Darryn Peterson, by nature, isn't a terribly public person. That's not a bad thing — Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and others have had Hall of Fame NBA careers while taking extra steps to maintain their privacy.
However, that limited communication can become an issue when the waters get rough — and they were rough for Peterson this season at Kansas. He's missed 11 games — some to a sprained ankle, others because of a couple of illnesses — and then there were the early exits that drew a lot of attention. Multiple times, Peterson checked himself out of games because of cramping concerns, including against BYU and the other potential No. 1 pick, AJ Dybantsa — Peterson was dominant in the first half but left early in the third quarter. He has yo-yo'ed in and out of the lineup all season.
Peterson nor his family talked about any of it. They were private. The problem is, the Internet abhors a vacuum. So do media talking heads. That empty space gets filled with speculation and commentary from people on the outside looking in. In this case, it led people to question Peterson: If availability is the best ability, should NBA teams trust him? Does he love the game?
NBA teams are not worried.
The scouts and team officials NBC Sports has spoken with in recent weeks about Peterson still remember the guy who was clearly the top player in an elite class coming into this season. Those same executives acknowledge that, for stretches of the season, he has not looked as explosive as he did a year ago, but to a man, they said, "We want to see the medicals" (he will undergo a full medical workup at the NBA Draft Combine). Teams are being patient until then, with an expectation that this is not a long-term issue. Many said in the games where Peterson has looked healthy, he has looked like the No. 1 pick.
Peterson has the chance to answer those questions and his critics on the court in the NCAA Tournament, which starts Friday for Kansas against Cal Baptist.
Peterson also answered questions about all of it speaking to the media about his season.
The cramping issues started a week after Kansas coach Bill Self's "boot camp" before traditional practices began at Kansas (a week of intense conditioning Self does every year). Peterson was fine throughout camp, but a week later at a traditional practice, he suffered intense full-body cramps for 45 minutes. The pain was intense, he was taken to the hospital and given two IV bags of fluid. His quote, via CJ Moore of The Athletic, was telling.
"It was a traumatic experience," Peterson said.
After that, when he would start to feel cramping during games, he would take himself out to prevent what he had experienced before. The cramping, the injuries and illnesses have slowed Peterson this season, something he admitted to The Athletic.
"I'm still getting in shape," Peterson said. "I haven't played as many minutes, so you probably tell that by the shots that I'm missing. A lot of easy shots that I usually make, I miss now. I've missed a lot of games, so people have a lot more games than me, so I'm still adjusting."
"Everything that's going on with Darryn not playing well and not shooting it well during this time, it is definitely leaning people into AJ at one is a real conversation," the scout said. "AJ, what he's been doing at his size, is different. But all this stuff that now is being made public that we knew, a lot of people in the media had said he doesn't love the game, he's not competitive and that other bulls***, we knew was all crap. But who goes No. 1 is a conversation now."
Peterson can start to change that conversation with how he plays in the NCAA Tournament, which, for the Jayhawks, begins Friday when Kansas faces California Baptist in San Diego.
For teams, the medical and individual workouts will matter more. They know Peterson's game and his potential. It would be nice to see it on college basketball's biggest stage, however.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Grace Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek scored 11 seconds apart during a four-goal first period and the Minnesota Frost routed the Ottawa Charge 5-0 on Wednesday night.
Minnesota (10-3-3-4) has won four straight games — the last three by scoring at least four goals. The Frost sit tied atop the league standing with the Boston Fleet at 39 points apiece.
Taylor Heise opened the scoring 27 seconds into the game — the second fastest goal in the PWHL this season — when she angled a shot from the corner that deflected off the stick and skate of goaltender Gwyneth Philips. Heise has goals in four straight games — the longest goal streak of the PWHL season.
Zumwinkle scored her ninth goal of the season and Pannek added her first goal of the game for a 3-0 lead to chase Philips. Pannek added her 11th goal of the season — to tie the league lead — late in the second period to cap the scoring.
Kaitlyn O’Donohoe scored her first PWHL goal — in her 16th game with Minnesota — by knocking in her own rebound.
Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney recorded the fifth shutout of her career — first this season — for her 20th career win.
Kendra Woodland made her PWHL debut in relief of Philips.
Ottawa (5-6-1-9) has alternated wins and losses in its last 10 games. The Charge had won two straight games against the Frost, most recently 5-2 on Jan. 3.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Hughes and Connor Brown each had goal and two assists to help the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
The Devils are 10 points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. They opened a five-game trip after going 5-2 on a homestand.
Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt each had a goal an assist for New Jersey, and Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier also scored. Jacob Markstrom made 14 saves.
Vladislav Gavrikov, Mika Zibanejad and Conor Sheary scored for New York. Jonathan Quick stopped 33 shots.
Last in the East, the Rangers have lost two straight after winning four in a row.
Brown gave New Jersey a 3-2 lead on a power play with 8:24 left in the second period, beating Quick with a quick shot from the slot off a pass from Hughes.
Meier made it 4-2 at 6:29 of the third with his 19th of the season, and Sheary countered for New York at 9:41.
Hughes restored the two-goal margin with 6:55 left, firing in a wrist shot for the U.S. Olympic star's 18th of the season. Bratt capped the scoring with 3:38 to go, with Hughes picking up his 36th assist on the play.
Zibanejad tied it at 2 at 19 seconds of the second period with his 28th goal. He beat Markstrom from the high slot on the Rangers' third shot of the game.
New Jersey led 2-1 after outshooting New York 17-2 in the first. Gavrikov scored for the Devils with 4:40 left, Hischier batted in his 24th on a power play with 3:46 to go, and Gritsyuk gave New Jersey the lead with 44 seconds remaining.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 18: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 18, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors had their work cut out for them on Wednesday night. They headed to New England for their third consecutive road game. They were facing a Boston Celtics squad that was one of the best in the NBA even before recently welcoming Jayson Tatum back into the fold. And, despite being a little healthier than in recent games, they were still at a distinct health disadvantage.
All of which left them at a distinct talent disadvantage. And while the Dubs put up a fight, that gap in available talent showed itself on the scoreboard, where the Warriors lost 120-99.
It started out with some electricity. On the very first defensive possession of the game, Kristaps Porziņģis had two emphatic blocks back-to-back, and followed it up by getting fouled on the other end. It looked like he might be set for a high-impact revenge game, as the Warriors were facing one of his former teams for the third straight game.
That didn’t happen. Porziņģis missed both free throws, and had a fairly nondescript game overall, and the Celtics quickly took control of the contest. It was a wild and hectic pace for the first six or so minutes, with the teams flying up and down the court and exchanging fun offensive possessions. But soon Boston’s stars — Tatum and Jaylen Brown — started to take over. And as their offense became automatic, Golden State’s faltered. Boston turned it into a double-digit game in the blink of an eye, and Brown capped a nearly perfect quarter — he had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting — by sinking a tough shot with just 0.3 seconds remaining. The Celtics lead 36-23 after one.
They responded well to start the second quarter, forcing turnovers and converting them into points in the opening possessions. They were finally playing good defense, and they were scoring, too … for a while, at least. They stayed aggressive, and got into the bonus early, but the offense completely fell apart, and just couldn’t do anything. Meanwhile, Tatum started finding his groove in what was one of his best games since returning earlier this month from an Achilles tear.
The Warriors quickly lost contact with the Celtics, and were suddenly down 20 points. But late in the quarter the Dubs showed life, and started to figure out their offense. They cut into the deficit a little bit, and trailed 63-50 at the break.
For a brief moment in the third, it seemed like the Warriors might make things interesting. They came out of halftime firing, scoring the first six points while playing excellent defense. But they were never able to fully close the gap. They were sticking with the Celtics, but the deficit remained in the 10-point range. Boston wasn’t running away with it, but Golden State wasn’t getting particularly close.
Yet again, the Celtics found their rhythm late in the quarter. One moment you thought the Dubs might make a game of it; the next, they were down 21.
They had one final run in them, and no one can accuse the Warriors of not playing hard. Between the end of the third and the start of the fourth, the Warriors went on a 9-0 run to start to steal the momentum. That cut the lead to nine points, but what followed effectively ended the game for the Dubs. They immediately got sloppy, while the Celtics heated up from beyond the arc. Boston quickly answered with eight unanswered points, and from there, it was never competitive again, as the two teams coasted to the finish line in opposite directions.
Gary Payton II and Pat Spencer came off the bench to lead the Warriors with 14 points apiece, with GPII adding six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Draymond Green and Gui Santos each had 13 points and five rebounds, with Green adding five assists as well. Porziņģis (11 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks) and Brandin Podziemski (10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and one steal) each had decent lines, though both players shot very poorly (Porziņģis was 4-for-13 from the field and 1-for-4 from the free throw line, while Podziemski was 1-for-8 from the field and 7-for-10 from the charity stripe).
It was a very different story for the Celtics, where the star power was on full display. Brown continued his superstar season, finishing with 32 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Tatum notched a double-double, with 24 points and 10 boards. As a whole, the Celtics shot much better than the Warriors, especially from deep: they made 35.9% of their triples (14-for-39), while the Dubs shot just 23.3% (10-for-43).
With the loss, the Warriors fell to 33-36. They’ll look to get back in the win column on Friday, when they visit the Detroit Pistons at 4:30 p.m. PT in the fourth stop on their six-city road trip.
Before the Brooklyn Nets’ contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, rookie Egor Dëmin spoke to the media. It marked his first public comment since being ruled out for the remainder of the season with plantar fasciitis, a decision the Nets announced on March 9.
Dëmin had played in two back-to-backs in the weeks leading up to the announcement, which seemed like a major step in his recovery, considering that he had been battling this left-foot injury since the spring of 2025. Alas, Brooklyn put the kibosh on his rookie season after 52 appearances citing “increased plantar fasciitis in his left foot.”
That same day, Jordi Fernández revealed that Dëmin would be undergoing a “non-surgical procedure” to begin the recovery process. On Wednesday, both Fernández and Dëmin declined to reveal the exact procedure. Likely options include a stem-cell injection, a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection, or potentially a cortisone injection, though the latter is generally regarded as a more short-term-focused solution.
Dëmin did say that the procedure was successful, and that everything “went well,” while awkwardly skirting right around the details: “I don’t think it’s something that we’re trying to focus on right now. And, you know, the details isn’t the important part. I think the important part is what’s following that, right? And how we get my recovery the best way possible.”
In Brooklyn’s March 9 announcement, they said Dëmin was “expected to return to basketball activity early in the offseason and be a full participant in the summer development program,” though when asked about potentially playing in Las Vegas Summer League, the teenager wasn’t ready to give a firm answer: “I think it’s a little too far, yet, to really talk about it.”
Dëmin did, however, open up about his now-complete rookie season. He started 45 of his 52 games, and most importantly, shot 38.5% from three on high volume after shooting 27.3% from deep in his lone season at BYU. Not just that, but he made big ones too, shooting 8-of-17 in clutch situations. No doubt it’s a small sample, but try to tell any Nets fan/player/coach that Dëmin isn’t a real shooter…
The numbers, though, aren’t what Dëmin is taking away from his first NBA go-round: “Being a rookie who has an opportunity to start as a starting point guard, right, which is even probably more responsibility than later on, when Nolan would get on the court and I started playing more of a wing. I think that’s something that gave me a lot, just from a standpoint of learning and growing as a player, as a vocal … trying to be a leader and all that.”
Now, Dëmin’s summer of reflection, and yes, weight-lifting, begins early. This is a stark departure from the previous few summers for the young Russian, hopping from Real Madrid to BYU to the NBA. Dëmin’s situation is now stable, or “safe,” as he put it. The whirlwind of his prep-to-pro journey has slowed all the way down to the monotonous grind of rehab.
“It’s pretty interesting, because it makes me think about these past years,” said Dëmin. “And then, I didn’t really have that much of a complete summer for all this time, basically, only probably one before I went to BYU … I think, you know, it feels safe, I would say. I just, I know exactly where I’m going to be. I know exactly what I’m going to be doing, and I know exactly what type of timing throughout the summer I’m going to have, right? So it kind of gives me confidence in my development, and that’s why I think this summer is probably one of the most important summers in my life.”
Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t been easy for Dëmin to sit idly by and watch from the sidelines: “I just really want to play basketball. Sometimes, I feel like for athletes, when you know that you can run, it’s enough for you to just go and play. I don’t want to — I don’t want to say that people would let me go and play with injury, like, that’s not what I’m saying — It’s just about, you know, me trying to recover as best as I can, right? In the season, it’s pretty hard for me being a rookie, as I said before, by just being in the process of that many games for the first time.
Plantar fasciitis is (clearly) no joke, particularly during the interminable 82-game schedule. Nets fans may recall the one time Joe Johnson was profoundly unclutch, as he averaged under 15 points per game on 48.6% true shooting in the 2013 playoff loss to the Chicago Bulls while dealing with the injury — but at least, this way, Dëmin does get a head start on his summer.
Like his player, Fernández wouldn’t commit to a summer league appearance (in four-and-a-half months) for the #8 overall pick, but reading between the tea leaves, it seems that that’s the initial expectation. Fernández even let this slip, speaking about Dëmin: “You got all this time to work and better and go into summer league.”
Egor Dëmin may need to hit the weight room this summer. But for a guy whose selection at #8 overall drew wrath from fans and analysts alike, he gave Nets fans plenty to cheer for in his rookie season. Maybe because it’s a fanbase starved for rookie talent, maybe because Dëmin is a great, honest quote, or that there’s little more exciting in basketball that tough shot-making…
tough night vs OKC but Egor's shooting season is crazy
thinks about going to get the handoff, split-second decision to C&S instead, cashes it pic.twitter.com/xAE46P9XnM
Jaylen Brown throws down a dunk against the Warriors on Wednesday. | David Butler II-Imagn Images
In the first quarter Wednesday night, Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown looked like he was playing at the park, rather than in an NBA arena.
Brown got to his spot with ease over and over again, racking up 19 points to help Boston jump out to an early lead against the Warriors. He kept it rolling from there, finishing with 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, moving into 10th place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list in the process.
Jayson Tatum added 24 points and 10 boards for the Celtics, who coasted to a 120-99 victory at TD Garden. The win is Boston’s third in a row and eighth in its last 11 games, with a matchup at Memphis on the horizon Friday night.
19 points in just the first quarter for Jaylen Brown 🔥
The Celtics (46-23) bolted out to a 36-23 edge through one quarter, leaning on a steady diet of Tatum and Brown to pull ahead. Tatum swished a 3 and found Sam Hauser in the corner for a triple of his own, and Brown shot 8 of 9 in the quarter without much difficulty. Together, Tatum and Brown scored or assisted on all 36 of Boston’s points.
Old friend Kristaps Porzingis (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) kept the Warriors (33-36) afloat, swatting a shot on one end and draining a 3 on the other. He then peered up at the Jumbotron as the Celtics gave him a well-deserved tribute video between quarters.
The second quarter was even, as Gui Santos and Pat Spencer did their part for Golden State. Luka Garza (15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals), Payton Pritchard (19 points, 7 assists) and Derrick White (11 points, 6 rebounds) all did their part as the Celtics took a 63-50 edge into halftime.
Boston held Golden State to 39 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3 before the break, rotating and recovering well to prevent the Warriors from generating easy looks.
The Warriors sliced it to 63-56 early in the third, then Brown hit a jumper and Tatum swerved into the lane for two to push it back to 13. Pritchard and Garza worked in tandem to create some separation again, with Pritchard hunting mismatches and hitting his signature fallaways.
Boston extended the margin to 89-73 through three, despite Porzingis’ best efforts to keep Golden State afloat. Baylor Scheierman swished a transition 3 and White added an and-one early in the fourth, then Brown provided the exclamation point with an and-one in the final minutes to elicit another M-V-P chant.
On a night with Robert Parish in the house, the Celtics played stellar defense, holding the Warriors to 23-percent shooting from distance. They didn’t let an inferior opponent hang around and pulled away multiple times to leave no doubt.
The Warriors did all they could, but with Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and other old friend Al Horford sidelined, the Celtics simply had too much firepower. It never got out of hand, but it also never felt like the Warriors would break through.
Tatum and Brown are back doing their thing, and the Celtics are playing like a team capable of making a deep playoff run.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Britt Prince scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting, Nebraska opened the third quarter with a 17-0 run, and the Cornhuskers beat Richmond 75-56 on Wednesday night at the NCAA First Four.
No. 11 seed Nebraska (19-12) plays sixth-seeded Baylor on Friday in the Round of 64. Coach Amy Williams, in her ninth season with the program, has led the Cornhuskers to five of their 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and two of their 10 wins, which includes a 61-59 first-round win over Texas A&M in 2024.
Prince came around a screen, was fouled on a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line and converted the three-point play to open the second half. Her 3-pointer with 4:42 left in the third quarter capped a 17-0 run that made it 51-32.
Seventh-year coach Aaron Roussell has led Richmond (26-8) to 26-plus wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance in each of the past three seasons. The Spiders made their sixth tournament appearance and earned their second consecutive at-large bid.
Maggie Doogan — who was named Atlantic 10 player of the year for the second consecutive season — was 8-of-13 shooting and had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Spiders. The 6-foot-2 senior averaged 28.5 points in two tournament games last season, which includes a 30-point, 15-rebound performance that helped Richmond beat Georgia Tech 74-49 in the Round of 64 — the program’s first win in the NCAA Tournament.
Richmond shot 40% overall and made just 4 of 23 (17%) from behind the arc. The Spiders went into the game ranked No. 2 nationally in 3-pointers per game (10.5), No. 9 in 3-point percentage (.370) and No. 24 in field-goal percentage (.458).
Up next
The Cornhuskers seek the program's 11th NCAA Tournament win Friday against Baylor.
ATLANTA (AP) — Virginia won the first two relays at the women’s swimming and diving championships Wednesday night to begin its quest for a sixth straight NCAA title.
The Cavaliers won two of the three events to take the team lead with 100 points. Texas is second with 89, and Louisville and Stanford are tied at 59.
Virginia won the 200-yard medley relay for the fifth consecutive championships — with Sara Curtis, Emma Weber and Bryn Greenwaldt getting their first career NCAA titles. The Cavaliers finished in a time of 1:31.67 as the program now owns the 10 fastest times in the event.
Virginia also took the 800-freestyle relay in a time of 6:45.21 to set a NCAA championship meet record.
Texas sophomore Jillian Cox defended her title in the 1650 freestyle with a pool-record time of 15:32.26 after chasing down California freshman Claire Weinstein, who came in at 15:36.52. Virginia sophomore Katie Grimes took bronze at 15:42.65.
There are five swimming finals and a diving final on Thursday at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
Seattle SuperSonics fans Kris ""Sonics Guy"" Brannon, left, Kenneth Knutsen, center, and Jason Billingsley react to the Seattle City Council's 5-4 no vote against a ""street vacation"" vacating stretch of road where investor Chris Hansen hopes to eventually build an arena that could house an NBA and NHL team. (Genna Martin, seattlepi.com) (Photo by GENNA MARTIN/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
With the rumblings over the last two years, it has been clear that NBA expansion has been a highly discussed topic, especially with the latest update from Shams Charania this week.
Just in: The NBA will hold a vote at the Board of Governors meetings March 24-25 to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle, with the two franchises targeted for the 2028-29 season, sources tell ESPN. There is momentum for stakeholders to approve… pic.twitter.com/H6AYVdhh7S
This has led many fanbases to discuss who they would keep from their respective teams. That is why in this article, we are going to explore who I would keep if I were in Brian Gregory’s shoes. Before we dive into that, though, we have to go over the rules for this expansion draft.
We have not seen one since the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) joined in 2004. The rules we’re using are from that time so that they may change before this expansion draft. As of now, these are the parameters we know and will follow for this exercise. Those rules are
Every NBA team can protect up to eight players
Each expansion team can then select one unprotected player from each franchise to fill their roster
You can only lose one player from your team via the draft.
If you lose a player you do not get compensation for losing them, but you get a trade excpetion to the value of his salary
Given the expansion is most likely two franchises, it would make sense that each team would lose one player from its squad. This would then allow both teams to fill their rosters with 15 players, while each team loses at most one player.
This would then make it interesting for both expansion teams to see how they would build their team. Would some go young and for potential, or would some go to be competitive first season and build a foundation?
That would all matter on who would be available, and for the Suns, that becomes a difficult situation.
Let’s review the roster and provide our best analysis. Here is the depth chart and how they are paid for the foreseeable future.
As we can see from earlier in the article, this expansion draft would not take place until 2028-2029. Given that most of these players will be free agents or potentially on new teams, it’s not practical to evaluate the salary cap on that timeline.
Therefore, for the sake of this exercise, we will analyze this as if the expansion draft were happening next year! So, with that being said, let’s get into it.
Who would the Suns protect?
Guaranteed Locks
Devin Booker
Collin Gillespie
Dillon Brooks
Khaman Maluach
Rasheer Fleming
These five make sense for this team to keep, and they should prioritize them for the team’s future. Booker is the star and has remained confident in this team building around him as they push for a championship. He has not backed away from this team, so you do not back away from him.
Collin Gillespie has impressed with his play this year, proving to be the high-energy guard this team needs on the roster. Even with his recent slump, he has been way better than advertised in his short time in Phoenix, proving that hard work and effort overcome every obstacle if you put in the time.
Dillon Brooks has been the defensive x-factor, helping this team buy into its new identity and culture. One of the leaders and veterans on this team, his value is more than what he brings on the court every night as well.
Lastly, the two rookies, who definitely deserve the flowers and praise, too, with injuries coming in waves for the Suns, have been tasked with stepping up in roles and have exceeded in those instances. For Felming, he has shown he can be that 3&D wing this team has missed since trading away Mikal Bridges, and with Maluach, he continues to show strides in his development, too. Both continue to show that, over time, they will be valuable contributors to this new direction the Suns are taking.
Highly Considerable
6. Jalen Green
7. Grayson Allen
8. Oso Ighodaro
9. Ryan Dunn
10. Royce O’Neale
11. Jordan Goodwin
12. Mark Williams
If you told me a year ago the Suns would have this many players to choose from who would actually help, I’d laugh, but here we are. Crazy how one year can switch your opinion and direction on a topic, and the Suns did that with most of the NBA fans out there. That being said, there are positives to keeping each player, but one little hiccup that could keep you from deciding to.
Jalen Green may be the most surprising to be this low, since he is the second-highest player. That being said, though there have been some highs and lows with Green in this lineup to start, and even though it’s just the start of his tenure here, it is something you cannot ignore. The problems that have kept us efficient have carried over to Phoenix this year. Some could say you might want to lose that contract and be rewarded with a trade exception, but then the Suns would have to find someone willing to take on their trade exception for free. Therefore, I’d rather keep Green and see what he can be and what value he can bring, rather than bank on a trade exception to get that value.
Grayson Allen is an interesting one as well since he has provided so much for this team on both ends of the ball. I recommend keeping him in this direction for the team, and because of his contract as well. It is a very tradable one at around 16-18 million a year, allowing the Suns to use that if necessary. I’d rather keep a guy who fits and maybe use him as a trade piece down the line if guys don’t pan out, than give him up for nothing just because he is a veteran.
A similar thing could be said as well for Royce O’Neale, who has been another great veteran for this team. Personally, I thought this team would move off these veterans to play the younger guys, but they continue to prove that they still be effective in big roles. Therefore, my tune has changed on O’Neale and Allen, embracing the three-point shooting and hustle they bring every night. The only difference is that Royce is two years older than Grayson, and the Suns have some young wings they may rather prioritize. Therefore, he falls lower on the list but could still be seen as a valuable piece for this squad.
The sophomores Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn are also in this category and deserve it so. Both have shown that they were solid in their rookie year and have had flashes in their second year. The only thing holding them back is that they do not seem to be as consistent as many would like. With Ighodaro, he has been great as a backup and filling in for Mark Williams with injury as of late. That said, he hasn’t done anything that screams he can be the starter for the foreseeable future or on a championship team. I think he is more suited as a top-tier backup, which is not bad but ultimately makes him a bit expendable depending on the Suns’ vision.
The same can be said for Ryan Dunn, who, in this wing room, has seen his opportunities shrink. With the omission of Haywood Highsmith and Amir Coffey, he has now lost his spot in the rotation and is looking at a way back in. That said, he is still 20 and has shown promise on defense and as a pest. I do not think the Suns would want to give up on a piece so young with such great intangibles that you cannot teach. Therefore, the debate on which wing would come into play depends on what you value, experience, or youth.
Mark Williams is another interesting story, as he has had both great highs and lows during his short tenure. With a player like him, he finds himself in this tier for the right reasons. If the big man search does not work with Mlauch or Ighodaro, then keeping him makes sense, but if one of them soars through the roof, a true discussion does come into play. His ability to stay healthy this season, though, has been a big x-factor in his success.
Last in this tier is Jordan Goodwin, who has been fantastic in his return to the Valley. His scrappiness has been embraced as a key factor in the defense. Added to his ability to shoot threes now, especially in this offense, which is heavily focused on it, makes him shine. That being said, he is a great player, but a true role player. Once the suns would be in some trouble without, but once they could find it on the market if they looked hard enough, I think he would be worth it, but only if the sun’s feel his presence cannot be replicated.
Long Shots to Keep
12. Jamaree Bouyea
13. Amir Coffey
14. Haywood Highsmith
Even though everyone on this roster could make sense to keep, there are some outliers. Unfortunately, that is where I think these players fall.
For Bouyea, it is simply the fact that he was the last one added to this roster. The former two-way player has shown he deserves an NBA contract, but a player to be kept is a different story. In a half-season in the NBA, I do not think he has shown enough, but look at the former two-way player who is kept above, Collin Gillespie. Anything is possible, and if Bouyea had another stellar season, he could be in that convo.
Similar to Bouyea, Coffey, and Highsmith find themselves here for the same reasons. Since they were the most recent additions, it would not make much sense for the Suns to keep them. Their roles could also be replaced if the Suns struck at the right time. Coffey was viewed outside the Bucks’ rotation before he got here; now he has a role.
With Highsmith, it is a bit different, since he was injured to start the year, but he still brings the hustle and effort this team appreciates. Similar to Bouyea, if he were to see another full year here (which he is signed for) and remain healthy the whole time, he could move up as well.
No player on this list deserves to be cut, and that’s a credit to the front office. They found an opportunity to get 15 players on this team who all play hard, work on both ends, and never give up. Something you could not say about past teams that would have fans rip their hair out is not happening with this team, which is just a pleasure to see.
With all that being known, here is my eight I’d keep:
Devin Booker
Collin Gillespie
Dillon Brooks
Rasheer Fleming
Khaman Maluach
Jalen Green
Grayson Allen
Oso Ighodaro
Who would you keep if you could? Let us know down below.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 10: Jalen Johnson #1, Onyeka Okongwu #17 and Dyson Daniels #5 of the Atlanta Hawks high five during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 10, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (23-46) play host to the flaming-hot Atlanta Hawks (37-31) who have won 10 straight games. The Mavericks are coming off a road drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans and just need a few days off. The Hawks have had a cupcake schedule and taken full advantage in terms of wins, but haven’t moved up the standings much at all.
Here are the main things you need to know:
WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks
WHAT: Home again!
WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
WHEN: 7:30 pm CST
HOW: KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV streaming, NBA League Pass
The Mavericks’ injury report has a lot going on with the status of many players up in the air as of this writing. All three two-way players are questionable, which gives Jason Kidd up until game time to make a decision as to their status. Daniel Gafford and Caleb Martin are each questionable with nagging injuries. Brandon Williams is officially out after entering the concussion protocol.
The Hawks are, of course, very healthy. Jonathan Kuminga is questionable with a knee injury that seems to exist permanently in his case.
The 10 game streak from Atlanta is a bit of a mirage, but make no mistake they have things cooking right now. They have Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are putting up fantastic numbers as of late and Dallas will need to adhere to their defensive principles if they want to slow down this Hawks offense. For the Mavericks, I’d like to see the PJ Washington at five experiment again.
Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!
Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!
DeAndre Ayton has heard the noise. He knows the expectations of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. NBAE via Getty ImagesBut recently he finally realized something: he’s not that guy. NBAE via Getty Images
You’re not that guy.
For most players, that realization feels like failure. For Ayton, it became freedom.
“I just started looking in the mirror and said ‘Yo bro, … you’re not that guy. You don’t need to be on this team doing that at all,” Ayton toldDan Woike of the LA Times after the Lakers 100-92 victory over the Rockets on Monday.
“This team, you came here to be the effort guy and close out possessions, rebound. Run the damn floor hard as hell, make bigs work, make superstars work. And I’m having fun with it, I’m not gonna lie.”
Ayton has looked great in stretches this season, disinterested in others. But when he stripped away the illusion and stopped chasing stardom something shifted.
When he bought into that role, suddenly everything clicked.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won six straight games and nine of their last 10. Yes, that’s in large part to the “Big 3” mentioned above, but it’s also because of role players like Ayton who have been willing to do the dirty work, possession after possession, without the applause and accolades.
Ayton has been a force on the glass. He’s protected the rim like it was personal. In the waning seconds of their thrilling 127-125 overtime victory over the Nuggets, Ayton blocked three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic’s shot.
He sets screens with intent and rolls hard to the rim. He’s made sure opposing bigs feel him in their chest like his breakout second quarter against Rudy Gobert and the Wolves last Tuesday.
Ayton has been a force on the glass. He’s protected the rim like it was personal. Getty Images
That shift has fueled a surge. There was a familiar moment against Houston when Ayton could’ve drifted. Benched early. The game slipping away.
In the past, Ayton has disengaged and that’s it for the night. Instead, he stayed locked in—eyes glued to the floor, waiting, ready. When his number was called, he didn’t try to prove he was “that guy.”
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That’s the paradox of basketball at its highest level. Identity isn’t about what you can do—it’s about what your team needs you to do. And for Ayton, the acceptance of that truth may have unlocked the most important role of his career.
“I was energized, and I was having fun,” Ayton told Woike after that game against the Rockets. “So I really like that the team is trusting me, man. I just don’t want to lose the trust, bro.”
“That’s really what’s getting my juices going and me biting my fingernails waiting to get back in the damn game for real. Just getting back to having fun — I’m not gonna lie.”
Ayton is having fun and has found his purpose, and in Los Angeles, that’s translated to much-needed wins on the court.
Millions around the nation are placing their predictions, and some bets, on who they believe is going to advance, and win the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament. Former President Barack Obama is also in on the fun.
If you haven't already filled out your brackets for this year's March Madness, you might want to get yours finished. All the fun begins Thursday when the first round of games is set to begin.
It's friendly competition amongst friends, family, co-workers or even the holy grail of a group chat. Each year, there has been a presidential bracket submitted out of the millions of predictions.
Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America and an avid sports fan, has his picks set as he makes his prediction for how he thinks the 2026 NCAA Tournament will play out.
Barack Obama March Madness bracket picks
Obama typically fills out a bracket for both men and women, and 2026 is no different.
.@BarackObama's bracket is set. What do you think of his picks?
He has carried the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference. He leads the league in points (32.9 ppg). He’s third in assists (8.5). And he’s tied with MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for individual plus/minus at +8.1.
The Lakers’ Luka Doncic (77) has had three triple-doubles, including a 51-point performance, in his last five games. Getty Images
Most recently, he has led the Lakers to win nine of their last 10 contests, including six straight. In his last five games, he has had three triple-doubles, a 51-point performance against the Bulls and a game-winner over the Nuggets in overtime.
His revenge season is in full swing after the most shocking NBA trade of all time sent him from the Mavericks to the Lakers ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
Yet Doncic is fourth on the NBA’s MVP ladder. He has the fifth-best odds of winning the award, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. And ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said he wouldn’t even give him first-team All-NBA honors in an appearance on “First Take.”
It would be a wild snub if he were omitted for first-team All-NBA.
There’s stiff competition for individual awards this season.
The league’s other front-runners, Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Brown, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are all deserving of the league’s highest honors.
The Thunder’s Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the best team in the league. Cunningham has stunningly led the Pistons to the top seed in the East. Jokic is arguably the most dominant player in the world.
Brown stunned the NBA world by carrying the Celtics to second place in the East despite Jayson Taytum being sidelined the first 62 games of the season because of a torn Achilles. And Wembanyama is considered “not even human” by Brown and an “alien” by LeBron James because of his two-way skills.
So, what gives?
That’s a hard question to answer. But there’s no way Doncic doesn’t deserve to make that elusive team. He’s the most prolific scorer in the league and has carried a Lakers team with LeBron James and Austin Reaves in and out of the lineup to only trail the Thunder and Spurs in the West.
Luka Doncic is being overlooked as an NBA MVP candidate, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. Getty Images
Lakers coach JJ Redick believes what Doncic is doing is being overlooked.
“He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now,” Redick said after the March 12 win over the Bulls. “… It’s probably not being talked about enough. So I’m going to talk about it.”
Two nights later, after Doncic made an 18-foot step-back jumper with 0.5 seconds left to lead the Lakers to a 127-125 overtime win over the Nuggets, James called Doncic a “generational player.”
What happens over the next month could ultimately determine whether Doncic makes the cut for first-team All-NBA.
Doncic opened the season playing MVP-caliber basketball, leading the Lakers to a 15-4 start. After a rough patch extending from December through the first few weeks following the All-Star break, the Lakers and Doncic are turning heads.
If Doncic continues to play at his recent level, it would be hard to imagine him not being a first-team All-NBA player this season.
The Lakers are in the midst of a tough six-game road trip, with big tests coming against the Rockets, Heat, Magic and Pistons.
If Doncic can help the Lakers secure the third seed, creating more separation between them and the Rockets, Nuggets and Timberwolves, who are only 1 ½ games behind LA, the conversation around Doncic will need to shift.
Or else?
Perhaps it’s fair to wonder if Redick is onto something and Doncic’s feats need to be celebrated more.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 16: Zaccharie Risacher #10 of the Atlanta Hawks dunks during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena on March 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks (37-31) forge ahead for their 11th straight win against the banged up Dallas Mavericks (23-46).
Starting lineup:
G CJ McCollum
G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
F Dyson Daniels
F Jalen Johnson
C Onyeka Okongwu
Please join in the comments below as you follow along.
Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Start Time: 8:30 PM EDT
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)
Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)
Streaming: ESPN+, FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton returned to the lineup on Wednesday night after being sidelined for four games because of a lower left leg contusion.
Coach Billy Donovan said Sexton was available for the team's game against Toronto. Sexton got hurt during a 126-110 loss at Sacramento on March 8.
Fellow guard Isaac Okoro was ruled out against the Raptors because of right knee pain. He missed his fifth consecutive game.
“I'd say he's probably a little bit longer than day to day,” Donovan said. “Just dealing with the knee soreness there. I think he's still feeling it. ... He's on the court doing some stuff, but it's pretty limited right now.”
Okoro, 25, was acquired in a trade with Cleveland. He is averaging 9.0 points in 55 games in his first season with Chicago.
“He's incredibly unselfish, in terms of he's not like trying to hunt shots, trying to hunt points,” Donovan said. “Everything, when you talk to him, it's never about him. It's always about the team.”
The 27-year-old Sexton was acquired in a February trade with Charlotte. He is averaging 16.2 points in 12 games with Chicago going into the matchup with Toronto.
