and might do so again in the offseason. Toronto controls all of its own first-round draft picks and has the right-sized contracts, from a salary perspective, to construct a trade package for an All-Star-caliber player. But the length of those contracts diminishes their appeal, and Toronto doesn't have any surplus first-rounders to take the kind of second-tier swings Washington and Utah did on Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson (when the Wizards and Jazz combined to trade only one of their own first-rounders).</p><p>Barring a significant change in Quickley's and Poeltl's performances, the Raptors may need to wait it out until their contracts are short enough to attract rival suitors, while maximizing each player's unique value to Toronto in the meantime.</p><h3>Raps need more from sophomores, third-year players</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821598/cropped_GettyImages-2246696182.jpg?ts=1770840190" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821598/w220xh124_GettyImages-2246696182.jpg?ts=1770840190 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821598/w320xh180_GettyImages-2246696182.jpg?ts=1770840190 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821598/w640xh360_GettyImages-2246696182.jpg?ts=1770840190 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821598/w768xh432_GettyImages-2246696182.jpg?ts=1770840190 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/821598/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2246696182.jpg?ts=1770840190 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jason Miller / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Jamal Shead's emergence as a consistent reserve shouldn't surprise anyone. If his shooting ever comes around, he has starter-level upside. However, the Raptors needed one of Gradey Dick, Ja'Kobe Walter, or Ochai Agbaji to pop. Agbaji struggled through a dreadful season and saw his expiring contract used to help the team duck the luxury tax. Toronto is still waiting on the Dick or Walter glow-up.</p><p>The former was drafted 13th overall in 2023. He was supposed to be a great shooter with good size and the ability to help on the glass. But other than one encouraging stretch early in his sophomore season, Dick has been a disappointing shooter who's gotten pushed around in his three years as a pro. Walter has flashed glimpses of being a solid 3-and-D rotation guard with some off-the-dribble juice, but at some point, he needs to do it for longer stretches.</p><p>One of these players even coming close to their ceiling this season could've elevated Toronto from emerging playoff team to a much more threatening postseason squad.</p><h3>Self-awareness is key</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/798065/cropped_GettyImages-1235894299.jpg?ts=1770840256" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/798065/w220xh124_GettyImages-1235894299.jpg?ts=1770840256 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/798065/w320xh180_GettyImages-1235894299.jpg?ts=1770840256 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/798065/w640xh360_GettyImages-1235894299.jpg?ts=1770840256 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/798065/w768xh432_GettyImages-1235894299.jpg?ts=1770840256 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/798065/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1235894299.jpg?ts=1770840256 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The Raptors are a solid but unspectacular team as presently constructed, which is fine for this stage of their competitive window. Toronto might be slightly ahead of schedule, but it's not a team on the precipice of contention.</p><p>That's why Webster's deadline prudence was necessary. Sure, there's a glaring need for shooting that wasn't addressed, but the best course of action is letting this mostly positive year run its course rather than overpaying to elevate a first-round team to the second round.</p><p>The path forward and the Raptors' progression may not be linear, either, as I'd wager only Barnes and Murray-Boyles are viewed as concrete building blocks.</p><p>"There are going to be hard evaluations here," Webster said. "This is the hardest part of the season. This is when the lights are brightest. If we're fortunate enough to be in the play-in or playoff games, you'll get more evaluation. I think some of those tougher decisions will come in the summer."</p><p>Raptors fans might want to just enjoy the ride until then.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34474174/related

What to make of the Raptors after 55 games

Deadline day may have been a dud, but that's only because the 48 hours that preceded it were shee...

<p>Deadline day may have been a dud, but that's only because the 48 hours that preceded it were sheer madness. Here are the teams, players, and trends that won and lost the NBA's trade deadline week.</p><p>For analysis of every notable transaction, click <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3470923" href="https://thescore.com/news/3470923">here</a>.</p><h3>Winner: Thunder</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/811582/cropped_GettyImages-2245914508.jpg?ts=1770332783" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/811582/w220xh124_GettyImages-2245914508.jpg?ts=1770332783 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/811582/w320xh180_GettyImages-2245914508.jpg?ts=1770332783 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/811582/w640xh360_GettyImages-2245914508.jpg?ts=1770332783 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/811582/w768xh432_GettyImages-2245914508.jpg?ts=1770332783 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/811582/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2245914508.jpg?ts=1770332783 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Rocky Widner / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The defending champions don't get top billing just because they turned a first-round draft pick and a few second-rounders into former 76ers guard Jared McCain, though McCain does give Oklahoma City another weapon off the bench. The Thunder are deadline week's biggest winner because the league's best team got a little better, none of its biggest competitors made meaningful additions, and the projected value of OKC's surplus draft capital soared.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>By trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac while acquiring the currently sidelined Darius Garland, the Clippers may have bolstered their long-term trajectory but tanked their fortunes in the short term. The previously surging Clips had climbed all the way up to a play-in spot, but their playoff hopes now appear shot, which means their 2026 first-rounder - which is controlled by the Thunder - is surely lottery-bound. Meanwhile, the Jazz traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. in a major talent upgrade for the rebuilding club. Utah could still find creative ways to tank down the stretch before trying to compete again next year, but if Jackson boosts the team's performance in the slightest, he'd be devaluing a protected pick that heads to OKC if it falls outside the top eight.</p><p>About those aforementioned competitors: the Nuggets, Spurs, and Rockets combined to acquire zero players. The East-leading Pistons addressed some of their shooting concerns by adding Kevin Huerter, but it was an underwhelming haul considering Detroit gave up once-prized prospect Jaden Ivey. Jose Alvarado will be a fan favorite with the Knicks and he's a better reserve than Guerschon Yabusele, but he's not moving the needle in a way that scares anyone. The Cavs are now the East favorites after swapping Garland for Harden, but Harden will have to slay his playoff demons to get Cleveland through the East before the Cavs can even think about OKC. Nikola Vucevic is a nice addition for the Celtics, but Boston isn't threatening for a title unless Jayson Tatum returns. You could argue the quasi-contender that improved the most was Minnesota, which added Ayo Dosunmo on deadline day. But the Timberwolves trail the Thunder by eight games in the standings.</p><p>At the moment, everything is still coming up Thunder.</p><h3>Losers: Everyone who bought Giannis trade hype</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819657/cropped_GettyImages-2254701441.jpg?ts=1770332817" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819657/w220xh124_GettyImages-2254701441.jpg?ts=1770332817 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819657/w320xh180_GettyImages-2254701441.jpg?ts=1770332817 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819657/w640xh360_GettyImages-2254701441.jpg?ts=1770332817 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819657/w768xh432_GettyImages-2254701441.jpg?ts=1770332817 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819657/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2254701441.jpg?ts=1770332817 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>For a variety of <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3463358" href="https://thescore.com/news/3463358">reasons</a>, Giannis Antetokounmpo's latest calf injury only reinforced the notion that a Greek Freak blockbuster would make more sense in the offseason. Still, how could we not get excited about the prospect of the future Hall of Famer changing teams midseason and potentially joining a contender?</p><p>Alas, it wasn't meant to be, meaning the on-again, off-again Giannis sweepstakes will bleed into the summer. That might be a win for those of us in NBA content creation, but it also means we all have to listen to more of Antetokounmpo's convoluted tangents. Expect to hear more about how the two-time MVP would never ask for a trade, but also about how he doesn't want to waste his time playing for a mediocre team; how he wants to compete for championships, but perhaps <a href="https://x.com/GeryWoelfel/status/2019465086876913825">not</a> as the secondary star in <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/2018483335694045308">another</a> player's city; how he's committed to Milwaukee, but can still change his mind as quickly as breakfast choices evolve. "Just because I like my eggs scrambled today, I don't have the opportunity to eat my eggs sunny side up tomorrow?" Antetokounmpo jokingly asked <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7006138/2026/01/29/giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-rumors-bucks-warriors-knicks/">The Athletic</a> last month.</p><p>Antetokounmpo's latest social-media messaging will only grow increasingly hilarious in hindsight if and when trade discussions pick back up in the offseason:</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Legends don’t chase. They attract 💯😎 <a href="https://t.co/62r1jg93vt">pic.twitter.com/62r1jg93vt</a></p>— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) <a href="https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34/status/2019509512752017566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure><h3>Winners: Big-market Giannis suitors</h3><p>Offseason trade discussions for Antetokounmpo should bring more bidders to the table, as a number of big-market and high-profile clubs will own more tradable picks once this year's draft is completed. The Knicks, Lakers, and Heat will see their tradable first-round pick totals increase by two apiece, while the Timberwolves - a smaller-market team that was linked to Antetokounmpo this week - will gain one.</p><p>Those teams might face increased competition for Antetokounmpo's services, but at least they'll have a real seat at the table.</p><h3>Loser: Ja Morant (and the Grizzlies)</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818902/cropped_GettyImages-2254304571.jpg?ts=1770332847" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818902/w220xh124_GettyImages-2254304571.jpg?ts=1770332847 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818902/w320xh180_GettyImages-2254304571.jpg?ts=1770332847 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818902/w640xh360_GettyImages-2254304571.jpg?ts=1770332847 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818902/w768xh432_GettyImages-2254304571.jpg?ts=1770332847 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818902/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2254304571.jpg?ts=1770332847 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Justin Ford / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>There will be no such competition for Ja Morant, with the Grizzlies <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2019505404686844345">reportedly</a> failing to receive any serious offers for the fallen star.</p><p>That shouldn't shock anyone. Morant is a non-shooting point guard who doesn't defend, doesn't get to the rim as often as he used to (or needs to), and doesn't play. The two-time All-Star has missed 48% of Memphis' games over the last five seasons due to a variety of injuries and suspensions. He hasn't played more than six consecutive games since the 2022-23 season, and he's still owed more than $87 million over the next two years. All that, and we haven't gone in on the off-court headaches that come with Morant.</p><p>I figured a traditionally shortsighted team that likes to spin its wheels might take a flier on Morant, but when even the Sacramento Kings deem you unworthy of a deadline-day Hail Mary, you know your stock has cratered.</p><p>It leaves the Grizzlies in an awkward spot, as Memphis already traded Jackson - a former Defensive Player of the Year - less than a year after moving on from Desmond Bane. Dealing Morant should've put the finishing touches on a full-throttle pivot to a rebuild. Instead, the mercurial guard and his team remain stuck in limbo. The Grizzlies reportedly dropped the asking price for the face of their franchise in an effort to put the saga behind them. It says something that Memphis wanted to move on so badly and <em>still </em>couldn't find a new home for Morant.</p><h3>Winner: Pre-agency and planning for next year</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818643/cropped_GettyImages-2255834372.jpg?ts=1770332884" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818643/w220xh124_GettyImages-2255834372.jpg?ts=1770332884 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818643/w320xh180_GettyImages-2255834372.jpg?ts=1770332884 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818643/w640xh360_GettyImages-2255834372.jpg?ts=1770332884 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818643/w768xh432_GettyImages-2255834372.jpg?ts=1770332884 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818643/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2255834372.jpg?ts=1770332884 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Chris Gardner / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The concept of pre-agency - where capped out teams acquire a pending free agent via trade or where cap-space teams pre-emptively spend what would've been free-agency money on a midseason trade - isn't new (see last year's Raptors trade for Brandon Ingram). But it certainly seems to be gaining popularity.</p><p>Two tanking teams that could've <a href="https://x.com/YossiGozlan/status/2019146533657272508">hoarded</a> 2026 cap space - the Jazz and Wizards - traded for Jackson and Anthony Davis, respectively. Neither Utah nor Washington has ever been a free-agent destination, so pouncing on the opportunity to acquire legitimate stars is understandable. Between Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, and Ace Bailey, among others, the Jazz suddenly boast a wealth of young talent - not to mention an impressive supply of draft capital.</p><p>Meanwhile, four weeks after buying low on the sidelined Trae Young, Washington added Davis to a core comprised of youngsters like Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, and Will Riley. We can debate the merits of using up to 65% of the cap on Davis and Young rather than continuing to stay patient, but at least the Wizards didn't give up any of their own draft picks to take this swing, making it a relatively low-risk, high-reward proposition.</p><p>I wonder how much the projected weak draft classes of 2027 and 2028 also factored into these decisions. If you're a team that has already spent years rebuilding and is punting this season to prioritize a loaded 2026 draft, it makes sense to start chasing wins again (and selling competitive basketball to your fans) next season when the rewards for losing look much less promising.</p><p>Elsewhere, the Pacers didn't fit the traditional requirements of a buyer, either, as Indiana stumbled into a gap-year after losing Tyrese Haliburton to an Achilles injury in last year's Finals. The Pacers own the league's third-worst record and could add a franchise-changing talent via the draft to bolster a contending roster again next season. Still, they moved multiple first-rounders (and pending restricted free agent Benedict Mathurin) to acquire an excellent starting center (Ivica Zubac) whose contributions likely won't matter until next fall.</p><p>Finally, the tax-paying Timberwolves acquired pending free agent Ayo Dosunmu, an efficient scoring reserve Minnesota would've had little chance of signing in the offseason. The Wolves now own Dosunmu's bird rights, meaning they can exceed the cap to retain him.</p><h3>Loser: Teams waiting for tax windfall</h3><p>The NBA's luxury-tax system sees the league's non-tax-paying teams share 50% of the revenues generated from the taxes paid by the highest spenders. Entering deadline week, 14 teams were on track to pay the tax, which would've resulted in the 16 non-tax teams receiving payments worth roughly $14 million each. After a series of cost-cutting moves around the Association, the number of tax-payers is now down to seven, with the Clippers only about $900,000 away from making it six. Suddenly, the payout for non-taxpayers is in the $4 million range, marking a $10-million difference for the original 16 teams waiting on those checks.</p><p>No one should be shedding tears for multi-billion-dollar sports enterprises, but $10 million is $10 million.</p><p>Among the winners in this department, the Celtics went from a projected $500-million payroll in 2025-26 to ducking the tax entirely after a series of shrewd maneuvers over the last seven months. In addition to regaining access to various roster-building mechanisms, Boston also saved approximately <em><a href="https://x.com/YossiGozlan/status/2019519640846942536">$325 million</a></em>. Remarkably, the Celtics didn't need to trade any first-round picks to accomplish the cost-cutting feat, and they've maintained a top-three record in the East while Jayson Tatum rehabs an Achilles injury. Unbelievable.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

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Winners and losers from a wild NBA trade deadline week

Welcome to your one-stop shop for analysis of every major transaction leading up to Thursday's NB...

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NBA trade deadline: Analysis for every notable deal

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>What the Hornets are doing isn't normal</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819614/cropped_GettyImages-2182711433.jpg?ts=1769723317" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819614/w220xh124_GettyImages-2182711433.jpg?ts=1769723317 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819614/w320xh180_GettyImages-2182711433.jpg?ts=1769723317 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819614/w640xh360_GettyImages-2182711433.jpg?ts=1769723317 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819614/w768xh432_GettyImages-2182711433.jpg?ts=1769723317 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819614/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2182711433.jpg?ts=1769723317 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Kent Smith / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Bad teams can put together midseason runs, but very few teams have ever shocked me the way Charlotte has over the last month.</p><p>The 11th-place Hornets have won five in a row and 10 of their last 15 since an 11-23 start. Charlotte now boasts the league's sixth-ranked offense and the same point differential (plus-1.5) as the East's fourth-place team (the Raptors), with a 9-8 record in its last 17 games against winning clubs. The Hornets have also performed like an <a href="https://x.com/OptaSTATS/status/2016713271135408511">all-time squad</a> away from home throughout January.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Everything except the Hornets' overall record suggests this is a legitimately good team hiding in plain sight, especially when their three cornerstone youngsters are healthy and share the floor. Thursday's thrilling win in Dallas improved their record to 17-11 when LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller all suit up.</p><p>I've criticized Ball's unserious approach ad nauseam, and he still makes his share of indefensible decisions with the ball in his hands, but the star guard has fine-tuned his game. The head-scratching moments are becoming fewer and further between while Ball is doing more of the little things and making more of what coaches would call "winning plays." I'm not ready to fully buy into him as a franchise pillar, but I'm at least cautiously optimistic about what we're seeing.</p><p>Knueppel's shooting and tireless off-ball movement have unlocked so much for Ball and the Hornets' offense as a whole, while Miller is transforming into a more complete and efficient three-level scorer before our eyes. All three young stars are thriving in head coach Charles Lee's entertaining offensive system, which features a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls and plenty of movement. Among the 300 most frequently used three-man combinations, only Nikola Jokic-led lineups in Denver have scored more efficiently than Hornets lineups featuring Ball, Knueppel, and Miller (127.4 points per 100 possessions).</p><p>It's outrageous, and it makes you wonder how scary the Hornets would be if they could land a defensive anchor (<a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3466238" href="https://thescore.com/news/3466238">like Anthony Davis</a>) without sacrificing much of their core or any of their own first-round draft picks.</p><p>Even with a more patient approach, the Hornets could put a scare into any East contender if they find a way to sneak into the playoffs - or they could emerge as the conference's most promising squad if they stumble into some lottery luck.</p><p>The Hornets own the NBA's longest playoff drought and are one of only two franchises (along with the Pelicans) that's never made a conference finals appearance. Charlotte's fans deserve this promising run.</p><h3>The Jokic-less Nuggets are inspiring</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819685/cropped_GettyImages-2258006854.jpg?ts=1769723414" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819685/w220xh124_GettyImages-2258006854.jpg?ts=1769723414 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819685/w320xh180_GettyImages-2258006854.jpg?ts=1769723414 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819685/w640xh360_GettyImages-2258006854.jpg?ts=1769723414 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819685/w768xh432_GettyImages-2258006854.jpg?ts=1769723414 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819685/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2258006854.jpg?ts=1769723414 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">AAron Ontiveroz / Denver Post / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Like many NBA observers, I envisioned a rude awakening for Denver when Jokic was sidelined by a knee injury in December. Instead, the Nuggets have gone 10-6 without the three-time MVP despite Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun each missing between four and 13 of those Jokic-less contests. Cam Johnson hasn't appeared in any of them, with four-fifths of Denver's starting lineup already missing considerable time this season.</p><p>Jokic has missed 16 games. Johnson has missed 20 and is still working his way back from a bone bruise in his knee. Gordon has already missed 25 contests and was just ruled out for another four-to-six weeks due to a hamstring injury. Braun has missed 34 games and remains sidelined by an ankle ailment. Even reserve center Jonas Valanciunas, whose presence was supposed to help Denver survive the usually calamitous minutes when Jokic rests, has missed 12 of the last 15 games after suffering a calf strain three days after Jokic went down.</p><p>That the Nuggets have survived this stretch - let alone that they're on pace for 54 wins and clinging to third place in the stacked West - feels like a miracle. A negative point differential in the 16 games without Jokic and an 8-2 record in clutch games during that time suggests the Nuggets have benefited from luck. But take nothing away from a decimated team that keeps finding ways to win. It also helps to have a cold-blooded closer like Murray, who's shot 61% from the field and 60% from deep in clutch minutes since Dec. 31.</p><p>Everyone involved deserves a ton of credit. Murray has surely cemented his first All-Star selection. Peyton Watson - averaging 22.1 points and 2.6 steals plus blocks since Jokic went down - will get some Most Improved Player love. And David Adelman's name should be in Coach of the Year discussions.</p><h3>Inside the locker room</h3><p><em>What I'm hearing from players and people around the Association.</em></p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/812547/cropped_GettyImages-2193244868.jpg?ts=1764876382" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/812547/w220xh124_GettyImages-2193244868.jpg?ts=1764876382 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/812547/w320xh180_GettyImages-2193244868.jpg?ts=1764876382 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/812547/w640xh360_GettyImages-2193244868.jpg?ts=1764876382 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/812547/w768xh432_GettyImages-2193244868.jpg?ts=1764876382 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/812547/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2193244868.jpg?ts=1764876382 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>KAT can't hear you</strong>: It's no secret that Karl-Anthony Towns once again finds himself in trade rumors. The Knicks big man, who was acquired from Minnesota about 16 months ago, is New York's highest-paid player, and his $53.1-million salary could be the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade for a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo.</p><p>Towns is averaging 20.2 points and a league-leading 11.6 rebounds per game in what's been considered a down year for the five-time All-Star. His defensive limitations came under scrutiny as the East-favorite Knicks stumbled in January, and he's posting his lowest true shooting percentage since his rookie campaign (though he's still scoring on above-average efficiency).</p><p>Still, the 30-year-old swears he doesn't see the headlines.</p><p>"I feel like I've been in trade rumors a lot ... every year, damn near. It don't matter to me," Towns said after a recent victory in Toronto, adding that he doesn't check social media. "I focus on the job at hand, which is trying to get wins every single night. As long as I do that - do my job - I go home happy and feeling accomplished. I'm not worried what anybody's got to say or what people write, or anything like that."</p><p>Can someone in the public spotlight like Towns - an NBA All-Star whose <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordyn_Woods">celebrity fiancee </a>has nearly 12 million followers on Instagram - really block out the noise? How does he resist the temptation to check what's being said about him?</p><p>"Man, I've been in the league 11 years. I was there when internet came out. I remember AOL, telling mom to get off the phone (so I could use the internet)," Towns joked about not needing social media.</p><p>"Honestly, I ain't worried about any of that. I stay in my lane. I stick to my bubble. I just worry about my family. My niece, my nephew, how they're doing in Little League and dance and hip hop class and all that, that's what I care about. I just want to do my job well. Like I said, there's only one thing I want to talk about. It's about winning, and how I can help this team, this city win every single night. That's been my focus since Day 1 when I got traded here. It's been my focus since Day 1 when I walked into Minnesota. It's about winning. That's how legacies are made."</p><p><strong>Raptors rookie impresses</strong>: Towns also had praise for Raptors big man Collin Murray-Boyles. Despite being undersized at center, the rookie has filled in admirably for injured starter Jakob Poeltl, and his tremendous defense played a key role in limiting Towns to 3-of-11 shooting in Toronto.</p><p>"I think he's a hell of a player. He's got great athleticism and great feet," Towns said about Murray-Boyles, whose combination of defensive versatility, playmaking, and smarts has attracted comparisons to Draymond Green. "I love what the future of our game has, and he's one of those guys in that next generation of hoopers who's going to take the game further. He's a great dude, from the time I got to talk to him on the court. I'm excited for him to be in the Rising Stars game. I think he's got a bright future."</p><h3>Player of the Week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819238/cropped_GettyImages-2257844951.jpg?ts=1769722991" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819238/w220xh124_GettyImages-2257844951.jpg?ts=1769722991 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819238/w320xh180_GettyImages-2257844951.jpg?ts=1769722991 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819238/w640xh360_GettyImages-2257844951.jpg?ts=1769722991 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819238/w768xh432_GettyImages-2257844951.jpg?ts=1769722991 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/819238/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2257844951.jpg?ts=1769722991 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">David Liam Kyle / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Donovan Mitchell</strong>: 34.8 PPG, 61.3% TS, 4.8 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 4-0 record</p><p>I also considered Luka Doncic for this award, which takes into account games played since last Friday, but the Lakers barely won Doncic's minutes this week (plus-1), while the Cavaliers were a plus-54 in Mitchell's minutes.</p><p>The Cavs have quietly embarked on their longest winning streak of the season (five games), and Mitchell has been the leading scorer in each of those contests. He's gone somewhat under the radar as Cleveland has struggled through a disappointing season thus far, but Mitchell has been unreal all year. The six-time (soon to be seven-time) All-Star is averaging roughly 29 points, six assists, and five rebounds on 62% true shooting. If Mitchell is healthy, one of the safest bets in basketball is that his team will finish with a top-10 offense.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
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Hornets are scorching, Nuggets hang tough, KAT doesn't hear the noise

The NBA trade deadline is a week away, and a number of high-profile players could be on the marke...

<p>The NBA trade deadline is a week away, and a number of high-profile players could be on the market. However, between an already completed <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3449302" href="https://thescore.com/news/3449302">Trae Young deal</a>, plus injuries to stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Ja Morant, it's possible the Feb. 5 deadline will pass us by without a blockbuster.</p><p>Forget that anticlimactic possibility. Let's put our GM hats on and try to find new teams for the biggest names on the market regardless.</p><h3>Giannis to the Spurs</h3><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Spurs receive</th>
<th>Bucks receive</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td>Dylan Harper</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gary Harris</td>
<td>Harrison Barnes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Keldon Johnson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2026 1st-rd pick (via ATL)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2029 1st-rd pick</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2031 1st-rd pick (Best of SAC/SAS)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>We've already discussed why it <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3463358" href="https://thescore.com/news/3463358">makes sense</a> for Milwaukee to punt its Giannis decision until the offseason, and why it's risky to bet top dollar on the Greek Freak's future. But for the sake of this feature, let's imagine a world in which Antetokounmpo is moved before next Thursday's deadline. That should eliminate prospective suitors whose in-season draft capital looks underwhelming (like the Knicks and Heat, as <a href="https://x.com/YossiGozlan/status/2016550370101645709">The Third Apron's Yossi Gozlan</a> notes).</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>The most sensible trade partners for Milwaukee are teams that can check the following boxes: They can acquire Antetokounmpo without gutting their current squads, they can realistically compete for championships in 2026 and 2027 (the final year-and-a-half of team control), and they can afford to trade prospects and draft picks while still having plenty of young talent and picks left over. Clubs that fit those parameters include the Thunder, Pistons, Rockets, and Spurs.</p><p>The Thunder abstained from such transactions as they ascended the NBA mountain, so it doesn't feel like they'd consummate that kind of deal while comfortably at the summit. The East-leading Pistons would be a fascinating landing spot, but they seem more likely to stand pat or make a mid-tier move than acquire a superstar (see below). And I was tempted to send Antetokounmpo to Houston in exchange for Alperen Sengun and the injured Fred VanVleet (for salary-matching purposes), but I decided against it, so San Antonio won out despite reports the Spurs won't be in-season bidders.</p><p>Harper is a blue-chip prospect, so you could argue that the Spurs wouldn't need to include three first-round picks in the trade. That's fair. Perhaps Harper and a couple first-rounders are more than enough, with Barnes and Johnson acting as salary filler. In any event, only the 2029 pick I included is San Antonio's own. The 2026 pick will almost surely be the Hawks', while the 2031 pick - the most valuable of the three - is the more favorable first-rounder between the Kings' and Spurs' selections that year.</p><p>Harper and multiple firsts would give Milwaukee the foundation of a real rebuild, while the Spurs could complete this trade and still surround Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama with De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Luke Kornet, and Harris. Their depth would take an obvious hit, but their top five would arguably be better than anyone's. They'd also still have potential two-way stud Carter Bryant and plenty of draft equity.</p><h3>Pistons land MPJ (or Trey Murphy)</h3><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Pistons receive</th>
<th>Nets receive</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Michael Porter Jr.</td>
<td>Tobias Harris</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Jaden Ivey</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2028 1st-rd pick</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2031 1st-rd swap (top-1 protected)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>Detroit could make as big a splash as it wants to this week, or the Pistons could stand pat and cruise into the spring with likely home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs. This proposal finds the middle ground. It's a half measure, but it works.</p><p>As impressive as Porter has been in his debut season with the Nets, Brooklyn must be realistic. Unless the 13th-place Nets plan to compete as soon as next season (when Houston owns their first-round pick), Porter is more valuable as a trade chip than a building block, especially with just a year-and-a-half left on his contract. But that doesn't mean Brooklyn should hold out for a massive offer it's unlikely to receive.</p><p>If the Nets can land an intriguing young player and a first-rounder or two, they should gladly accept. In this proposal, Harris is the salary filler, with Ivey serving as a high-upside play for Brooklyn. The speedy guard has yet to find his rhythm since being sidelined by left leg and right knee injuries. It's a classic case of a dynamic young player needing a fresh start and a change of scenery. Ivey could find that - and a much bigger role - in Brooklyn, while Porter would help the Pistons plug their biggest hole.</p><p>Among teams that currently hold top-six seeds, only the Raptors and Spurs have shot worse from deep than Detroit's 35%, with the Pistons ranking 27th in 3-point attempt rate. The team's 11th-ranked offense is a fine complement to its second-ranked defense, but a dynamic scorer, shooter, and off-ball threat like Porter could really complete their two-way puzzle (even if it entails a slight defensive drop-off).</p><p>If Ivey and one or two picks is enough for the Nets, Detroit should pounce.</p><p>A player who could similarly address the Pistons' shooting issues while providing more of a defensive presence is Trey Murphy. The Pelicans forward is two years younger than Porter, makes roughly $13 million less per season, and his contract runs two years longer (at less than 17% of the cap). Detroit wouldn't need to include as much outgoing salary, but you could argue New Orleans should demand more draft compensation. How about Ivey, Caris LeVert, two picks (one of which is protected), and a swap?</p><h3>AD to the ... <em>Hornets?</em>
</h3><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Hornets receive</th>
<th>Mavericks receive</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Anthony Davis</td>
<td>Miles Bridges</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>D'Angelo Russell</td>
<td>Collin Sexton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Pat Connaughton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Ryan Kalkbrenner</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2027 1st-rd pick (DAL own)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2029 1st-rd pick (worst of UTA/CLE/MIN)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>Let's get weird.</p><p>I'm the last person who believes in a LaMelo Ball-led squad - I would've tried to move the mercurial guard in order to build around Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. But Ball has shown some growth around the edges this season, and the Hornets have looked legitimately good when their three cornerstones are in the lineup. Charlotte is 16-11 when Ball, Knueppel, and Miller suit up, and lineups featuring that trio are outscoring opponents by a whopping 11.6 points per 100 possessions.</p><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">In January, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hornets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hornets</a> have won:<br><br>by 27 at OKC<br>by 55 at Uta<br>by 18 at LAL<br>by 23 at Den<br>by 27 at Orl<br>by 15 at Mem<br><br>The 6 road wins by 15+ points ties the 2001-02 Lakers (Jan) and the 2011-12 Heat (Feb) for the most in a month in NBA history.<br><br>Both of those teams won the title. <a href="https://t.co/MDxBq4VzbB">pic.twitter.com/MDxBq4VzbB</a></p>— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) <a href="https://twitter.com/OptaSTATS/status/2016713271135408511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure><p>The trio's success is rooted in its offensive firepower. Among the 300 <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?CF=MIN*GE*301&amp;GroupQuantity=3&amp;dir=D&amp;slug=advanced&amp;sort=OFF_RATING">most used</a> three-man combinations this season, only Nikola Jokic-led lineups in Denver have scored more efficiently than the combo of Ball, Knueppel, and Miller. What would it look like if the three young stars had a defensive anchor like Davis behind them? And what if Charlotte could acquire a star of AD's caliber without mortgaging much of its future?</p><p>In my proposal, Kalkbrenner is the only intriguing youngster headed to Dallas. Bridges, Russell, and the expiring contracts of Connaughton and Sexton serve as salary filler, while neither of the first-rounders included are Charlotte's own.</p><p>Banking on Davis' health is always a dicey proposition, but the Hornets could talk themselves into Finals contention at full strength next season while still boasting Ball, Knueppel, Miller, and all their own first-rounders to build with post-Davis. Not bad for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2016 and a franchise that still hasn't made a conference finals appearance.</p><p>With Ball earning approximately 25% of the salary cap going forward and both Miller and Knueppel on rookie-scale deals for the next two-to-four years, the Hornets' young core is uniquely equipped to absorb Davis' cap hit ($54.1 million this season, $58.5 million next year, $62.8-million player option in 2027-28).</p><p>As for Dallas, the suddenly rebuilding Mavericks would regain control of their 2027 draft selection (originally dealt as a top-two protected pick for P.J. Washington). They'd also add a solid young big man in Kalkbrenner and an extra first-rounder in 2029 (the least favorable selection between the Jazz, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves). It's not exactly breathtaking, especially considering Davis was the centerpiece of the disastrous Luka Doncic trade just one year ago, but it's not a bad way for the Mavs to put the saga behind them.</p><h3>Kings gamble on Morant</h3><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Kings receive</th>
<th>Grizzlies receive</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Ja Morant</td>
<td>DeMar DeRozan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Malik Monk</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>Keon Ellis</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2027 1st-rd swap</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2029 1st-rd pick (top-4 protected)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>I wrote earlier in January about why Morant's trade value <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3454680" href="https://thescore.com/news/3454680">has tanked</a>. He's a non-shooting point guard who doesn't defend and doesn't get to the rim as often as he used to, and he comes with plenty of off-court concerns. Would I give up multiple first-rounders for him, including a 2027 swap that could come come back to bite me? Absolutely not, but I'm also not the Sacramento Kings, who are always liable to make a shortsighted maneuver.</p><p>In this proposal, Sacramento takes a flier on a two-time All-Star who's 26 and has two-and-a-half years of team control left. The Kings would also dump some bad long-term money (Monk), while only $10 million of DeRozan's outgoing contract is guaranteed. As a reward for taking on those contracts, the Grizzlies squeeze a second first-rounder out of the deal. They also land Ellis, a promising two-way guard who should've received a much bigger opportunity in Sacramento.</p><p>The Grizzlies might scoff at such an offer, deciding to retain Morant rather than trade him while his value is at its lowest. However - barring a miraculous return to form by a player who hasn't appeared in more than six consecutive games since the 2022-23 campaign - Morant's value won't surge any time soon. In fact, multiple first-round picks might be an overpay at this point.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34302893/related

Deal or no deal? Finding new homes for Giannis, MPJ, Morant, Davis

A tumultuous season in Milwaukee grew even worse Friday, with Giannis Antetokounmpo suffering a s...

<p>A tumultuous season in Milwaukee grew even worse Friday, with Giannis Antetokounmpo suffering a suspected calf injury that he <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3463011" href="https://thescore.com/news/3463011">expects</a> to sideline him for four-to-six weeks. The ripple effects of the Bucks superstar's latest setback will be felt around the Association.</p><h3>What it means for Giannis</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818882/cropped_GettyImages-2257888738.jpg?ts=1769283020" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818882/w220xh124_GettyImages-2257888738.jpg?ts=1769283020 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818882/w320xh180_GettyImages-2257888738.jpg?ts=1769283020 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818882/w640xh360_GettyImages-2257888738.jpg?ts=1769283020 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818882/w768xh432_GettyImages-2257888738.jpg?ts=1769283020 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818882/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2257888738.jpg?ts=1769283020 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Patrick McDermott / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Antetokounmpo has looked disengaged at times on the court and seems to be in some sort of <a href="https://youtu.be/JCrqA9Cjba0?si=LK94ZpFz8Fr3GDFI">unspoken standoff</a> with the team off the floor. Meanwhile, the Bucks are an uninspiring 11th-place mess. And yet, the Greek Freak is still dominant enough that he would've been in contention for a remarkable eighth straight All-NBA first-team selection had he met the games-played requirement.</p><p>Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on a career-high 67.9% true shooting for a Bucks team that has performed like a top-five club when he's on the court (+6.1 points per 100 possessions) and the second-worst team without him (-9.9). Not bad for a "down year." However, with only three games worth of wiggle room remaining to reach the 65-game threshold, Antetokounmpo's award eligibility will soon evaporate.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>From a financial perspective, Antetokounmpo doesn't need to earn specific individual honors to qualify for a bigger contract the way players coming off their rookie deals do, but his earning power could still be affected. The 10-time All-Star is eligible to sign a four-year extension worth $275 million in October. As his incumbent small-market team with a future that's been completely mortgaged to appease him, Milwaukee has every reason to pay Antetokounmpo whatever it takes to keep him. That might not be the case for every franchise.</p><p>Antetokounmpo would be eligible to sign the same mammoth extension with another team - which would run from the 2027-28 season through the 2030-31 campaign - six months after being acquired via trade. But as great as the future Hall of Famer is, he's also a 31-year-old non-shooting giant who relies on athleticism and explosiveness. He has already lost a step defensively and missed at least 15 games in four of the last five seasons. Committing to pay him more than 35% of the salary cap in his age-33 to age-36 seasons isn't viable for most clubs. That doesn't seem like a winning strategy in the age of aprons.</p><p>If the combination of Giannis' age, calf issues, and waning durability spooks potential suitors from paying him top dollar, could it also cool his trade market with only one guaranteed year remaining on his current contract? And if Antetokounmpo's camp realizes that his only chance to earn the absolute max is to stay in Milwaukee, would that change his thinking?</p><p>Perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves. It only takes one desperate team to bowl the Bucks over with a godfather offer and then write a $275-million check. But it's possible the only team willing to pay Antetokounmpo that much is the same squad he seemingly wants to divorce.</p><h3>What it means for the Bucks</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/809143/cropped_GettyImages-2245167568.jpg?ts=1769283272" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/809143/w220xh124_GettyImages-2245167568.jpg?ts=1769283272 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/809143/w320xh180_GettyImages-2245167568.jpg?ts=1769283272 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/809143/w640xh360_GettyImages-2245167568.jpg?ts=1769283272 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/809143/w768xh432_GettyImages-2245167568.jpg?ts=1769283272 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/809143/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2245167568.jpg?ts=1769283272 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Lance King / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The Bucks have looked like a team that's dead on arrival in too many of their recent games <em>with</em> Giannis in the lineup. It's about to get a whole lot uglier without him, which should end Milwaukee's postseason chase given that the club entered Sunday 2.5 games behind 10th-place Atlanta.</p><p>That might be a blessing in disguise. The Bucks weren't competing for anything beyond a few home playoff dates, and a first- or second-round exit isn't going to be the swing factor in Antetokounmpo's plans. An organization devoid of young talent or anything even resembling a blue-chip prospect could use a lottery pick. Antetokounmpo's injury should secure one.</p><p>The Bucks will receive the least favorable of their own first-rounder and New Orleans' first-rounder this year, with both clubs seemingly destined for the lottery. Given the potential franchise-changing prospects atop the 2026 draft class, Milwaukee suddenly has a real opportunity to insure its future. The Bucks could land the type of talent that makes parting with Antetokounmpo easier - or the kind that convinces him to stick around.</p><p>The odds aren't in their favor, but it's still a more fruitful endeavor than the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.</p><h3>What it means for the trade market</h3><p>If the Bucks decide to entertain offers for Giannis, the two-time MVP would obviously be the biggest star available ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. He could return before the postseason and still has a year of team control on his deal.</p><p>But it already felt like the two parties were going to kick the can down the road until the offseason, if not later, when those aforementioned extension talks occur. This injury only reinforces that likelihood.</p><h3>A big win for the Hawks</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818917/cropped_GettyImages-1228131687.jpg?ts=1769283398" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818917/w220xh124_GettyImages-1228131687.jpg?ts=1769283398 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818917/w320xh180_GettyImages-1228131687.jpg?ts=1769283398 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818917/w640xh360_GettyImages-1228131687.jpg?ts=1769283398 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818917/w768xh432_GettyImages-1228131687.jpg?ts=1769283398 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/818917/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1228131687.jpg?ts=1769283398 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Steven Freeman / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>In what's otherwise a depressing story, the Hawks should be ecstatic. Thanks to an incredibly foolish draft-night decision by the Pelicans last year, Atlanta will receive the most favorable first-rounder between New Orleans' and Milwaukee's selections this June.</p><p>The Pels have spent the entire season with or slightly ahead of the league's worst record, which would guarantee a top-five pick. But it's the combined odds of the two picks that should excite Atlanta. New Orleans and Milwaukee currently own the second- and eighth-worst records, respectively. That would give the Hawks a league-leading 20% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, a figure that should only increase as the Antetokounmpo-less Bucks slide further down the standings.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34260239/related

How Giannis' injury affects Bucks, trade market, plus 1 big winner

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>James Harden, iron man?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817396/cropped_GettyImages-2256006300.jpg?ts=1769146009" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817396/w220xh124_GettyImages-2256006300.jpg?ts=1769146009 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817396/w320xh180_GettyImages-2256006300.jpg?ts=1769146009 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817396/w640xh360_GettyImages-2256006300.jpg?ts=1769146009 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817396/w768xh432_GettyImages-2256006300.jpg?ts=1769146009 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817396/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2256006300.jpg?ts=1769146009 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Ronald Martinez / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>James Harden has to be among the most scrutinized of basketball's all-time greats.</p><p>Yes, Harden has endured his share of playoff stinkers, and his defensive identity has been one of indifference. Critics have labeled him a free-throw merchant, even though drawing fouls is an invaluable skill. At times, he's been the NBA's ultimate agent of chaos when he tires of one team and sets his sights on another. But he <em>is</em> an all-time great and one of the best offensive engines the league has ever seen.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Remarkably, the one-way superstar often chided for his frame and conditioning has quietly become one of the modern game's iron men. Eight years removed from his MVP-level prime, when Harden touched heights few ever have, he's still stuffing the stat sheet and driving offense in ways players of his age and history shouldn't be able to. At 36 years old, with roughly 48,000 minutes under his belt between the regular season and postseason, Harden remains a model of consistency.</p><p>Buried in the news rubble of the Clippers' disastrous start, Harden continued to carry his depleted team, refusing to let go of the rope. While Kawhi Leonard's return fueled <a href="https://x.com/KellanOlson/status/2014573613123522842">Los Angeles' surge</a> back into postseason contention, Harden's efforts shouldn't be forgotten. The 11-time All-Star is averaging 25.8 points and 8.1 assists on nearly 60% true shooting, allowing the Clippers to score at a top-10 rate (116.4 points per 100 possessions) in minutes with Harden on and Leonard off. Harden's most frequent teammates during those minutes have been Kris Dunn, Ivica Zubac, John Collins, Nicolas Batum, and Kobe Sanders. Not exactly a murderers' row.</p><p>"He's 36 and maybe not the same guy he was 10 years ago, but he's still finding ways to get 25 and 10 every night," Batum told theScore through chuckles of disbelief. "I think with great players, the public kind of takes them for granted, because we're so used to seeing them be that good. You kind of forget how they got there. It's work. It's not just talent."</p><p>Clippers head coach Ty Lue said that work ethic is a staple of Harden's identity. "Once you get him on your team and you see the work he puts in, you can understand it. You see the work he puts in every single day on his body. The weights, the on-court stuff - every single day, he's doing the same thing, the same routine," Lue said, praising Harden's determination to play through the various ailments that arise over the course of a long season.</p><p>"He plays a lot of minutes, but he wants to play more," Lue laughed. "Even at this age, he wants to play more. He just wants to play and compete every single night. You've got to love that about him. We know we can always count on him to be out there on the floor."</p><p>To Lue's point, Harden is on pace to log a 2,000-minute season for the 14th time in 17 years. Even during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, he fell just 54 minutes short of the mark. Harden is leading his team in minutes for the ninth time in the last 12 seasons that he's spent with just one club, and he's topped the league in total minutes twice. He's also missed more than 10 games in a season only three times and has appeared in 92% of contests over the last three years.</p><p>Harden's durability is made even more impressive by the fact that those 48,000 minutes have put grinding city miles on his body, not cruising highway clicks. His career has been one of high usage and high leverage. Among the 52 legends who've scored 20,000 points, Harden ranks 13th in usage rate. He owns the second-highest single-season usage rate ever, with three campaigns in the top 17 all-time.</p><p>And yet, as his peers and younger stars crumple around him or take time off to manage their loads, Harden continues to suit up, recording 2,000-minute seasons like they're nothing. He could become the <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=player_season_count&amp;age_min=35&amp;award_id=all-nba-n">seventh</a> player ever to make multiple All-NBA teams after turning 35, and it still feels like he could sleepwalk to 20 points and 10 assists on above-average efficiency.</p><p>That's the other thing. Despite some grays popping up in Harden's trademark beard, Father Time has yet to sap his efficiency. The three-time scoring champion has posted above-average efficiency in each of his 17 seasons, according to Basketball Reference's league-adjusted data.</p><p>That's how you end up a top-10 all-time scorer, while the rest of the world dissects your game and debates the aesthetics of it.</p><p>"You've got to be in good condition and shape for that, right?" Harden asked rhetorically when questioned about his consistency and longevity, knowing full well the narrative about his fitness levels. "Availability is the only mindset that I have. I focus every day on being available. I take pride in being in shape and being productive on the court."</p><p>Some may snicker at those comments given pre-conceived notions about Harden's drive, but the proof is in the results. He's an NBA iron man, and there are too few of those these days.</p><h3>Quickley doesn't have to be Maxey</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810943/cropped_GettyImages-2246902921.jpg?ts=1769144935" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810943/w220xh124_GettyImages-2246902921.jpg?ts=1769144935 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810943/w320xh180_GettyImages-2246902921.jpg?ts=1769144935 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810943/w640xh360_GettyImages-2246902921.jpg?ts=1769144935 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810943/w768xh432_GettyImages-2246902921.jpg?ts=1769144935 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/810943/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2246902921.jpg?ts=1769144935 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">David Dow / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>This topic was spurred by reader Trevor David, who emailed me to ask about Immanuel Quickley's game and how it compares - or doesn't - to Tyrese Maxey's. After all, Quickley was touted as a Maxey-like (or Maxey-<em>lite</em>) guard when the Raptors acquired him in the OG Anunoby trade.</p><p>In short, Quickley has thus far failed to live up to those lofty expectations, and he's never going to be the MVP candidate Maxey has turned into. Additionally, a lucrative contract that will see him earn $32.5 million per year through the 2028-29 campaign has soured many Raptors fans and led to the belief that Toronto would relish the opportunity to get out of the Quickley business. Still, that doesn't mean the speedy guard is unimportant - far from it.</p><p>Quickley was targeted as an ideal running mate for Scottie Barnes because of his combination of range, movement shooting, and speed. Those skills are still invaluable assets for Barnes' rising squad, which desperately needs Quickley's shooting and off-the-dribble creation. Although the consistency might not be there - and Toronto would benefit if he shot better than 35.9% from deep - his volume is critical, as is his ability to provide space and serve as a release valve for players like Barnes and leading scorer Brandon Ingram.</p><p>He's improved as a defender and looks more comfortable playing the role of lead guard, averaging a career-high 6.3 assists with a 3.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Quickley's playmaking vision isn't elite, but he's making better decisions and hasn't forced things. Even in a <a href="https://x.com/keerthikau/status/2013849560733413734">historic</a> 40-point game this week, Quickley might've taken one bad shot, if that, and he added 10 dimes for good measure. The only other guards who've recorded a Game Score of 40-plus this season, as Quickley did Tuesday at Golden State, are Maxey, Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, and Austin Reaves.</p><p>It's a reminder of Quickley's shooting upside and the game-breaking potential it offers. Inspiring Raptors reserve Jamal Shead can't replicate that yet, and <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3454680" href="https://thescore.com/news/3454680">neither</a> can two-time All-Star Ja Morant. Quickley may not be the Maxey-level star Raptors fans hoped for, but he isn't the throwaway trade chip some believe, either. His contract - worth 17%-20% of the salary cap over the next three years - will also increase in value over time.</p><h3>Player of the Week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/813731/cropped_GettyImages-2250989042.jpg?ts=1769146139" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/813731/w220xh124_GettyImages-2250989042.jpg?ts=1769146139 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/813731/w320xh180_GettyImages-2250989042.jpg?ts=1769146139 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/813731/w640xh360_GettyImages-2250989042.jpg?ts=1769146139 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/813731/w768xh432_GettyImages-2250989042.jpg?ts=1769146139 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/813731/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2250989042.jpg?ts=1769146139 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Joel Embiid</strong>: 31.7 PPG, 65.1% TS, 9.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.0 STL + BLK, 2-1 record</p><p>I considered giving this award, which takes into account games played since last Friday, to reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, who posted truly wild numbers (36.3 points on 69-56-96 shooting). But Embiid's dominant week must be documented.</p><p>The 2023 MVP appears to be getting his legs back and settling in on what has become Maxey's team. The minutes, numbers, and efficiency are all trending up, and Embiid's at least acting as a defensive rim-deterrent again, even if his overall impact on that end isn't quite what it once was.</p><p>During Philadelphia's overtime victory over Houston on Thursday, Embiid recorded a 32-point triple-double and logged more minutes (45:36) than he has in roughly <a href="https://x.com/TimBontemps/status/2014528915839082960">two years</a>. Prior to this week, it had also been exactly two years since Embiid posted three straight Game Scores of 25-plus. No one is expecting another MVP campaign or pristine health, but the Sixers can be a dangerous team in a wide-open East if Embiid stays anything close to this player more often than not.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
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Harden's consistency, Quickley's value, Embiid is percolating

Just as the Golden State Warriors were finding their groove and playing their best basketball of ...

<p>Just as the Golden State Warriors were finding their groove and playing their best basketball of the season, the veteran team lost Jimmy Butler to a torn right ACL.</p><p>It's a devastating blow for Butler, who was quietly playing exceptional two-way ball for the surging Warriors. Averaging 20 points per game on nearly 65% true shooting, along with 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals, Butler was enjoying one of the best and most efficient seasons of his decorated career. Already 36 years old, who knows what an eventual return from a significant knee injury will look like for the six-time All-Star?</p><p>The team-wide effects of Butler's injury will be even more consequential. His ability to get downhill, draw fouls, and guard opposing stars has been crucial for the Warriors. It also allowed them to survive treacherous minutes without Steph Curry. Butler not only leads Golden State in total minutes, but he also owns the highest on/off differential among its 12 most-used players.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Such a stat can sometimes be misleading, but in this case, it accurately captures Butler's value, as the Warriors become a fairly one-dimensional team without him.</p><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Butler</th>
<th>Team rank</th>
<th>League</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>On/off net</td>
<td>1st</td>
<td>21st*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>VORP</td>
<td>1st</td>
<td>13th</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Win Shares</td>
<td>1st</td>
<td>3rd</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p><em>*21st among 278 players who've logged at least 500 minutes</em></p><p>Curry remains the Warriors' most important and indispensable player, but Butler's two-way work is the reason Golden State finds itself comfortably in the Western Conference's top eight and knocking on the door of a top-six seed, which would guarantee a playoff berth.</p><p>The Warriors are riding their longest winning streak of the season (four games) and have won 12 of their last 16 after a 13-15 start. Though the team has admittedly looked <a data-in-app-uri="" href="">mediocre</a> for a good chunk of the campaign, Butler's presence raised its ceiling and gave Curry's squad genuine hope for a long playoff run. That dream now appears dead, raising questions about how Golden State should proceed leading up to the Feb. 5 trade deadline and beyond.</p><p>Given that the Warriors own all but one of their future first-round draft picks (a top-20 protected 2030 pick), they looked like a team capable of one last seismic deal to push Curry, Butler, Draymond Green, and Co. over the top again. Even a lesser move for a borderline star like Michael Porter Jr. might've been enough considering the brilliance of Curry and Butler. Would the front office even entertain such an acquisition today?</p><p>On one hand, the Warriors owe it to Curry to field the best team possible for the remainder of his career. But with Butler sidelined, the chance Golden State makes a move that would result in legitimate championship contention is slim. Although the Warriors could attach picks to Butler's contract - which will see him earn $56.8 million next year - in an effort to acquire a star on a longer or worse deal (like Anthony Davis), I wouldn't bet on it. Even with Curry's career winding down, it doesn't make sense to mortgage the future or jeopardize 2027 cap space to go from play-in team to first- or second-round exit.</p><p>The Warriors' short-term goal of pseudo-contention appears over. The contracts of Curry, Butler, and Green expire after next season. The roster could remain in limbo until then, at which point Golden State can reload around Curry or completely reset.</p><p>One fascinating ripple effect of Butler's injury could be its impact on Jonathan Kuminga's future. Given how far gone the relationship between Kuminga and the organization appears to be, this may change nothing, and the Warriors will still ship the young forward to the highest bidder at some point between now and the offseason. But if ever there was a path back into head coach Steve Kerr's rotation and potentially into the club's future plans, this is it.</p><p>Kuminga could provide a much-needed jolt of energy and replace some of Butler's work inside the arc, which no other Warrior is capable of. What a story it would be if the disgruntled player Butler took <a href="https://x.com/DannyEmerman/status/2007700741360890166">under his wing</a> helped save the Butler-less Warriors' season.</p><p>That seems like wishful thinking. For everyone who believes it's time for the Warriors to find out exactly what Kuminga is, you can probably find someone in Golden State's front office convinced they already know who he is and who he isn't. A demoralizing injury elsewhere won't change that.</p><p>It's changed everything else for the Warriors, though. And it likely shut the door on contention once and for all.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34195581/related

Butler's injury changes everything for the Warriors

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>Giannis vs. Milwaukee</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817558/cropped_GettyImages-2256238204.jpg?ts=1768515945" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817558/w220xh124_GettyImages-2256238204.jpg?ts=1768515945 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817558/w320xh180_GettyImages-2256238204.jpg?ts=1768515945 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817558/w640xh360_GettyImages-2256238204.jpg?ts=1768515945 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817558/w768xh432_GettyImages-2256238204.jpg?ts=1768515945 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817558/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2256238204.jpg?ts=1768515945 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Patrick McDermott / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone out of his way to proclaim his loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks, making <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3449692" href="https://thescore.com/news/3449692">clear</a> that he's not the type of superstar who'll force his way out of town. But actions speak louder than words, and it's starting to feel like the beginning of a potentially contentious final chapter of the partnership.</p><p>Antetokounmpo, who has made a habit of returning boos while competing on the road, raised eyebrows Tuesday when he booed his <em>home</em> fans in response during a humiliating loss. Those paying customers had every right to voice their displeasure, as the Bucks lost by 33 points (in a game they were favored) to the Anthony Edwards-less, Rudy Gobert-less Timberwolves.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Performances like that are why the Bucks sit outside the Eastern Conference's postseason picture halfway through the season. At 17-24, Milwaukee trails 10th-place Atlanta by two games for the final play-in spot. Between an uninspiring roster and injuries limiting Antetokounmpo to 27 games, no one expected the Bucks to contend for a title. But playing at a 34-win pace is unacceptable, and The Greek Freak knows it.</p><p>A couple years ago, Antetokounmpo had a very different - and more reasonable - reaction when the Bucks earned boos in their home arena. Here's how his tune has changed since then.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817782/Giannis-Quote-Image_00000.jpg?ts=1768574396" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817782/Giannis-Quote-Image_00000.jpg?ts=1768574396 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817782/Giannis-Quote-Image_00000.jpg?ts=1768574396 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817782/Giannis-Quote-Image_00000.jpg?ts=1768574396 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817782/Giannis-Quote-Image_00000.jpg?ts=1768574396 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817782/Giannis-Quote-Image_00000.jpg?ts=1768574396 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution"></span></figcaption></figure><p>Antetokounmpo knows damn well that the boos were fair. He's also smart enough to know the jeers weren't directed at him but rather his lackluster team as a whole. No one is buying that Bucks fans are against him. Perhaps that's just the story Antetokounmpo has to concoct to ensure that when this relationship comes to an end - and if he goes back on his word - he looks like the victim instead of the bad guy.</p><h3>Avdija's Blazers deserve praise</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817779/cropped_GettyImages-2252899597.jpg?ts=1768574120" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817779/w220xh124_GettyImages-2252899597.jpg?ts=1768574120 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817779/w320xh180_GettyImages-2252899597.jpg?ts=1768574120 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817779/w640xh360_GettyImages-2252899597.jpg?ts=1768574120 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817779/w768xh432_GettyImages-2252899597.jpg?ts=1768574120 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817779/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2252899597.jpg?ts=1768574120 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Rocky Widner / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>This blurb is for app user uofoduckfan, who wanted someone to acknowledge the surprising Trail Blazers, as Portland sits ninth in the West at 20-22.</p><p>Part of the reason that the Blazers find themselves in playoff contention is that the West's bottom half has completely fallen out, but they still deserve praise for how scrappy they've been. The young squad has absorbed a number of body blows over the first half of the season and lived to tell about it.</p><p>In October, head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested as part of a federal probe into rigged poker games, gambling, and the mafia, with Tiago Splitter taking over on an interim basis (and on short notice). The Blazers have lost the most man-games and the third-most value to injury, according to <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/injured/_/year/2025/view/team">Spotrac</a>. They've played one of the league's toughest first-half schedules, with Portland's strength of schedule ranging from <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/ranking/schedule-strength-by-other">first</a> <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS">to</a> <a href="https://craftednba.com/strength-of-schedule">third</a>, depending on the metric used. Finally, seven of the team's eight most frequently used players are 25 or younger.</p><p>That all should've been a recipe for disaster - or at least for tanking. Instead, the Blazers look intent to play for their postseason lives. The defensive work of franchise center Donovan Clingan and starter Toumani Camara has been commendable, while the continued maturation of Shaedon Sharpe, who's quietly averaging 21.5 points per game, has been encouraging. Jerami Grant has been a steady veteran presence, and Jrue Holiday recently returned to the lineup after a lengthy absence due to a calf strain. However, the biggest reason Portland is still playing for something this year is Deni Avdija.</p><p>The front-runner for Most Improved Player, Avdija has taken his game to another level. The 25-year-old is averaging roughly 26 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 61% true shooting, continuing a trend that has seen him accomplish the rare feat of increasing his usage rate and efficiency in almost every season of his six-year career. Rival teams and fans may hate watching it, but Avdija's ability to draw fouls - whether it be by tricking his opponents or the officials - is an elite skill that's driving an All-Star-caliber season.</p><p>Of course, Avdija is much more than just a foul-baiter. He's a crafty, still-developing <a href="https://x.com/tomhaberstroh/status/2009122732668276796">offensive star</a> who can create for himself and others, leveraging the defensive attention he now commands. His playmaking vision is rapidly expanding (though his turnovers are a concern), his defensive floor remains solid, and he's on pace to play in at least 72 games for the fifth consecutive year.</p><p>The Trail Blazers have quite clearly stumbled upon a foundational star, and they'll eventually need to pay up to keep him. Clearing the veteran salaries of Grant and Holiday would aid Portland's ability to renegotiate and extend Avdija when the time comes (part of the reason I didn't love the Holiday acquisition), but it's a good problem to have. For now, Avdija is a rising star on the league's biggest bargain contract, owed just $25 million over the final two years of his declining deal. For context, the likely All-Star will earn 7.9% and 6.8% of the salary cap in 2026-27 and 2027-28, respectively.</p><p>You know who could desperately use such a star? The perpetually rebuilding Wizards, who traded Avdija (and his extremely valuable contract) for Malcolm Brogdon, Bub Carrington, two second-round picks, and the second-most favorable 2029 first-rounder via Portland, Boston, or Milwaukee. There's a reason teams like Washington remain bad.</p><h3>Inside the locker room</h3><p><em>What I'm hearing from players and people around the Association.</em></p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817448/cropped_GettyImages-2255474512.jpg?ts=1768516375" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817448/w220xh124_GettyImages-2255474512.jpg?ts=1768516375 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817448/w320xh180_GettyImages-2255474512.jpg?ts=1768516375 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817448/w640xh360_GettyImages-2255474512.jpg?ts=1768516375 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817448/w768xh432_GettyImages-2255474512.jpg?ts=1768516375 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817448/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2255474512.jpg?ts=1768516375 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Cole Burston / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Coach Kyle Lowry?</strong></p><p>Kyle Lowry returned to Toronto this week for what was likely the last time in his professional career. The future Hall of Famer received a hero's welcome - and send-off - north of the border. It was a touching moment for Lowry and a memorable one for his 76ers teammates, who value the wisdom he shares.</p><p>"Dating back to 2016 when we played (together) in the Olympics, he's always had that mentor, coach, older brother type of relationship with me," nine-time All-Star Paul George told theScore. "When you think of all the young guys we have on this team, he's just been a super valuable piece for us. He's an extension of the coaches. He's done a lot in this league, and he's got a lot to give to the next generation. It's special when you have someone with no agenda, whose only job here and only mentality and goal is to keep the young guys prepared and keep the locker room easy and locked in. He's thriving in this veteran leadership role."</p><p>George likened Lowry's role with the Sixers to the one former Heat big man Udonis Haslem held in Miami during a string of one-year deals despite his minimal on-court impact. "Those guys are the heart and soul of teams," George said. "A guy who just accepts his role, and his role is to be the fifth or sixth coach, but he's hands on with the guys. That's Kyle. Whether it's (about) coverages, whatever it is, he's talking just as much from the bench as the coaches are. It's refreshing to have someone on your side like that."</p><p>Rookie of the Year candidate VJ Edgecombe is trying to take advantage of the opportunity provided by Lowry's presence. "His IQ for the game is so high. I just try to pick his brain all the time and ask him questions," Edgecombe said. "I don't know what he's doing after this season, but he's been great for me, teaching me all the little things: how to take care of my body, little things he sees on the court. Nothing fazes him. He's been in bigger games than we've been playing. I was home watching him when (the Raptors) won the championship." (Edgecombe was 13 at the time.)</p><p>During his prime, Lowry was one of the league's smartest and most intense players but now sounds like a man at peace with his basketball mortality.</p><p>"As a competitive guy, of course you still want to play, but you understand the situation and your role," the 39-year-old told me. "We really do have great young individual players. We've got some really great guys in our locker room. My job is to pay it forward and give them all the information I have, that I received when I was young, and teach them things that I learned. I can talk to them about things I see that can make them better."</p><p>The natural question, then, is whether Lowry can see himself coaching upon his retirement. "Nope," Lowry shot back. "Simple answer for that one." When pressed for an explanation, the player who arrived in Toronto in 2012 labeled as a difficult youngster with a bad attitude was clear: "Because I know I'll probably run into somebody like me," Lowry laughed.</p><p>"I know I'm not easy to coach. I tip my hat to these coaches. They work hard, and I know the time they put in, and I just know you don't want to run into a guy like myself. It would be fun to do it, but when it's time to go home, at that point, I'm not coaching. I want to hang out with my kids and coach my kids."</p><p><strong>Different sport, different perspective</strong>: A day after the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles were eliminated from the NFL playoffs, 76ers players and staffers were discussing their gridiron counterparts like sports-talk radio hosts. The consensus was that heads need to roll, jobs should be terminated, and trades have to be made following the Eagles' loss to the San Francisco 49ers. As I've noted before, pro athletes seem perfectly fine with hot takes and a rush to judgement when it doesn't concern them or their own sport.</p><h3>Player of the week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817720/cropped_GettyImages-2255750178.jpg?ts=1768516710" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817720/w220xh124_GettyImages-2255750178.jpg?ts=1768516710 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817720/w320xh180_GettyImages-2255750178.jpg?ts=1768516710 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817720/w640xh360_GettyImages-2255750178.jpg?ts=1768516710 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817720/w768xh432_GettyImages-2255750178.jpg?ts=1768516710 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/817720/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2255750178.jpg?ts=1768516710 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Glenn James / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Jamal Murray:</strong> 34.0 PPG, 69.2% TS, 7.0 APG, 2.0 RPG, 2.0 STL + BLK, 2-0 record</p><p>I considered Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trey Murphy III, and last week's winner, Kawhi Leonard, for this award, which takes into account games played since last Friday, but Murray deserves it. The Canadian guard was already enjoying a career year in Nikola Jokic's shadow but has leveled up with the three-time MVP sidelined. I expected the depleted Nuggets to struggle. Instead, Denver has gone a shocking 6-3 since losing Jokic, with road wins over the Celtics, 76ers, and Raptors. Murray averaged roughly 29 points and 10 assists in the six contests he suited up for, all but cementing his first All-Star selection.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
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Giannis vs. Milwaukee, Blazers earn their flowers, Coach Lowry?

A week after four-time All-Star Trae Young was unsurprisingly traded for pennies on the dollar, t...

<p>A week after four-time All-Star Trae Young was <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3447482" href="https://thescore.com/news/3447482">unsurprisingly</a> <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3449302" href="https://thescore.com/news/3449302">traded</a> for pennies on the dollar, two-time All-Star Ja Morant finds himself on the precipice of a similar transaction.</p><p>Like Young, Morant is a diminished asset whose game has been picked apart ad nauseam. At 26 years old, the Grizzlies guard still comes with upside, but his floor is even lower than Young's.</p><p>Morant appeared destined for greatness early in his career, when his entertaining blend of explosiveness and audacity propelled Memphis to relevance. Morant's ability to consistently make the Grizzlies better than the sum of their parts was impressive, while his style of play and bravado made him a natural candidate to represent brands and to be marketed as a future face of the league.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>Then a string of off-court issues, injuries, and individual stagnancy derailed things. A coaching change, a couple of offensive overhauls, and a Desmond Bane trade later, the Grizzlies no longer appear married to a Morant-led future. Memphis has the flexibility, young talent, and draft capital to go a number of different ways. The franchise can retool around former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., or it can move both Jackson's mammoth contract and Morant's in an attempt to completely reset.</p><p>Morant doesn't fit either plan, but how many teams, if any, are willing to part with valuable assets to pry him out of Memphis? It should be a short list.</p><p>As a <a href="https://x.com/kirkgoldsberry/status/2009686838668111909">non-shooting</a> point guard who rarely defends, Morant's value is entirely dependent on his ability to get to the rim. However, his rim frequency has declined for a fourth straight season and he's finished there at a 45th-percentile rate among point guards, according to Cleaning The Glass.</p><p>Morant is still a fine playmaker who can get into the paint, and there are bursts where he looks like his old self. There are NBA decision-makers out there somewhere who believe Morant can be revitalized by a simple change of scenery. But this isn't a random, short-term issue. The numbers have been trending down for years:</p><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Morant</th>
<th>Drives/game</th>
<th>Drives/touch</th>
<th>Drives Pts%</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2021-22</td>
<td>20.9</td>
<td>0.27</td>
<td>70.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2022-23</td>
<td>20.3</td>
<td>0.26</td>
<td>70.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2023-24</td>
<td>21.2</td>
<td>0.27</td>
<td>66.0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2024-25</td>
<td>16.6</td>
<td>0.25</td>
<td>63.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2025-26</td>
<td>15.4</td>
<td>0.22</td>
<td>62.1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>Those hoping for a Morant resurgence are waiting on the return of a player Ja simply hasn't been in three or four years (and not coincidentally, he hasn't made an All-NBA team since 2021-22).</p><p>Morant is a year younger than Young, much more athletic, and comes with more team control. But he's almost as bad defensively, his shooting is such a liability that opponents feel comfortable guarding him with <a href="https://x.com/GrizzliesFilm/status/2009096934020247993">centers</a>, and he comes with off-court baggage Young's suitors didn't have to worry about. He's also missed 47% of Memphis' games over the last five seasons and hasn't appeared in more than six consecutive games since the 2022-23 campaign.</p><p>It's tough to recall an equivalent star's value ever being so low. Morant is a 26-year-old two-time All-Star under team control for another two-and-a-half years at approximately 25% of the annual salary cap. Players fitting those descriptors would usually command a haul on the trade market. In Morant's case, the Grizzlies might have to take on a bad contract just to convince a rival team to take a flier on him.</p><p>Even that might not get a suitor to commit.</p><p>Take the Raptors, for example. Toronto might relish the opportunity to get off of Immanuel Quickley's contract - it runs one year longer than Morant's, whose ceiling is unquestionably higher. But Quickley's deal is significantly cheaper per year (by $7 million-$12 million). In addition, the Scottie Barnes-led Raptors need the type of pull-up and movement shooting Quickley provides (and Morant cannot), and betting on Morant's ceiling is an unnecessary risk given the money still owed to him. Flipping one bad contract for another one tied to a more volatile player doesn't make sense.</p><p>The Heat have often been linked to Morant, but does Pat Riley's team and everything Heat Culture stands for seem like a good fit for a player who doesn't respond well to being held accountable?</p><p>Two teams that might be more realistic options are Brooklyn and Sacramento. The Nets are expected to go star-hunting eventually. They own one of the league's most enviable collections of draft capital and still would even if they included a first-rounder in a package for Morant. The Nets could also make an in-season play for Morant and remain bad enough to land a top prospect in the loaded 2026 draft. Ditto for the Kings, who deserve mention simply because Vivek Ranadive's franchise is prone to this kind of shortsighted transaction.</p><p>In any event, if you thought Young's market was almost nonexistent, you ain't seen nothing yet. Whoever acquires Morant will be making a much riskier bet than the wager the Wizards made on Young.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

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Morant is the latest star available for cheap. Is he even worth it?

<p><em>Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.</em></p><h3>What's wrong with the Thunder?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816856/cropped_GettyImages-2253226373.jpg?ts=1767925133" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816856/w220xh124_GettyImages-2253226373.jpg?ts=1767925133 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816856/w320xh180_GettyImages-2253226373.jpg?ts=1767925133 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816856/w640xh360_GettyImages-2253226373.jpg?ts=1767925133 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816856/w768xh432_GettyImages-2253226373.jpg?ts=1767925133 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816856/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2253226373.jpg?ts=1767925133 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Joshua Gateley / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder's record-setting start has given way to a mediocre stretch of basketball that has some wondering whether the defending champions have lost their edge or their mojo. The Thunder have gone 7-6 over their last 13 games. Their most recent victory was an overtime win over Utah in a game OKC was favored to win by 19.5 points. That nail-biter came 48 hours after a humiliating home loss to Charlotte that the Thunder entered as 15.5-point favorites.</p><p>How can a team that looked like the most dominant squad ever through a third of the season suddenly appear so pedestrian?</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Thunder</th>
<th>First 25 games</th>
<th>Last 13</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Record</td>
<td>24-1</td>
<td>7-6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ORtg</td>
<td>120.5 (5th)</td>
<td> 113.3 (18th)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>DRtg</td>
<td>103.3 (1st)</td>
<td>108.4 (4th)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Net</td>
<td>+17.2 (1st)</td>
<td>+4.9 (6th)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>I wouldn't sweat it. OKC's recent struggles can mostly be attributed to a lagging offense being weighed down by wretched shooting. As many coaches are keen to remind us, it's a make-or-miss league, and the Thunder are simply working through a shooting slump.</p><p>The Thunder shot 38.1% from deep as a team through the first 25 games of the season, a fifth-ranked mark that was more or less in line with their 2024-25 success rate (37.4%). However, that's plummeted to 31.8% since Dec. 13, with 27th-ranked OKC getting outscored by 10.2 points from behind the arc during this 13-game stretch. In those aforementioned stinkers versus Charlotte and Utah, the Thunder combined to shoot 18-of-77 (23.4%) from long range.</p><p>Dig into their offensive process and you'll find that not much else has changed. Their 2-point efficiency has barely dipped (from 58.7% to 56.6%), their league-best turnover rate has actually shrunk, and their poor offensive rebounding numbers have slightly improved. As a whole, the expected efficiency of Oklahoma City's shot profile during this 7-6 stretch (54.4% eFG) is virtually identical to its location-based effective field goal percentage during its 24-1 start (54.7%), according to <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/shots?season=2025&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=12/13/2025&amp;end=01/9/2026#tab-offense_shooting_frequency">Cleaning The Glass</a>.</p><p>I've seen some questions about whether Jalen Williams' return might have negatively affected a well-oiled machine, but that doesn't seem to be the case, even if J-Dub has yet to find his groove. I'm sure there are some residual effects, but Williams is one of many players struggling with his shot right now. The numbers and percentages will stabilize soon enough for the 2025 All-Star and All-NBAer - he's simply too good a player and shooter.</p><p>On the whole, the Thunder are still playing at a 67-win pace while boasting the best point differential of all time and a dominant defense. The gap between OKC's top-ranked D and second-ranked Detroit (5.0 points per 100 possessions) is bigger than the gap between the Pistons and 16th-ranked Hawks (4.9).</p><p>The Thunder haven't been their sharpest, and that 27-point loss to the Hornets was especially jarring, but five of their last six losses came against winning West teams, and three of those defeats were to one opponent: Victor Wembanyama's Spurs. Perhaps San Antonio is a playoff matchup OKC should hope to avoid, but in the grand scheme of things, this stretch can likely be chalked up as, "It happens."</p><p>In short, nothing's wrong with the Thunder. I know that's not the answer fans outside of Oklahoma City want to hear, but I'd bank on the defending champs getting back to their dominant ways sooner than later.</p><h3>The Hawks are Jalen Johnson's team ... for now</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816850/cropped_GettyImages-2254543709.jpg?ts=1767923910" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816850/w220xh124_GettyImages-2254543709.jpg?ts=1767923910 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816850/w320xh180_GettyImages-2254543709.jpg?ts=1767923910 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816850/w640xh360_GettyImages-2254543709.jpg?ts=1767923910 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816850/w768xh432_GettyImages-2254543709.jpg?ts=1767923910 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816850/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2254543709.jpg?ts=1767923910 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Adam Hagy / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3449302" href="https://thescore.com/news/3449302">Trae Young trade</a> officially turned the Hawks over to Jalen Johnson, but Atlanta had already become the rising star's team.</p><p>Johnson is a terrific young player whose only knock entering the season was that he couldn't stay healthy. Well, he's appeared in 35 of 39 games, averaging 23.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists on 61% true shooting. The 24-year-old's team-friendly contract - he'll earn 16%-18% of the annual salary cap through 2030 - gives the Hawks a tremendous roster-building advantage.</p><p>However, the spotlight is squarely on Johnson as a franchise player now, meaning blind adoration will soon give way to more critical evaluation. And more eyes will be on Johnson's defense, which has quietly been abysmal all season - it just got lost in the haze of Young's murky future and the point guard's even worse defense.</p><p>Johnson was never exactly a defensive star, but earlier in his career, he was solid enough and always put forth an honest effort. It's one thing for a young player's effort and focus at that end of the floor to wane as he takes on a greater offensive burden, which Johnson clearly has. But his defensive impact hasn't just slipped from average to slightly below that - it's become virtually nonexistent. At least Johnson's head coach believes he's making strides.</p><p>"When we're asking about his game and the things he needs to improve on, usually we're talking about offense," Quin Snyder told theScore before a recent Hawks loss in Toronto. "But defensively, you look at how he defensive rebounds and his ability to guard in space with his athleticism. I think continuing to be alert when he's in help-side situations and to make plays off the ball are things good defensive teams spend time working on.</p><p>"It's not just, you say you're going to do it and then you do it. It takes focus and concentration, and the will to do it has to be there. I think that's continuing to develop for (Johnson). He's becoming more and more aware of those situations."</p><p>I wouldn't go so far as to say Johnson's defense is a critical concern, but it's something to monitor. Remember, the Hawks own the more favorable of New Orleans' or Milwaukee's first-round picks and could add another franchise-level star via the 2026 draft. Johnson's contract means he doesn't necessarily have to be <em>the </em>guy as Atlanta moves forward, but if he wants to be, this level of defense won't cut it.</p><h3>Is Dillon Brooks a short-term solution?</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/814036/cropped_GettyImages-2251938929.jpg?ts=1767925219" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/814036/w220xh124_GettyImages-2251938929.jpg?ts=1767925219 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/814036/w320xh180_GettyImages-2251938929.jpg?ts=1767925219 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/814036/w640xh360_GettyImages-2251938929.jpg?ts=1767925219 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/814036/w768xh432_GettyImages-2251938929.jpg?ts=1767925219 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/814036/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2251938929.jpg?ts=1767925219 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Mike Christy / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>App user ks48973 wanted to read about Dillon Brooks, whose two-way play has helped the feisty Suns scrap their way to a stunning 22-15 record.</p><p>I've always been torn when it comes to the Canadian swingman's game. On one hand, there's a reason his teams win and almost always improve when he arrives. Brooks brings a toughness, swagger, no-nonsense approach, and defensive identity that is contagious. He deserves credit for that, and his teammates usually <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/suns/comments/1q2p319/sga_on_being_teammates_with_dillon_brooks/">rave</a> about him. Brooks is also averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game, buoyed largely by an uptick in his midrange efficiency.</p><p>However, his <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3430367" href="https://thescore.com/news/3430367">shtick</a> can get old after a while, even if it is entertaining to watch without a dog in the fight. His pest-like approach against opponents - which can lead to ill-timed fouls and technicals that <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3428273" href="https://thescore.com/news/3428273">cost</a> his team - is one thing, but Brooks' offensive decision-making and shot-selection are far more concerning. Under no circumstances should Brooks be shooting almost as often as Devin Booker or sabotaging crunch-time possessions with heat-check jumpers.</p><p>Everything's fine and dandy when Brooks is boosting an overachieving team, but he needs to refine his game on some level if he wants to eventually contribute for a contender. I wonder if he's the player equivalent of the stereotypical hard-ass coach (in any sport) who gets immediate results but whose shelf life often expires before his team gets over the hump.</p><h3>Player of the Week</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816448/cropped_GettyImages-2254256976.jpg?ts=1767925280" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816448/w220xh124_GettyImages-2254256976.jpg?ts=1767925280 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816448/w320xh180_GettyImages-2254256976.jpg?ts=1767925280 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816448/w640xh360_GettyImages-2254256976.jpg?ts=1767925280 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816448/w768xh432_GettyImages-2254256976.jpg?ts=1767925280 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816448/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2254256976.jpg?ts=1767925280 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Adam Pantozzi / NBA / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Kawhi Leonard</strong>: 33.1 PPG, 63.6% TS, 7.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 4.3 STL + BLK, 5-2 record</p><p>The holiday break gave us a two-week sample, and no one was better during that time than Leonard, who turned back the clock to breathe life into the moribund Clippers.</p><p>Leonard's been unstoppable on offense, where he's once again ruthlessly efficient in getting to his spots and finishing. This seven-game stretch included a 55-point performance on 65% shooting and a 45-point outing on 55% shooting, and he recorded between three and eight stocks (steals plus blocks) in each contest.</p><p>Recent history suggests the next obstacle, ailment, or scandal is just around the corner, but it's worth noting that Leonard has suited up for 20 straight games, including two sets of back-to-backs.</p><h3>We want to hear from you!</h3><p>Perhaps you want my opinion or insight on a burning NBA question you've had. Or, let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to ask your favorite player the next time they're in Toronto, where I speak with people from around the league before and after they face the Raptors.</p><p>Whatever it is, you can submit your questions three ways.</p><ul>
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Thunder struggling, Jalen Johnson needs to play D, Brooks keeps winning

Trae Young's eight-year run in Atlanta came to an end Wednesday night with a trade to the divisio...

<p><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///nba/players/60633" href="https://thescore.com/nba/players/60633">Trae Young</a>'s eight-year run in Atlanta came to an end Wednesday night with a trade to the division-rival Wizards, but don't be fooled by reports that Washington was Young's preferred destination.</p><p>For a variety of reasons we've <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3447482" href="https://thescore.com/news/3447482">already covered</a>, it's more likely that the Wizards were one of Young's only serious suitors. Hence why a 27-year-old four-time All-Star was traded for CJ McCollum's expiring salary and Corey Kispert, with no draft picks headed Atlanta's way.</p><p>That doesn't mean Young can't find success in D.C. or elevate a rebuilding Wizards club that hasn't sniffed relevance in a decade. Young remains an incredibly gifted playmaker who puts pressure on opposing defenses. The NBA's reigning assists champion will create the best looks Washington's young players have ever had. Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly should be celebrating this acquisition, for now.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>At his best, Young is an unquestionable offensive star. Though knee and quad injuries have sapped his production this season (and limited him to just 10 games), Young averaged 26.5 points and 10.2 assists over the previous six years. However, he's spent his entire career challenging for the title of the NBA's worst defensive player. Young's an undersized guard who isn't athletic enough or laterally quick enough to make up for it, and his effort on that end of the floor is inconsistent, at best.</p><p>There are also warts to be found in the more dominant part of his game. Young can get into the paint at will and he has improved as an off-ball player, but he's still an extremely ball-dominant star who doesn't score efficiently enough to justify it. When his jumper is falling from as far as the logo and he's throwing darts to teammates, there aren't many players more entertaining to watch. And the mere threat of Young's jumper will keep opponents honest. But he's a career 35% 3-point shooter who's only shot 50% or better inside the arc three out of eight seasons.</p><p>As a prospect at Oklahoma and early in his pro career, Young's range and style of play drew comparisons to Steph Curry. In reality, he's more like a poor man's James Harden. The Beard drove winning at an elite level in his MVP prime, but consider all the criticisms of Harden's game, then imagine if he was smaller, weaker, even worse defensively, and nowhere near as efficient.</p><p>Curry sports a career true shooting percentage of 62.6. Harden's combination of shooting and foul-drawing has helped him post a 60-plus true shooting percentage in 12 of his 17 seasons. Young has done it once in eight years and has actually scored on below-average efficiency in half of his seasons, according to Basketball Reference's adjusted shooting metric.</p><p>Simply put, Young's offensive play hasn't been as flawless as it needs to be to overcome his devastating defensive issues. That's why the Hawks have been the poster boys for mediocrity with or without him since Young led Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.</p><figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Hawks</th>
<th>With Trae</th>
<th>Without Trae</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2021-2025</td>
<td>.487 (+0.5 per 100 poss.)</td>
<td>.490 (-1.7)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2025-26</td>
<td>2-8 (-6.8)</td>
<td>16-13 (-0.4)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure><p>The Hawks will now turn the franchise over to 24-year-old forward Jalen Johnson, who has emerged as a rising star on a bargain contract (15%-19% of the cap) that runs through 2030. Atlanta also has two-way guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, defensive menace Dyson Daniels, rookie Asa Newell, the sweet-shooting Kispert (under team control through 2029), and 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, among other youngsters. Most importantly, the Hawks could be on the verge of acquiring a franchise cornerstone via the draft, as Atlanta will receive the more favorable of New Orleans' or Milwaukee's first-round pick this year.</p><p>All of that helps explain why the Hawks never offered Young an extension last summer, and why the team was so content to sell low on its former franchise star. You can't build a sustainable contender in the age of aprons if a flawed one-way star like Young is taking up 30% of your cap space. The Hawks know it, just as almost every team around the league does.</p><p>That reality will make extension talks between Young and the Wizards fascinating, with the 2022 All-NBAer armed with a roughly $49-million player option for next season.</p><p>For now, Young can help Washington's youngsters on the offensive end while being insulated somewhat by sophomore big man Sarr, whose defensive upside is tantalizing. It's also unlikely Young will boost the Wizards' short-term fortunes enough to derail their best laid tanking plans. The 10-26 Wizards, whose 2026 first-rounder is top-eight protected, are already 6.5 games out of a play-in spot and own the league's fourth-worst record.</p><p>The Wizards could slow-play Young's return from a quad injury and start planning for next season, when Young, Sarr, and the rest of Washington's youngsters could get a jolt from a blue-chip prospect and smart use of their whopping cap space.</p><p>There are parallels to Toronto's 2025 acquisition of Brandon Ingram, a former All-Star with some warts in his game who was available for cheap. Like Young, Ingram was injured (ankle) when the Raptors acquired him, and he was held out for the remainder of the campaign while the team prioritized lottery odds. The difference is that Ingram and the Raptors reached an extension agreement within days, whereas Young and the Wizards reportedly aren't expected to have immediate extension talks.</p><p>If Washington can get Young to settle for something in the range of Ingram's three-year, $120-million extension (worth roughly 24% of the cap), this deal will prove to be a home run. I wouldn't bet on Young agreeing to such terms any time soon, but it's also possible the Wizards rehabilitate Young's image and flip him for surplus value over the next year and a half.</p><p>In any event, it's a completely justifiable low-risk, high-reward bet for the rebuilding Wizards, who haven't won 50 games or advanced to the conference finals since 1979. What does it say about Young, though, that it's arguably even more sensible Atlanta let him go for pennies on the dollar?</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/34031829/related

Trae might be damaged goods, but he's a worthwhile bet for Wizards

Trae Young has already spent years on the theoretical trade market, but this time it really feels...

<p>Trae Young has already spent years on the theoretical trade market, but this time it really feels like his Hawks tenure is nearing its end.</p><p>Young's representatives are <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3447818" href="https://thescore.com/news/3447818">reportedly</a> working with the Hawks to find a deal, which signals to me that Atlanta has accepted it'll have to sell low on the four-time All-Star rather than lose him for nothing in free agency.</p><p>The Hawks have seemingly determined that there's no longer room for Young in their long-term plans, and they're self-aware enough to realize there won't be a bidding war for the mercurial guard's services.</p><div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><p>That may sound inconceivable given Young is a 27-year-old All-Star and the NBA's reigning assists champion, but it's actually quite sensible. There's more to the story than Young's gaudy numbers, with too many complicating factors working against him.</p><p>First and foremost, Young has consistently been one of the league's worst defensive players since being drafted fifth overall in 2018. While his small (6-foot-2, 164-pound) frame is limiting enough, Young also lacks the strength, athleticism, and lateral quickness needed to mitigate those size concerns. And his effort on the defensive end has been inconsistent, at best.</p><p>Opponents can construct entire game plans around targeting Young, which torpedoes the Hawks' team defense and significantly shrinks Atlanta's margin for error. That helps explain why the Hawks are 2-8 with Young in the lineup but 15-13 when he sits - something he's done quite often this season due to knee and quad injuries. Young also hasn't made an All-NBA team since 2022, and for as gifted an offensive player as he is, his shooting efficiency is below average for a second straight year.</p><p>Those numbers aren't entirely fair to a hobbled Young, who can still collapse and carve up opposing defenses. At his best, he's elevated the Hawks to improbable heights, most memorably leading Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals in just his third season as a pro. However, the Hawks have averaged 40 wins in the four seasons since then despite repeated efforts to shore up the defensive infrastructure around Young.</p><p>The star guard has averaged roughly 26 points and 11 assists during that time. The result: Atlanta has four straight play-in appearances and zero playoff series wins to show for it, with the team winning Young's minutes by 0.5 points per 100 possessions. Mediocrity has defined the partnership.</p><p>In the meantime, the Hawks have assembled a young core featuring Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, rookie Asa Newell, and embattled 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. There's also an incoming first-round draft pick via New Orleans or Milwaukee that could see Atlanta land a top pick in a star-studded 2026 class.</p><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816531/cropped_GettyImages-2250990633.jpg?ts=1767732956" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816531/w220xh124_GettyImages-2250990633.jpg?ts=1767732956 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816531/w320xh180_GettyImages-2250990633.jpg?ts=1767732956 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816531/w640xh360_GettyImages-2250990633.jpg?ts=1767732956 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816531/w768xh432_GettyImages-2250990633.jpg?ts=1767732956 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/816531/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2250990633.jpg?ts=1767732956 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> <span class="article-segment--image-attribution">Brian Sevald / National Basketball Association / Getty</span></figcaption></figure><p>You can understand why the Hawks weren't in a rush to extend Young last summer, and why rival teams won't be lining up to overpay Young in free agency. The punitive luxury-tax aprons have changed the calculus for roster construction. It used to be that even flawed stars like Young were obvious candidates for max contracts and/or max extensions when eligible. Now, teams are showing more restraint, knowing full well they can't afford to pay secondary or tertiary stars top-tier money.</p><p>Can you build a perennial contender in the age of aprons if Young is earning 30% of the annual cap? Never say never, but barring the emergence of another Victor Wembanyama-like defensive difference-maker somewhere to protect Young, the chances are slim. That's why I thought San Antonio was Young's best chance to both win and get paid until the Spurs traded for and extended De'Aaron Fox instead.</p><p>Young's future - and his appeal on the trade market - is also clouded by his murky contract status. If he wants to test the market as soon as this summer, prospective trade partners could find themselves bidding for a flawed star who might only be a three-month rental. Young could also pick up his roughly $49-million player option for next season, delaying free agency until 2027.</p><p>Even at a reduced price, Young doesn't make sense as an in-season trade target for contenders. He could fit Milwaukee's desperate plan to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Hawks likely want at least one first-rounder in any deal. Unless Antetokounmpo signals that a trade for Young would keep him around, the Bucks shouldn't rush to move their 2031 pick with so many questions still lingering about their own future.</p><p>Where he likely fits is in a less glamorous market that doesn't usually factor into free-agent sweepstakes, is desperate for relevance, and could use a jolt to energize its fan base. Young still has the natural talent, name recognition, and marketability to sell tickets while winning <em>some</em> games.</p><p>That's why Washington's <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3446919" href="https://thescore.com/news/3446919">reported</a> interest makes so much sense. Laugh at Atlanta's Young-led mediocrity all you want, but the division-rival Wizards haven't reached 40 wins in a season in eight years, haven't won a playoff series in nine years, and haven't advanced to the conference finals since 1979.</p><p>The 10-25 Wizards would still be bad enough with Young in the lineup to compete for a top pick in the aforementioned 2026 draft, though it's worth noting that Washington only keeps its 2026 pick if it lands in the top eight. The Wizards also boast an exciting young defensive prospect in sophomore big man Alex Sarr. If they can turn salary filler and a pick into taking a flier on Young when his value is at its lowest, they should act swiftly.</p><p>It may not be the riveting scenario fans hope for when an All-Star hits the trade market, but it's the reality for Young. Good on Atlanta for realizing that.</p><p><em><a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead NBA reporter.</em></p>

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Why Trae Young's trade market will be almost nonexistent

https://rich-content.thescore.com/authors/joseph-casciaro/content_cards

Joseph Casciaro

Senior NBA Writer

NBA Basketball

Bam Adebayo (NBA, OLYBBM)