NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils acquired forward Nick Bjugstad in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday that was completed just before the Olympic roster freeze.
They sent a conditional fourth-round pick and minor-leaguer Thomas Bordeleau for Bjugstad. It will be the last of the three fourth-rounders New Jersey currently has among its own, Dallas’ and Winnipeg’s.
Bjugstad, 33, has seven points in 35 games this season after signing with St. Louis as a free agent. The Devils getting him is the start of them using the salary cap space cleared by sending winger Ondrej Palat to the New York Islanders.
Bjugstad is signed through next season at a bargain cap hit of $1.75 million annually. The Devils had gotten Bordeleau earlier this season in a deal with San Jose.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 8: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks adjusts his Oakley glasses during the second half of their game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on January 8, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Chris Gardner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards acquired 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, according to ESPN.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sfrQQubI5i
None of the picks they are shipping out are their own:
• 2026 first-rounder (via OKC)
• 2030 top-20 protected first-rounder (via GSW)
• 2026 second-rounder (via PHX)
• 2027 secone-rounder (via CHI)
• 2029 second-rounder (via HOU)
After acquiring Trae Young in January, the Wizards have made another move, this time to bolster their frontcourt alongside Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George.
Potential Wizards starting five:
PG: Trae Young SG: Tre Johnson SF: Kyshawn George PF: Alex Sarr C: Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/1nwrq7DmBm
Davis has missed the majority of the last two season’s due to injury. And he is under a rather hefty contract that runs through the 2026-27 season with a player option in 2027-28.
2025-26: $54.1 million
2026-27: $58.4 million
2027-28: $62.7 million (player option)
But Washington clearly liked the value in acquiring Davis to pair with its young core — especially Sarr, who’s emerged as one of the league’s premiere rim protectors at just 20 years old.
Jaden Hardy is just 23 years old and under contract both this season and next. He has a team option at $6 million for the 2027-28 season. It’s possible he sticks around as a young guard the Wizards try to further develop.
D’Angelo Russell, on the other hand, is 29 years old and was recently removed from Dallas’ rotation. He has a player option at $5.9 million for next season. Given how the Wizards handled similar situations with veterans acquired via trade (Marcus Smart for example), Russell is a possible buyout candidate if Washington can’t flip him elsewhere.
Dante Exum is on a $2.3 million expiring contract. Washington will likely let him enter free agency this offseason.
In return, the Rangers receive forward Liam Greentree and a conditional third-round pick, according to multiple reports.
The struggling Rangers had sent a letter to fans that that they were going to retool their roster and that it might mean saying "goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years."
Panarin was told that the team would not be offering him a contract extension. He is in the final year of a seven-year contract averaging $11.6 million and has a full no-movement clause. Last week, they held him out of the lineup to prevent him from getting hurt as they worked out a trade.
The Kings need offense, ranking 28th in the league, and Panarin provides plenty, leading the Rangers every year in scoring since he arrived in 2019. Even in a down year, he has 57 points in 52 games. Los Angeles is third in goals-against average, so a little extra boost on the scoring side could translate to more wins. That's important with the Kings sitting one point out of a playoff spot and trying to go on a postseason run in captain Anze Kopitar's final year before he retires.
New York Rangers: C
Panarin was the Rangers' best trade asset and the return seems low. Greentree is 20, 6-foot-3, 216 pounds and was a 2024 first-round pick. He had 119 points last season with the Windsor (Ontario) Spitfires. But there was no first-round pick in the deal. The third-rounder can move higher if the Kings win a playoff round. Panarin had to choose where he went, so that limited the Rangers' options. Also hurting their return: New York made clear it was moving him and he was a pending unrestricted free agent. The Rangers retain half of Panarin's salary, per The Athletic.
Devils acquire Nick Bjugstad
The New Jersey Devils acquired bottom-six forward Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues for forward Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional fourth-round pick.
The Mavericks have reportedly shipped the headliner of that deal, forward-center Anthony Davis, to the Washington Wizards.
According to ESPN, the full package sent to Washington also includes Dallas guards Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum. In return, the Wizards are receiving veteran forward Khris Middleton, guards AJ Johnson and Malaki Branham and forward Marvin Bagley III, though the real draw are two first-round draft picks and three second-round selections.
The deal generates interesting implications, so how do we make sense of what this means? Here are grades for the Mavericks-Wizards Anthony Davis trade:
This really is intriguing. Washington has been in a rebuild for the better part of the last decade, but coach Brian Keefe has shown this season that he can get flashes of production from an incredibly young roster. In fact, the team’s starting lineup during a Jan. 24 loss against the Hornets had an average age of 20.64 years, the youngest average age of a starting lineup since the NBA began tracking that data in 1970-71, according to Elias.
But the Wizards have won only 13 games, tied for fewest in the East. This was a team that desperately needed steady, veteran leadership, yes, but is this the most effective way to elevate the team out of a rebuild? Paired with the trade that shipped Trae Young to Washington, the Wizards now have a pair of veterans with 14 combined All-Star selections. But there’s some significant risk here.
Davis played just 29 games for the Mavericks since the February 2025 trade and has faced constant injury concerns throughout his career. In fact, he’s currently sidelined with a left-hand issue and appears to be a few weeks away from a return. Similarly, Young is out with a sprained right knee and bruised quadriceps.
For these deals to be fruitful, Davis and Young need to be healthy and available. But they also have to gel. The Wizards rank dead last in net rating (-10.7) and second-to-last in both offensive rating (109.3) and defensive rating (120.0). Young is a defensive liability. Davis (20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game) should provide stability on both ends.
Keefe will need to get Davis, 32, and Young, 27, to buy in and lead Washington’s young players. This was certainly a team that needed to make calculated moves. But if it doesn’t work, the Wizards could continue to find themselves at the bottom of the standings.
One way the Wizards mitigated some risk in this deal is that none of the draft picks they traded were their own. So if Washington remains in the lottery, those picks will stay with the team.
Grade: B
Dallas Mavericks
It was clear the fit with Davis was never seamless. Perhaps, in an alternate universe in which star point guard Kyrie Irving doesn’t tear his anterior cruciate ligament, the Mavericks could’ve sustained the post-Dončić era.
But that’s not reality and the Mavericks are paying for the sins of former general manager Nico Harrison. Interim co-GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi made this deal to make the best of a tough situation. The franchise saw the recent stellar play of 19-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg and understood that it needs to build around him. This is something that is going to take years. It’s not an enviable position, and the draft picks coming back seemingly won't be top-of-draft selections.
Despite moments of competitive play, Dallas has lost five consecutive games and probably understood that a pathway toward the play-in picture was doubtful. The Mavericks are sitting at 19-31 and seemingly believe that it’s better to admit a mistake than compound it. Put another way: the Mavericks considered Davis to be a sunk cost, especially considering that he was set to make $112.6 million through the 2026-27 season, with a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.
Updated return on the Luka trade:
3 first-round picks 3 second-rounders Max Christie Khris Middleton AJ Johnson Malaki Branham Marvin Bagley III
This does provide some financial flexibility for Dallas to be more aggressive with its roster construction.
Dallas also holds its own 2026 first-rounder. This is a draft loaded with talent at the top, so the Mavericks could even package their new draft capital to move up and target a player of their choosing.
Davis was barely playing for the Mavericks. Dallas at least squeezed as much value as possible out of him.
SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 30: San Diego Padres chairman Peter Seidler, left, talks with general Manager A.J. Preller during batting practice on opening day of the 2023 Major League Baseball season March 30, 2023 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The San Diego Padres face the Colorado Rockies. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the start of Spring Training Feb. 11 in Peoria, Ariz., the San Diego Padres are nearing the end of their offseason plans and beginning their final approach to the 2026 season. Although there have been no major league roster additions since December, the team has not been totally inactive. News broke late Tuesday that the lawsuit between Peter Seidler’s widow, Sheel Seidler, and the Seidler brothers named in her allegations (Matt and Bob Seidler) have settled the bulk of the suit.
The terms of the settlement have not been released and probably never will be but this development lends further support to the rumors than an imminent sale of the team is probably true. The rumor mill has been churning for the last month regarding multiple parties interested in the purchase of the team.
Although no specific names have been shared, it has not been hard to imagine that the team would be attractive to multiple people or groups that want to own an MLB team. Joe Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors, is the only person who has publicly expressed interest in buying an MLB team.
The rumors were further supported by the fact that Padres CEO Erik Greupner was willing to make a public announcement at FanFest. He said that the sale was proceeding successfully and that the new owner would be invested in winning and maintaining the current goals.
The lawsuit would presumably be a roadblock to that sale and with this settlement, it may be announced sooner rather than later. It would not be surprising that the final negotiations for the A.J. Preller contract could be delayed as a result of rapidly progressing sale negotiations. Let’s hope these rumors are true and resolution occurs before the season starts.
Minor league contracts
LHP Marco Gonzales signed a minor league contract with a Spring Training invite. He will earn $1.5 million if he makes the team and has the ability to earn $1 million more in incentives. Gonzales is 34 and is coming off multiple seasons of injury with the latest being a forearm strain in 2024 that required flexor tendon surgery and he missed the entire 2025 season. His last appearance in the major leagues was in 2024 with the Pirates. He started seven games and pitched 33.2 innings with a 4.54 ERA. In his six-plus seasons as a starter with the Mariners (2017-2023) he pitched to a 3.48 ERA.
RHP Andrew Thurman signed a minor league contract. At 34, the career minor league pitcher last played in the Atlantic League in 2025 with 25 games started. The Padres transactions page has him assigned to the San Antonio Missions.
RHP Michael Flynn is 29 and reportedly signed a minor league contract. He has played most recently in the Tampa Bay organization and has been a reliever. He is a sinker/cutter prominent pitcher with a low-90s fastball and a plus sweeper.
RHP Riley Pint is 29 and spent all of 2025 injured while in the Guardians organization. He last pitched in the major leagues in 2024 for Colorado. In his 3.1 innings for the Rockies he had a 21.60 ERA. Pint has a high-90s fastball and a mid-90s sinker as well as a sweeper and a slider.
Tatis launches his foundation
On the Friday before FanFest, Fernando Tatis Jr. hosted a gala dinner to launch his foundation benefiting financial literacy for young (17-22) athletes in both San Diego and the Dominican Republic. Many of his teammates were there in support and he also has the backing of MLB. The name of the foundation is Fernando Tatis Full Court Foundation.
Camp 44
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove hosts a week of activities for his teammates before every season. For the fourth consecutive year, Musgrove brought multiple players into town before FanFest for team building and bonding. He shared at FanFest that they spent time at the PLNU lab as well as working out at Petco Park and Mission Beach. Besides pitchers, multiple position players also participated.
More broadcast rights are voided
Between six and nine more teams have joined MLB as their broadcast partner for the 2026 season. The Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds have all withdrawn from their contracts with FanDuel Sports for broadcast rights for the season. The contracts were voided due to non-payment of rights fees from the network to the teams. Six of those teams have formally approached MLB to broadcast their games with the Tigers, Braves and Angels final decisions not yet clear. The Tigers owner also owns the Red Wings of the NHL and the FanDuel Sports Network also has contracts with NHL and NBA teams, including the Red Wings. The Braves are contemplating launching their own network and the Angels have declined comment.
This is in addition to the already seven teams being broadcast by MLB and the total could be over half of the league, pending final decisions. The media rights disparity between the haves and the have nots continues to grow and further complicates the future CBA negotiations.
Padres farm system ranks last
Keith Law of The Athletic has ranked the Padres farm system as the worst in MLB. Due to the trading of eight of their top 20 players at the last trade deadline, the Padres top prospect is catcher Ethan Salas. Salas, 19, has not played since April and was inactive because of a low back stress reaction. This should be a pivotal year in his development as a potential major league player. His defense behind the plate has never been questioned but his offensive ceiling is a question mark at this point.
The rest of the prospect list remains questionable with a lot of young and untested players in the top of the list. The new season should provide a lot more clarity about the upsides of many of these players.
FanFest media interviews
The San Diego Padres always provide media time for the players who attend their yearly fan-based baseball celebration. There are always a few news items that come out of these Q&A sessions with local media. Some nuggets that stood out:
Craig Stammen – He emphasized communication and relationships as his emphasis early in his new role. He visited multiple players after being hired, including his first-ever trip to the Dominican Republic to see Tatis Jr., Randy Vasquez and Ramon Laureano. When asked about the player who will play first base, he designated Gavin Sheets as the first option with Will Wagner and Sung-Mun Song as other possibilities.
He shared his confidence in Luis Campusano as the player who has the best chance to win the back-up catcher position. He played with Campusano as a player and expressed his desire to see him be successful as a major league catcher and hitter.
Michael King – King said in both his media time and his pitcher forum appearance that A.J. Preller was the main reason he re-signed with the Padres. He has trust in Preller and his ability to build a winning team every year. That was his main priority in signing a multi-year deal. He also shared that Yu Darvish was involved in his contract negotiations and got him some extra money. He stated that the media should ask Preller about that.
A.J. Preller – He was asked about the comment King made and he referred to Darvish caring a lot about his teammates and the organization. He will do anything he can to help others, including offering to give up his own salary to make the team better going forward. He has always given his best as a player and his offering to void his contract is just another part of who he is as a teammate and a Padre.
Preller said there would be no cutting of payroll and the team intends to add before the season. At least a starter and a couple bats. His own contract situation is a work in progress and that is partly due to the fact that he is not focused on it. His focus is on building a team and getting ready for the season. The contract will come at some point. He specifically referred to the next couple weeks as a probable timeline.
Fernando Tatis Jr. – He expressed his happiness at starting his foundation and participating in Camp 44 this year. He repeated his statement from last FanFest that he wants to prove his ability to fans and baseball and has worked to fix the issues affecting him last season. In his comments during the Q&A during the player forum, Tatis said his goal is to win the league MVP.
Jackson Merrill – In his usual direct and honest fashion, Merrill acknowledged the difficult season he had in 2025 with the injuries and inconsistencies. He looks forward to a “consistent vibe” this season with Craig Stammen as manager, with no ups and downs. He emphasized his focus is on hitting the fastball and his swing is tailored to that goal. He will not focus on the Dodgers but on beating every team they face. He expressed it as an F-U mentality for himself and the team.
All the players interviewed used the word “Respect” in reference to their impression of Stammen. They all also shared that a younger and more relatable coaching staff will be welcomed and they have already been active in offseason work.
BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 24: Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 24, 2025 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is drawing trade interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the trade deadline, league sources told @hoopshype. Thomas is out for tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic due to “personal reasons.” pic.twitter.com/fDdX9Brylw
Thomas is your prototypical sixth man. He’s a 6’2” guard who comes off the bench with the sole purpose of getting buckets. On the season, Thomas is averaging 15.6 points and 3.1 assists on .399/.325/.843 shooting splits in 24.3 minutes per game.
Staying on the court has been an issue for Thomas throughout his five-year NBA career. The 24-year-old has only played over 65 games twice. Last season, he appeared in 25, and this season, he’s played in just half of Brooklyn’s games.
Figuring out exactly who the Cavs would be sending out for Thomas is difficult. Technically, the Cavs could acquire Thomas without sending out any players, as he could be traded for via the $6.9 million trade exception that was created from the De’Andre Hunter trade with the Sacremento Kings. Thomas is on an expiring $5.9 million deal.
It’s also worth questioning how Thomas would fit with the Cavs. The ability to stagger Donovan Mitchell and Harden makes the need for a guard bench scorer less necessary. Thomas likely wouldn’t get minutes over Schroder, and the team already has plenty of two guards that need minutes.
It’s possible that targeting Thomas would make more sense as part of a larger deal.
We’ll see if anything comes of this rumor. The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 PM.
Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes received a one-game suspension on Wednesday for pushing the Washington Wizards' mascot before a game last week.
Hayes pushed the mascot “G-Wiz” during pre-game introductions ahead of the Lakers’ 142-111 win on Friday.
Hayes had 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal off the bench. He will serve the suspension on Feb. 5 when the Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers, according to a statement from the NBA.
Hayes was drafted by Atlanta in the first round of the 2019 draft, but his rights were immediately traded over to New Orleans. He spent his first four seasons with the Pelicans before joining the Lakers in 2023.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 26: Jared McCain #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives by Sion James #4 of the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at Spectrum Center on January 26, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 David Jensen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Two major trades Wednesday involving former Duke stars Jared McCain and Marvin Bagley: McCain will join Oklahoma City and Bagley is heading south of there to Dallas.
These were big deals. The Sixers sent
As for the Wizards-Mavericks trade, Dallas gets Bagley, Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and Malaki Branham and two first-round picks along with three second-round.
In return, the Wizards get Always Damaged, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum.
Given Davis’s injury history and age, Dallas looks like it cleaned up.
As for the Sixers-OKC deal, the Thunder get McCain while Philly gets a 2026 first-round pick and three second round picks.
McCain should get some minutes since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out for a while with an injury, so at least he gets a chance to make an impression.
In a subsequent trade, OKC also picked up former Duke big man Mason Plumlee.
Meanwhile, future Hall of Famer Chris Paul is moving from the Clippers to the Raptors, though the Raptors will not require him to report to the team and could look to trade him again before Thursday's deadline.
Agbaji, 25, was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Kansas. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Agbaji has averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds over the course of his four pro seasons. He averaged a career-best 10.4 points per game with the Raptors in 2024-25.
There’s been a different vibe around the New York Knicks since a timely players-only meeting, and they’ll go for an eighth straight win in tonight’s clash with the Denver Nuggets.
Denver welcomed Nikola Jokic back on Friday with a minutes restriction, but has dropped its last two contests, and my Nuggets vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks target another big man with a wager on Karl-Anthony Towns.
Nuggets vs Knicks prediction
Nuggets vs Knicks best bet: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 11.5 rebounds (-110)
Endless trade rumors seem to have taken a toll on Karl-Anthony Towns, but he’s not letting that affect his rebounding.
KAT leads the NBA with 11.8 rebounds per game, but he’s taken that up another notch lately, with a whopping 17.5 RPG across his past four outings. He even reached the 20-rebound mark in consecutive games last week, padding those numbers at the expense of his scoring.
With Nikola Jokic still finding his feet again after his knee injury and the Denver Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back set, the visitors may take the cautious approach here with their three-time MVP, paving the way for Towns to own the paint.
Josh Hart’s ankle injury last night adds another wrinkle. It's another reason to think Towns will feast on the glass, with the New York Knicks potentially needing to replace Hart’s reliable rebounding tallies.
KAT finished with double-digit boards in both games against Denver last season, and he knows this matchup well from his days with the Timberwolves.
Though foul trouble is always a risk with Towns, he’s most comfortable around the basket defensively, and this Over is well within reach.
Nuggets vs Knicks same-game parlay
The Under is 8-2 in the Knicks’ last 10 games, and it’s also been a winning ticket in four of the past six meetings between these teams. With question marks around Hart's and Jokic's availability, plus a dose of back-to-back fatigue for both squads, I’m giving the defenses the edge.
Whichever way the Nuggets handle Jokic’s workload, there’s going to be a role for Jonas Valanciunas. He grabbed 11 rebounds in last night’s loss in Detroit, and he’s shown he can nail this Over in limited minutes.
Nuggets vs Knicks SGP
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 11.5 rebounds
Under 226
Jonas Valanciunas Over 5.5 rebounds
Our "from downtown" SGP: Peyton's Place
Peyton Watson is shaping up to be a key man in Denver’s playoff rotation, and he continues to blossom as a scorer. He’s gone past this O/U number in four straight contests, headlined by a 29-point effort against the Thunder on the weekend.
Nuggets vs Knicks SGP
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 11.5 rebounds
Under 226
Jonas Valanciunas Over 5.5 rebounds
Peyton Watson Over 15.5 points
Nuggets vs Knicks odds
Spread: Nuggets +4.5 (-110) | Knicks -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Nuggets +160 | Knicks -190
Over/Under: Over 226.5 (-110) | Under 226.5 (-110)
Nuggets vs Knicks betting trend to know
The Nuggets are 19-8 on the road this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Knicks.
How to watch Nuggets vs Knicks
Location
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Tip-off
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN
Nuggets vs Knicks latest injuries
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Reese McGuire came to the Cubs and produced when they really needed him — right after Miguel Amaya suffered an oblique injury in May. McGuire homered twice in his first game as a Cub and was a suitable backup for Carson Kelly the rest of the year.
The Cubs, as you know, had fallen far behind the Brewers, nine games back by early August. They had crept to within five games of the NL Central lead after sweeping the Angels in Anaheim.
Hopes were high as the Cubs headed up the coast to San Francisco.
Welp. They lost the series opener 5-3 and then took a 3-1 lead in the second inning of the second game of the set when Nico Hoerner smashed a three-run homer.
It was all downhill after that on that evening in Oracle Park. Colin Rea didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, allowing eight hits and seven runs, one of his worst starts of the year. Taylor Rogers, acquired at the deadline and a former Giant, allowed a three-run homer to Rafael Devers, his second of the game. That gave the Giants a 10-3 lead and they scored another off Rogers in the seventh on a solo homer by Matt Chapman.
It was 11-3 heading to the bottom of the eighth when Craig Counsell summoned McGuire to pitch, to save the pen for an afternoon game the next day.
McGuire, as you know, recently signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers and he seems likely to break camp as the backup to William Contreras.
That concludes this series on Cubs position players pitching in the divisional play era. Tomorrow I’ll have some thoughts about position players pitching in general.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 22: Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles the ball during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 22, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Coby White has been one of the Chicago Bulls’ lone bright spots during an otherwise forgettable stretch of basketball in the 2020s. Chicago chose White with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and watched him improve year-over-year to become arguably the team’s best player. Now the Bulls have traded White before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Hornets are loading up for a playoff run, while the Bulls are tearing it down in their effort to retool a mediocre roster. Let’s grade this trade for both sides.
Hornets grade for Coby White trade
The Hornets have one of the NBA’s best young cores in place with LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller leading the way. White offers an immediate upgrade from Sexton in the backcourt with his ability to play on- or off-the-ball with high-volume three-point shooting ability.
White has always been a streaky shooter, yet he winds up with a similar three-point percentage every year. White has made either 37 percent or 38 percent of his threes each of the last four seasons. He’s been a little slowed this season while battling a calf strain, and he’s only made 34.6 percent of his threes at the time of the trade.
White is not a very good defender. He currently ranks in the 14th percentile of defensive EPM. He’s an offense-first player ranking in the 84th percentile of offensive EPM, but this hasn’t been his best season. The Hornets have already bought low on White at the trade deadline, and it’s possible they can resign him to another bargain contract. He’s only 26 years old so he could have multiple suitors, but the North Carolina native could be motivated to stay in his home state with a rising young team.
I like the idea of White as a super sixth man in Charlotte who can play some point guard if Ball endures more injury troubles. This is a small price to pay for a good player.
Grade: A
Bulls grade for Coby White trade
The Bulls decided they weren’t going to resign White this summer, so they traded him for future assets while they still could. That’s fine, but Chicago could have gotten way more for him at last year’s deadline if they knew what they were doing.
It sure feels like the Bulls are fully rebuilding after trading White, Nikola Vucevic, and Kevin Huerter ahead of the trade deadline. Anfernee Simons will be a good replacement for White, but he needs a new contract. Jaden Ivey will step into a big role, but he hasn’t looked like the same player coming off a horrific leg injury, and he’ll also be a restricted free agent this summer. Chicago has one healthy big man on the roster in Jalen Smith, and he’s more of a power forward than a center as the league opts for more two-big lineups. The Bulls could be very bad the rest of this season.
Trying to get more ping-pong balls rather than going for another doomed play-in tournament run is a good move for Chicago’s front office, but it feels like too little, too late. The Bulls might be able to get to No. 9 or No. 10 in the reverse standings, but they’ll still need a lot of lottery luck to move up. Chicago deserves it: the Bulls have refused to lose on purpose for the last five years unlike the other star-less teams, and they have one of the biggest fanbases in the league that is starving for a superstar. Landing Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson would change everything for the Bulls, and now there’s a greater chance it happens even if it still requires a ton of luck.
The Bulls should have traded White a year ago to maximize his value. By holding onto him until the very last second, they got basically nothing in return for him.
4/2: Nathan MacKinnon started to feel the heat from Kucherov, and he's responded with five goals in five games. That's helped separate him from Kuch just a bit, but the race isn't over just yet.
Both Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini are still listed, but the lack of team success is keeping their odds high.
3/23: Nathan MacKinnon backers look away, things might get ugly. The race for the MVP has gotten interesting, with books teetering on favoring Tampa's superstar over Nate.
Kuch now leads the league in points, and while his Bolts don't possess the same shiny record Colorado does, they'll win more than enough games to sway voters.
3/4: Nathan MacKinnon is holding on to the top spot, but there's been a big shakeup under him. Macklin Celebrini has fallen into third, while Nikita Kucherov has leapfrogged both Celebrini and Connor McDavid.
While Nate is still -190, it's important to note he was once as short as -450. The race is far from over.
NHL MVP prediction
I'm totally fine with taking MacKinnon at -190. He still paces the NHL in goals, and McDavid is the only player with more points on the season. MacKinnon is the best player on the best team in the league, and he'll win his second Hart Trophy in three years.
Bet
Odds
Bet date
Units
Nathan MacKinnon
-190
March 4
2
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Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When the regular season is nearly finished and a consensus has emerged, you might see a player with a minus sign (-) ahead of his odds, like this:
Nathan MacKinnon -190
The (-) means that McDavid is the odds-on favorite, and a bettor would need to wager $190 to win $100. Other contenders in the MVP race might have plus (+) odds to win.
Nikita Kucherov +255
Here, a bettor stood to profit $255 for every $100 wagered.
If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.
The last player to win the Hart Trophy and Stanley Cup in a single season was Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis (2004).
Carey Price was the last goaltender (2015) to win the MVP award before Connor Hellebuyck did last season.
Alexander Ovechkin was the last player to repeat as the Hart winner (2008 and 2009).
Centers have won six of the last 10 MVP awards.
The last time a defenseman won the Hart Trophy was Chris Pronger back in the 1999-00 season.
NHL Hart Trophy history
A quick look at recent NHL MVPs and the position they played.
Season
Player
Position
Team
2024-25
Connor Hellebuyck
Goalie
Winnipeg Jets
2023-24
Nathan MacKinnon
Center
Colorado Avalanche
2022-23
Connor McDavid
Center
Edmonton Oilers
2021-22
Auston Matthews
Center
Toronto Maple Leafs
2020-21
Connor McDavid
Center
Edmonton Oilers
2019-20
Leon Draisaitl
Center
Edmonton Oilers
2018-19
Nikita Kucherov
Right Wing
Tampa Bay Lightning
2017-18
Taylor Hall
Left Wing
New Jersey Devils
2016-17
Connor McDavid
Center
Edmonton Oilers
2015-16
Patrick Kane
Right Wing
Chicago Blackhawks
2014-15
Carey Price
Goalie
Montreal Canadiens
2013-14
Sidney Crosby
Center
Pittsburgh Penguins
2012-13
Alexander Ovechkin
Right Wing
Washington Capitals
2011-12
Evgeni Malkin
Center
Pittsburgh Penguins
2010-11
Corey Perry
Right Wing
Anaheim Ducks
2009-10
Henrik Sedin
Center
Vancouver Canucks
2008-09
Alexander Ovechkin
Right Wing
Washington Capitals
2007-08
Alexander Ovechkin
Right Wing
Washington Capitals
2006-07
Sidney Crosby
Center
Pittsburgh Penguins
2005-06
Joe Thornton
Center
Boston Bruins/ San Jose Sharks
NHL MVP award winners by position
Position
Hart Trophy awards
Center
55
Right wing
18
Left wing
13
Goalie
9
Defenseman
7
Centers won the Hart Trophy 17 times over an 18-year period from 1979 to 1996. Wayne Gretzky personally skated away with the league's MVP award eight straight times during that era.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game without pay for push a Washington Wizards mascot. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game without pay for pushing a Washington Wizards mascot during pregame introductions, the NBA announced Wednesday.
The Lakers played the Wizards at Capital One Arena on Friday night.
Hayes will miss the Lakers’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The backup center is averaging 6.4 points on 77.5% shooting and 3.8 rebounds. He’s the primary lob threat for Lakers All-Star Luka Doncic.
The Lakers just completed an eight-game trip with a 5-3 record.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 23: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks sustained an apparent injury on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum on January 23, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This season has been a miserable one for the Bucks, whose record will only get worse now that Giannis is out for an extended period (again). Simply put, they are a bad team that, for the first time in a long time, sits at the lunch table with the NBA’s bottom-feeders as opposed to its contenders. I don’t need to go through the reasons why—we all know them by now: team has a major talent deficit, coaching is among the worst in the league, yada, yada, yada. The question is this: what should the Bucks be hoping to gain from this season at this point? As I’ll explain, they have the option to tank with somewhat minimal downside—a unique quirk of this season. Alternatively, the Bucks could do what they’ve always done and make moves to improve the roster and compete until the bitter end.
To compete or to tank
For me, the place to start this conversation is to evaluate the incentives for each option. Look, I think there’s at least a chance that this team could make the play-in tournament, even with Giannis playing just the final portion of the season. I wouldn’t say it’s very likely, but it’s possible. From that point, there’s no telling what the eternal play-in trio of Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami will serve up. With Antetokounmpo, I’d give the Bucks as good a chance as any to at least win the first play-in game. Maybe they’d sneak into the playoffs. Maybe they’d win a game over the Pistons, Celtics, or Knicks. But I think it’s fair to say that they’d lose the series in a noncompetitive fashion. Now, I suppose there is some level of incentive for this path—both from a playing perspective and the org’s bottom line—but neither of which I see as anywhere near important enough to override the upside of the alternate route.
Put simply, there is a significant incentive to what I would call a “qualified tank” for the rest of the season. I added the word “qualified” because Milwaukee must still keep an eye on New Orleans. The Bucks own the least favourable of their own first-round pick and the Pelicans’ pick in this year’s draft. It’s easy to assume New Orleans won’t win much this season and will stay at the bottom of the standings. I guess it’s relatively likely that it ends up that way. Still, we should remember that 1. the Pelicans have no incentive to tank, while the teams around them do (and what do you think will happen when these teams play each other?), and 2. they actually have a pretty talented roster when healthy. This is why it’s not necessarily smart for Milwaukee to try to tank every game indiscriminately.
Ideally, the Bucks lose at the same rate the Pelicans lose, and win at the same rate they win (unless it’s the very end of the season and there’s a situation in which the Bucks can move up the draft odds order by losing, but the Pelicans cannot move down by winning). But let’s be honest, it’s also completely unrealistic to think the front office could hatch a plan in which they dictate who plays from night to night based on whether the team needs a win or a loss. I get that this strategy is somewhat typical for younger teams (that also generally don’t have to worry about swap obligations), but probably not for a veteran-laden squad like Milwaukee.
My take on the situation is that the Bucks, especially without Giannis, are very bad and will lose a lot of games without needing lineup manipulation. They’ll win the odd game too, which will probably be a good thing, because the Pelicans won’t go winless the rest of the way. From there, it’s simply out of Milwaukee’s hands. All Bucks fans can do is 1. hope New Orleans loses as much as possible, and 2. hope the other bottom-feeders win, though they will be increasingly trying not to as the season draws to a close. As I’ll get into, this is the ultimate foil for any “disaster” the Bucks could run into vis-a-vis the draft.
On a broader level, though, the Bucks need as high a pick as possible, so this dance is a necessary one. I want to remind folks of Milwaukee’s daunting first-round pick outlook moving forward. Should everything stay as is (which, it must be noted, could change), the Bucks will likely not have the opportunity to control their own destiny regarding their pick until 2031. Why? Because they don’t own their pick next year, and Portland either owns their pick or has swap rights in the three years after that. If you ask me, the Blazers are likely to be better than the Bucks by that point and thus swapping for Milwaukee’s more favourable picks.
However, as I mentioned, this year’s pick swap is with New Orleans, which is obviously worse than Milwaukee (right now, at least). Sidenote: the Pelicans’ pick is owned by the Hawks, but I hesitate to even mention this because it just confuses people; the only thing fans need to know is that it is New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks in the swap. Anyway, assuming the Pelicans remain a bottom-feeder, the Bucks are likely to retain their own pick since they will probably finish a good number of spots above New Orleans in the standings.
That said, even if Milwaukee finishes with a similar record to New Orleans (at the bottom, crucially), the situation could still turn out fine for Milwaukee—and actually has higher-reward outcomes than the scenario above. Sure, the Bucks would have a much higher chance of their pick being swapped, but both their and the Pelicans’ pick will have a high floor to fall back on. For example, let’s assume just for argument’s sake that the Bucks end up with the third-worst odds and the Pelicans end up with the second-worst. Both of those picks would have a floor of seventh.
Alternatively, let’s lay out a scenario in which the Bucks end up with the ninth-worst odds and the Pels end up with the second-worst, but Milwaukee’s pick somehow jumps above New Orleans’ pick to number one (see Cooper Flagg). The Bucks would give it away, which wouldn’t be great. However, the Pelicans’ pick would have a floor of sixth. Of course, the disaster scenario is that by the end of the season, the Bucks and the Pelicans have somehow swapped spots with roughly where each team currently sits. Milwaukee could give up a top-three pick and only get swapped one seventh or after. Fingers crossed that does not happen.
About the 2026 NBA Draft
So now that I’ve gone through the incentive to tank (again, provided the Pels are also bad) from a long-term team-building POV, let’s get more specific and discuss the strength of the 2026 draft itself. Obviously, no two drafts are the same. The no. 1 pick in one draft does not hold the same value as the no. 1 pick in another draft. I mean, just compare Cooper Flagg to Zaccharie Risacher (all due respect). Notably for the Bucks, this upcoming draft is loaded, per all the experts. There are three bona fide contenders for the top pick—Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and AJ Dybantsa—but the talent remains exceptional all through the lottery, first round, and heck, even second round.
The 2026 NBA Draft was always destined to trigger a massive tanking race. This class clearly had three potential No. 1 overall picks from the very start of the process, and all three are living up to the hype to start their one-and-done college seasons.”
“The depth of this freshman class has also impressed, with North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson dominating on both ends with his high-motor, breakneck style, and Houston point guard Kingston Flemings emerging as a legit top-5 pick in his own right as the biggest surprise of the year so far.
“It isn’t just freshmen that make this draft class special. A group of upperclassmen led by Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, and Florida’s Thomas Haugh are proving that staying in college for a few years won’t kill your draft stock in the NIL era.
“With that in mind, it seems clear that the incentives behind a tank are a lot more intriguing than Ryan Rollins getting playoff reps, rich owners getting richer, and the Bucks getting a pick in the mid-teens. I believe that moving forward, whether Giannis is in the picture or not, it’s a no-brainer to get as high a pick as possible in this draft and leave this season with the best possible asset. That player can slot in as a core building block for a team with the very few of those.“
Final thoughts…
Other than the obvious concern that the Pelicans go on a winning streak, the only other part of a “tanking” plan I worry about is whether Jon Horst will actually commit to it. I don’t expect him to change much about how the team operates, including lineup manipulation (other than holding Giannis out for the rest of the season, which I absolutely think the Bucks should do for several reasons). What I do worry about, though, is Horst trying to improve the team with a trade for some reason that gets them, like, five more wins than they needed. He’s only acted aggressively in the Giannis era. Is he capable of switching speeds and recognising the golden (but admittedly complicated) opportunity in front of him?
Finally, just a note on tanking in and of itself. Look, I admit that after hoping for this team to win every game for so long, as all fans did, it brings me no joy to now be “cheering” for the opposite result (most of the time). Tanking is tough for both teams and their fans. By the same token, finishing high in the lottery is the easiest way to acquire elite talent, which is what allows you to win in this league, especially in a small market like Milwaukee. Just about every team has tanked it or will tank in the future. I’m not here to get into the whole “is tanking bad for the league?” conversation; that’s a topic that’s been covered extensively at this point. I would just say that until the NBA changes the tanking incentives—which, to be clear, I don’t think it should—teams are going to operate with those incentives top of mind. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
Nathan MacKinnon
Nikita Kucherov
Macklin Celebrini
Connor McDavid
Winnipeg Jets
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Tampa Bay Lightning 
New Jersey Devils 
Chicago Blackhawks 
Montreal Canadiens 
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals 
Anaheim Ducks 
Vancouver Canucks
Boston Bruins/ 
San Jose Sharks 
