LeBron James taunted one of his former teammates Tuesday night with a gesture that almost turned PG-13 in a hurry.
Just prior to tip-off of the Lakers’ road matchup with the Nuggets, James made his way toward Denver’s bench to have some fun with assistant coach Jared Dudley.
The two guys were on the 2020 Lakers team that won an NBA title, and in a unique way of acknowledging his old buddy’s presence, James made a motion with his right hand that nearly turned vulgar.
The 41-year-old pretended to wind up his middle finger like a jack in the box, but thankfully for all the young eyes in attendance, James stopped just short of flipping Dudley the bird.
LeBron James was seen having fun with Jared Dudley prior to the Lakers vs. Nuggets game Tuesday night. Denver Post via Getty Images
The two then shared a big laugh, before James hit the floor to try to lead his Lakers to a win.
The 21-time All-Star ended up having a great night against Dudley’s Nuggets, scoring 19 points while recording nine rebounds and eight assists. L.A. went on to pull out the victory, 115-107.
Jared Dudley and LeBron James won a championship together while on the Los Angeles Lakers. NBAE via Getty Images
James didn’t address the pregame giggle with Dudley following the tilt, though he did tell reporters why he felt it was necessary to share a mid-game moment with Nikola Jokic, who sat out the contest while still battling a knee injury.
“Jokic is one of the greatest players to ever play this game,” James said. “And for me to see him, just go over and pay my respect, that’s easy. That’s easy.”
James and the Lakers play next in a matchup with the Clippers on Thursday night at Intuit Dome.
When reporters asked Golden State Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy, Jr. about Jonathan Kuminga’s trade demand, he didn’t just have an answer. He delivered a bar.
Mike Dunleavy on the Jonathan Kuminga trade demand: “I’m aware of that. In terms of demands, when you make a demand there needs to be demand.” pic.twitter.com/XOGXj3HFrs
“In terms of demands, when you make a demand, there needs to be demand,” Dunleavy said Monday. He went to explain that Cranbrook is a private school, Kuminga’s parents had a real good marriage, and that while Kuminga stands tough, he noticed that on defense this man doesn’t have his hands up.
It’s not clear if Dunleavy intended to be so savage about Kuminga’s lack of trade value, one not helped by his inconsistent playing time with the Warriors. At the same time, Kuminga and his agent, Aaron Turner, haven’t been able to find much in the way of interest from other teams, or at least not ones willing to give up anything of value for the 23-year-old forward.
During the summer, the Sacramento Kings were the main team who expressed interest in Kuminga, but their trade offers were centered around second-year point guard Devin Carter and local favorite Dario Šarić, or taking on Malik Monk’s long-term contract, plus a Schrödinger’s cat of a future first-round pick that might be protected, might not, and might not even exist —it depends on what trade rumors you observe. They’re still interested in Kuminga, but the rosters don’t match up well for a trade, considering the Warriors don’t really need an eighth shooting guard in Monk.
During the summer, the Phoenix Suns were reportedly willing to give Kuminga a four-year deal for $90M or so, and their offer also included a salary dump of Royce O’Neale (owed $32.6M through 2027-28) and a garbage plate of second-round picks. It’s very difficult to make a deal work with the Suns in terms of matching contracts, and the 27-17 Suns may not be interested in shaking up their roster, especially with the return of another rim-attacking score-first player in Jalen Green.
Dunleavy’s harshness may be a result of the seemingly endless Kuminga saga, which dates back more than a year. It’s possible that Kuminga’s ankle injury last season scuttled the team’s plans to include him in a blockbuster deal, either for original trade target Kevin Durant or the eventual move for Jimmy Butler. It seems like Kuminga’s agent spends more time posting highlights of his client (some of which were allegedly altered) and taking to social media to criticize the team’s treatment of Kuminga than finding him a new home. Turner posted this after Kuminga sat in the 4th quarter of a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sitting Kuminga for a month hurts his trade value but so does his agent trying to go viral on social media and making the podcast rounds. Is Kuminga’s new organization going to be excited to deal with Turner?
In his return from exile Tuesday, Kuminga scored 20 points, which might help rekindle interest from teams who may have forgotten he was in the NBA at all. If nothing else, he showed that he’s stayed mentally strong and prepared even through a parade of DNP-CDs and that the Kuminga-Hield combination can light up the scoreboard, at least against the Toronto Raptors reserves.
It seems like Kuminga really, really wants a trade and the Warriors are willing to trade him. Finding a trade partner will be a “demanding” job.
Behind the scenes, though, things haven’t been quite as rosy.
Thanks to a story by Baxter Holmes of ESPN on Wednesday, we learned quite a bit about their relationship. While there were plenty of anecdotes detailing how things changed, the most notable revelation was that Jeanie considered not giving LeBron another extension in 2022 and even thought about trading him to the Clippers.
In 2022, in the aftermath of the Westbrook trade, multiple people said Jeanie privately mused about not giving James a contract extension and, later that year, even about trading James, with the LA Clippers floated as a possibility.
Look, there are plenty of people to blame for the Russell Westbrook trade. The fact that no one really got fired was perplexing. But Jeanie placing the blame at the feet of LeBron and not the President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka is surprising.
If the Lakers decided to trade for Russ because LeBron wanted it, then sure, he takes some of the blame. However, ultimately, he is a player and doesn’t have the final say, sothat falls more on ownership and the front office than on James.
But from Jeanie’s perspective, it seems she believed LeBron was focused on spinning the blame away from himself on this topic, which led to their relationship souring.
The distance between Jeanie and James widened after the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in July 2021, people close to the team said. The team had made the trade in an effort to appease James, but the acquisition backfired in catastrophic fashion. L.A. went 33-49 and missed the playoffs, and James seemed to wash his hands of his role in the acquisition.
Jeanie privately bristled about what she felt was his lack of accountability and the way James would shift blame onto others after the Westbrook trade, the people said.
Despite the icy relationship and Jeanie’s thoughts of moving on from LeBron, she never has. And has still made decisions she thought would make him happy, like drafting Bronny James. But, again, Jeanie wasn’t pleased with his response.
And when the Lakers drafted James’ son Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, Jeanie privately remarked that James should be grateful for such a gesture, but she felt that he wasn’t, people close to the team told ESPN.
Bronny worked out with other teams, so clearly, he had interest from different organizations, and he was going to find a spot in the league.
While LeBron never publicly said the words “I appreciate what the Lakers did drafting Bronny,” he has certainly shown how much it means to him. When training camp started, he called it “the greatest thing” to have Bronny working with him. And LeBron, for years, mentioned that playing with Bronny was “the ultimate dream.”
While Jeanie might feel LeBron hasn’t shown gratitude for what the Lakers have done for him, LeBron also likely feels like they haven’t been thankful for what he’s done for them.
The fact is, LeBron came to the Lakers when it didn’t make sense for him to do so. Back in 2018, he could’ve gone wherever he wanted, but he chose LA.
And while Jeanie might think they had a great pitch, LeBron had non-basketball reasons for being in Los Angeles due to his business ventures. So, it likely didn’t matter what their PowerPoint presentation looked like or what Magic Johnson had to say when selling Bron on the idea.
LeBron’s arrival, followed by a title within two years, makes him a Laker legend. That credit LeBron gets breeds envy, and Jeanie appears to have some, given how his move and its success are perceived by the general public.
She didn’t like that James was considered a savior for a foundering franchise when he arrived in 2018 and that it was he who chose the Lakers rather than the team’s leadership receiving praise for landing him. Team sources have been adamant for years that James’ camp informed the Lakers as early as 2017 that he was coming to join them when he became a free agent the following year.
In the end, it’s all messy, petty corporate politics mixed with sports.
Clearly, the Westbrook trade was a failure, and no one wants to take accountability for it. Jeanie is the boss of the Lakers and, like all bosses, she wants all of the credit and none of the blame.
Rather than looking within or at Pelinka and the rest of the front office on what went wrong, it’s easier to just blame LeBron. While he likely did push for it, that’s not his job. Someone in charge could’ve said no and they didn’t.
Despite any ideas about walking away from LeBron, Jeanie and the Lakers never did.
This relationship between Jenaie and LeBron seems to be pretty fractured at this point. And considering that LeBron is in the final year of his contract, perhaps this ends, as many things do, in a bit of a cold divorce.
Trash talk’s a foundational part of basketball, something of a love language in the sport between ruthless competitors trying to gain whatever edge they can on the court.
It wasn’t a joke, either, with Izzo saying in his post-game news conference that he was “serious as a jaybird.”
“I’m hoping that it ticks him off and maybe he’ll play better angry because some of it was unstomachable and I haven’t said that much this whole year,” Izzo said.
"We're all flying back to East Lansing and [Kur Teng] is flying to Appleton. Check USA Today tomorrow him and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home gym..."
Tom Izzo on telling Kur Teng he couldn't guard his mother during MSU's game at Oregon. pic.twitter.com/WAoMTjJxY8
Teng is fifth on the team in scoring this season, averaging 7.3 points per game, but he struggled against the Ducks, picking up no stats beyond two fouls and a turnover in eight minutes. It was his second-shortest appearance in a game this season and marked the first time this season he didn’t attempt a shot.
Thankfully for Teng, the rest of his team was more sound defensively, holding Oregon to 39% shooting from the field. The victory improved Michigan State to 17-2 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play. The Spartans are No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
While the rest of his team heads back from the Pacific Northwest to prepare for a matchup on Saturday, Jan. 24 against Maryland, Teng will be taking a detour to pay a visit to a certain nonagenarian.
“We’re all flying back to East Lansing. He’s flying to Appleton,” Izzo said. “Check USA TODAY tomorrow. Him and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home in a gym and we’ll see how he does.”
The Toronto Raptors offense exploded against the Golden State Warriors last night. The question is, can they keep it up on back-to-back nights when they visit the Sacramento Kings?
My Raptors vs. Kings predictions break down why the Raps will keep roaring in the third game of their West Coast road trip.
Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley fuel my NBA picks for this matchup set to go at 10 pm ET at Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento.
Raptors vs Kings prediction
Raptors vs Kings best bet: Raptors team total Over 115.5 (-115)
The Toronto Raptors took advantage of the Warriors playing without Jimmy Butler and went off for a season-high 145 points in last night's victory.
Sacramento ranks 27th in defensive rating and has surrendered 118.2 points per game over the last 15 games.
Toronto has a team total of 115.5, a number the Raps have topped in six of their last 10 games.
Raptors vs Kings same-game parlay
Quickely’s 40 burger is the culmination of some improved play from the Raptors guard. He’s averaging 19.2 points over his last 14 games and has eclipsed tonight's point total in 10 of those 14.
Meanwhile, Barnes is on a hot streak. He’s scored 22 or more points in five of his last six, averaging 24 over that stretch. Mix in the Kings' poor rebounding, and there should be plenty of second-chance opportunities for the Raps to go Over these point totals.
Raptors vs Kings SGP
Raptors team total Over 115.5
Immanuel Quickley Over 16.5 points
Scottie Barnes Over 20.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Timmy's Special
Let's back IQ and Scottie to take their games to the next level. Scottie should dominate the glass, and IQ will look to get his teammates involved.
Raptors vs Kings SGP
Raptors team total Over 115.5
Scottie Barnes double-double
Immanuel Quickley double-double
Raptors vs Kings odds
Spread: Raptors -220 | Kings +180
Moneyline: Raptors -5.5 | Kings +5.5
Over/Under: Over 226 | Under 226
Raptors vs Kings betting trend to know
The Raptors have covered the 1Q Spread in 28 of their last 40 away games for +14.30 Units and a 31% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Kings.
How to watch Raptors vs Kings
Location
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Date
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Tip-off
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
TSN, NBC Sports California
Raptors vs Kings latest injuries
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman grabbed a hat trick as Afghanistan warmed up for next month’s T20 World Cup with a series-clinching 39-run win over the West Indies on Wednesday.
West Indies, which lost the first game by 38 runs, got bowled out for 150 in 18.5 overs. Mujeeb claimed 4-21 and became only the third Afghan bowler after Rashid Khan and Karim Janat to accomplish a hat trick in T20s.
Earlier, Darwish Rasooli followed his half-century in the first game with 68 off 39 balls and Sediqullah Atal made 53 in Afghanistan’s total of 189-4 after the West Indies won the toss and elected to field.
Mujeeb had Evin Lewis trapped leg before wicket of a quicker ball before he clean bowled Johnson Charles with a perfect delivery that drifted into the right-handed batter and the West Indies slumped to 38-3 in eight overs.
Mujeeb waited for his hat trick until he returned for his final over in the death overs when top-scorer captain Brandon King (50) holed out at long-on and then finished with a four-wicket haul by clean bowling Quentin Sampson.
“The plan was to keep it simple and hit the stumps,” Mujeeb said. “Didn’t know I was on a hat trick and I was just looking to hit the right areas. Good preparation for us before the World Cup. This win will give us more energy.”
The three-match series concludes on Thursday.
Shimron Hetmyer briefly challenged the tall target with his 46 off 17 balls that featured six sixes before he holed out to sweeper cover while attempting a big shot against Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-28).
Fast bowler Azmatullah Omarzai claimed 2-20 before Farooqi dismissed No. 11 batter Ramon Simmonds to seal the series for Afghanistan with seven balls to spare.
Afghanistan opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (1) and Ibrahim Zadran (22) exited inside the power play, but Rasooli and Atal combined in a 115-run stand as they dominated both pace and spin.
Atal smacked three sixes and two fours before he holed out to deep square leg in Matthew Forde’s (2-25) return spell and Rasooli fell in the 18th over when he couldn’t clear Alick Athanaze at mid-off.
Omarzai smashed an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls with spinner Gudakesh Motie returning with expensive figures of 0-54 that included 19 runs of the final over.
“Hetty (Hetmyer) played a fantastic innings, but after he got out, I had to be the person finishing it,” King said. “The fielding has been a disappointment but that’s something we keep working on.”
We've reached the midpoint of an NBA season that has been filled with surprises — Detroit and Boston lead the East, San Antonio is second in the West — and also far too many injuries to stars. It's also given us jaw-dropping moments, and not just the ones Victor Wembanyama seems to deliver us on a nightly basis.
The midpoint also means it's time to take stock of the NBA postseason awards. All week long, I will make my picks for some of the NBA's top awards at this point in the season, plus get betting angles from NBC Sports experts. Today: Rookie of the Year.
NBA Rookie of the Year: Kon Knueppel
2. Cooper Flagg 3. VJ Edgecombe
Analysis of Rookie of the Year race
Any analysis has to start here: This is a deep, talented and very entertaining rookie class.
At the top of it are two former Duke teammates who, to me, are a coin flip for Rookie of the Year at this point in Knueppel and Flagg. Neither is playing like a rookie. Their counting stats are relatively even — Knueppel is averaging 19 points per game, Flagg 18.8; Flagg is grabbing one more rebound and dishing out 0.6 assists more a game. Both are playing heavy minutes, and both have been impressive playmakers for rookies asked to carry a lot of their team's offense. Flagg has been the better defender, but Knueppel has held his own.
What separated them for me was that Knueppel has just been more efficient to this point — he's shooting better (particularly from 3) and putting up those numbers on fewer touches and lower usage. By the end of the season, I may well flip these two with my vote, but if the season ended today, I would vote Knueppel.
It's also very close in my mind for the No. 3 spot in this ranking, with the 76ers' VJ Edgecombe getting the nod but Memphis' Cedric Coward (maybe the most overlooked player in this class) right on his heels. If I were voting for the All-Rookie first team this week, those two would be in it with Derik Queen from New Orleans getting the other spot (and he could crack the top three for this award by the end of the season.
Betting ROY Race
We reached out to the NBC Sports betting experts for their thoughts on the Rookie of the Year race and how they might bet it.
Jay Coucher, NBC Sports Lead Betting Analyst
Cooper Flagg is the rightful clear favorite, but Kon Knueppel's historic efficiency for a rookie, combined with the Hornets being a surprisingly frisky top 10 offense, should make the odds slightly tighter than they are currently.
Drew Dinsick, NBC Sports Betting Analyst
The clear favorite is Flagg but his case is far from secure as the Mavs face the 3rd toughest remaining schedule and the Anthony Davis injury makes their likelihood of tanking for draft position much higher. If the Mavs shut down Flagg with meaningful time remaining this season to preserve him for future years, it would not be entirely surprising. The second choice, Kon Knueppel (+600), has the opposite paradigm with the potential of getting wind in his sails. The Hornets have been playing very well of late and are likely in the mix for a play-in spot, if not a seat at the table in the postseason. Kon is effectively tied with Cooper right now in terms of raw production and it would again be unsurprising to see the voters reward his efforts if the Hornets continue to win games and threaten to qualify 8th in the weak East making it a solid bet at price.
Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.
Join us live on Saturday morning for the show where we’ll discuss the Pistons’ week of games. Just how impressive was the win over the Celtics? Is Jalen Duren a lock to become an All-Star and join Cade Cunningham? With relatively little chatter surrounding the upcoming trade deadline, will the Pistons make any move?
Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.
The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.
Oh boy, welcome back to our annual Socratic seminar about “should the Celtics make a trade this year?” A tradition unlike any other, it’s one of the most important questions for each Celtics season — answering it can reflect the state of the team, the direction and goals for the coming playoff run or tanking extravaganza. In some ways, it’s the defining concept of each season. To trade or not to trade, that is the question.
Yeah… except it’s actually a stupid question.
Presenting this discussion as a binary between “the Celtics should stand pat with their roster” or “the Celtics should go out and try to improve their roster” is the easiest answer since you asked your 4-year-old niece if she wanted ice cream or not. Of course the Celtics should try to improve their roster! What is the point of paying front office executives and scouts millions of cumulative dollars if you’re not always trying to improve your roster? That would be like asking that same 4-year-old niece about ice cream and you literally own an ice cream shop.
The Celtics are always going to try to get better. The real question is “is it possible to improve this team without needlessly hamstringing its future flexibility?” which is, of course, not a stupid question and one we can actually try to answer. Trading Anfernee Simons to get under the first apron of the luxury tax seemed like a mortal lock until he went sicko mode in the last month and is now very reasonably a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.*
*side note: what the heck is up with the Celtics printing 6MOYs? Brogdon, Pritchard, and now maybe Simons? It seems like there’s a real infrastructure here that we need to dissect. Maybe I’ll get to that in the offseason.
I’m still in favor of trading Simons due to the simple fact that he is capital G Gone at the end of this season. He’s on the final year of a reasonably sized expiring contract, and unless Jayson Tatum can come back, be actually, literally, unequivocally, 100% and the Celtics can compete for a title this year, it seems silly to lose him for nothing. They definitely won’t be able to pay him after this year, so forget about that.
The issue is that the above Tatum situation is still an open question. Tatum launched the mother of all press balloons by staging a full workout in front of reporters, quite intentionally getting the conversation going about whether he’ll be back sooner rather than later. And while it makes me uncomfortable, I’ve long resigned to not judging Tatum and the team’s decision on when he returns. Oh, what, do I have better medical info than Tatum and the team doctors? No, I don’t, so I’ll stay out of it.
We don’t, unfortunately, have any indication of when/if Tatum will return, which also, unfortunately, means we have a classic Schrödinger’s Simons situation. If Tatum returns, I don’t want to trade Simons. If he doesn’t, I do.
For Simons, this is kind of a great situation. He’s playing great and making the case that he should get a decent-sized contract this offseason, and he’s probably okay if that doesn’t come from the Celtics. If Boston trades him somewhere, he might be able to work on an extension with them or start planning his future (which he’s probably already doing).
For the Celtics, this is awkward, because I am unable to responsibly answer the Simons question without more Tatum info. Maybe we’ll get some soon, but for now I’ll punt on that one. Dealing Simons would remove an offensive creator, yes, but that should be made up for by Derrick White figuring out whatever slump he’s in. Couple that with how much future flexibility it will give Boston financially, and it’s probably worth it. But the larger question of “is it possible to improve this team without needlessly hamstringing its future flexibility?” remains unanswered. I’ll speculate anyway.
Save for a Simons deal, I think it probably is not possible to do better than this without doing something irresponsible.
Because of the misfortune that befell Tatum and the rest of last year’s roster, we can imagine this Celtics season as life giving us limes and making limeade (which clears lemonade btw). Now, the limeade we made is insanely good, and each individual lime has managed to produce more lime juice than the top Lime-ologists previously thought possible. As I’ve discussed at length, this team is playing way over its head on so many levels.
Transactions, then, are pretty likely to reduce the quality of the limeade. Say the Celtics packaged Garza and Hauser and a pick for some “better” player. What are the chances that player will immediately assimilate and produce what those two have managed for the Celtics this year on aggregate? Pretty low. Sure, in theory the Celtics are a porous team with lots of growth areas, but that simply hasn’t borne out in reality.
I’m ready to start taking this team seriously as a collection of serious basketball players that work well together, rather than treating it like a fantasy football team that will regress to the mean and thus we need to “sell high.” The sample size is too big for that kind of argument; this works, so I say let it work.
One year after a winter storm forced postponements across U.S. sports, another major weather system is prompting a reshuffling of games this week and threatened to wreak havoc on the weekend schedule.
A storm that meteorologists say could rival the damage of a major hurricane is expected to bring snow, ice and frigid temperatures from New Mexico to New England starting Friday.
Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers canceled their annual Fan Fest event scheduled for Saturday due to the weather forecast for frozen precipitation in North Texas and “in the interest of safety for players, fans, and employees.”
The Sun Belt Conference preemptively shook up its women’s basketball schedule, moving around the start times on several games from Thursday through Saturday. The American Athletic Conference also adjusted its weekend men’s and women’s basketball schedules, moving some games up to Friday.
Tennessee’s swim meet at Georgia and the USC Upstate women’s basketball game at Longwood were moved up to Friday from Saturday due to the forecast.
One interesting part of that story: It wasn't just Lakers fans who were frustrated with LeBron James in the wake of the team trading for Russell Westbrook, it was team governor Jeanie Buss as well — and she even floated the idea of trading him.
Jeanie privately grumbled, people close to the team say, about what she felt was James' outsized ego and the overt control that he and Klutch Sports, which represents both James and Anthony Davis, exerted over the organization at times. She didn't like that James was considered a savior for a floundering franchise when he arrived in 2018 and that it was he who chose the Lakers rather than the team's leadership receiving praise for landing him....
The distance between Jeanie and James widened after the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in July 2021, people close to the team said. The team had made the trade in an effort to appease James, but the acquisition backfired in catastrophic fashion. L.A. went 33-49 and missed the playoffs, and James seemed to wash his hands of his role in the acquisition...
In 2022, in the aftermath of the Westbrook trade, multiple people said Jeanie privately mused about not giving James a contract extension and, later that year, even about trading James, with the LA Clippers floated as a possibility. (This was before James received a no-trade clause in July 2024 after signing a new two-year, $104 million contract.)
Just as a background refresher, the Lakers were very close to a trade that would have sent Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell to Sacramento for Buddy Hield, allowing them to keep Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and put that shooting around LeBron and Anthony Davis. Instead, reportedly at LeBron's urging, the Lakers pivoted to a trade for Westbrook, a deal that proved a legendarily bad fit.
Buss also reportedly was frustrated that LeBron didn't seem grateful — or at least grateful enough — that the team drafted LeBron's son, Bronny James, in the second round in 2024.
Buss would be far from the first owner to be frustrated with a star player and float the idea of trading him, only to have calmer, wiser heads in the front office talk them out of that notion. It's a long and storied list.
It's also Buss chaffing against the reality of the modern NBA — truly elite players have the power. They drive winning on the court (LeBron did win a title with the Lakers), but more importantly they drive the business of basketball — they fill the buildings with fans who come to see them, they drive television ratings, team sponsors want to be associated with them, the stars sell jerseys, and more. As big as modern NBA max contracts get (16 players have $50+ million contracts this season) for a star who plays and contributes to winning, that is a good deal for the team in terms of revenue those stars generate.
Few players have flexed that power like LeBron (while trying to spin "I'm just an employee" and distance himself from deals), but Giannis Antetokounmpo and others have used that leverage as well. Those stars have the power. That is the reality of the NBA. And LeBron retains that power both because he has built his international brand and because, at 41, he is still producing on the court.
Buss, still the Lakers' governor (if not the owner calling the shots), likely gets her wish this summer when the Lakers and LeBron are expected to part ways, something league sources have told NBC Sports and is widely expected in league circles.
We are inching closer and closer to the NBA trade deadline, now just over two weeks away from February 5. The Bucks haven’t pulled the trigger on anything yet, but with all the rumors swirling, it’s definitely possible we see some action before then. In the meantime, we here at Brew Hoop have been presenting our candidates for the Bucks and GM Jon Horst to target. We’ve already identified five players for consideration, but now I’m throwing in a sixth, as we take a look at Andrew Wiggins.
This is now the third player from the 2014 NBA draft we’ve presented, as Wiggins was the no. 1 pick that year to the Timberwolves. The Bucks just missed on acquiring Wiggins’ services in that draft, instead selecting Jabari Parker at two. After five and a half seasons in Minnesota with just one playoff appearance, the T-Wolves traded Wiggins to the Warriors. There, he fit in perfectly next to Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson as a do-it-all small forward. In his second full season with Golden State, he earned his first and only All-Star appearance and helped them win the 2022 title. After their time together in Minneapolis, Wiggins and Jimmy Butler crossed paths again, but this time they were traded for each other, with Wiggins heading to Miami and Butler to the Bay.
With Miami, Wiggins has firmly cemented himself as the same do-it-all player he became in Golden State: a good secondary scorer and perimeter defender. He’s shooting a career best 39.8% from beyond the arc on decent volume (4.8 attempts per game), and is capable of creating a shot in the midrange, shooting 36% from 10 feet to the three-point line. When asked to handle the rock this season, he’s been a decent playmaker, averaging the second-most assists per game of his career (2.8). Per Cleaning The Glass, the Heat’s offense is scoring 1.4 more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor.
Wiggins is a strong perimeter defender and could take on opponents’ best wing or bigger guards. He gets into the passing lane and affects shots, averaging 2.2 steals plus blocks per game, also a career high. His advanced numbers don’t look great, though: opposing teams score 4.6 more points per 100 with Wiggins on the court. That number could be inflated by the Heat’s lagging offense, which ranks 20th (113.5 offensive rating). Overall, they sit 10th in the league in defensive rating at 112.8.
Regardless, Wiggins would undoubtedly be a solid improvement for the Bucks, bringing more consistent offense and defense alongside Giannis. So it’s no surprise that the Bucks were linked to Wiggins last year before he was traded to Miami, and in several reports this season. This one was courtesy of ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel:
“Wiggins, who was drawing interest from the Bucks over the summer, continues to be a name associated with Milwaukee’s trade deadline plans. From the Heat’s perspective, though, they seem to be working on their own plans to upgrade their roster, and it’s unknown whether Miami would surrender Wiggins in a trade that doesn’t land them an All-Star-level player like Giannis or someone else.“
The Trade
To even get this trade off the ground, the Bucks likely have to invite a third party. Outside of Giannis, the Bucks don’t have the type of player Miami wants. To facilitate the deal, the Nets are added to the equation. The Bucks’ part in this would actually be the second of two separate deals that essentially turn into one big deal, much like how Jericho Sims was attached to last year’s Kyle Kuzma-Khris Middleton swap.
In the first half of the trade, Miami snags the hottest commodity on the trade market in Michael Porter Jr. in exchange for Wiggins, Terry Rozier’s expiring contract, and their unprotected 2029 first-round pick, also getting Tyrese Martin as a salary filler. Then the Nets re-route Wiggins to the Bucks for Kyle Kuzma and Andre Jackson Jr. This puts the Nets over the 15-man roster limit, so they’d have to cut someone—likely the injured Haywood Highsmith—to stay in compliance.
Now, I know some will question why the Bucks are seemingly helping a team above them in the standings (Miami leads Milwaukee by 3.5 games for the 8th seed). But this isn’t the Bucks coming to Miami and Brooklyn with this trade offer. They swoop in after Miami acquires Porter, offer Kuzma and AJax to Brooklyn, and re-route Wiggins, who has a player option decision this summer, to Milwaukee. The Nets get an easier contract to move off of, and Wiggins gets to finish this season on a team that is gunning for the playoffs. Miami offers Brooklyn a future first and an expiring contract. Every team gets something they want.
But the Bucks themselves have been linked to Porter, so why wouldn’t they get the better player? They have only their 2031 or 2032 first-round picks to offer. The Nets, should they choose to trade Porter, appear to want a first-round pick (or more) in return. That’s the market for a 27-year-old wing who’s averaging 25+ points per game. As good as Porter is, the Bucks don’t have the right kind of pick to deal. If they owned any of their draft picks from 2027–2030, that would make more sense for Porter. Giannis will be 36 going on 37 in 2031; I see it as unlikely that the Bucks even trade that pick anyway, considering they’ve been unwilling to move it dating back to last season.
Wiggins, while a good player, wouldn’t command giving up 2031, even if the trade was strictly between Miami and Milwaukee. But the Bucks have to make some moves to improve this roster. If they’re eyeing the more distant future without Giannis and don’t want to give up that pick, then this is the type of deal to make. I’m not the only one who feels this way, as according to Jamal Collier of ESPN, that’s where much of the league sees how the Bucks are going to improve:
“It’s where rival executives see the biggest chance for opportunity in Milwaukee. The Bucks can accept a larger contract with multiple years beyond this season that an opposing team might be trying to get out from under, such as Miami‘s Andrew Wiggins, who owns a $30 million player option for next season, or Charlotte‘s Miles Bridges, who will make $22.8 million in the 2026-27 season, team and league sources told ESPN.“
This may not be the best offer the Nets get for Porter, but there are things to like about it. Adding a future first-round pick in 2029 would bring their total to four that season: the Nets would have their own first, the Knicks’, and the least favorable of the Rockets, Mavericks, and Suns. Provided that the Nets are a contending team around that time, they could use those picks as ammunition to trade for a star. As for the players, Rozier is an expiring deal that they can wash their hands of this summer. Kuzma can be a decent contributor in the short term, and he will be on an expiring contract next season, which the Nets could flip for more assets. AJax is a young defender that they could take a flyer on.
The Fit
Wiggins could realistically fit with every team in the league. With his experience and production, he would be a particularly welcome sight in Milwaukee. He’s an above-average three-point shooter and doesn’t need the ball in his hands all the time to create offense. In some ways, he reminds me of a lesser Khris Middleton: a good player who makes winning plays. I’m not trying to say Wiggins is as good on offense as Middleton was, but his qualities make him a good fit for a championship-contending roster.
Teams wouldn’t be able to sag off Wiggins in the half-court like they could with someone like Miles Bridges. As I mentioned earlier, Wiggins is having his most efficient season from distance in his career, and not just on-ball: 3.7 of Wiggins’ 4.8 three-point attempts per game are off the catch, and he’s converting those at 42%. Wiggins is also consistent, which would be a welcome change for the Bucks. Too many players are volatile from game to game to be relied on in big spots. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. have been scuffling in January, and you can’t rely on your backup center to be the second leading scorer.
Wiggins may also help the Bucks’ rebounding, averaging nearly five per game. Compared to some of the other wings we’ve discussed (LaVine, Bridges, Jerami Grant), Wiggins slots in much better as the starting small forward next to Giannis. Finally, he’s a pretty durable player who has played at least 73% of games every year of his career except for one. That was 2022–23, when he missed 22 straight games because his father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, was going through a serious medical issue, and the younger Wiggins stepped away from the team.
Are you okay with jumping into a deal that makes the Heat better if it means the Bucks can still get Wiggins and keep the 2031 first-round pick? Or would you rather the Bucks go for it and outbid the Heat? Let me know in the comments below.
NAGPUR, India (AP) — Abhishek Sharma scored 84 off 35 balls as India beat New Zealand by 48 runs Wednesday in the opener of a five-match T20 series.
Sharma, the world’s number one T20 batter, hit eight sixes and five fours as India notched up 238-7 in 20 overs. It was the third highest T20 score against New Zealand.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav scored 32 off 22 balls, while Rinku Singh provided a late flourish with 44 not out off 20 balls.
Singh hit three sixes and four fours as India reached only the second-ever 200-plus total in T20s at the VCA Stadium — a first since 2009.
New Zealand fell short despite Glenn Phillips’ 78 off 40 balls. Mark Chapman also scored 39 off 24 balls as the Black Caps finished with 190-7 in 20 overs.
Put into bat, India lost Sanju Samson (10) and Ishan Kishan (8).
Sharma powered his way to 50 off 22 balls and put on 99 off 47 balls with Yadav. India crossed 100 in the ninth over, and the skipper was out caught in the 11th over as Mitchell Santner (1-37) got the breakthrough.
Ish Sodhi struck in the next over too — removing Sharma — and India seemed to lose its way at 185-6 in 15.4 overs.
Hardik Pandya scored 25 off 16 balls, while Shivam Dube managed only 9 runs. Axar Patel was out for only 5.
Singh held one end together and used the time-penalty to good effect in the end to propel India to an improbable target.
Pacers Kyle Jamieson (2-54) and Jacob Duffy (2-27) picked up a brace each.
In reply, New Zealand started poorly. Devon Conway was caught behind for a two-ball duck. Rachin Ravindra fell for 1.
Opener Tim Robinson scored 21 runs and put on 51 off 30 balls with Phillips, before Varun Chakravarthy (2-37) dismissed the former in the seventh over.
From 52-3, Phillips and Chapman added 79 off 42 balls for the fourth wicket. It set up New Zealand’s chase.
Both batters survived owing to India’s lapses in the field, and Phillips powered his way to 50 off 29 balls.
The breakthrough finally came in the 14th over — Phillips was out caught off Axar Patel.
Thereafter, the Black Caps didn’t have enough time left in the game despite sufficient firepower.
Daryl Mitchell scored 28 off 18 balls, while Santner was unbeaten on 20 off 13 balls, but the target proved to be too tall.
The Toronto Raptors are fresh off one of their best performances of the season, a 145-127 win against the Golden State Warriors – despite being down four rotation players – in which Immanuel Quickley dropped a career-high 40 points and 10 assists.
Now, they’ll be shorthanded and on short rest as they take on the Sacramento Kings, who are 14th in the Western Conference and, like the Raptors, on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Kings, led by a 2018 All-Star team of Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, had shown some signs of life earlier in January despite an injury to Domantas Sabonis, winning four consecutive games – the first three of which came against the Rockets, Lakers and Knicks. But the 12-32 Kings have come back down to earth with consecutive losses.
The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on TSN.
Here are some storylines to follow.
A new start(ing lineup)
Thanks to a flurry of injuries, and aided by the team’s deep roster, head coach Darko Rajakovic has started a different five-man lineup in eight consecutive games. Last night’s new unit included Gradey Dick, who was making his first start of the season. Unlike the Warriors, Sacramento has a fair bit of size; All-Star center Sabonis is back, though he’s played on a minutes restriction off the bench since returning. 7-foot-1 rookie Maxime Raynaud has started in his place. The Raptors went super small against Golden State, starting Quickley, Jamal Shead and Dick together, alongside Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes. They may opt for a bigger lineup tonight – but with Jakob Poeltl still out, and Collin Murray-Boyles likely out with his thumb injury, it’s slim pickings.
Former Raptor report
The Sacramento Kings are bad in many respects. But there’s one advanced statistic according to which they are a top team in the NBA: Rate of Any Player That were Openly Raptors (RAPTOR). The main driver of their high RAPTOR rating is DeMar DeRozan, the 36-year-old who is Toronto’s all-time leading scorer and co-built the We the North era with Kyle Lowry. DeRozan’s numbers are down a bit this year, though his efficiency is up: He’s average 19 points, 3.3 rebounds and four assists on 50.8% shooting and a 35.9% clip from three. Meanwhile, former Raptor Precious Achiuwa has been starting for the Kings, and is averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 boards, while Dennis Schröder is averaging 12.7 points and 5.6 assists off the bench. The Raptors’ “Former Kings report” includes Garrett Temple, who played in Sacramento on a 10-day contract in 2010.
Worth a shot?
Thanks to some paltry shooting efforts, the Raptors have found themselves stymied by zone defenses as of late, leading to somewhat of a roster construction crisis (though things would certainly look a bit different with Walter and Barrett healthy). That crisis seemed like a distant memory last night, when the Raptors shot 21/34 from behind the arc. Will their shooting juice continue on the second night of a back-to-back? Will tired legs prevail? And, importantly, will Kings coach Doug Christie dare the Raptors to find out by running a zone defense?
The New York Knicks will try to break out of their four-game slide tonight as they host the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.
New York may well finally get a win tonight, but my Nets vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks still like Brooklyn to cover the spread.
Nets vs Knicks prediction
Nets vs Knicks best bet: Nets +11.5 (-110)
The New York Knicks are currently in freefall, having lost four straight and nine of their last 11. Despite comments made earlier this month by owner James Dolan, this has looked more like a team that has to fight to stay out of the play-in tournament than one that’s on its way to the NBA Finals.
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which they trailed by as many as 30 points, the Knicks have one of their best chances to snap out of their funk against the 12-29 Nets. New York has beaten the Brooklyn Nets in each of their last 12 meetings, and the Nets have lost seven of their last eight.
But even if the Knicks can manage to get back in the win column tonight, covering a large spread may be another story.
New York hasn’t covered as a double-digit favorite since December 5, and the Knicks have managed to lose outright in their last two games as a 10+ point favorite.
It’s hard to blow teams out when you’re playing as poorly on the defensive end as the Knicks, who are giving up 114.9 ppg on the year. With this many points on the board, I’m taking the Nets to cover.
Nets vs Knicks same-game parlay
The Knicks have also been struggling on the offensive end, scoring 101 points or less in three of their last four games. Combined with Brooklyn’s own offensive struggles, the Under looks like a good play tonight.
Still, I’ll take center Nic Claxton to hit his personal Over at 10.5 points, as he is averaging 12.8 ppg and has hit this total in each of his last two games.
Nets vs Knicks SGP
Nets +11.5
Under 220.5
Nic Claxton Over 10.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Eager about Egor
The Knicks are allowing opponents to shoot 37.5% from 3-point range, and Egor Demin has hit at least three shots from deep in five of his last seven games.
Nets vs Knicks SGP
Nets +11.5
Under 220.5
Nic Claxton Over 10.5 points
Egor Demin Over 2.5 threes
Nets vs Knicks odds
Spread: Nets +11.5 | Knicks -11.5
Moneyline: Nets +460 | Knicks -620
Over/Under: Over 220.5 | Under 220.5
Nets vs Knicks betting trend to know
The Knicks are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Knicks.
How to watch Nets vs Knicks
Location
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Tip-off
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
YES, MSG
Nets vs Knicks latest injuries
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