He’s an elite shooter who is converting on 43.9% of his 3-point attempts on the season, making him the best perimeter threat on the Lakers. Recently, though, he’s been struggling.
His calf injury forced him to miss seven straight games and upon his return, his production dipped. Hachimura averagedjust 7.8 points while making 31.3% of his 3-point shots in his first four games back.
But during LA’s recent road trip, he’s begun to take a turn for the better.
He had back-to-back threes late in the fourth in a win against Dallas and in Chicago, Hachimura shot lights out, going 9-11 from the field, scoring 23 points in his 29 minutes of play.
After the win, Lakers head coach JJ Redick acknowledged Hachimura’s return to form.
“Rui, now, feels like…he’s kind of back in his groove,” Redick said. “He had not taken a ton of shots and I don’t think was playing well – and I told them him that so I’m not trying to call him out – but he wasn’t playing well leading into his injury and then it takes a little bit of time to get back in that rhythm. It feels like the last few games, he’s back to who he was at the start of the year.
“I think his defensive engagement, particularly the last two games because in Dallas he had a great defensive game on tape as a low man and again another good one tonight.”
Hachimura was always going to regress to the mean. During his four seasons with the Lakers, he’s been a consistent double-digit scorer, so a handful of subpar games after an injury shouldn’t have been cause for panic.
However, as Redick mentioned, Hachimura was playing poorly even before his injury. Also, now he appears to have been moved to the bench. A change like that can be misinterpreted and significantly impact how a player performs.
Hachimura playing this well while coming off the bench demonstrates that he is embracing his sixth man role and will continue to play his best. And his experience in the NBA has helped him remain level-headed through all of it.
“This is my seventh season and the NBA season is so long,” Hachimura said. “It’s up and down. I always tell myself to stay calm and do what you’ve got to do. That’s all you can do, control what you can do. For me to do this kind of stuff, it’s normal.”
With Hachimura looking like his old self, the Lakers have their best shooter back. And if he continues to excel as a reserve player, he should also give the bench an offensive injection they desperately need.
LA averages 26.2 bench points per game, which is the lowest scoring average in the NBA.
Hachimura might not be the most important Laker, but he’s a key player in the rotation. And if he stays playing at this level, it raises the ceiling on how good the Lakers can be.
On the surface, the Rangers were able to break even on a player whom they acquired for a third-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks, when Soucy had a season and a half left on his contract.
Call that a win for the Rangers, as Soucy, outside of Artemi Panarin, was their most valuable pending unrestricted free agent.
For the Islanders, they are hoping that Soucy stabalizes their backend. Since Alexander Romanov went down with a regular-season-ending right shoulder injury on Nov. 18, his spot in the lineup has been a revolving door of Bridgeport Islanders' blue-line depth, along with seventh defenseman Adam Boqvist, who had been playing on his off-side.
Was it a bit of an overpay by the Islanders? Sure. Is it a problem? Absolutely not.
The morning after just the fourth-ever trade between the #Isles & #NYR…
The reality of the situation right now is that the Islanders are not only without their 2026 third-round pick, but they are also without their 2026 second-round pick, which was attached to Josh Bailey, who had one season left at $5 million annually, in the deal that sent him to the Chicago Blackhawks on Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville.
However, the Islanders do have two first-round picks this draft year: their own and the Colorado Avalanche's first-round pick from the Brock Nelson deal. That first is essentially a second-round pick, with Colorado currently leading the NHL in points with 79 -- the second closest is the Tampa Bay Lightning with 70.
Had the Islanders not bolstered their prospect pool last summer, adding forward Victor Eklund, Daniil Prokhorov, Luca Romano, and Tomas Poletin, along with defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson through the first four rounds, then, sure, complain away about sending picks for rentals.
No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer is no longer considered a prospect.
However, the Islanders added those guys to a prospect pool that already has a strong foundation, with forwards Cole Eiserman, Quinn Finley, Danny Nelson & Kamil Bednarik, along with defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen and Isaiah George on the blue line.
They'll be okay, especially if Soucy's able to help enough to keep the Islanders in a playoff spot.
If the Islanders remain in a playoff spot by the trade deadline, they aren't likely to sell.
But, if first-year general manager Mathieu Darche did sell off players, getting back that third-round pick won't be a challenge -- he can probably do much better.
Today ESPN and writer Kiley McDaniel – who is a former Braves scout, put out their Top 100 Prospect list for the 2026 season found here. Once again Cam Caminiti leads the way, but for the first time this year Didier Fuentes is also included, along with JR Ritchie making the third of the four big Top 100 lists.
Caminiti came in at #53, on the 50 FV tier – the eighth highest ranked prospect on that tier. McDaniel listed him as the type of prospect who is “Smooth, projectable, athletic lefty with three good pitches who could make the leap at any moment.” The most promising comment was that “Caminiti’s scouting report — 92-95, touching 97 mph with solid shape, an improving but roughly average sweepy slider, and a roughly average changeup — isn’t overwhelming at the moment, but he’s the right kind of prospect with the right markers for future growth and scouts are expecting a breakthrough in the next few years”.
McDaniel also noted that “a young pitcher who got into the mid-90s among the earliest in his class but chose to develop as a strike thrower with multiple average-or-better pitches rather than a velo-chasing circus act also speaks to Caminiti’s mindset and maturity. He tweaked and improved his breaking ball when he was told it was a weaker part of his scouting report during the draft process, another key marker for projecting future improvement.”
As for 2026 McDaniel mentioned this change “I thought Caminiti should add an upper-80s cutter to round out his repertoire and asked someone who would know, and it turns out we’ll be seeing that in 2026; the early data looks positive.” He closed with this note on Cam’s upside: “If he doesn’t take a big step forward, Caminiti will still be a solid back-end starter, but there’s front-line potential if everything clicks.”
Fuentes came in at #88, with the type of “Fastball-dominant starter who probably has enough off-speed to be a third/fourth starter.” Fuentes fastball velocity and movement is praised, with the concern being “his other pitches (sweepy slider, slurve, cutter, splitter used in that order) are the concern here. None of them are better than average pitches, though they’re all 45- or 50-grade offerings that play a role in getting weak contact and keeping hitters honest.”
McDaniel used a pair of very interesting comps to close out his talk on Fuentes, saying his “release profile is similar to Bryan Woo and his stuff is similar to Joe Ryan, so this somewhat unusual profile is one that sleeper prospects have used to become standout starters; Fuentes could be next.”
Ritchie was directly behind Fuentes at #89. His type is listed as “Six-pitch righty with starter traits fully back from elbow surgery and ready to join the big league rotation.” McDaniel noted that “His draft report was that of physical projection and command with average to above raw stuff, and that’s still basically the report.” He went on to talk about the upside and closed by saying “A tick more arm speed or a tick more velocity would make Ritchie a mid-rotation starter, but he’s more of a solid fourth starter as described; often the second full year after elbow surgery is when everything comes back.”
The NBA trade market has been slow to develop this year. While there was a big move — Trae Young is a Wizard — this has generally moved slowly. We are now just more than a week away from the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline and things are calm.
Here is the latest from around the league.
Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors are ready for a divorce, but the season-ending injury to Jimmy Butler may change the dynamic and keep Kuminga in the Bay Area into the offseason.
Part of the challenge in trading Kuminga is that the Warriors can't showcase him — Kuminga hyperextended his knee in the game against Dallas last Thursday and has a bone bruise. It's unclear whether he can return to the court before Feb. 5, which would give some teams pause in going after him.
Multiple team sources have described it as less likely Kuminga is moved following Jimmy Butler's right ACL tear. Prior to that injury, Kuminga was a $22.5 million wing rotting on the bench, having not seen the floor for 16 straight games. Without Butler, he's back in the mix, scoring 30 points in 30 bench minutes before the injury. There's internal conversation that he'd get another crack at minutes post-deadline -- if he's still around.
The challenge in trading Kuminga is that the teams who are interested are not going to give up much, or want Golden State to take on long-term money, and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. is not going to go that route. For example, the Lakers need wing help and might take a flyer on Kuminga, but Los Angeles doesn't have players on their roster that the Warriors want, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. It's much the same in Sacramento, another team that is interested but the Warriors do not want to get in the Malik Monk business.
It looks more and more like Kuminga will be a Warrior into the summer, when they will try to trade him again, possibly as part of a larger deal.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
Is Karl-Anthony Towns available in a trade? Depends on who you ask.
New York talked to multiple teams about a Towns trade, reported Steve Popper of Newsday. On the other hand, the Knicks are not looking to move on from KAT, reports two trusted sources: Knicks writer Ian Begley of SNY.tv and national writer Sam Amick of The Athletic, both of whom say they haven't heard any Towns buzz. Meanwhile, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post phrased it that the Knicks were not "shopping" Towns, but that implies they will listen to teams who call to check in on him.
While the Knicks likely do not trade Towns before Feb. 5, they would like to know his trade value on the open market, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line, in what sounds like the most logical explanation and where things stand. As we have reported before, there is a sense in league circles that if the Knicks fall short of owner James Dolan’s stated goal — making the NBA Finals — Towns could be the scapegoat and find himself traded this summer.
• One other Knicks note from Stein: New York has "explored pathways" with Portland to bring veteran guard Jrue Holiday to Madison Square Garden. The Knicks like the idea of putting Holiday next to Jalen Brunson — as they should, that would be a fantastic backcourt pairing.
However, actually pulling off that trade is highly unlikely. Holiday makes $32.4 million this season and is owed $74 million for the two seasons after this one. Portland will want young players and first-round picks that New York doesn't have in a trade. The trade works under the cap by sending OG Anunoby to Portland straight up, but that doesn't make much sense for the Knicks on the court. Consider this something else to track into the summer.
Most likely move by the Knicks? Trading Guerschon Yabusele and his $5.5 million contract for… something.
Anthony Davis
Marc Stein of The Stein Line has reiterated what has been pretty clear for a while: It's highly unlikely Anthony Davis will be traded before Feb. 5. His salary and injury history — including his current hand injury — have made finding a trade partner difficult.
What is different is Stein's spin/report that Davis "would prefer to stay put for the rest of this season after absorbing the shock of last February's sudden in-season relocation from the Lakers to the Mavericks." File that in the "This is my only option/This is the only option I ever wanted" bin.
Los Angeles Lakers
Last season, the Phoenix Suns were ripped by pundits when they traded a valuable 2031 unprotected first-round pick for three first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) that were destined to be in the 20s (the worst of Cleveland or Minnesota in those years). The only way it made sense was that Phoenix had another trade or trades lined up, and it needed multiple first-rounders. Nope. The Suns did nothing, hung on to those picks and ultimately drafted Liam McNeeley at No. 29 with that 2025 pick (then traded him to Charlotte for Mark Williams).
In the past month, league sources told ESPN the Lakers have canvassed teams to see whether they could find a deal to send out their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick in order to get multiple firsts back for it. Being armed with more tradable picks would give L.A. more options this trade season, beyond the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber.
Like with the Suns, this only makes sense for the Lakers if they have second and third deals lined up, and even then it's questionable. The bigger question the Lakers need to ask themselves is, "Are the players we're bringing in making us a contender?" It would be tough to answer yes to that in a conference with Oklahoma City, Denver, San Antonio and Houston. Are the Lakers better off waiting until this summer, when LeBron James and Austin Reaves are free agents, and then making whatever roster upgrades are needed?
Other trade notes
• No, the Grizzlies and Pelicans are not talking about a Ja Morant trade, according to Marc Stein.
• Will Chicago be active at the trade deadline? Historically, decision maker Artūras Karnišovas and the Bulls have been quiet at the trade deadline, but Eric Pincus at Bleacher Report says the Bulls are one of the league's most active teams at the deadline. "Per multiple league and agent sources, Chicago is looking to improve postseason chances this season while adding young, athletic players to complement its core duo of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis." Good luck with that, 29 other teams are looking for young, athletic players, too.
• Toronto is looking to kill a couple of birds with one trade, both dipping below the luxury tax line and adding depth at center with Jakob Poeltl out for an extended time, reports Josh Lewenberg of TSN. A few names to watch: Dallas' Daniel Gafford, Orlando's Goga Bitadze and Brooklyn's Day'Ron Sharpe.
• With Steven Adams out for an extended period in Houston, the Rockets are considering a trade to bring in another big man, reports Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Something to watch.
If the Rockets make a trade, Tari Eason is off limits in the deal, Marc Stein reports.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the consensus top-five player in the world, former MVP, and NBA champion, has been linked to the Knicks for quite a while now. It started with analysts wondering what Giannis in New York could look like, and slowly, but surely, it evolved into full-blown rumors that both sides were interested.
Now, we don’t know the full picture in terms of the level of interest, the timelines, and the likelihood.
Outside of the few people involved in the situation, we can only speculate, decipher quotes, and try to decipher body language as if we were detectives. But the Antetokounmpo-Knicks rumor has become the latest background noise of the NBA rumor mill, and for many, it has become somewhat tiresome and old. Yet, the prospect of pairing Jalen Brunson with one of the best players in the world, and bringing said player to the self-proclaimed Mecca of Basketball has kept up the hopes of a handful of fans.
And for those fans, Monday presented even more anticipation in the shape of Marc Stein’s Substack, The Stein Line. In it, the NBA writer wrote about how there have been rumblings about the Knicks wanting in on former Buck, Jrue Holiday. New York believes that the veteran point guard would be a great backcourt complement to Brunson, given his ability to both play on the ball and off the ball, and of course, his great point-of-attack defense. But the Knicks presumably want Holiday for another reason. And that’s where the Greek Freak comes in.
The Knicks are under the assumption that if they weren’t the most attractive option for Antetokounmpo, bringing Holiday, a teammate the big man has praised time and time again, would solidify them as such.
RUMOR: There are “rumblings” that the Knicks have explored pathways to acquire Portland’s Jrue Holiday, per @TheSteinLine.
There’s a believed “fondness” for a Brunson–Holiday backcourt, plus possible added appeal for Giannis to reunite with Holiday if he were traded to New York. pic.twitter.com/ZZAqoGwTis
Acquiring the pair sounds great on paper, but there’s still a lot to consider. It would pretty much signal the end of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges’ time as a Knick. They’d also have to part ways with Guerschon Yabusele, as well as Pacome Dadiet, and or Tyler Kolek. It would also likely mean having to trade for a starting center, as historically, Antetokounmpo doesn’t spend much time playing the five and operates best when he is paired with a stretch center.
Those problems may not seem significant given the potential to assemble a roster of Brunson, Holiday, OG Anunoby, Antetokounmpo, a starting center, Mitchell Robinson, Deuce McBride, and Josh Hart. However, executing this plan requires Dolan and Rose to decide the current roster can’t win and to consider risking the championship-or-bust mandate Dolan set.
With the February 5th trade deadline just nine days away, the Knicks must confront a clear crossroads. Should they stand pat and bet on regaining early-season form, or should they make a significant move, accepting short-term risks in pursuit of a transformative leap?
Jonathan Loaisiga (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Inspiration.
The name (Loaisiga) has three consecutive vowels. Guess what, Hawaii does too! With that serendipity, let’s look at Jonathan Loaisiga.
Many articles talk about his past injuries. Because he was signed to a minor league contract, my take is that in spring training either he wins a position or he doesn’t. But please don’t misunderstand – I very much hope he takes care of himself and avoids re-injury.
“I’m hoping I’m done with injuries. I want to sign with someone and pitch like I can. The way I’m feeling, I’m confident it can happen next season. I’m working hard. I’m feeling good.” – Jonathan Loaisiga
What did Make Hazen say about him?
He has an opportunity to win a position in the bullpen.
“I think he’s got great stuff. We’ve always liked him from afar.” — Mike Hazen
“He’s going to go into the mix and there’s going to be opportunity in our pen. …Coming into spring training, we should be a very attractive place for players to come in and compete. We have a number of good young arms, but there are still a couple spots in our pen that are not established.” — Mike Hazen
He chose the Diamondbacks.
At least three teams (Cubs, Giants, and D-backs) made contingent offers to Loaisiga. The offers were contingent on him pitching in the Nicaragua Winter League.
In December/January, in the Nicaragua Winter League, he pitched in 5 games for Indios del Boer. After that, he seriously considered two solid offers.
“Loaisiga passed on [a] one-year, $1-million major-league contract with the Minnesota Twins to accept a minor-league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he’ll make around $3.8 million if he makes the club out of spring training, Nicaraguan baseball reporter Levi Luna told NJ Advance Media.” — Levi Luna
It’s impressive that Jonathan Loaisiga bet on himself; he bet that he will win a position in spring training instead of accepting a guaranteed million dollars.
Another positive was that the Diamondbacks have warmer weather and Chase Field has a roof – perhaps helping him avoid injury. Another positive was that he would allow less home runs at Chase Field (home run park factor of 88 compared to 102 for the Twins).
How would I choose bullpen pitchers?
With the addition of Nolan Arenado at third base, I would look for pitchers with high ground ball rates, and especially high ground ball rates to third base.
Let’s compare four right-handed relief pitchers who are competing for a bullpen position. My view is that these four pitchers will have roughly equivalent ERAs in 2026 (based on their xERAs last season). A caveat is that Cristian Mena’s 3.07 xERA was better than the other three xERAs (3.56 to 3.77). Also, they all have fastball velocities higher than 94 MPH, which a foundational requirement for success as a reliever per this AZ Snake Pit article.
The following table compares the four pitchers. My first focus was on ground ball percentage of balls-in-play (BIPs) and ground balls to third base percentage of BIPs. Next, I considered hard-hit percentages and bases-on-balls percentages. Data from Baseball Savant.
Although all four pitchers would have a lot of ground balls, including a lot of ground balls to third base to take advantage of Nolan Arenado’s excellent defense, when adding consideration of hard-hit percentage and walk rates, Jonathan Loaisiga has a significant chance to win a spot in the bullpen.
Summary.
Jonathan Loaisiga has a chance to win a spot in the bullpen.
It’s impressive that Jonathan Loaisiga bet on himself; he bet that he will win a position in spring training with the Diamondbacks instead of accepting a guaranteed million dollars.
He was compared to three other ground ball pitchers, each with roughly equivalent xERA and each with a fastball velocity greater than 94 MPH. Based on ground ball percentage (especially to third base where excellent defender Nolan Arenado will play), based on hard-hit percentage, and based on walk-rate percentage, Jonathan Loaisiga has a significant chance to win a spot in the bullpen.
The Cubs signed Tucker Barnhart to a two-year, $6.5 million contract before the 2023 season to be the backup catcher to Yan Gomes.
This was another miscalculation by Jed Hoyer, as Barnhart was released before the ‘23 season ended after batting just .202/.285/.257 and throwing out only 18.9 percent of runners trying to steal. And he had hit pretty much for the same numbers the previous year with the Tigers.
Anyway, Barnhart played in just 43 games with the Cubs — and four of those were as a garbage-time pitcher, the second-most for any Cubs position player in a single season (Eric Sogard, as you know if you’ve been following this series, had five in 2021).
Here’s a brief summary of each of Barnhart’s four pitching appearances.
May 25 vs. Mets: The Cubs trailed 10-1 going to the ninth inning and Barnhart threw a scoreless ninth, allowing two singles. The Cubs didn’t score in the bottom of the ninth and lost 10-1.
July 16 vs. Red Sox: A key error by Nico Hoerner led to a five-run Boston fifth and the Cubs trailed 11-0 after seven. They scored three in the eighth so down 11-3, Barnhart threw the ninth. He allowed a one-out single but no runs. The Cubs scored two in the bottom of the ninth and lost 11-5 when Christopher Morel struck out to end the game.
Aug. 4 vs. Braves: The Cubs were down 8-0 going to the ninth. Barnhart allowed a one-out single to Ronald Acuña Jr. but no runs, and the Cubs failed to score in the bottom of the inning, losing 8-0.
Aug. 7 vs. Mets: Just three days after his previous mound appearance, Barnhart entered a game the Cubs were losing 10-2 heading to the bottom of the eighth. He allowed three hits, including this RBI single by Pete Alonso [VIDEO].
Barnhart played in just one more game for the Cubs after that, Aug. 16 vs. the White Sox, before being released Aug. 20. The Cubs ate the second year of the deal so he wound up playing 31 games in 2024 for the Diamondbacks and hitting even worse (.173/.287/.210). He played in eight games for the Rangers in 2025.
He also pitched in one game for Arizona and one for Texas, in addition to one for the Tigers in 2022, compiling a 7.88 ERA and 2.375 WHIP in eight total innings, with 19 hits allowed.
Who: Phoenix Suns (27-19) vs the Brooklyn Nets (12-32)
When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center – Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Suns are looking to bounce back in the Valley after two straight devastating losses in the past few days. They take on the Brooklyn Nets, a team that has struggled this season, but put on a decent show against the Suns in their last meeting. Even if it felt like the Suns were in control of that game entirely, the Nets did have some runs that made you realize, if they get hot, it could be over here.
Unfortunately for the Suns, the injury bug is still in town after residing in the Valley all season long. Suns star player Devin Booker has already been ruled out due to an ankle injury and will be reevaluated in a week. Their other primary scorer, Jalen Green, also aggravated his hamstring and missed their last contest, too. Hopefully, he can be back to help an offense that struggled without its two best scorers previously.
The Nets are scrappy, though, and have some solid names who have been showing out this season. A guy in Michael Porter Jr. has completely changed the narrative about him offensively in this new role. With Jordi Fernandez being a smart coach as well, this team has outdone expectations each season and could pull a fast one on the Suns fans while on the road.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
Devin Booker — OUT (Ankle)
Jalen Green — QUESTIONABLE (Hamstring)
Jordan Goodwin — AVAILABLE (Jaw Sprain)
Nets
Noah Clowney OUT — (Illness/Back Soreness)
Tyrese Martin QUESTIONABLE —(Illness/Left Knee Soreness)
Cam Thomas PROBABLE — (Left Ankle Sprain)
Nolan Traore PROBABLE — (Illness)
What to Watch For
For the Suns, we will watch to see how this offense looks without its two best scorers. The Suns seemed to struggle in their last matchup against the Heat. The Suns shot only 20% from three in that game, which is concerning given that their three-point shot is a main focal point of their offensive success. The Suns are going to have to be more consistent on that end to keep this game close. If they struggle once again from three, it will be interesting to see how they get the offense going.
For the Nets, it is very similar: will their offense also come alive? In their last game, their offense failed to show up, scoring only 89 points. With the Suns having a top-tier defense, the Nets will likely struggle, just as they have all season. That being said, if the Suns’ offense is not locked in, the defense has to be, for them to ultimately have a fighter’s chance.
Keys to a Suns Win
Even with the Nets’ worst record, this will not be a cakewalk for the Suns. After getting embarrassed on their home court by the Heat and losing that season series, I expect the Suns to bring that same aggression against the Nets. Who cares if the Nets are a bottom-feeder team? Getting a series sweep would boost this team’s morale, which is still looking to rise in the standings.
To accomplish that, the defense will have to be locked in and give them their chance. We all know this team does not give up, and looking for that bounce-back game, they will show that hunger on the court. Having them relentlessly be pests for this Nets offense, forcing turnovers, will help this team get ahead. Then they also have to limit MPJ and make sure he does not have a historic night. If both of those things can come true, the fans should be blessed with a victory to celebrate.
Prediction
Even with all the skepticism coming into this one, the better team will be victorious. That being said, the Suns will win and gain some much-needed momentum heading into the rest of this homestand.
The Milwaukee Brewers announced a list of nine prospects who are invited to the team’s spring training as non-roster invitees. The group is headlined by shortstop Jesús Made, who ranks as the team’s No. 1 prospect and as a consistent top five MLB prospect across expert rankings.
🚨 Jesús Made in big league camp 🚨
The Brewers have added these prospects to the list of Spring Training non-roster invitees:
INF Luke Adams LHP Tate Kuehner OF Luis Lara INF Jesús Made INF Cooper Pratt C Ramón Rodríguez 3B Brock Wilken INF/OF Jett Williams C Matt Wood
Plenty has been said about Made on this site, so I’ll direct you to the latest article from Adam, our minor league reporter. The same can be said about shortstop Cooper Pratt and utilityman Jett Williams, who are also consistently in the top 100 prospects. You can read more about them here.
The other six prospects included in the non-roster invitees are 1B/3B Luke Adams (team No. 10 prospect in 2025), LHP Tate Kuehner, OF Luis Lara (team No. 14), C Ramón Rodríguez, 3B Brock Wilken (team No. 19), and C Matt Wood.
While Adams, Lara, and Wilken all rank among the team’s top prospects, Rodríguez and Wood are arguably the most interesting names of that group, as the team’s catching depth is close to zero beyond William Contreras. After Danny Jansen left for Texas in free agency and Eric Haase agreed to a minor league deal with the Giants earlier this month, it seems all but certain that the team’s backup option behind Contreras is Jeferson Quero, who is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster.
After Quero, though, Rodríguez and Wood seem to be the next two men up. Rodríguez, 27, was a 30th-round pick by the Dodgers all the way back in 2016. He’s bounced around in minor league free agency since then, appearing in the Orioles’ system for a few seasons before signing with Milwaukee in late 2023. He spent 2025 with Double-A Biloxi, hitting .359/.457/.484 with two homers, 19 RBIs, and eight runs scored across just 21 games.
Wood, who turns 25 in March, was a fourth-round pick by Milwaukee in 2022. He split the 2025 season between High-A Wisconsin and Biloxi, hitting .256/.372/.380 with seven homers, 43 RBIs, 41 runs, and 10 steals over 89 games between the two levels.
Just to quickly touch on the other players included here:
Adams, who turns 22 in April, was a 12th-round pick in 2022 and spent most of 2025 at Biloxi. In 64 games with the Shuckers, he hit .232/.409/.450 with 11 homers, 38 RBIs, 50 runs, and 10 steals.
Kuehner, who turns 25 in February, was Milwaukee’s seventh-round pick in 2023 out of Louisville. He turned in a great season at Biloxi, pitching to a 2.50 ERA with 112 strikeouts across 100 2/3 innings. He was promoted to Triple-A Nashville late in the year and didn’t have much success with the Sounds, with a 5.59 ERA and five strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings before an injury ended his season in late August.
Lara, 21, was an international signee out of Venezuela in 2022. He spent all of 2025 at Biloxi, hitting .257/.369/.343 with a pair of homers, 40 RBIs, 79 runs, and 44 steals. While he doesn’t bring a ton to the plate, he’s one of the best defensive players in Milwaukee’s system, with a 60 FV grade (on the 20-80 scale) for both his arm and his fielding.
Wilken, 23, was Milwaukee’s first-round choice in 2023 out of Wake Forest. He spent the 2025 season with Biloxi, hitting .226/.387/.489 with 18 homers, 46 RBIs, 46 runs, and a pair of steals across 79 games as he dealt with some injury troubles.
The pre-2026 prospect rankings lists continue to swoon over Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo.
In ESPN’s top 100 list published today, Kiley McDaniel ranks Basallo as MLB’s #4 prospect, behind only the consensus top three in baseball, Konnor Griffin (Pirates), Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), and Jesús Made (Brewers). ESPN’s ranking is the highest that Basallo has received among the prospect publications thus far, though he’s been a top 10 guy for all of them. MLB Pipeline and The Athletic both ranked Basallo at #8 and Baseball America #9.
Basallo is one of three Orioles prospects to appear on ESPN’s list, along with Trey Gibson (#46) and Dylan Beavers (#57).
McDaniel praises Basallo’s “huge bat speed and raw power” and writes that the youngster reminds him of “some Salvador Perez, a bit of Gary Sánchez, maybe a sprinkling of (whispers) Jim Thome.” I think any Oriole fan would be happy if Basallo’s career follows the path of Perez, who has 303 homers in 14 seasons and is still going strong for the Royals. And if Basallo hits anything like the Hall of Famer Thome, well…look out, baseball.
McDaniel is also more bullish on Basallo’s defense than some, calling his work behind the plate “acceptable.” (Yes, that qualifies as bullish.)
In terms of blocking and framing, Basallo is below average but respectable and is capable of improving a bit more. His arm is a true weapon, even though his exchange keeps his pop time from landing in plus-plus territory. In an automatic strike-calling future, this skill set could fit well.
As for the Orioles’ other prospects, ESPN joins Baseball America and MLB Pipeline in putting Beavers on its list. (The Athletic excluded him.) McDaniel touts Beavers as “likely a solid every-day right fielder in the big leagues,” predicting him for “an above-average on-base percentage” along with 15-20 home runs and stolen bases.
The biggest surprise on ESPN’s list was Gibson, the 23-year-old undrafted free agent who reached Triple-A in 2025 in his third season in the organization. McDaniel isn’t the only prospect writer who’s high on Gibson — BA also included him, at #72 — but he’s the only one to include him in his top 50 and rank him ahead of Beavers.
McDaniel calls Gibson a “supinator” — a pitcher who has a bias toward cutting the ball — and compares Gibson to current Orioles ace Kyle Bradish, former Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, and former O’s draft pick Nolan McLean, now ranked as the #13 prospect in baseball for the Mets. McDaniel is impressed by Gibson’s assortment of pitches, with a fastball that can hit 98 mph “backed up by three standout breaking balls and headlined by a plus curveball.” He pegs Gibson as a future MLB contributor in some capacity.
Gibson has massive, 7-foot extension and his higher arm slot means he works primarily with a riding four-seamer and vertical curveball versus McLean’s running two-seamer and sweeper, but the general shapes are quite similar. There’s a high floor for this type of arm — Gibson is almost a slam dunk to be a later-inning reliever if starting doesn’t work — but there’s also No. 2/No. 3 starter upside with one more tick of command refinement.
Unlike the three other publications, ESPN’s list doesn’t include High-A outfielder Nate George among the top 100 prospects.
A complete list of which Orioles are ranked on each prospect list so far, with publications such as FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus still to come:
Baseball America: Basallo (#9), Beavers (#21), Gibson (#72), George (#86), Luis De León (#95)
MLB Pipeline: Basallo (#8), Beavers (#69), George (#93)
The Athletic: Basallo (#8), Wehiwa Aloy (#73), George (#78), Ike Irish (#85), Enrique Bradfield Jr. (#97)
ST.
LOUIS – The
St. Louis Blues (19-24-9) and Dallas Stars (29-14-9) will meet for
the second time in what will be three matchups in a 13-day span on
Tuesday in the second game of a four-game homestand at Enterprise
Center (7 p.m.; ESPN+, HULU, ESPN 101.1-FM).
The
Blues, who played arguably one of their best games this season when
they topped the Stars 3-1 in October here, fell 3-2 at Dallas on
Friday on a goal by Jason Robertson in the final minute of
regulation.
“Just
how smart and how they understand to win hockey games,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said of the Stars.
‘That was a very even game, but at the end, their players went out
and they were hunting to win the game and it’s a mindset that we
want to develop.”
The
Blues, who have lost four straight (0-3-1), have been right there in
the last three games but are a season-high five games under .500 yet
somehow continue to tumble in the Western Conference standings.
The
mood remains upbeat despite the dire situation, and it’s something
that captain Brayden Schenn said is a must.
“You
can’t walk around … 82 games of being miserable and unhappy,”
Schenn
said.
“You have to find ways to keep yourself upbeat and ultimately when
you’re upbeat and you have a good attitude, guys play better and
that’s just the reality of it. You want to win hockey games, we all
know that, but you can’t show up to the rink every day and be
miserable because at the end of the day, you’ve got to be lucky and
grateful for the job that we get to do and it doesn’t last forever
and you have to enjoy the people around you and come to the rink with
a good attitude, be ready to work and ultimately strive to get wins.
“We look one at a time. We’ve had
spurts where we’ve played better. We kind of gave Dallas that last
game. We’re in games now; obviously that Edmonton one, but we’re
playing better, we’re playing harder together, but at the end of
the day, we have to find better ways to win in this league and learn
how to win and we just haven’t been able to do that.”
- - -
Pavel Buchnevich, who’s been at the
center position the past three games, has seen an uptick in his game,
and it’s not a coincidence that linemates Jordan Kyrou and Jake
Neighbours have played effectively as well.
“I think ‘Buchy’s been incredible at
center,” Montgomery said. “I think his draws have been fantastic.
He’s been able to use his vision a lot more to create time and
space. Good entries and good forechecks and I think ‘Rouzy’s been
really skating. This has been the longest stretch of ‘Rouzy’
here, I think it’s seven or eight games here, I would say he’s
had one average game and the other ones are him skating, putting
people on their heels, stripping people from behind. That goal where
he fakes and he does the wraparound, that’s the ‘Rouzy’ that
St. Louis Blues fans and us coaches and teammates love to see.”
- - -
Jonatan Berggren, who played a Blues-high
18:59 on Saturday, continues to get looks in the Blues’ top six
despite a point drought of eight games. But don’t let those numbers
fool you.
The Blues keep Berggren there because he
continues to make high-end plays that are not being rewarded, hence
why the Blues are last in the league in goal scoring at 2.42 per
game.
“(Berggren’s game is) in a place where
I think he’s getting comfortable within our structure,”
Montgomery said. ‘I think that he has games where he’s very
evident of how he’s making plays and winning 1-on-1 battles. When
he’s winning 1-on-1 battles, that’s when he’s at his best
because he has time and space. He is one of our best play makers.
He’s one of our best players at seeing the ice and making plays
through people and over people, and that’s something that we want
to give him the opportunity here like he has been consistently here
lately in a top six role to see how much be can produce.”
- - -
With Otto Stenberg being sent down to
Springfield on Monday, Montgomery’s message was simple.
“He’s had a real good stint with us,”
the coach said. “Consistently reliable, someone that is very smart
offensively and defensively, and then offensively, he needs to expand
his game. Right now, he gets a lot of opportunities. I think working
on his shot and mindset of being more aggressive getting to the blue
paint offensively is something that’s going to let him when he
comes back to be an even better Blue for us. But he’s had a really,
really good tenure with us in his first go-around in the NHL.”
-
- -
Blues
Projected Lineup:
Jonatan
Berggren-Brayden Schenn-Jimmy Snuggerud
Jake
Neighbours-Pavel Buchnevich-Jordan Kyrou
Robby
Fabbri-Dalibor Dvorsky-Mathieu Joseph
Alexey
Toropchenko-Nick Bjugstad-Nathan Walker
Philip
Broberg-Colton Parayko
Tyler
Tucker-Justin Faulk
Cam
Fowler-Logan Mailloux
Jordan
Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.
The
healthy scratch includes Matthew Kessel. Pius Suter (high ankle
sprain), Robert Thomas (lower body), Oskar Sundqvist (skate
laceration) and Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain) are out.
-
- -
Stars
Projected Lineup:
Jason
Robertson-Roope Hintz-Mavrik Bourque
Justin
Hryckowian-Wyatt Johnston-Mikko Rantanen
Sam
Steel-Matt Duchene-Jamie Benn
Oskar
Back-Radek Faksa-Colin Blackwell
Esa
Lindell-Miro Heiskanen
Thomas
Harley-Nils Lundkvist
Kyle
Capobianco-Alexander
Petrovic
Jake
Oettinger will
start in goal; Casey
DeSmith will
be the backup.
Healthy
scratches
include Nathan
Bastian and
Adam
Erne. Tyler Seguin (ACL), Lian Bichsel (lower body), and
Ilya
Lyubushkin (lower
body) are
out.
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Back-to-back double-digit assists performances, including a 46-point, 12-assist showing in Monday’s road win over the Chicago Bulls for Doncic’s third 40-point, 10-assist game of the season.
Following a team meeting in which JJ Redick challenged Luka Doncic and LeBron James to get their teammates more involved, the results have been positive for the Los Angeles Lakers. AP
“I was just being aggressive,” Doncic said.
Doncic has downplayed Redick’s comments about his passing since being asked about them after the loss to the Clippers, though he acknowledged his responsibility to be the catalyst for ball movement as the team’s primary ball handler.
And the numbers suggest that Doncic hasn’t made a significant shift to his game since the loss to the Clippers.
But it feels likeDoncic has made a shift.
Getting off the ball a little bit earlier than usual. And with a little bit more intentionality.
And it isn’t just an observation. Rui Hachimura acknowledged the team had a meeting in which Redick told his star players that they need to pass more.
“I want to give it credit to our coaches, especially JJ. They talked to the main [ball handlers]: LeBron [James], Luka, those guys, they always have the ball. And they told them that in the team meeting that they need to be looking more for their teammates. And that’s what they’ve been doing.
Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers passes the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. NBAE via Getty Images
“They took it in a good way and that’s what they’ve been doing. Everybody gets touches and everybody shares a ball. It’s fun. That’s how basketball should be. We got to keep doing it.”
It’s unlikely the Lakers will become a high-frequency passing team.
It isn’t necessary for success.
Their 269.8 passes per game entering the win over the Bulls ranked No. 27 across the league.
And with Doncic, James and Austin Reaves — who’s expected to return to the lineup within the next week — having the ability to create advantages in a variety of ways, the Lakers don’t always need to pass to create the best scoring opportunity.
But there’s a benefit to the Lakers’ star players, and especially Doncic, for getting their teammates more involved via passing.
They’re more engaged offensively. They’ll play harder defenisively because they’re more engaged. And trust will build.
“When you’ve got a playmaker like that,” Jaxson Hayes said of Doncic. “Just somebody on your team who can just make any type of plays happen like that passing or shooting, obviously you just gotta give them a chance.”
Doncic has downplayed Redick’s comments about his passing since being asked about them after the loss to the Clippers. NBAE via Getty Images
And when Doncic is in a passing rhythm like he was when he made the behind-the-back pass to Gabe Vincent off a live dribble before Vincent made the swing pass to assist Rui Hachimura for a 3-pointer to put the Lakers up 89-80 in the third against the Bulls, it can be just as infectious on the team’s energy as one of Doncic’s stepback 3s.
“I’ve talked about this: he’s an engine that’s fully on, and he likes to create out there, and that’s a part of what makes him a great player,” Redick said. “Because I played with him, I have a pretty good understanding of that. Not to say it doesn’t test your patience at times, but you have to be willing to live with some of the stuff that he tries. Because more often than not, you’re going to get a great result.
“And he had some great passes. He made some amazing shots. But there’s that creative element that he needs to thrive, and you’ve got to allow that.
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Winners of eight of their last nine games, the Los Angeles Clippers (21-24) begin a quick two-game road trip with a stop in Salt Lake City to take on the Jazz (15-31).
Since December 20, Kawhi Leonard and co. are 15-3 and as a result have climbed back to within sight of a playoff berth. The story has been the Clippers’ defense which during that stretch of 18 games is allowing an average of just 106.9 points per game. As a result, they currently sit tenth in the West and thus in the final postseason play-in spot in the conference. They are six games behind Minnesota and the sixth spot. That may seem like quite the mountain to still climb but know the Clippers have gained four games in just the last ten on the Timberwolves.
While Los Angeles has outpaced its competition the past six weeks or so, the Jazz are getting lapped. Losers of their last two and six of their last seven, the Utah Jazz sit 6.5 games behind the Clippers and that final play-in spot. Lauri Markkanen is this team’s star, and he has played well when available, but the All-Star has missed roughly 33% of Utah’s games this season.
These teams have split a pair of games this season with Utah winning 129-108 at home on October 22 and the Clippers rolling to a 118-101 win in SoCal on January 1.
Lets take a closer look at the matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Clippers at Jazz
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Game Odds: Clippers at Jazz
The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Los Angeles Clippers (-340), Utah Jazz (+270)
Spread: Clippers -8.5
Total: 233.5 points
This game opened Clippers -10.5 with the Total set at 231.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Kris Dunn (calf) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Kawhi Leonard (knee) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) has been ruled OUT of tonight’s game
Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) has been ruled OUT of tonight’s gam
Utah Jazz
Lauri Markkanen (conditioning) is questionable for tonight’s game
Kevin Love (knee) is listed as probable for tonight’s game
Jusuf Nurkic (illness) is doubtful for tonight’s game
Keyonte George (maintenance) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Georges Niang (foot) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Clippers at Jazz
The Jazz are 10-14 at home this season
The Clippers are 8-15 on the road this season
The Clippers are 22-23 ATS this season
The Jazz are 25-21 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed more in games involving the Jazz than for any other team in the NBA (29-17)
The OVER has cashed in 22 of the Clippers’ 45 games this season (22-23)
Kris Dunn failed to garner an assist in the Clips’ last game (126-89 win vs. Brooklyn) but had averaged 4 per game over the previous 5 games
Ivica Zubac has hit a double-double in each of his last 5 games
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Clippers vs. Jazz game:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Clippers -8.5
Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total UNDER 234.5
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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The Vancouver Canucks are taking a notable step ahead of the trade deadline by allowing former Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane to actively explore trade options with other teams.
Don't expect that to mean the Oilers will be anywhere near this.
According to reports, Kane’s agent, Dan Milstein, has been granted permission to help facilitate discussions around a potential deal. While no trade is imminent, it speaks to how badly the Canucks are trying to move this along. Both sides appear open to a change, and there was speculation the other day that Kane might be headed to the Dallas Stars, with a strange report that he followed a Dallas, Texas house and renovation company on social media.
Kane, 34, is still a recognizable name around the NHL. The ex-Oiler brings a heavy, north-south style, a willingness to play physically, and a history of contributing in high-pressure playoff situations. However, his fit in Vancouver has been inconsistent, and with the Canucks essentially falling apart this season, the pending UFA was unlikely to be retained.
Allowing Milstein to work the phones is a calculated move by Vancouver. Rather than waiting for teams to call, the Canucks can proactively gauge interest and better understand Kane’s value across the league — all while maintaining control over the process.
It is not known if Milstein has called the Oilers, but the response is likely to be a definitive no thank you. Multiple reports suggest that ship has passed and the Oilers don't have the cap space or the desire to bring him back under his current contract.
Expect The Stars, Avalanche, and Kings To Be Interested
What might be unfortunate for Edmonton is the speculation that several Western Conference contenders have already been loosely linked to Kane, including the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings. These are teams the Oilers could meet and would have to beat in the playoffs to get to another Stanley Cup Final.
Dallas could use Kane’s physical edge without sacrificing offense, Colorado has a history of adding veteran support around its stars, and Los Angeles feels like a team that is full of former Oilers, and one led by ex-Oilers GM Ken Holland.
Granting permission to seek a trade doesn’t guarantee a deal will happen. Salary cap logistics, Vancouver’s asking price, and fit will all factor into the final outcome. Still, the Canucks are no longer brushing aside speculation — they’re leaning into it.
Whether Kane is moved or not, or whether he'll indirectly impact the Oilers season remains to be seen.
It’s fitting that someone got dinged up in the worst loss of the season.
The Sixers released their injury report as they host the Milwaukee Bucks on the second leg of a back-to-back Tuesday. After not playing in the first leg in Charlotte, Joel Embiid and Paul George are both listed with left knee injury management. A key distinction is that Embiid is questionable where George is probable.
In the games he’s played in recently, Embiid had gotten the probable tag, so that’s worth keeping an eye on. He was favoring that leg after Ariel Hukporti inadvertently fell on him in the second half of a loss to the Knicks over the weekend. The only games Embiid has missed so far in the month of January have been resting parts of a back-to-back.
The new addition to the injury report is Quentin Grimes, listed as questionable with a right ankle sprain. This likely happened in the first quarter of the blowout loss to the Hornets Monday. Grimes was fouled shooting a three-pointer by Collin Sexton. Grimes didn’t leave the game at that point, but was definitely shaken up after landing on Sexton’s foot and rolling his ankle.
Perhaps a day off or two is something Grimes needs as well. Over his last 13 games he’s shooting 42.7% from the field and just 26.9% from three. If Grimes’ recent struggles won’t do it, perhaps missing time will open up an opportunity for Jared McCain to fight his way back into the rotation. After being out of it for six games, McCain got plenty of open run in garbage time against the Hornets to put up 16 points shooting 4-of-8 from three-point range.
For Milwaukee, they’ll be without Taurean Prince and Kevin Porter Jr., both of whom have been banged up all season. No absence looms larger though than Giannis Antetokounmpo, now missing an extended stretch due to a calf injury for the second time this season.
The Sixers should hope that their guys can go tonight, because a Giannis-less Bucks team is the perfect opportunity to bounce back from an embarrassing blowout from the night prior.
