Category: Basketball

The 2026 NBA trade deadline didn’t have a superstar deal on the level of last year’s Luka Doncic-to-the-Lakers blockbuster, but there was still a major flurry of deals with some big names and fantastic role players on the move. Giannis Antetokounmpo remains with the Milwaukee Bucks for now, but Anthony Davis, James Harden, Darius Garland, and Ivica Zubac were just some of the players sent packing.

Contenders in both conferences got stronger, with the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks making minor moves around the edges to improve their bench, while the Oklahoma City Thunder finally cashed in a future first-round pick for a shooter, and the Minnesota Timberwolves added one of the game’s best reserve guards for absolutely nothing.

You can find every move of the NBA trade deadline with our updated tracker. We also have a big list of trade grades for every important deal. Now let’s hand out some big picture winners and losers from the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

Winner: Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers don’t control their first-round pick until 2030, but they made a bold move to add future draft capital from another team at the cost of their most reliable player. Los Angeles made the painful decision to trade Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers, but they got an absolutely massive haul for him. The Clippers landed the Pacers’ unprotected 2029 pick, and their top-4 protected 2026 first-round pick, which has about a 50 percent chance of conveying. If the Pacers keep the 2026 pick, it turns into an unprotected 2031 first-rounder going to LA. It’s a phenomenal deal for the Clippers either way. Tyrese Haliburton is coming off an Achilles tear, so there’s no guarantee he’ll return to his previous form. Zubac had two more years left on an affordable contract, but by trading him now they extracted maximum value.

The Clippers also traded James Harden for Darius Garland, and got 10 years younger in the process. Garland has battled a nagging big toe injury, and it’s a scary sign that the Cavs were willing to move him. Still, the Clippers weren’t going anywhere with Harden this season, and Garland’s youth gives them an extended timeline to figure out their next move. The Clippers seemed to have a dark future before this week. Not anymore. Those Pacers picks are super high upside, and Garland has a chance to be really good for a long time if he can get healthy. The trade could absolutely still work out for Indiana if they land Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson in the draft (or A.J. Dybantsa or Caleb Wilson) and Haliburton comes back at full strength, but it’s a great value play for the Clippers either way.

Loser: Chicago Bulls

The Bulls were the most active team at the deadline, trading away half their roster including core players Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic for a haul of second-round picks. All of the Bulls’ moves were defensible in a vacuum, but the big picture shows just how mismanaged Chicago has been under lead executive Arturas Karnisovas. Chicago has made the playoffs just once with one playoff win since Karnisovas was hired. He could have returned a much greater package of assets if he made similar moves the last two years, but instead Chicago doomed itself to mediocrity. The Bulls probably already have too many wins to tank for 2026, and the 2027 and 2028 drafts both look weak for now. Chicago hasn’t won a playoff series since 2015, and they’re not going to win another one anytime soon. Owners Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf need to clean house with Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan and start fresh. At least the Bulls have all their draft picks moving forward and only one bad contract currently on the books (Patrick Williams’ $18 million annual deal for the next three seasons after this one), but there’s no way AK should be trusted to build this thing from the ground up.

Loser: Giannis Antetokounmpo

If Dwight Howard sent out this tweet during his prime, the Internet would still be making fun of him for it.

I like Giannis a lot, and part of me thinks it’s admirable that he ideally wants to stay in Milwaukee forever. If that’s the case though, why not send this tweet before the trade deadline? I predict the Bucks and Giannis will fight over his return to the court this season: the Bucks will want to tank because they can still pick as high as No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, and of course Giannis will want to get into the play-in tournament as the best player in the East. Maybe Giannis will use that battle as his reason for asking out again this summer. I just think this is lame by Giannis. He knows he can’t win in Milwaukee, and he’s wasting the last years of prime hoping the Bucks can pull off a miracle. Will Giannis sign an extension with the Bucks this summer? I doubt it. If he doesn’t, please remember this tweet.

Winner: Boston Celtics

The Celtics swapped Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic, which adds another big body to their front court for the playoff run. Even more importantly, they got out of the repeater tax without giving away a premium asset to do it. This is masterful work by Brad Stevens, and his bosses should love him forever for it.

I know that I shouldn’t be celebrating saving a billionaire some money, but the current CBA puts real team-building constraints on franchises that repeatedly pay the tax. The Celtics got out in a year where they are still really good without Jayson Tatum. When Tatum comes back, they will now have more flexibility to build a great team in the future. And hey, they still might win the East anyway.

Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves’ bold bet on Rob Dillingham in the 2024 NBA Draft went bust. That’s a massive organizational failure, but at least Minnesota recouped some value for this upcoming playoff run by nabbing Ayo Dosunmu from the Bulls. Dosunmu is one of the best sixth men in the league, and he’s been having a special season in Chicago. The 26-year-old is shooting 45 percent from three, playing tough on-ball defense, and routinely hitting opposing defenses with sneak attacks to the rim. He’s a wonderful guard to pair with Anthony Edwards this season, and he could be a long-term keeper if the two sides can agree to a contract in free agency. Dillingham was never going to move the needle for a contender, but Dosunmu could.

Winner: Washington Wizards

I liked what the Wizards did buying very low on Trae Young and Anthony Davis this season. Young and AD make a ton of money, but that’s about the only thing the Wizards gave up to get them. Washington will still hope to hit the lottery for Boozer or Peterson this year, and if they do, suddenly they will have a nice core with Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, and Kyshawn George already in place. You can’t tank forever in the NBA, and the Wizards have done enough tanking already. With weaker 2027 and 2028 draft classes coming, Washington nabbed some stars on the cheap to help their young core develop. With Boozer or Peterson, this could be a feisty team in the Eastern Conference playoff race as soon as next season.

Loser: Sacramento Kings

The Kings weren’t trying to tank this year, they just ended up doing it on accident. Sacramento paid the price for trying to recreate the 2021-2024 Chicago Bulls in the Western Conference, and shockingly it was a spectacular failure. The Kings had to do something to get off Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, or Domantas Sabonis at the deadline, and yet all still remain on the roster after it passed. The only move the Kings made was a bad one, taking on De’Andre Hunter for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. The Kings are just hopeless. Like Chicago, this fanbase deserves so much better.

There were some big NBA trades ahead of Thursday’s deadline. 

But THE big trade didn’t happen. 

The frontrunners in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes — Golden State, Miami and Minnesota — weren’t able entice Milwaukee to pull the trigger on a deal for their big man, which sets the stage for a wild offseason.

That said, some big names were moved, including Anthony Davis, James Harden and Kristaps Porzingis. 

Here’s a look at how the Western Conference looks after one of the craziest times of the NBA calendar. 

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: The defending champions have the best record in the West and they just got even better. They acquired Jared McCain, which bolsters their ball-handling and perimeter shooting. Not to mention, the Clippers dealing James Harden to Cleveland in exchange for Darius Garland benefits them considering they own the Clippers’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick. (The farther the Clippers dip in the standings, the better for them.) The Thunder is the team to watch come June — and beyond. 

2. San Antonio Spurs: After making a splashy move at the trade deadline last year to acquire De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs wanted to move forward with their current roster this time around. With Victor Wembanyama and Fox, they’ve firmly established themselves as contenders, perhaps even earlier than expected. 

3. Denver Nuggets: They made a smart move by dealing Hunter Tyson to Brooklyn, which saves them money and doesn’t hurt their bottom line. They have an extra roster spot and will be able to evaluate the buyout market. Look out for Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and co. trying to compete for their second championship after winning it all in 2023. 

FRINGE CONTENDERS

4. Houston Rockets: The Rockets made a splash when they acquired Kevin Durant in the offseason, instantly becoming title contenders. But injuries have greatly stunted those hopes, with Fred VanVleet suffering a torn ACL in Sept. and Steven Adams needing season-ending surgery on his left ankle last month.

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5. Minnesota Timberwolves: After it became clear they weren’t going to land Antetokounmpo, they switched courses and traded for Ayo Dosunmu, who should bolster their bench. Dosunmu is a two-way player who’s averaging 15 points, including career-highs in field goal percentage (51.4 percent) and 3-point percentage (45.1 percent). After losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker last summer, adding Dosunmu makes their bench much stronger. 

6. Los Angeles Lakers: It’s no secret that the Lakers are looking toward the offseason when they’ll have three first-round picks and lots of expiring contracts to give them flexibility to build around Luka Doncic. But if Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves can develop a rhythm, they could be dangerous in the playoffs. They acquired Luka Kennard, who’s a great 3-point shooter. But they still have some major issues to address on the defensive end. 

PLAY-IN TEAMS

7. Phoenix Suns: They’re arguably the biggest surprise in the league this season. They’ve greatly exceeded expectations since dealing Durant and waiving Bradley Beal, and are in seventh place with a record of 31-20. The Suns made a few moves ahead of the deadline to put themselves below the luxury tax threshold. This is a sleeper team to watch. 

8. Golden State Warriors: They were ready to empty the cupboard for Antetokounmpo, including being willing to trade Draymond Green, who was previously deemed untradable. But alas, the Bucks were just a giant tease and Steph Curry didn’t get his dream running-mate. At least the Warriors shed their Jonathan Kuminga problem, trading him to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis. It was a good move for the Warriors considering Kuminga had been reduced to being a bench ornament. If Porzingis can get healthy, it could be a really good move. 

9. Portland Trail Blazers: They were expected to be bigger buyers, with their only move being acquiring sharpshooter Vit Krejci from Atlanta. Is this helpful? Yes. Will this move the needle for a franchise competing in the very crowded West that has been hampered by injuries? No. 

LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE

10. LA Clippers: Bye bye James Harden and Ivica Zubac. And bye bye any chance of Kawhi Leonard playing meaningful basketball this season after he led the team on a 17-5 run following their dismal 6-21 start. The Clippers are clearly looking toward their future. They acquired Darius Garland, who’s 10 years younger than Harden but has been struggling with a toe injury, as well as the 23-year-old Bennedict Mathruin, two first-round picks and one second-round pick. 

11. Dallas Mavericks: They shed Davis’ massive salary so they can go all in on building around Cooper Flagg. It was the right move. That said, it’s very sad that they traded a generational talent in Doncic to essentially end up with Max Christie, the No. 30 pick in the 2026 draft, the Lakers’ 2029 first, the Warriors’ first in 2030 (if 21-30) and three second-round picks. The Mavs hoped Davis was a win-now move, adding elite two-way talent to a team with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. But Davis’ campaign with the team was thwarted by numerous injuries.  

12. Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies shed Jaren Jackson Jr.’s contract while gaining three first-round picks. They have a ton of financial flexibility and some valuable assets to start retooling their team. They didn’t find a buyer for Ja Morant, though. 

13. Utah Jazz: They acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis in exchange for four players and three first-round picks. They’re clearly hoping to start competing next season, with Jackson joining Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Keyonte George and Ace Bailey. 

14. New Orleans Pelicans: The award for leaving your fanbase the most frustrated goes to this team. They’re 13-40 and have the second-worst record in the league, yet they didn’t sell big at the trade deadline. They traded Jose Alvarado to New York, but they still don’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. 

15. Sacramento Kings: The deadline has come and gone and Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are still with the team despite all of the chatter around them. They acquired De’Andre Hunter, but he’s not going to change things for this team. 

What we learned from Brad Stevens: C's roster vision, Tatum's timeline and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Brad Stevens had plenty to discuss when he took the podium at the Auerbach Center on Friday morning.

For starters, there were the four trades that the Boston Celtics president of basketball operations executed before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline: Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic and a second-round pick, Chris Boucher to the Utah Jazz, Josh Minott to the Brooklyn Nets and Xavier Tillman to the Charlotte Hornets.

There were the financial implications of those four deals — Boston dipped just below the NBA’s luxury tax as a result of Thursday’s trades — as well as the roster implications; the Celtics now have two open roster spots and could look to the buyout market to fill at least one of them.

And then, of course, there’s Jayson Tatum, who recently admitted he has yet to decide if he’ll return this season as he approaches the nine-month mark of his rehab from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Stevens addressed all of those topics and more Friday during a 30-minute press conference at the Celtics’ practice facility. Here are the most notable takeaways:

Adding a big man was a top priority.

Stevens was very clear on this point: He wanted to add at least one big man to the roster before Thursday’s deadline.

“At the end of the day, when you look at who you have to go through, the paths you have to take, you just can’t get worn down physically,” Stevens said. “We were going to be much smaller, and now we at least have big options.

“We just thought that redistributing our positional needs was probably the most important thing.”

Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have both exceeded expectations this season, and Amari Williams has shown promise in the G League. But Vucevic gives the Celtics a legitimate paint presence who can rebound in bunches (10.4 boards per game over a 15-year NBA career) and go toe-to-toe with elite Eastern Conference big men like Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Jalen Duren.

“When Vooch walks into the room, it looks different,” Stevens said. “He’s big and long and strong and can be standing next to anybody in this league and not look small.”

Getting under the luxury tax was not (at first).

Stevens insisted there was no “directive” from new owner Bill Chisholm to get out of the luxury tax entirely.

“The directive was more, how can we best position ourselves to win now and then win later?” Stevens said.

But after trading Simons for Vucevic on Tuesday — a move that brought Boston below the first apron — Stevens and the front office saw a pathway toward getting under the luxury tax while preserving the core of a team that’s positioned to contend in the East.

“There was an opportunity two days before the deadline that we didn’t think would be there,” Stevens said of getting under the luxury tax.

Stevens added that these tax savings might be temporary, and if there’s an opportunity to spend big and improve the team in the offseason, “we’re going to try to take advantage of it.”

Boston wants to add a ball-handler.

How will the Celtics fill their two open roster spots? Ron Harper Jr. looks like a strong candidate for one of those spots, as Stevens raved about Boston’s two-way guard.

“We all think Ron is one of the best players in the G-League,” Stevens said. “… He’s a stud.”

The other spot could be filled on the buyout market, where teams can sign players who were waived at Thursday’s deadline. And Stevens has a position in mind.

“We’ll ultimately fill the roster spot with at least one more ball-handler, and then see how the rest our needs play themselves out,” Stevens said.

Stevens didn’t mention any players by name, but noted whoever signs with Boston likely wouldn’t be a part of the regular rotation — and would have to accept that.

“Sometimes that eliminates guys with bigger reputations,” Stevens added.

A Tatum return doesn’t feel imminent.

Stevens didn’t offer specifics about how Tatum is progressing, but if you’re expecting the Celtics star to return before next week’s All-Star break, don’t get your hopes up.

“He’s hit a lot of the thresholds, he’s doing more and more and will continue to do more and more,” Stevens said of Tatum. “He’s still got a ways to go.”

Stevens admitted he didn’t watch Tatum’s full interview on The Pivot podcast in which Tatum expressed reservations about how he’d re-integrate with the team upon returning. But Stevens noted Tatum’s doubts are “totally normal” for a player going through such a long rehab and won’t change how the Celtics view his situation.

“The best for Jayson Tatum to come back is when he’s 110 percent healthy, he’s fully cleared by everybody that matters in that decision, and he’s got great peace of mind and (is) ready to do it. That’s it,” Stevens said.

Ultimately, Stevens said, Tatum’s return will be a group decision that won’t be influenced by the Celtics in either direction.

“When it’s right, then we’ll all sit down and talk about it,” Stevens added. “But there’s still no force from us, no pressure from us, but there’s also not going to be any one of us saying, ‘Why don’t you just take another week?’ When he’s ready, he’s ready.”

Watch Chris Forsberg’s 1-on-1 interview with Stevens and Stevens’ full press conference below:

Joe Mazzulla is never one to accept praise, often deflecting it toward his staff and players. He famously told Derrick White “nobody cares” after being congratulated for winning Coach of the Month. He’d probably even call this piece a waste of time, but I’m here to say it’s time for him to get his credit. 

Fans and award voters have discredited Mazzulla’s success as a product of loaded rosters, ignoring his part in elevating those units. Sure, he inherited a contender. But it was days before training camp, and he was stuck with another coach’s staff. Managing 57 wins as a rookie under those circumstances was a massive success, but still only good for a 3rd place finish in Coach of the Year voting.

A dominant 64-win Championship season somehow moved him back a spot, and a 61-win follow-up through injury and fatigue took him out of the race altogether.

The narrative was that they should be that good, so he can’t be rewarded for meeting expectations. Sustained success isn’t as cool as the shiny new playoff team, or the overachiever. But now, Boston is on the other side of that spectrum, and his group is doing far more than anyone expected.

Mazzulla had his championship roster completely gutted at the top. In a flash, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and his top three centers were all out of the picture. They went from the top of the league to a projected Play-In team, or worse.

There weren’t many believers. Their preseason win total was set at 41.5. 

Boston is currently 33-18. They would have to go 9-22 the rest of the way to beat that total.

They are the 2nd seed in the East and finding answers every single night. Mazzulla has pushed all the right buttons in terms of lineup combinations and game-planning. The roster has carryover from previous years, but he’s getting the absolute most while toggling through a variety of unproven bench pieces.

They have the highest Offensive Rating in the league, and their 8.0 Net Rating is down just -1.4 from last season despite the considerable changes. You can see that sustainability most clearly when Jaylen Brown is off the floor, as those lineups are still steamrolling teams with a +12.8 net rating and a 121.6 offensive rating.

Their defense, which could’ve fallen off a cliff, is quickly climbing and sits just outside the top-10.

Losing Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet was supposed to be catastrophic for this team. Mazzulla has empowered Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, and played to their strengths so effectively that you’re not left each night thinking about what they lost.

There are other coaches doing great work this season, but nobody is crushing expectations at a level this extreme. No team has faced this much roster turnover, and hardly missed a beat.

The sportsbooks are telling a different story, with J.B. Bickerstaff sitting as a heavy favorite to take home the Red Auerbach Trophy. And look, the Pistons’ breakout is great and Bickerstaff is a worthy contender, but there was an expectation they could take a step forward. Boston was supposed to take several steps back, yet Mazzulla’s group has the better Net Rating.

He is not solely responsible for the Celtics’ success, though it should be unmistakably clear how effective his principles and system are.

Their latest win in Houston is one of the finest examples. Without Jaylen Brown, they still absolutely squashed the Rockets. Mazzulla went an unconventional route and gave Ron Harper Jr. his first career start. Few would think to call on a two-way player, let alone throw them at Kevin Durant, but it turned out to be a stroke of brilliance. His defense combined with their efforts to shrink the floor, held Durant and their #5 offense to 93 points.

It’s moments like these, where he’s tweaking the rotation, and building players confidence, while still maintaining their style that you can see how effective he is. 

Managing great teams is not easy — we’ve seen enough implode to know that’s true. But this season has revealed without a doubt that he adapts to his group, and knows how to extract the most value from them.

With massively talented teams of the past, he understood that they’d benefit from the freedom to make plays without frequent intervention. For a squad like this current one, his fingerprints are all over the game. This is something that was mistaken as a dependency, when it’s far more about awareness.

For the critics who thought he was only as good as his roster, this season is a big green slap in the face. For award voters, the evidence is undeniable. It’s time to leave the goalposts where they belong, and award Coach of the Year to Joe Mazzulla.

The trade deadline has officially passed, and the Dallas Mavericks have a new look after the departure of Anthony Davis. With him went D’Angelo Russell, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy. Coming to Dallas is Khris Middleton (likely to be bought out), A.J. Johnson, Malaki Branham (who was quickly flipped for Tyus Jones), Marvin Bagley III, two first round picks and three second round picks.

Of course, it took approximately ten seconds for some to equate the incoming haul to the sum total of what Dallas received in exchange for Luka Doncic. In other words, those wanting to throw shade Dallas’ way had an easy time stating that superstar Luka Doncic was ultimately swapped for Max Christie, a few first round picks that likely won’t be high in the draft order, a potential buy-out candidate and some “filler.”

While arguments like this have some surface-level merit, they also beg the question as to when the statute of limitations is up. How many “Degrees of Kevin Bacon” do we move through before separate trades are no longer correlated? Hypothetically, if Dallas flips their own 2026 pick along with all their other new picks into a player who becomes a superstar two years from now, does that somehow make the Doncic trade better? The Doncic trade was an epic fail, full stop. It is, however, a sunk cost at this point and does not necessarily mean the Mavs weren’t winners relative to their baseline before the Trade Deadline passed. Here we will consider two areas in which the Mavs not only won, but won big.

Who got shipped out… and who didn’t

The Mavericks facilitated their future by shipping off four players. Anthony Davis played 29 regular season games and two play-in tournament games in just over a year, and is currently nursing a hand ligament injury for at least the next few weeks. Dante Exum is in the midst of a season-ending injury. D’Angelo Russell was so far in Jason Kidd’s doghouse that he was eating Puppy Chow for each meal. Jaden Hardy was a fine enough rotation piece. With the utmost respect due those players, the Mavericks gave up virtually nothing – three players who don’t play, and a solid eighth or ninth man on the roster who also saw stretches outside the rotation.

By making the deal they made, they did not have to ship off any of their more playable, younger, valuable pieces. Remaining on the team are Naji Marshall, Max Christie, Daniel Gafford and even Klay Thompson (P.J. Washington, too, but he was not trade eligible). All of those solid (and generally very contract-friendly) pieces remain to either help the team long term, or be used in future team-building efforts.

Second apron considerations

The primary, and far too often overlooked (or misunderstood), reason the Mavs won is the dreaded Second Apron. Dallas was dangerously close to the second apron, and essentially would have walked right into it this offseason had they stayed the course.

For those who may not be familiar with the Second Apron, it is the terrifying hellscape that punitively limits a team from doing just about anything to improve their roster. Those quick to call the Mavs’ trade deadline a failure are most likely not considering the severe ramifications of being a second apron team. Here is just a sample of what lies in Pandora’s Box.

Note: All second apron teams suffer both first apron penalties and additional penalties exclusive to the second apron. Those penalties include:

Fist apron

• No sign-and-trade if the incoming player keeps the team above the Apron.
• Unable to sign a player waived during the season if that player’s salary is above the mid-level exception (MLE).
• Any salary match in a trade falls to a 110% threshold instead of a 125% threshold.

Second apron

• All of the above penalties, plus;

• Unable to use the MLE.
• Unable to use trade exceptions.
• Unable to use cash in any trades.
• Unable to trade multiple players in the same deal.
• Any first round pick is automatically moved to the end of the round if the team remains in the second apron for any three years within a five-year span.

What can a second apron team do? Basically re-sign their own players, sign their own draft picks, trade a single player at a time for equal/less incoming salary and use minimum contracts.

I’m not sure you can overstate the severity of being a second apron team. Dallas would have been completely strapped had they done nothing, squandering Cooper Flagg’s early years instead of immediately aiming to build around him properly.

It may not have been sexy or flashy, but given their position, the Mavericks did an incredible job positioning themselves for massive cap flexibility while giving up virtually nothing that was currently helping them, and most importantly outright avoiding the second apron. This was a win, even if an unconventional one.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

The 2026 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and the Hawks’ roster looks fairly different as compared to earlier in the season. We have yet to see three of the acquired players play for the team, but enough dust has settled by now to judge the totality of the moves.

Let’s get to it by going through each move chronologically (according to when the news broke), and how I grade them based on short-term and long-term impact:

CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert for Trae Young

This one was the blockbuster that kicked off things early in January. Enough time has passed, and so I won’t go through the minutiae of it all.

Trae Young had been seeking an extension since the summer given that he holds just a $49 million player option for next season and nothing beyond that. The Hawks neglected to offer him an extension.

Ultimately Young’s value as a defense-deficient, ball dominant guard outweighed his track record as a productive offensive engine. But the team was still motivated to find a resolution — even as Young was sidelined with injury. And so, he, his agents, and the team quickly found a home for him in the District of Columbia.

Coming the other way was microwave combo scorer (now in a sixth man role) CJ McCollum and big-bodied wing Corey Kispert who is equally comfortable shooting or driving on the offensive end. Both are clearly both useful depth players with the former on an expiring contract and the latter on a deal that extends for two more years at $13.5 million annually (plus a team option in 2028-29).

Given the drama that surrounded his financials for half a season, the Hawks did do well to act early and turn the keys to the franchise over to Jalen Johnson. But frankly, they dealt Young at his lowest value and netted just so little in return (they couldn’t even muster one measly pick?).

Time will truly tell if the Wizards can build a consistent winner around Young. But without the benefit of hindsight, I’d have to say the team just barely passed this test — and certainly without flying colors.

Grade: C-

Duop Reath and two second rounders for Vit Krejci

Duop Reath has since been waived, but he was never the true focal point of this deal.

Vit Krejci was an outstanding development story for the Hawks. From arriving from Oklahoma City for very little, to getting cut, to playing for both the Iowa Wolves and later the College Park Skyhawks on a two-way deal. Along the way, he gained more and more confidence in his three-point shot.

By the time he was sent to Portland at this deadline, he had become one of the league’s deadliest three-point shooters. Dating back to 2023-24, he has shot 42% on 4.1 attempts per game.

In the 2024 offseason, he signed a multi-year minimum value deal to remain with the Hawks. But recent moves may have crowded out his position in the rotation going forward.

Atlanta sent him to Portland this week in a deal that allows him to see minutes for a Blazers team that badly needs shooting. And in return, the Hawks netted two second-round picks: their own pick back in 2027 that they gave up in a deal to land Mouhamed Gueye in the 2023 NBA Draft and New York’s 2030 second rounder.

So, they landed two picks for a player they didn’t see in their plans in more — although admittedly a fan favorite on a great contract. Sentimentalities aside, it’s a minor win and nothing more.

Grade: B

Jock Landale for cash considerations

This is an easy one. When did cash considerations ever grab a rebound? Or block a shot? Or put the ball in the bucket?

I promise I had this take prior to Landale’s explosion in his first game with the Hawks. Landale tied his career high in points (26) and assists (5), grabbed a ton of rebounds (11), swatted shots (4), and he set a new career high with made threes (5) in a narrow home win on Thursday.

The burly center brings a level of physicality as a rebounder and space clearer in the lane that the Hawks desperately need, plus he capably stretches the floor to space the court for Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and others to get downhill.

He even drove from Memphis to Atlanta just to open up a can on the Utah Jazz (who were clearly shorthanded and not particularly interested in winning). Landale was in the middle of a breakout season with the Grizzlies before being sent to Utah in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, so he decided to take out his revenge on a team that saw no use for him.

With the Jazz facing a roster crunch, especially with their glut of bigs, Atlanta had the wherewithal to pounce and grab him for straight cash, homie.

It’s an obvious A from me.

Grade: A+

Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis

This is a weird one that I have yet to wrap my brain around.

It’s clear that from Atlanta’s point of view, Porzingis’ continued absences from the lineups were difficult to chew on. No one is to blame here, of course, as ‘KP’ was very open about his battle with post-viral syndrome and/or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

Everyone involved believed he was passed those health struggles, but clearly he was not — not to mention a recent Achilles injury that kept him out of his final games with the Hawks.

On the other side, Golden State has had a very public saga with their former number seven overall pick who has largely seen inconsistent minutes at best for a fading dynasty. Steve Kerr made some very candid comments about where things went wrong on Thursday evening:

So a deal came together along wherein two teams felt like a change of scenery was best for everyone involved.

Jonathan Kuminga gets a chance to show he can use his athleticism for good and be a focal point for an NBA team. It often gets lost that the talented but mercurial forward is just 23 years old. Atlanta is taking a bet that in a different situation, his pre-draft promise can truly shine. I, however, am less than enthused about that prospect:

Also, 33-year-old Buddy Hield is along for the ride because why not? You can never have too many shooters. Unlike Kuminga, who has a $24.3 million team option for next year, Hield does also have a $3 million partial guarantee, so the Hawks did pick up a tad bit of future money here.

I really don’t know how this will go, but the Hawks got something for a player who was perpetually absent from the lineup, so I’m a tad cautiously optimistic — although mostly skeptical at best.

There’s very little commitment from either side beyond this year. But it’s just so strange a move that it may just work.

Grade: C

Gabe Vincent and a second rounder for Luke Kennard

It’s tough to see Kennard go just as he picked up the scoring aggression. At first, it looked as though his passivity in games would be an anchor on his impact despite gaudy shooting efficiency.

But once the light switch flipped telling him to look for his shot more, he was a genuine weapon off the bench. He’ll figure to continue that hot streak in LA as he plays off Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and others.

On the other side, Gabe Vincent has not performed as well as hoped when he signed a three-year, $33,000,000 off the back of a playoff run with the Miami Heat. In the first season after signing his deal, he had arthroscopic knee surgery and only saw the court for 11 games with the Lakers, all off the bench.

He has bounced back somewhat the past two seasons to be a passable contributor off the bench, but even this year he has dealt with a lumbar back strain.

There’s no doubt that the Lakers are getting the better player in the deal, although Vincent still has some utility as a point guard defender, ball handler and decent three-point shooter. But it’s likely he doesn’t play many if any meaningful minutes off the suddenly logjammed Hawks bench.

Cynically, similar to the Krejci deal above, this trade came down to swapping two players with expiring deals (Vincent makes just $500,000 more than Kennard) so that the Hawks could pick up a Lakers 2032 second-round pick. Kennard could have helped the team more down the stretch of this season, but the long-term outlook was prioritized over the short term here.

Another meh win, I suppose.

Grade: B-

What would you grade these deals?

Last night’s game was rough. That almost undersells it. The Suns came in with momentum, and even without Devin Booker or Jalen Green, there was a real opportunity to grab a win against a Pacific Division opponent. Instead, for the third time in four meetings with Golden State this season, they let it slip.

And the hardest part to ignore was this: they were outcoached. Clearly. In the fourth quarter, yes. But also in the first half, where the tone was set and never fully corrected. This was a game that asked for clarity and control, and the Suns never quite found either when it mattered most.

Golden State came out with a clear plan in the first half. Let it fly. They took 37 threes, made 15 of them, and carried a lead into halftime. The Suns answered the way they usually do after the break. The third quarter flipped the game. They outscored the Warriors 27 -17 and pushed the margin to 14 early in the fourth.

And then everything unraveled.

The offense went stagnant. The ball stuck. Dribble, dribble, dribble, then a bailout shot late in the clock. Meanwhile, an undermanned Warriors team, without Stephen Curry, without Jimmy Butler, and fresh off trading away three rotation players, played with freedom. The ball moved. Bodies moved. They scored in transition, scoring 7 fast break points in the fourth alone.

Golden State turned the ball over six times in the fourth. The Suns scored three points off those mistakes. Missed chances. No punishment.

Then came the lineup decisions. Oso Ighodaro played the entire fourth quarter while Mark Williams, who was having a solid game, stayed glued to the bench. It felt like a substitution never came.

Oso brings value as an isolation defender, but offensively, he pulls no gravity. When he stands on the perimeter, defenders sag. Pressure shifts elsewhere. Lanes shrink.

And it showed. Al Horford, of all people, led the Warriors with 7 points in the fourth. Teams are no longer respecting Oso on offense, and more are willing to test him on the other end. That was the breaking point. Control turned into chaos. Structure gave way to isolation. And in a game the Suns had in their hands, they let it slip through their fingers.

The Suns outsmarted themselves and watched the Warriors close the night on a 24-7 run. It is not the worst loss of the season, that still belongs to Atlanta, when a 22-point fourth-quarter lead evaporated. But this one stings in a different way. Because of the timing. Because of the standings. Because of the opportunity sitting right there, waiting to be taken. The Suns had control. Then they gave it back. And losses like that linger longer than most.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Collin earned #9 after that showing in Rip City!

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 52 against the Warriors. Here are your nominees:

Dillon Brooks
24 points (10-of-24, 2-of-6 3PT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -6 +/-

Grayson Allen
21 points (7-of-17, 5-of-13 3PT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, +4 +/-

Mark Williams
11 points (5-of-6), 10 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, +6 +/-

Collin Gillespie
11 points (4-of-12, 3-of-10 3PT), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -10 +/-

Royce O’Neale
9 points (3-of-7, 3-of-6 3PT), 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 turnover, -5 +/-

Jordan Goodwin
6 points (2-of-6, 2-of-6 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, +7 +/-

Second late game in a week. Who is worthy after last night’s performance?

The Spurs have one more home game at the Frost Bank Center before they head out on the annual Rodeo Road Trip. Nobody wants to go that long without seeing their home team in person, the Silver & Black invite eligible fans to enter to win a trip to see them on the road.

Enter the Rodeo Road Trip Flyaway Sweepstakes presented by H-E-B for a chance to win a trip to New York City as the Knicks host the Spurs on March 1st.

The package includes 2 round-trip flights, a 2 night hotel stay, and 2 tickets to the game. Madison Square Garden is a legendary place to experience a game. And seeing the two NBA Emirates Cup finalists battle it out while simultaneously fighting for seeding in their respective conferences is a must-see.

Click HERE to enter.

Good luck and Go Spurs Go.

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I need to start with a confession: at the beginning of this season, I wasn’t a Baylor Scheierman believer.

Not because he wasn’t good, but more that he was hard for me to place. He wasn’t jumping off the screen in any obvious way, and he didn’t dominate one skill the way some of the other young Celtics wings do. On a roster full of players with already-sharpening identities, Scheierman felt like he didn’t have a clear lane coming into the season.

That’s beginning to change.

In Boston’s win over the Rockets on Wednesday night, Scheierman finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 23 minutes. The box score was solid, but the context mattered more. He rebounded in traffic, knocked down his open looks, and stayed involved when plays broke down.

With Payton Pritchard shifting back into his familiar sixth-man role — another example of this team prioritizing collective success over individual status — at least one starting spot will quietly remain fluid from game to game. Outside of Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, there are fewer fixed answers than it might seem.

After a recent 112-93 win over the Sacramento Kings, Scheierman joked that opponents see him as, “a 6’7” white guy with shaggy hair and some tattoos,” someone they like to test. Early on, I probably saw him the same way. He was a player that was easy to overlook.

What’s becoming clear is that overlooking him is missing the point.

Instead of focusing on what Scheierman might become, I want to talk about the role he’s playing now, and how the Celtics are benefitting from it.

Why Baylor Scheierman’s role fits Joe Mazzulla’s system

Joe Mazzulla’s system does not ask every player to bend the game, but rather asks them to understand it. Decisions matter more than volume, and connection matters more than individual output. The Celtics function best when lineups stay organized, possessions stay alive, and players know exactly why they are on the floor.

Baylor Scheierman does not need touches to stay involved. He rebounds to extend possessions, moves the ball quickly when advantages are small, and spaces the floor without drifting out of the offense. Defensively, his value shows up less in isolation stops and more so in anticipation. He’s clearly got a knack for reading actions early, understanding personnel, and staying attached long enough for the system to hold.

Scheierman has described his defensive strengths as “feel” and “understanding,” knowing what an opponent wants to do before they do it. That mindset lines up with how Mazzulla allocates trust. Players who remove chaos from possessions tend to earn more rope, especially when the roster gets thin over the course of a grueling 82-game season.

In that sense, Scheierman is not pushing to become something else, nor should he. He’s simply leaning into exactly what this team needs him to be.

Is Baylor’s recent performance sustainable?

If this is going to be a real conversation, we have to discuss the numbers. On the surface, Scheierman’s season averages do not exactly scream breakout. He’s averaging 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and just under 1 assist per game, numbers largely in line with last season. What has changed is how efficiently he’s producing with his minutes. After shooting 35 percent from the field and 31 percent from three last year, Scheierman has pushed those marks up to 45 percent and 40 percent this season.

Things look even rosier when you zoom in on the last ten games. Over that stretch, Scheierman has averaged just over 22 minutes per night while posting 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. The production has followed the opportunity, and the efficiency has held. He’s not taking over more possessions; he’s simply doing more with the ones he’s involved in.

That trend shows up in lineup data as well. Units featuring Scheierman alongside primary creators have held their own on both ends, particularly in offensive efficiency and rebounding rate. The tape backs it up, too. Passes get tipped. Spacing stays intact. Possessions end with shots the Celtics are comfortable taking. Those are small things, but they travel across opponents and game scripts.

Taken together, this is why the recent stretch feels different from a hot week or a shooting blip. Under Joe Mazzulla, minutes are earned, not gifted. Scheierman’s efficiency has been steady, his responsibilities are clear, and his production fits within the structure of what Boston wants to be. 

That combination is usually a sign something is real.

So, is he a starter?

The straightforward answer is he can be. The more honest answer is that the label matters less than the function.

On nights like last night, where the Celtics were severely undermanned, Scheierman showed he can absorb bigger minutes without changing the shape of the team. When he starts or closes or slides into any of Joe’s rotating carousel of lineup combinations, the Celtics still look like the Celtics. Possessions stay connected. Spacing holds. The offense does not tilt or stall. On a roster built around a star who bends defenses to his will (and with another potentially returning later this season), that kind of reliability is huge.

And it’s the reliability that speaks to something bigger about this Celtics team. They are not chasing individual leaps as much as they are identifying which parts need to be played and trusting the players best suited to play them. Scheierman fits because he does not try to stretch outside his role. Joe Mazzulla once described him as having, “a chip on his shoulder… an F-you mentality to where he’s just gonna make it work,” and that mindset shows up in the margins. He fills gaps, accepts contact, and stays involved in moments that break down for others.

Which brings me back to the beginning. I wasn’t convinced this would work. Early in the season, it was hard to know what to make of Scheierman, not because anything was missing, but because his impact wasn’t loud or obvious. It can take time for a picture to come into focus.

With Scheierman’s identity sharpening, the future has me optimistic. His minutes are starting to make sense, the contributions are beginning to stack, and when he’s on the floor, the Celtics stay true to who they want to be. To me, that kind of contribution matters more than any single label.

Somewhere along the way, I became a Bayliever. Or a Schei-liever? Those nicknames are both unpleasant and confusing.

Fortunately, Scheierman’s role on the Celtics is anything but.

As you, the astute reader, are no doubt aware, there are a few events of note taking place in the sporting world this weekend. The conclusion of the pro football season and the start of the Olympic winter games in Italy will of course receive their share of the spotlight, but there are plenty of key contests in men’s college basketball over the weekend as well.

As luck would have it, there’s a Top 25 showdown in each of the five power conferences. A key tilt in the Big East gets things underway Friday night, and the Saturday slate includes one of the sport’s most intense rivalry games. Let’s delve into the Starting Five, shall we?

No. 3 Connecticut at No. 22 St. John’s

Time/TV: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

The Huskies quietly remain unscathed in Big East play, but the Red Storm can grab a share of the league lead with a win here at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s isn’t always the most efficient offensive operation, but forward Zuby Ejiofor’s work on the boards often makes successful possessions out of organized chaos. UConn gets great scoring balance with all its starters averaging in double digits, but if a big shot is needed it will usually be Solo Ball taking it.

BRACKETOLOGY: Kansas among teams surging in tournament projection

No. 4 Duke at No. 18 North Carolina

Time/TV: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Round one between these long-time ACC foes will be in Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels have yet to lose this season. The Blue Devils, however, are looking to run away with the league race once again. While Duke’s national player of the year candidate Cameron Boozer rightly gets much of the attention, the Blue Devils are even harder to beat when Isaiah Evans is on target from the arc. UNC’s own standout freshman Caleb Wilson’s stats actually compare favorably with Boozer’s, but the Tar Heels will need better ball security than they displayed in their nearly disastrous second-half collapse against Syracuse in their most recent outing.

No. 6 Illinois at No. 10 Michigan State

Time/TV: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

This week’s top-10 showdown in the Big Ten features teams heading in opposite directions. The Fighting Illini have won 12 in a row and are playing like Final Four contenders, while the Spartans have dropped their last two as some of the team’s on-court decisions have drawn the ire of opponents and coaches alike. Michigan State’s veteran floor leader Jeremy Fears is also likely to receive additional attention from game officials, so he’ll need to keep a level head. Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler will look to continue his hot shooting that has helped the Illini compensate for the absence of starting guard Kylan Boswell.

No. 16 Florida at No. 25 Texas A&M

Time/TV: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, SECN

Kentucky and Tennessee are getting the main channel treatment from ESPN, but this one is actually for the outright SEC lead. That is still the case despite the Aggies’ close loss Wednesday at Alabama. They’ll be happy to be back at home, but the Gators have won seven of their last eight and appear to be peaking at the right time. There’ve been few answers for Florida’s interior trio of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. The Aggies should have a depth advantage in the backcourt, but Ruben Dominguez and Rylan Griffen will have to be on target.

No. 8 Houston at No. 14 Brigham Young

Time/TV: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Saturday nightcap takes us to an all-Cougars showdown in the Big 12, where the host Cougars of BYU are trending the wrong way on a three-game skid. BYU’s issues have primarily been at the defensive end, which does not bode particularly well with Houston’s high-scoring guard trio coming to Provo. BYU will also have to keep Houston’s Joseph Tugler and Chris Cenac from controlling the boards, a more manageable task if center Keba Keita can avoid foul trouble.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball weekend games schedule features Duke-North Carolina

The Cleveland Cavaliers believe that the Eastern Conference is wide open right now. Trading for James Harden gives them a better chance to seize that opportunity.

“We think that he raises our ceiling and gives us a chance to have real playoff success,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said on Thursday.

“He gives us a different look in the backcourt. He’s 6’5” and he gets downhill, and he is ninth in the league in drives. He’s strong. He’s creative. I think he’s going to be great for our bigs. I also know that Donovan [Mitchell] is excited to play alongside him. Obviously, this is not a trade that we took lightly. But we do know that James is going to help us, and so we’re excited to welcome him.”

Harden will help the Cavs in many ways. He’s still one of the best point guards in the league and is a clear upgrade over Darius Garland at this point.

“[We’re] really excited about when it gets to a chaotic time in the playoffs and we’re on the road, and there’s a fever pitch, being able to throw the ball to him and calm this thing down,” Altman said. “Let’s get a good possession, right? Let’s get a good possession when it gets really, really tight, and it’s loud in that building. We’ve gone to the playoffs the last few years largely as a young team, not a very experienced playoff team, trying to figure it out. Now I think we’re adding just a tremendous amount of experience and know-how.”

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Harden is a one-man offense that can seemingly get good shots for himself and his teammates every time down the court.

That said, those comments ignore the elephant in the room. Harden was brought in to help in the playoffs despite being known as one of the biggest postseason chokers in league history.

“We looked at it, and we studied really hard,” Altman said. “There’s some elimination games that he probably wishes he had back, probably five really bad games out of 173 playoff games. But overall, he certainly raises his level, raises our level. It’s hard being the number one option on a championship-level team. I think the good news for him is he has another number one option right next to him.”

Whether or not Harden fits next to Mitchell remains to be seen. We’ve seen Harden coexist decently well with other ball-dominant players like Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, and Kevin Durant. How that carries over to sharing the floor with Mitchell will determine whether this trade ultimately pays off.

What we do know is that the Cavs have a second player who can carry some of the playmaking burden in the playoffs. That has been an issue in recent postseason runs.

“When it gets really tough in the playoffs, the team takes away your play, your second counter, and we need to get the ball in Donovan’s hands, we need to get the ball in James’ hands, that we’re going to have a great possession, we’re going to have a great possession,” Altman said. “And so really that’s what we’re thinking of. And in the playoffs, I do still think it comes down to largely a half-court game when it comes down to it.”

There’s also the concern that the Cavs play a different brand of offensive basketball than Harden. Head coach Kenny Atkinson’s teams have been built around ball and player movement and attacking in transition.

Harden’s teams have been the opposite. He’s thrived in slower tempo, iso-heavy systems. The Cavs are hoping both sides can meet in the middle.

“We’re going to have to adapt to James,” Altman said. “He’s that good a player, but I think we’re going to still run. … [Playing fast is] still part of what we do. I don’t think that’s going to stop. I do know that James is a great rebounder, and so our pitch-ahead game is going to be great.”

Harden can take the Cavs to another level. How exactly that’s going to look remains to be seen. There will undoubtedly need to be some give-and-take on both sides. But there’s a reason this move was made. The skill upgrade is clear, and that will help when it matters most.

“My job at the end of the day is to bring the best talent to Cleveland and set them up for success,” Altman said. “That’s the job. And so we’re bringing one of the greatest players of all time to Cleveland, who’s still playing at an elite level. We couldn’t be more excited.”

One of the core players from Kentucky’s first team in the Mark Pope era has agreed to a contract with the team that drafted him.

Amari Williams, who had a triple-double against Ole Miss last season, has agreed to a two-year, $2.7 million deal with the Boston Celtics. Williams was drafted 46th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Williams was previously on a two-way contract with the Celtics, which he signed back in August. He was originally drafted by the Orlando Magic and then traded to Boston.

In his lone season with Kentucky, Williams averaged 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. Williams was a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year at Drexel before transferring to Kentucky.

During last year’s Sweet 16 run, Williams became famous for eating Weetabix cereal, a company he eventually signed with an NIL deal. I can remember seeing a box of it in the press room in Indianapolis during the Sweet 16. Weetabix clearly caught on.

Our latest NCAA men’s basketball bracket projection features a few changes in the upper quadrant. Several programs with national titles in the past decade are among the teams with upward mobility.

Kansas, riding a six-game winning streak, has surged to a No. 3 seed along with defending champ Florida. Purdue is also back up to the third line, as Michigan State slips to a No. 4 after dropping its second game in a row Wednesday night at Minnesota. Virginia is back in the top 16 as well, grabbing a No. 4 seed as Brigham Young slides to a five after a three-game losing skid.

STARTING FIVE:The biggest college basketball games to watch this weekend

Gonzaga, thanks to a stunning upset Wednesday at Portland, falls off the second line to a No. 3. That result wasn’t all bad for the West Coast Conference, however, as it moved Santa Clara into first place in the league standings. That puts the Broncos in line for the automatic bid, giving the WCC three teams in the field for the moment. Saint Louis is now the lone Atlantic 10 squad in the projected field with George Mason taking a damaging loss to Duquesne this week.

March Madness bracketology update for NCAA tournament

March Madness Last four in

San Diego State, UCLA, Ohio State, New Mexico.

March Madness First four out

Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, California, Missouri.

NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (7) Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (3).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bracketology: Kansas rises in March Madness NCAA tournament projection

The Boston Celtics were down several key players on the second night of a back-to-back as they took on the Houston Rockets. Houston, who came into the game as the fourth seed in the West with a record of 31-18, was widely seen as the favorites given the absences of Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and the recently traded Anfernee Simons, whose replacement, Nikola Vucevic, was not yet officially a member of the Celtics despite the trade being agreed upon.

Taking on a top team on the back half of a back-to-back is hard enough, but doing so short handed would be asking too much of almost any team. The Celtics aren’t just any team, though. By the look of things this season, there’s no task too tall for them. They have too many young, talented, hard-working players to ever be out of a fight.

Luka Garza may just be the hardest working player in the league. It feels like he’s incapable of giving anything less than 100%. He was working all night against the Rockets, and put together one of the best performances of the game in the process.

Garza finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals, shooting 7-13, and hitting two threes enroute. He was also the third highest scorer for the game, outscoring every Rockets player. Yes, you read that right. On a night where Kevin Durant, who was the highest scorer for Houston, played 33 minutes, Luka Garza scored more points.

That was, in big part, thanks to some stellar defense by Ron Harper Jr., who held KD to 1-5 shooting while matched up as the primary defender. It doesn’t take away from Luka’s night, however. With his second three of the night, Garza knocked down his 32^nd of the season. That’s twice as many as he made in his entire rookie season, which was also his career high for a season prior to this season. Not only that, but he’s shooting it at a 45.7% clip, by far a career high.

Garza has been a great find by Brad Stevens, and earned a big vote of confidence by the team. Prior to the start of the year, Luka probably would have been viewed as expendable, especially if you were told that Boston would be adding in Nikola Vucevic. As the trade deadline passed, the Celtics dumped several salaries to try to duck under the Luxury Tax, including the Simons – Vucevic swap. After that move, dumping four minimum salaries, converting the two-way guys to standard contracts, and signing players from the buyout market would have been enough to get under the tax.

Three minimum players ended up getting the axe, Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman, and Josh Minott, all guys who couldn’t find a spot in the rotation. If Garza wasn’t playing well, he easily could have been the fourth. Instead, Brad and the rest of the front office decided to craft a complicated, but extremely clever plan with some tight margins to operate below the league mandated minimum roster size for, presumably, as long as possible, buying just enough time to find a prorated contract on the buyout market which will put them back in roster compliance while keeping them under the tax-line.

The point being, Luka has earned his respect with this team. His performance against Houston was 19^th game in double figures this season, and one of many examples of the value he provides. Even with the addition of Nikola Vucevic, it seems like Joe Mazzulla will continue to lean on Garza in the big-man rotation. He’s very easily been one of the best stories of the season, and deserves every good thing that’s coming to him thanks to his own efforts.

We’ve been here before.

That’s worth remembering. This is not the first time in the Rafael Stone era that there’s been widespread displeasure with Rafael Stone. It’s familiar territory for Houston Rockets fans.

Specifically, it happens on an annual basis at the NBA Trade Deadline.

To be sure, their recent thrashing at the hands of a Brown-less Celtics squad was aesthetically horrifying. Rockets fans would have done as well to throw on Terrifier.

Early in the season, the notion that Houston’s rebound-focused attack was “gimmicky” was controversial. Now, it’s axiomatic. Anyone should recognize that the Rockets are not going to win at the highest level with this strategy.

There’s friend of the show (who I believe still reads these?), Andrew Soukup, with a succinct summary of the problem. A pair of non-shooters. For all the high-falutin’ conceptual stuff about dribble hand-offs, cuts from the high post, triangle offense, etc., the reality is that it’s difficult to build a high-powered, portable NBA offense with two non-shooters in the lineup.

So, the roster is flawed. That at least partly reflects on management. Yet, it would be an oversimplification to suggest that putting a flawed roster on the floor singularly characterizes a team’s general manager as “bad”.

Stone has done plenty well during his tenure.

Rockets have drafted well under Stone

Here’s a refrain I’ve heard several times recently:

“Four lottery picks, four whiffs”.

Firstly, Amen Thompson is not a whiff. That’s a consequence of fans overestimating the expected return on a fourth overall pick. He may not be “Russell Westbrook, Defensive Player of the Year model”, but he’s certainly not a whiff. Such an assessment of Reed Sheppard is also absurdly premature.

Otherwise, you can’t judge draft picks in a vacuum. They must be judged in the context of the draft itself.

It’s unfair to knock Stone for taking Jabari Smith Jr. with the third overall pick. The consensus could not have been firmer. There were three dudes in that draft, Bari was the third, and the Rockets had the third pick. All 30 GMs were making the same decision. Stone was not reasonably going to select Jalen Williams. He can’t be retroactively held to a standard of “shock the world or bust”. You’re locking him into a false dichotomy: either he’s a genius or he’s a bad general manager.

By the way, there’s almost nobody else in 2022 you’d rather have. Jaden Ivey just got traded for a Kevin Huerter sandwich with extra Mike Conley. Dyson Daniels is fun, but Houston doesn’t need a 12.7% three-point shooter in their backcourt. Tari Eason has been good…

Oh, wait.

How about 2024? If you wanted Matas Buzelis, gloat – but only a little bit. He’s still got a negative Box Plus/Minus (BPM). He’s racking up basic counting stats for the Bulls, if that counts as an accomplishment. That said, he’s certainly flashed potential, and if you think he’d have been a better choice than Reed Sheppard, you’re beginning to have a valid case. There’s nobody else I can say the same for. It seems unreasonable to come down on Stone because there’s one guy that he maybe (maybe) should have taken over Sheppard.

Then, there’s 2021: A Stone Odyssey. Not good. Bad.

A critical error. The cardinal sin of the rebuild. Evan Mobley was the choice.

I don’t want to hear “they wouldn’t have drafted Alperen Sengun”. OK – so they’d have compounded the error? Sengun and Mobley would be a great fit together.

On the subject of Sengun…

The Rockets had good lottery luck. Paradoxically, they also had bad lottery luck. Statistically, the balls bounced relatively well. In a vacuum, they got lucky.

Contextually, in the four years that the Rockets tanked, the only two lottery picks who’d have materially changed their fortunes were Cade Cunningham and Victor Wembanyama. That is it. Paolo Banchero is a bad fit with Sengun, and he has not been as good as Sengun, so let us not utter his name again.

Mobley and Chet Holmgren are both excellent, but they’re ceiling raisers. It’d be nice to have either, but they wouldn’t fix this team’s systemic issues. For that matter, neither would Wembanyama, but he’s just so special that he’d change the team by virtue of being him.

Otherwise, you’re asking Stone to – well, draw blood from a stone. If anything, the fact that he walked away from the rebuild with Sengun in the fold is a testament to his drafting acumen.

So is Tari Eason. Give most NBA general managers everything Stone had. Most of them don’t walk away with Sengun and Eason. Other than drafting Green, Stone has made no discernible, significant mistakes that could be identified even without the use of hindsight, which is notoriously 20/20.

What about on the trade market?

Stone needs to make some signature trades

Stone’s approach to trading has been…meiserly?

There’s not one deal you can point to and call egregiously bad. It’s just that most of his deals have been in the vein of hey, I’ll give you a non-rotational player for an even worse non-rotational player and a heavily protected second. Stone has made a bevy of moves that you wouldn’t notice whether he made them or not.

He has made one noticeable move. You know the one. How does it look now?

Well, let’s see. The Rockets have practically the same Win Percentage (63.3%) now that they finished last season with (63.4%). Yet, that’s not a fair evaluation of the deal. Last year’s Rockets had Fred VanVleet.

The concept behind the Durant deal was always sound. Opponents were always going to sag off of Sengun and Thompson, as described above, and dare a shot maker to make shots. So, trading one of the worst shot makers in the NBA (sorry, residual Green Gangers) for one of the best ought to build on what was already a formidable squad. Even without VanVleet, that might be bearing out:

If not for the loss of Dillon Brooks.

There was no way to flip Green for Durant without including Brooks (or VanVleet). The money has to money. But the Rockets undeniably miss Brooks. They miss his point of attack defense, his (2024-25) floor spacing, and his tertiary shot creation. They miss his cultural impact.

There should be no referendum on Green. This team was not “better with Green than they are with Durant”. They were better with Green, VanVleet, Brooks, and Steven Adams than they are with Durant. At some point, the raw, aggregate net rating of so many players outweighs even a (post-prime, but still) Durant.

Circling back to the thesis: Stone didn’t injure VanVleet or Adams. He didn’t invent the CBA that required him to include Brooks in that deal. He was never going to let Brooks be the deterrent if he wanted Kevin Durant.

So, Stone’s draft record speaks for itself. The totality of his trade activity seems more positive than negative. Here, we have a defensible GM who’s put a deeply flawed contender on the floor.

How do we square that?

Rockets are a work in progress

The Rockets hold a lot of chips. So, by definition, they’re not all in.

Most of the key rotation players are young. They have a surplus of draft capital. Those are the chips; they aren’t on the table. Analogously, they checked on a small raise by giving up Jalen Green and Khaman Maluach.

So until they’re “all in”, the roster should be treated as an unfinished product. Hypothetically, say the Rockets replace Durant with a lesser version of a shot-creating wing in the draft. Suppose they do the same with any veteran on the roster and otherwise run this exact rotation until the core is in their 30s.

OK. Now, the criticisms are fair.

For now, it’s OK if the roster is flawed. If Stone were to trade either Amen or Sengun and picks for Antetokounmpo this summer, he’d better follow that up by acquiring players who complement Antetokounmpo. The roster can no longer be fundamentally flawed. The Rockets will be all-in.

Let’s see how we feel about Stone then.