Utah's Lauri Markkanen dribbles against Indiana's Jay Huff. (Bobby Goddin / Getty Images)
NBA tanking has reached a breaking point, but a modified “Gold Plan” draft format could reward late-season wins, restore competitive integrity, and make every game in March and April matter again.
The first question at NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's annual All-Star Weekend press conference on Saturday was about the league's most pressing issue: tanking.
Just two days earlier, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for "conduct detrimental to the league," due to roster management designed to lose games to improve their chances to land the top pick in a 2026 draft that's expected to be one of the most talented in recent memory. While teams have historically tried losing games in March and April, Utah was cited for games on Feb. 7 and 9, where it benched top stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the fourth quarter in winnable games after playing in the first three. (Earlier Thursday, the Jazz announced that Jackson would undergo season-ending knee surgery.)
“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” Silver said in Thursday's press release. Silver doubled down Saturday, saying that we're seeing worse tanking behavior that we've seen in recent memory and "what we're doing, what we're seeing right now is not working; there's no question about it."
Luckily for the NBA, my solution for tanking is already successfully implemented in other sports leagues and would promote and incentivize winning and competitive basketball for the league's worst teams during the regular season's waning months.
At the 2012 MIT Sloan Sports & Analytics Conference, University of Missouri PhD student Adam Gold presented an anti-tanking plan for hockey. He proposed that once NHL teams were eliminated from playoff contention, every win and overtime loss would count as draft ranking points, with the draft order determined by the most successful bad team toward the end of the season rather than by the bad team that tanks to finish with the worst record. The PWHL adopted the "Gold Plan" in 2024, and the NBA can and should implement a modified model to prevent teams from intentionally losing games in February, March, and April.
Once an NBA team reaches 40 regular-season losses, it can start accumulating wins toward its draft position, which is determined by the teams that win the most games after it's essentially eliminated from playoff contention. At the All-Star break, Sacramento and Indiana are already past 40 losses, while Utah, Washington, and Brooklyn are at 38-39 defeats. This plan ensures that the worst teams will actually want to win games at the end of the season, making the final contests of the year impactful and meaningful for all 30 teams.
Would teams try to tank at the beginning of the season rather than reach 40 losses more quickly? Potentially, but intentionally losing games at the beginning of each season is harder to accomplish for both teams and players, and the NBA's antennae would be on high alert to punish teams over the first half of the season that try to manipulate rosters the way Utah did earlier this month.
Players don't want to tank because their play impacts their stats, which impact their future contracts, and players are competitors who want to win and want to be viewed as winners. Unless they have rock-solid job security, coaches don't particularly like tanking either.
"I don't think it would work with me. I don't think it's right," Hall of Fame former head coach George Karl told Boardroom last week at the premiere for Prime Video's ABA docuseries Soul Power. "There's a problem that I think the commissioner has got to address."
There's no foolproof way to completely eliminate tanking. Whether you eliminate certain draft pick protections in trades, take away draft lottery ping-pong balls, lock the lottery order at a certain date, or prevent teams from taking luxury tax payments, there isn't a perfect plan out there that would eliminate tanking for good. But the Gold Plan would eliminate late-season tanking for good, with increased penalties and scrutiny for early-season offenders that would be too obvious to ignore.
All 30 teams would be motivated to win in March and April, giving every game meaning, purpose, and high stakes heading into the playoffs. And what a breath of fresh air that would be.
Oct 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) jumps for a rebound with forward Jaylen Brown (7) and guard Derrick White (9) against Philadelphia 76ers forward Jabari Walker (33) in the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Back in October, before this NBA season began, did you perhaps open up a sports betting app on your phone and wager on how many wins the Boston Celtics would achieve? Did you say they would win at least 48? Maybe 50? More than 50?
If so, then the odds are good that you’re about to win some money. At the All-Star break, the Celtics rank fifth in the entire league at 35-19 – a winning percentage of .648 that equates to a 53-29 record over a full season. Barring any unfortunate developments, the Celtics should finish in a far better position than almost anyone expected.
If you saw all that coming, you’re smarter than I am. Last season, I correctly predicted the Celtics would win 61 games, and I’ve been pretty close to the right number in most other recent years. This season, however, I dropped my expectation to 44 wins. That’s because the narratives appeared reasonable: With so much talent lost in the off-season, and with the replacements being primarily young and unproven, there seemed to be no way for Boston to avoid the “gap year” that many NBA observers were forecasting.
There’s no denying it. I was guilty of underestimating the Celtics.
My mistakes didn’t end there. I said Derrick White would make the All-Star team (he didn’t); Jayson Tatum’s absence would be so harmful (it’s been manageable) that his haters would apologize (they haven’t); and the Cs would be more effective if they’d speed up their offense (at 95.7, they’re dead last in pace for the second straight year, yet are second in offensive rating at 120.2).
The Celtics have defied expectations, with Jaylen Brown having his best season. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
There’s more. I was sure they’d be pounded on the glass (but in fact, they’re eighth in the league with 45.4 rebounds per game, and seventh in rebound percentage at 51.4%); they’d struggle on defense (nope, their current defensive rating is ninth-best at 112.6); and they’d be especially vulnerable inside (they actually have allowed just 40.9 paint points per game, second best in the league).
My one consolation was I had plenty of company in being wrong. The most optimistic guess here at CelticsBlog was a 48-win season. Also, in hindsight, we now see numerous mainstream news outlets whose crystal ball apparently wasn’t crystal-clear. Here’s a sampling of wayward prognostications.
Not only would it be fine and completely justified for Boston to dip under .500 this season, it would be advisable to do so! I’ll take the under, at the risk of making Mazzulla rage-weep tears of blood and swear an unrelenting vendetta against my family, friends and still-living former teachers.
Biggest thing we’ll be talking about this season: What is the plan for what should be a gap season? The Celtics are a proud bunch, and coach Joe Mazzulla and Co. believe they can be a factor while Jayson Tatum recovers from a torn Achilles. But without Tatum and experienced bigs in the rotation, how competitive can this team be — and what happens if Derrick White and/or Jaylen Brown miss time?
Is Jayson Tatum actually going to play this season after suffering a torn Achilles in the Eastern Conference semifinals? It seems insane to me, but Tatum is already running and dunking, and clearly wants to give it a go. This Boston team sure seems built for a gap year while Tatum rests and recovers if you ask me. This might be one of the worst front courts in the league after Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet departed in free agency, leaving Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, and a lot of question marks. I understand the logic that Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are just too good to fail, and it’s possible Payton Pritchard puts his name in All-Star consideration with a bigger role. Even if Tatum comes back, I don’t think the Celtics have any shot at winning the East, so to me it makes it all moot. Finishing in the lottery and with a crack at another potential young star should be in the Celtics’ best long-term interest, but it’s hard to do that with championship-caliber players like these.
Note: This site listed picks in chart form with seven participants. The Celtics were ranked as high as sixth in the East and as low as 12th. Two of the writers predicted Boston would miss the playoffs.
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On top of all that, the NBA itself indicated the Celtics would fall a notch or two. Boston didn’t play on the official opening night and was omitted from the Christmas Day schedule for the first time in several years.
When the Celtics began the season losing their first three games, it appeared that the narratives were coming true. Yet today, the Celtics are not scuffling to make the Play-In – they hold second place in the East by one-half game over their nemesis, the New York Knicks. Last May, shortly after the Celtics were eliminated and Tatum was hospitalized, a Knicks fans was talking trash to me on the BlueSky platform. His comment: “Enjoy the rebuild.”
Wonder if he’s looked at the standings lately?
Putting that fun aside, the Celtics and all Boston fans know too well that fortunes can change in an instant. There’s no guarantee that the Cs continue to win at the same pace. However, there are reasons they’ve overcome expectations.
Everyone on the roster has contributed to wins at some point, including young players who are just now getting their first opportunities to perform. And if a 10-year veteran can have a breakout season, Jaylen Brown is doing just that. Equally important, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, Head Coach Joe Mazzulla, the assistant coaches, and the entire behind-the-scenes staff are brilliant at what they do.
As Jaylen put it recently:
I’m proud of this group and staff/ office looking forward to 2nd half go Cs ☘️ pic.twitter.com/I0cqxQTPYg
The Celtics have made the playoffs for 11 consecutive years. That’s the longest active streak in the NBA, and it’s about to become 12 straight. Maybe the only mistake I made, that everyone made this season, was not trusting them.
For more analysis of how the Celtics remain successful, check these current CelticsBlog articles.
There are 28 games remaining, divided equally between home and away. Here are some of the storylines that will be most prominent over the final weeks of the season. (I’ll keep predictions to a minimum.)
40-20 rule: Conventional NBA wisdom says that a true title contender will win 40 games before losing 20. The Celtics need to win five straight to make that happen. It’s achievable, but unlikely, because their first four games after the All-Star break will be on a Western road trip versus four teams above .500: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. Then they’d have to beat the Brooklyn Nets in their first game back in Boston.
The Denver contest is set up to be a scheduled loss: second night of a back-to-back, last game of the week-long trip, being played in the altitude of the Mile-High City, versus the potent Nuggets (currently 35-20) led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. If the Celtics actually do win their next five in a row, we should all get very, very excited.
Schedule: The Celtics will be tested again by a five-day road trip in March: at Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. After that, 10 of their last 16 will be at home, including four of the last five. Their final road game will be on April 9 at New York, possibly with second-place in the East at stake. The regular season concludes on April 12 with the Orlando Magic visiting Boston.
Incorporating Vucevic: The acquisition of Nikola Vucevic gives the Celtics an experienced and talented big man who can rebound and stretch the floor. The task now is to get him comfortable with the system and to create an effective tandem with Neemias Queta. Luka Garza will get fewer minutes, but stuff happens. Vooch is the guy the Cs will count on in the postseason.
Jayson Tatum: Will Tatum return or not? If he does play, how effective will he be? Those are the questions that will determine if the Celtics are just a feel-good regular-season story, or a real contender with a chance to return to the Finals. There are only five rotation players from the 2024 championship squad still on the roster today, Tatum being one. The Celtics have found ways to win in the regular season without him, but they won’t in the postseason. It’s just that simple.
Assuming Tatum does return, there are two dates that stand out as the best options. On February 27, the Nets visit the Garden, and during the following week there are three more home games. That period would be a solid opportunity for a test run that could incorporate some rest, avoid travel, and gradually build up Tatum’s minutes.
Similarly, March 14 has the Washington Wizards visiting Boston, followed by five of the next six games at home. At that point, 16 games would remain on the schedule, which might or might not be enough time for Tatum to get reacclimated. It’s difficult to imagine him being ready for the postseason if he attempts his comeback any later than that.
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How did your predictions turn out so far? Let us know in the comments.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 04: Lonzo Ball #2 and Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers look on during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Arena on January 04, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
No one likes to lose. Even worse, no one likes to be blamed for losing. Lonzo Ball says he feels he became a scapegoat for fans this season when the Cleveland Cavaliers were struggling.
“I don’t feel like I’m playing as badly as people are saying,” Ball said on his podcast. “I know I’m the scapegoat right now, but look, that comes with the name, though, and that comes with what they brought me in for, so it’s granted, I’m not going to say I was playing great.”
The full quote is more reasonable than what has gone viral on Twitter. Ball recognizes he fell short of the expectations he brought to Cleveland. His only disagreement is that he doesn’t believe he was as bad as the discourse suggested. Now, that’s something we can argue on the merits. But I think it’s worth being fair to what Ball was actually saying.
“Can I play better? Yes. Have I been playing terrible? I don’t think I have,” Ball said.
Ball was brought to Cleveland with the hopes of being their version of Jrue Holiday or Alex Caruso. A defensive-minded guard who can playmake and potentially space the floor. At his best, Ball flashed the potential to be that in the past
That never materialized in Cleveland. Ball shot just 30.1% from the floor and was a non-threat to score. That drastically limited his ability to create for others — and his defense wasn’t as good as advertised. His poor three-point shooting was the nail in the coffin.
“To me, I’m just missing shots.” “People say, ‘Oh well, he’s shooting 25 percent.’ Well, let’s actually take the percentages and talk about what that is, I’m taking four shots a gameand making one of them, that’s sh****, but I promise we’re not winning or losing off of four shots.”
It would be silly to suggest that Ball was the primary reason for Cleveland’s struggles. The early portion of the season saw injuries, poor effort, and bad shooting across the board. Ball was only one part of the equation. Though he certainly wasn’t helping them when he was on the floor.
“I don’t feel like I’m the worst in the NBA,” Ball said.
Ball finished in the 0th percentile for points per shot attempt and the 1st percentile in turnover percentage. The Cavs were 5.5 points worse with him on the floor, placing him in the 25th percentile for on/off rating. As a reminder, you want to be in the higher percentiles.
The two parties are in agreement on this: Jerome Tang is no longer the men’s basketball coach at Kansas State.
Things get dramatically more complicated from there. Kansas State holds that Tang, who was fired on Sunday, can be dismissed “for cause,” which would invalidate the $18.7 million buyout associated with his contract.
“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program," athletics director Gene Taylor said in a statement.
“Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”
“This was embarrassing,” Tang had said. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform, and there will be very few of them in it next year. I'm embarrassed for the university, I'm embarrassed for our fans, and our student section. It's just ridiculous.”
Tang’s attorneys, Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer, pushed back on the school’s characterization.
If Taylor and university president Richard Linton “really think the school was embarrassed by recent events,” they said in a statement shared with ESPN, “that’s nothing compared to the embarrassment that both of them are about to experience.”
What does it mean to be fired “for cause”?
Dozens of major-conference men’s basketball and football coaches will be fired in any given year, the wide majority for simply failing to win enough games.
That’s certainly the case with Tang, who led Kansas State to an unexpected Elite Eight appearance as the first-year coach in 2023 but was unable to capitalize on that early success. Since losing to Florida Atlantic in the regional final that March, the Wildcats have gone a combined 45-47 with one postseason appearance, a trip to the NIT in 2024 that ended in the first round.
Occasionally, however, schools are able to fire coaches for contractual violations that can minimize or even outright negate agreed-upon buyout figures.
“The most important part of a contract is not what is being paid, but how you get fired, how you get terminated,” said Martin Greenberg, a sports lawyer and professor of sports law at Marquette University. “That’s the most important part of a contract these days.”
In these scenarios, universities can dismiss a coach for missteps related to NCAA penalties, inappropriate behavior or, as stated in Tang’s contract, a “failure or refusal to perform his duties and responsibilities as head coach.”
“A university’s most realistic options often are to: (1) continue to employ the coach because of the coach’s success or because it is cost prohibitive to terminate the coach’s employment without cause; or (2) attempt to terminate the coach with cause and likely encounter litigation,” University of Iowa Professor Josh Lens wrote in a 2022 article for the Villanova Law Review.
One recent example is former Ohio football coach Brian Smith, who was placed on leave in early December and then fired later that month for "serious professional misconduct and activities that reflect unfavorably on the University,” the school said.
Another is former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines’ second-year coach was terminated with cause in December after an investigation unearthed an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, saving the school from paying the roughly $14 million buyout he was owed in his contract.
Did Jerome Tang violate his contract?
According to a contract signed in 2023, Tang agreed he could be fired for cause without being “entitled to the payment of any compensation, benefits, or damages.”
In addition to “serious or multiple violations” of NCAA rules or “material fraud or dishonesty,” issues that could lead to a for-cause firing were “insubordination” or “objectional behavior” and “intentional, negligent or other failure or refusal in any material respect to perform the duties and responsibilities of Head Coach required under this Agreement.”
Kansas State’s efforts to obtain a for-cause firing seem to hinge on responsibilities outlined to Tang under the category of “Specific Duties and Responsibilities.”
In addition to requiring Tang to devoting his “full professional time” to serving as the Wildcats’ head coach, the list of responsibilities included two key requests:
One, “promoting and encouraging support of the Team’s student-athletes. And two, to avoid engaging in “any behaviors, actions, or activities” that could subject the university “to public disrepute, embarrassment, ridicule, or scandal.”
By absolving itself of the need to pay Tang’s buyout, Kansas State could save a significant sum of money at a time when many major-conference athletics departments are attempting to piece together revenue-sharing payments given directly to student-athletes under last year’s House v. NCAA settlement.
The crux of Kansas State’s argument comes down to this: By disparaging members of the team, did Tang fail to conduct himself in a manner consistent with being the Wildcats’ head coach?
“I am deeply disappointed with the university's decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination," Tang said in a statement. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.”
What happens next with Jerome Tang and Kansas State?
Tang and Kansas State should eventually come to an undisclosed financial agreement that ends any potential litigation and permanently severs the relationship between both parties.
This is what unfolded in the high-profile disagreement between LSU and former football coach Brian Kelly. Two weeks after relieving Kelly in late October, the school informed his representatives it would be attempting to fire him for cause. If successful, LSU would have been off the hook for Kelly’s full buyout of $54 million.
According to Kelly’s contract, he could have been fired for cause because of “substantial” rules violations, a felony conviction or conduct that damaged the university’s brand. By the end of November, LSU agreed to pay Kelly’s full buyout, which became the second-largest in NCAA history.
One factor that stands to complicate Kansas State’s argument is Taylor’s willingness to allow Tang to remain as coach through the end of the season with a renegotiated buyout number, Taylor said on Monday.
If open to retaining Tang for another month, Tang’s lawyers could contend, how could the school find his behavior to be inappropriate enough to warrant an immediate for-cause dismissal?
In the end, both Kansas State and Tang will likely find a sort of common ground, one that absolves the school of some financial commitment and avoids a very public and possibly embarrassing legal back-and-forth that could cause damage to both parties’ reputation.
“It’s better to settle these things in the boardroom rather than the courtroom,” Greenberg said. “To let out the dirty laundry in public doesn’t do any good for the school, doesn’t do any good for the students, doesn’t do any good for recruiting or for donations.”
The All-Star break came and went, allowing fantasy basketball managers to take a well-earned rest. Now, attention shifts to the fantasy playoffs, which for some could be just around the corner. With certain NBA teams now focused on the lottery, we could be about to see certain players stepping into larger roles. As we approach the pointy end of the season, the waiver wire is the place to be, providing managers with bargain players who could be about to ascend the NBA fantasy rankings. And remember, never assume a player is rostered. It always pays to double-check, just in case they have been overlooked.
Identifying players who are benefiting from expanded roles — whether it's an offensive threat delivering points and 3s or a defensive-minded player boosting your blocks and steals — is vital as you navigate the season.
Let's dive into nine key NBA sleepers whose stats suggest they are poised for significant value and are currently rostered in fewer than 40% of Yahoo leagues.
Yahoo High Score Leagues
Nique Clifford, Sacramento Kings (18% rostered)
Things in Sacramento have certainly not gone to plan this season. After months of chopping and changing, it appears as though the coaching staff could finally be about to lean into developing its young core. Enter: Nique Clifford. He has played at least 30 minutes in four straight games, providing ample production on both ends of the floor. During that span, he has averaged 36.7 fantasy points per game, including a 54-point performance in a loss to Cleveland. With Zach LaVine ruled out for the season, Clifford is likely to be the biggest beneficiary when it comes to playing time. Assuming he sticks in a 30-minute-per-night role, he could end up being a valuable addition for anyone hoping to sneak in the fantasy playoffs.
Jarace Walker, Indiana Pacers (21% rostered)
Unlike Clifford, Walker has been playing meaningful minutes for the past few weeks. He has scored double digits in 10 consecutive games while also chipping in across the board on most nights. He has totaled at least 40 fantasy points in four of those games, flashing some intriguing upside in the process. After Johnny Furphy suffered a knee injury that will cost him the remainder of the season, the path to minutes for Walker became even more enticing. While he doesn't have the defensive upside of Clifford, Walker's ability to score the basketball on a team looking for offense should hold him in good standing for the remainder of the season.
Tristan Vukčević, Washington Wizards (4% rostered)
Another team looking to lose as much as possible, Washington could also provide fantasy managers with a few surprises down the stretch. While it has been a breakout season for Alex Sarr, he is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, having been ruled out for at least the next week. With Marvin Bagley III now in Dallas, the backup center role belongs to Vukčević, meaning he will likely be the starter for the next few games.
If Washington is to exercise caution when it comes to Sarr's injury, Vukčević could certainly find himself in the starting role for multiple weeks. In his past three games, Vukčević has scored 23, 23 and 32 fantasy points, averaging just 17.0 minutes per game during that time. If his playing time even sniffs 30 minutes, he could very well end up flirting with top-70 value, making him a risky, yet intriguing target.
Standard 9-Category Leagues
Devin Carter, Sacramento Kings (4% rostered)
Carter could be another player to consider, should Sacramento fully embrace the tank as expected. After barely playing thus far this season, Carter has logged at least 27 minutes in three straight games. He has recorded at least four assists in five consecutive appearances, while chipping in four steals during that time. At this point, we haven't seen enough of Carter to determine whether he is going to take the ball and run with it. However, given the situation in Sacramento, he certainly warrants consideration, particularly for those needing assists and steals down the stretch.
Dylan Cardwell, Sacramento Kings (20% rostered)
Cardwell has been on the fantasy radar for the past month, putting up top-70 value in 16 appearances during that time. With averages of 6.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 combined steals and blocks in just 24.1 minutes per game, his appeal is obviously limited to managers requiring traditional big man numbers. Although Domantas Sabonis has recently returned from a knee injury, he now finds himself limited due to back issues. There is no indication that this is a long-term injury; however, Sacramento is likely to be cautious moving forward. Assuming what we have seen from Cardwell over the past month is his floor, managers can roster him with confidence, expecting him to play at least 24 minutes per game for the remainder of the season.
Danny Wolf, Brooklyn Nets (3% rostered)
Brooklyn is another team towards the bottom of the standings, a place that is all too familiar for Nets fans. While Day'Ron Sharpe has been a popular late-season target, Wolf has quietly gone about his business, having played at least 20 minutes in four straight games. During that time, he has averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 3-pointers, good enough for top-70 value in standard leagues. Knowing what the rotation is going to look like from one night to the next is almost impossible, meaning Wolf does come with an element of risk. However, if you can afford to take a bit of a chance, Wolf could end up being a versatile addition to just about any fantasy roster, should his role continue to develop.
Standard Points Leagues
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz (28% rostered)
It feels as though the time to stash Filipowski has been coming since about the third week of the season. Have we finally reached that point? Shockingly, the answer is not clear, even though Utah was recently fined for its shenanigans when it comes to playing time. Filipowski's role continues to shift on a nightly basis. In his past six games, his playing time has ranged from eight minutes to 36 minutes. In eight appearances over the past two weeks, he has averaged almost 30 fantasy points per game, a great sign given that it included a five-point performance in a blowout win against the Kings. There is no certainty when it comes to what Filipowski's exact role might look like, but we are likely close enough to finding out, making him a borderline must-roster player.
Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards (11% rostered)
Although Washington appears as though it is going to limit playing time rather than flat-out resting, Johnson could end up being somewhat immune. Having recently returned from an ankle injury that cost him six games, Johnson played just 18 minutes in his first game back. However, prior to the injury, he had logged at least 30 minutes in six straight games, providing the Wizards with a nice offensive punch. His overall skill set remains limited, which actually boosts his appeal in points leagues, as opposed to category leagues. Despite the limited ceiling, he is worth the gamble, especially if he ends up playing upwards of 30 minutes for the remainder of the season.
Nolan Traoré, Brooklyn Nets (15% rostered)
Traoré has seemingly established himself as a key piece for the Nets, having started in eight straight games. Despite a somewhat sluggish start to his new role, Traoré has now scored double digits in four consecutive appearances, while also adding 32 assists during that time. He has amassed at least 32 fantasy points in three of those four games, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. While Egor Dёmin has been the more talked-about player, it could be argued that Traoré has been the more impressive of the two, at least in recent times. Much like the situation in Washington, there are no guarantees when it comes to the rotation in Brooklyn. However, grabbing Traoré now makes a lot of sense.
Located north of the Arctic Circle — farther north than any team in Champions League history -- its reward for its impressive run is a showdown with last year's runner-up Inter, which currently leads the Italian league.
Qarabag of Azerbaijan is another unlikely team in the playoffs and it hosts Newcastle.
Atletico travels to Club Brugge and Olympiacos hosts Bayer Leverkusen.
In Tuesday's playoffs Paris Saint-Germain rallied from two goals down to beat Monaco 3-2 and Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0.
Galatasaray won 5-2 against Juventus and Borussia Dortmund beat Atalanta 2-0.
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was briefly detained Tuesday, Feb. 17 at an airport in the Bahamas before being released, according to Ayton's lawyer Devard Francis.
Francis said Ayton was detained on suspicion of being in possession of a "very small amount of marijuana" while at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas.
Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, last played for the Bahamian national team in 2024.
Francis said the marijuana had been in someone else's bag, which led to a swift release of Ayton following a brief investigation.
"The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn't in Deandre's bag, but they still went through their investigations and he was released expeditiously," Francis told Reuters in a statement.
Players are no longer tested for marijuana and it has been removed from the banned substance list, according to the CBA regulations.
However, marijuana is illegal in the Bahamas.
Ayton, 27, in his first season with the Lakers has averaged 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and a block per game.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz looks on against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Kia Center on February 07, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the new regular articles I’m wanting to do is a Utah Jazz Question of the Day. I’ll do these as often as I can with questions I hope our community would like to discuss. If you have any questions you want to go over, let me know in the comments.
For today’s question, it’s somewhat related to our “beloved” commissioner who punishes our team for doing the thing most likely to lead to eventual championship contention. The question is: What is the change you would most like to see from the league?
For me, I have a pretty easy one. I hate it when teams, at the end of the game, up three or more, foul to put players at the line for two free throws. To me, it ruins the end of games and any chance of a game-tying or game-winning play. For this, the easy fix is that if a team is up by three or more, any foul in the final minute is a technical free throw for the opposing team, followed by a side out with the ball.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Isaac Asuma scored 15 points and Grayson Grove scored 13 points and Minnesota ended its five-game Big Ten Conference road losing streak by beating Oregon 61-44 on Tuesday night.
Cade Tyson scored 12 points and Bobby Durkin 11 for Minnesota (12-14, 5-10) which last won on the road in conference on Jan. 3 when the Golden Gophers beat Northwestern, 84-78.
The Ducks now have lost 11 of 12.
Nate Bittle scored 15 points and Kwame Evans Jr. 13 for Oregon (9-17, 2-13) which scored a season-low point total shooting 38% (20 of 53) and 10% (2 of 20) from 3-point range. Evans went 2-for-2 shooting from the foul line, the only trip the Ducks made to the line the entire game.
Minnesota led 22-17 at halftime and began distancing itself in the second half. Oregon used a 9-0 run to turn a 29-21 deficit with 17:33 remaining into a one-point lead on a 3-pointer by Evans four minutes later.
Grove responded with a dunk, Asuma converted a layup and Durkin made a 3 and Minnesota never trailed again. The Golden Gophers outscored Oregon 22-6 and turned a 39-36 advantage into a 61-42 lead with 1:29 remaining.
Minnesota leads the all-time series, 8-3.
Up next
Minnesota: Hosts Rutgers on Saturday.
Oregon: Travels to Los Angeles to face USC on Saturday.
NEW DELHI (AP) — South Africa chased down a victory target of 123 with 40 balls to spare Wednesday to finish the group stage of cricket's Twenty20 World Cup unbeaten.
South Africa opted to field first and restricted United Arab Emirates to 122-6, with veteran pace bowlers Corbin Bosch returning 3-12 from four overs and Anrich Nortje taking 2-28.
The South Africans raced to 123-4 in 13.2 overs, taking the last seven runs in singles after their fourth wicket fell.
Rain showers delayed the start of South Africa’s reply and then the first over netted just one run.
But from that point on, the Proteas accelerated to victory by adding 13 runs off the second over and 18 from the third until Haider Ali bowled skipper Aiden Markram for 28 from 11 balls — all but two of his runs coming from boundaries.
Dewald Brevis led the scoring with 36 before he was out within two scoring shots of victory, and Ryan Rickelton scored 30 as the 2024 runners-up dominated the bowling.
For the UAE, Alishan Sharafu led the scoring with 45 from 38 deliveries before he was caught in the outfield off Nortje's bowling in the 18th over.
The South Africans rested David Miller, frontline spinner Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi ahead of the Super 8 stage.
In matches later Wednesday, Pakistan will take on Namibia in Colombo with a spot in the Super 8s at stake, and co-host India will finish off the Group A program against Netherlands at Ahmedabad.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives down court as Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook gives chase. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
But when he hits free agency again — which he can if he doesn’t take his player option for 2028-29 — he will be eligible for a max contract of five years and projected to be worth a little over $417 million.
He hopes the Knicks play ball.
“If I’m thinking about playing well to make sure I get paid, that could mess with me,” Brunson told Vanity Fair. “I play best when I have a free mind, and that did that for me. A lot of people say I sacrificed for the team. One hundred percent I sacrificed for the team. But most importantly, I made sure my family and I are taken care of. … Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me. I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.”
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after hitting a 3-point shot in the first half at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, Tuesday, January 27, 2026. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
An All-Star in three straight seasons, Brunson, 29, has continued to play at a high level this year. He’s averaged 27 points (on 47 percent shooting) with 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest. In what’s been a streaky, topsy-turvy year for the Knicks, they’re still firmly in the thick of the Eastern Conference race, sitting in third place with a 35-20 record, six games back of the Pistons for first.
The 29-year-old Brunson, however, said earlier in February that he isn’t concerned so much about regular-season results come the spring and summer months.
“I don’t look at regular-season games as a barometer because, come playoffs, it’s a different basketball game,” Brunson told reporters. “Especially when you talk about a seven-game series. I’ve been with different teams that went to the Finals or played deep in the playoffs that lost the season series to teams and still won in the playoffs.”
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — P.J. Haggerty scored 34 points, Nate Johnson added a career-high 33, and Kansas State cruised past Baylor 90-74 on Tuesday night in the debut of Wildcats' interim head coach Matthew Driscoll.
K-State (11-15, 2-11 Big 12) never trailed and held a double-digit lead for most of the second half to end a six-game skid. Driscoll replaced previous head coach Jerome Tang, who was fired Sunday night after four season at the helm.
Johnson’s layup gave the Wildcats a 21-point lead with 10:39 remaining. He surpassed his previous career-best 31 points with a dunk with 1:37 remaining.
Haggerty shot 15 of 23 overall. Johnson was 11-of-16 shooting and made five of the Wildcats' eight 3-pointers. Johnson also had nine assists and matched a career-high with six steals.
Isaac Williams IV scored 16 points to lead Baylor (13-13, 3-10), which has lost four straight. Tounde Yessoufou added 14 point for the Bears. Cameron Carr chipped in with 12 points and Dan Skillings Jr. scored 11. The Bears made just three of their 24 3-point attempts.
Johnson made four 3s and scored 16 points, and Haggerty added 13 points to help K-State build a 41-34 halftime advantage. The Wildcats shot 5 of 11 from long range while Baylor missed 11 of 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
Williams' layup pulled the Bears to 66-57 with 8:20 left but they didn't get closer.
Up next
Baylor hosts Arizona State on Saturday.
K-State is on the road Saturday to face No. 13 Texas Tech.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dailyn Swain scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Matas Vokietaitas recorded a double-double and Texas held off gutty LSU for an 88-85 win on Tuesday night.
Vokietaitas scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope each scored 18 for a Texas squad which shot 56% (29 of 52). The Longhorns' 23-of-34 performance from the foul line helped keep the Tigers alive.
Pope, Swain and Mark were each in double figures with 11, 11 and 10 points respectively before halftime after which Texas appeared poised to runaway with it.
In his return from a knee injury, Max Mackinnon came off the bench to score 21 of his 29 points in the second half for LSU. Marquel Sutton scored 19 points, Mike Nwoko 15 and Jalen Reece 14 for LSU.
Pope's jumper with 32 seconds left made it 87-82 to help seal the win. The basket occurred after Nwoko missed a floater in the lane which would've reduced the Tigers' deficit to a point. Pope missed two foul shots with 1:16 left.
The Longhorns (17-9, 8-5 SEC) led 30-25 with 5:17 left before outscoring LSU 18-8 before halftime and led 48-33 at intermission.
LSU (14-12, 2-11) rallied, however, and managed to get within four points on two occasions at the midway point of the second half.
Texas has won five straight conference matchups for the first time since 2021.
Marred by injury all season, LSU has lost four straight and 11 of 13.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Blue Cain scored 20 points, Jeremiah Wilkinson added 19 points off the bench and Georgia beat Kentucky 86-78 on Tuesday night for its first win at Rupp Arena since 2009.
Georgia (18-8, 6-7 SEC) had lost 12 straight at Kentucky since a 90-85 victory on March 4, 2009.
Cain made two free throws with 4:05 remaining for a 78-69 lead following a Flagrant 1 foul. But the Bulldogs turned it over on the ensuing inbounds play and Otega Oweh raced the other way for a fast-break dunk while being fouled. His free throw cut Kentucky’s deficit to six.
Marcus Millender answered with a long 3-pointer for Georgia to make it 81-72 with 3:33 remaining. The Bulldogs did not score again until Somtochukwu Cyril grabbed an offensive rebound and banked in a shot in the paint with 44.3 seconds left for an 83-78 lead.
Denzel Aberdeen made Kentucky’s last field goal of the game with 3:03 left before the Wildcats missed five straight.
Cyril and Millender each had 14 points for Georgia, which had lost five of its last six overall.
Oweh led Kentucky (17-9, 8-5) with 28 points. Collin Chandler added 18 points on a career-high six 3s and Aberdeen scored 14. The Wildcats entered allowing an average of 65 points per game.
Wilkinson made a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the first half to give Georgia a 39-34 lead at halftime. Cain and Cyril combined for 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Up next
Georgia: Returns home to play Texas on Saturday.
Kentucky: Goes on the road to play Auburn on Saturday.
Sean Marks 10-year tenure as GM of the Brooklyn Nets may be most easily understood through a series of snippets from the NetsDaily archives:
June 30, 2019 … 5:13 p.m. ET … The Clean Sweep
In a coup with few historic precedents, the Brooklyn Nets will sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in the next few weeks becoming the big winners of free agency 2019…
Sources: Durant will sign a 4-year, $164M deal with the Nets; Irving will sign 4-years, $141M.
February 9, 2023, 1:34 a.m. ET … End of the Big Three….
The inability of the Nets to capitalize on their signings of KD and Kyrie — and the subsequent trade for James Harden — now becomes a managerial failure of the first order with first Harden, then Irving and finally Durant asking out.
“This is the greatest failure in NBA history,” said Zach Lowe on NBA Today without exaggeration. One league source told NetsDaily Wednesday that a housecleaning is likely to follow at HSS Training Center this off-season.
June 25, 2024, 10:46 p.m. ET … Rebuild!
NetsWorld turned upside down.
Mikal Bridges, the centerpiece of the Brooklyn Nets trade of Kevin Durant a year and a half ago, has been traded to the New York Knicks in one of two monster moves that has sent Brooklyn into a full rebuild. In the other, the Nets and the Houston Rockets executed a swap of picks that will bring two of the Nets trade assets from the James Harden trade back to Brooklyn. adding to the rebuild.
The trades are the latest in a series of moves that have taken the Nets from being the odds-on NBA championship favorite in 2021-22 to a team whose short-term future looks bleak.
Up, down, up again?
It’s tempting to recount a long list of successes and failures over the decade, but why? The Nets success, failure, even identity are tied to Sean Marks, his skills, his personality. He has been the Nets, for good or bad. That is undeniable after a decade in the job in the NBA … maybe in most jobs. He has gone from having been personally and emotionally thanked on the concourses of Barclays Center to having some of those same fans demand his firing on social media and having pundits literally laugh at his draft choices on national TV. At present, there is no indication — none— that his relationship with Joe Tsai, the principal owner, is anything but solid. His contract, whose terms have never been publicly discussed, appears to have one more season to run after this one. Think continuity, continuity, continuity. Joe Tsai does.
It’s also tempting to grade the tenure, or grade where the Nets stand currently, maybe even grade each transaction, then add it all up. Not much value there either. Everyone from fans to pundits knows what happened (see above) and their opinions aren’t going to change. It’s clickbait to be discussed and forgotten. Besides, there are plenty of pundits who have and continue to grade Marks.
Just this morning, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports did his semi-annual rankings of NBA front offices, apparently unaware of the anniversary. He ranked Marks and the Nets at No. 15. That put them just behind the Miami Heat (Pat Riley) and just ahead of the Detroit Pistons (Trajan Langdon, his former acolyte!) Like many who believe in Marks, both inside and outside the organization, Quinn’s analysis is somewhat defensive.
The Nets are the team I most consistently find myself defending in arguments about these rankings. A lot of the criticism Brooklyn’s front office gets is unfair. Sean Marks took over a team without control over its first-round picks, built it into a championship favorite, and then watched it fall apart because of a pandemic. I’m not punishing a general manager for COVID, and if I were to punish general managers over abrupt James Harden trade requests, we’d be dinging a huge chunk of this list. Besides, they’ve rebounded quite nicely.
And Rick Carlisle, as good a head coach as there is in the NBA right now, had kind words for the Nets future just last week.
“They do a great job of developing young players here. Jordi’s been really top of the heap with what they’ve done the last couple of years. [Nolan] Traore’s gonna keep getting better. [Egor] Dëmin’s getting better. Their young bigs have progressed a lot over the last couple of years. The future here is very bright.”
That’s better than any pundit’s take!
What it ALL means is that GMs, including Marks, are judged on one thing: “what have you done for me lately?” and “lately” in the context of multi-year rebuild is very very subjective. The Nets are tanking or “playing the probabilities” as some might say and it shows in the (losing) record. On the other hand, Marks & co. have followed the time-honored rebuilding path — acquire good young players and draft picks, optimize cap space and otherwise be patient just as he did in the first rebuild in hopes of getting back to the promised land. And never, ever, minimize luck, good or bad.
Brian Lewis recently interviewed Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman, one of Marks’ biggest supporters (and a GM with similar longevity and legions of fans who think he too has stayed too long.) He advised fans to think about what Marks has done once already, believing he can do it again.
“Process is something that is important, but doesn’t guarantee ultimate outcomes,” Cashman told The Post. “Sean has proven he can build a winner. He’s done that. Ultimately they didn’t get to the promised land with the championship, but he did everything lined up to put himself and put themselves in a position to do so. And I know he’s capable of doing that again.
“That’s what he’s going through right now in the fact that Joe Tsai — one of the brightest minds of our generation — sees the talent in Sean to stay invested in [him] to lead that operation. I think it’ll pay off for him in the end, and pay off for the Brooklyn Nets, because Sean is someone that you’d rather have on your team than put in the open market for somebody else to benefit from.”
In our own discussions, we heard that last line more than once from professionals much of what Lewis heard from Cashman and others. He’s very smart and has a record better than most when it’s all added up, but there are others who take more tempered approach. Smart yes but at the same time subject to big mistakes brought on by hubris is one criticism.
The Nets, said one, have had a general tendency to hang on to players too long, often have too high an asking price. Then, those players “fuck up the locker room” before being traded on the cheap or cut. That list is long, but can be repeated by any Nets fans who’s worn black-and-white and felt black-and-blue: Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie, James Harden, Cam Thomas and of course, Kyrie Irving. (No we are not re-litigating Kyrie’s exit.)
That he said has let to volatility and plain old-fashioned chaos, something players like to avoid.
On the other hand, said the same source, the Nets — Marks and Tsai — know what to do when the big decision arrives, arguing they can “kill” at the right moment, noting what they got for Kevin Durant and Mikal Bridges, trades that ultimately led to a haul of more than 10 draft picks and some ancillary assets.
It’s all part of the way Marks looks at things, say those who know him: don’t dwell on the failures or successes. Move on. He is not one to replay his failings over and over in his head. These are sunk costs. And he doesn’t care that someone, whether Brian Windhorst or Bill Simmons or Jake Fischer, doesn’t like what he did. He has a thick skin and an ability to shut out what he dismissively calls “noise.”
“One thing I really appreciate about him is he never looks back” Irina Pavlova, the Mikhail Prokhorov executive ran the Nets and led the search committee that recommended him, told Lewis. “Once something’s gone, ‘Boom. What’s next?’ He builds from there, which is great, especially for a team like the Nets where there’s something going wrong all the time.”
Indeed, Marks understands it is a business, something he learned as a player, toiling for seven NBA clubs and one in Poland. He in fact holds the NBA record for fewest minutes — less that 10 per game — in a career lasting 10 years or longer. He’s also worked with two of the most successful businessmen ever, ones who earned their fortunes in the cut-throat post-Communist Russia and still-Communist but wild west economically China. He’s not a babe in the woods.
He is charismatic, helped by that daunting 7-foot visage, but often hubris has taken over, say critics. He may not be a dictator but he knows what he wants is a common refrain … and a big part of that is loyalty.
Historically, his selection of head coaches, arguably the most impactful decision any GM ever makes, has been the weakest lines on his resume’. At this point, it seems like Marks has finally found his coach. It seems everyone from owner to fans to players to competitors believe that Jordi Fernandez is the real deal. Hiring him was another one of those “killer” moves the league source described. Multiple teams had interviewed Fernandez but decided for whatever reason, passed But before he hired Fernandez, Marks record was not so good, the thinnest entry on his resume’.
He chose a development expert in Kenny Atkinson, who did his primary job but then was dumped. The official press release back in 2020 said the departure was by mutual agreement but by the time Atkinson returned to the head coaching job in Cleveland last year he made it very clear that he was “fired” and that it still stung. He said he was told that he lost his job because didn’t match what the Nets wanted in the treatment of “superstars.” Steve Nash, who Marks had long wanted in some capacity before hiring him to replace Atkinson, was a valiant attempt to match a superstar coach with a superstar team, but one of those superstars let it be known he wanted Nash — and Marks — fired and the x’s and o’s? Well, that was an issue. Jacque Vaughn, on the other hand, is seen in less positive terms. Much less positive.
Indeed one big issue, intimately related to those coaching issues, was his and the organization’s willingness to do the bidding of those superstars. Kyrie didn’t think the team needed a coach. He or KD could do it, he said. KD wanted Ime Udoka even after he had been suspended by his previous employer for harassment. Durant also didn’t like a lot of the supporting roster, didn’t like how the roster was constructed. Harden remained out of shape virtually the entire time he was on the roster, his attention devoted more to strip clubs than weight rooms. Among each other, there always seemed an uneasy truce.
A lot of that has been seemingly been rectified in public actions. There’s plenty of evidence that they are going for the homegrown, high character player. It’s not just lip service. The historic five first rounders spoke to that, their youth, their character, their willingness to make things work. Marks & co. apparently learned their lesson. No need to call about Ja Morant! No more short term fixes. No more chances.
As B.J. Johnson, Marks No. 2 said in the SCOUT docu-series produced by the Nets internal media, “A lot of work went into what Brooklyn is going to be in the future. Regardless of who comes in here, we’re not going to change. They’ve got to adjust to us. Overall, that’s what it’s about here.”
More than a subtle admission that the previous plan — go for it all, spend wildly, throw together the best of the best and hope for a ring — wasn’t the right choice. They will have to find a superstar or superstars to bring them back into contention. Maybe it’s whoever they get lucky enough to get in the lottery come May 10. Maybe it’s someone who is attracted by the progress they see in the young kids and Jordi Fernandez and of course, there’s always the bright lights and big city of New York. If you can make it here … you know the rest.
Overall, the current report card is mixed, but generally positive as Carlisle alluded. Lessons get learned.
The development operation is seen as a solid, better than most. One league source discussing one of the Net recent pick-ups told ND that the player may not have shown much with his previous team “but he has a chance with Nets development staff.”
The performance team retains a very good reputation as well despite a lot of turnover, essentially four performance directors in four years and some recent drama. The medical team is staffed by the Hospital for Special Surgery. None better. The scouting staff is reportedly the largest in the NBA and Marks just recently added the Oklahoma City Thunder’s director of scouting. That can’t hurt. Its success of course will take some time to define.
The “soft science” part of the staff — analytics, capology, etc. — is also seen in a positive light, but again there’s been turnover. There are some rising stars like Kory Jones and Kyle Hines. Both are nominally assistant GMs for Long Island but play bigger roles than that, Jones in Brooklyn’s basketball operations, Hines in scouting and development. Makar Gevorkian is the capologist who’s helped Marks through some of the team’s bigger moves.
Now, the big challenge for the Nets GM: the next 10 years. Whether he’s around or not, his imprint is going to on this team, his team for a long time. Brooklyn is now younger after the deadline than they were before and they were the youngest in the league by a not insignificant margin. Their draft pick in June will also be a teenager. But for all the preparation, it’s time to execute. As one league source told NetsDaily, the right draft choice alone could mean the difference of years.
Every indication is that the rebuild portion of the team’s overall strategy is now nearing an end. Now, it’s build rather than rebuild. Expect aggressive moves across the board.
As we have repeated ad infinitum, they have every possible asset needed to be aggressive, the 33 draft picks (10 first rounders and 20 second rounders that can be traded whenever they want,) perhaps $50 million in cap space and as Sam Quinn noted, an owner willing to spend. It should be noted, as Bloomberg News did, that about half of Tsai’s net worth is now sports-related and the Brooklyn Nets are the centerpiece. He wants to win. He will accept no less.
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