The Golden State Warriors conclude their four-game road trip with Wednesday night’s matchup against the Utah Jazz. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM PT in Salt Lake City and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.
There wasn’t much to take away from Golden State’s most recent 108-83 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. The Warriors were severely shorthanded, resting multiple key players as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, and Al Horford all sat out the second game of the back-to-back.
That left the team leaning heavily on its younger players, but the group struggled to rise to the occasion. Quinten Post was the team’s leading scorer on the night with 13 points on 5-of -12 shooting from the field. As a team, the Warriors shot just 34.7% from the field, 23.1% from three, and 61.5% from the free-throw line.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you…. THE SECOND TIMELINE 🎊
The Warriors are still working to re-establish their rhythm following Jimmy Butler’s season-ending injury, but they should get some relief in tonight’s matchup against the Jazz as Curry and Green are expected to return, along with Melton and Horford.
Curry’s return alone provides a major boost. Prior to sitting out Monday, he scored a combined 64 points in the first two games of this road trip while shooting 11-of-25 from three-point range. He could be in line for another big night against a Utah team that ranks last in the league in defensive rating (122.4).
Over the last three games, Amari Williams played five minutes against the Brooklyn Nets, then followed that with 10 minutes against the Chicago Bulls during a back-to-back. In his limited time, Williams impressed with his defensive ability while also looking competent on the offensive end. That earned him an expanded role, as Joe Mazzulla gave Williams 26 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers.
In those 26 minutes, Williams scored nine points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
Mazzulla often talks about a “next man up” mentality, and with Neemias Queta dealing with an illness, Williams took advantage of the opportunity. He’s made a case for working his way into the rotation. In the limited NBA minutes we’ve seen so far, Williams gives off Robert Williams (Time Lord) vibes, maybe because he was competing against him, but it’s something that stands out.
I don’t expect Williams to become a key cog in the rotation by any means, and I think he’s benefited from developing out of the spotlight in Maine. Still, when Boston’s frontcourt is dealing with an injury or illness, Williams needs to be ready. I’d personally love to see him get more minutes throughout the rest of the season, even if it’s only sparingly.
Can Boston snap Atlanta’s streak?
The Hawks, currently 10th in the Eastern Conference, are on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Grizzlies, Suns and Pacers. During that stretch, Atlanta has received contributions from a variety of players.
The main player the Celtics need to contain is Jalen Johnson. Johnson does just about everything for Atlanta, leading the team in points (23 ppg), rebounds (10.4) and assists (7.9), while shooting 50.5% from the field and 35% from three-point range. In their earlier meeting this month, the Celtics held Johnson to 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while forcing four turnovers. If Boston can limit his production again, it stands a good chance of getting the job done.
Another player the Celtics will need to keep in check is Onyeka Okongwu, who had a strong performance in the last meeting. Okongwu led the Hawks with 21 points in that game. More recently, he scored 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting against the Phoenix Suns. With Kristaps Porzingis in and out of the lineup, Okongwu has enjoyed increased playing time and a larger role with the Latvian sidelined.
Will there be another Hauser or Brown 2.0 performance?
In Boston’s 132-106 win over the Hawks in Atlanta, much of the postgame conversation, rightfully so, centered around Sam Hauser’s 30-point performance. Hauser attempted 21 three-pointers and made 10 of them, without taking a single shot inside the arc.
When Hauser is feeling it and knocks down his first shot of the game, I tend to believe he’s in for a good night. Given the space he found against Atlanta last time, it’s safe to assume Quinn Snyder will emphasize not losing track of Hauser, whether in the half court or in transition.
One player who somehow flew under the radar that night was Jaylen Brown, who scored 41 points. Celtics fans have grown accustomed to Brown putting up 30-plus points consistently this season, but he quietly dropped 41 in his home city. Hopefully both Hauser and Brown can replicate those performances Wednesday.
David Bote was once thought of as a versatile enough player to keep around on a long-term deal given him by Theo Epstein, a five-year deal that didn’t end until a buyout last year.
And, you know, it might have worked until Bote suffered a serious shoulder injury in May 2021 that kept him out for a couple of months. He was never quite the same player after that, spending time at Triple-A Iowa much of the next two seasons and also in early 2024.
Called up in June 2024, Bote hit pretty well but started only eight games, playing the rest as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement… and pitcher.
In the first game of a doubleheader July 13, 2024 in St. Louis, Hayden Wesneski had given up 11 runs in the first four innings. A nine-run inning had just two earned runs largely due to Wesneski’s own fielding error.
The Cubs trailed 11-2 going to the bottom of the eighth so Craig Counsell summoned Bote to pitch that inning.
He gave up a double to Matt Carpenter and walked Willson Contreras, but got out of the inning scoreless when he got Brandon Crawford to ground into this force play [VIDEO].
Bote played in only 12 more games as a Cub after that and when the Cubs bought out his contract, he signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers. He didn’t play at all in 2025. The Dodgers had apparently told him that he had a decent chance to make their Opening Day roster, but when he didn’t and they asked him to go to Triple-A, he refused. The Dodgers placed him on the restricted list and a few weeks later apparently decided to retire.
He’s Seth Martinez. If you’re like me, you saw the name “Seth” in an article about Red Sox transactions and briefly celebrated because you thought that Seth Lugo was coming to Boston. Seth Martinez is not Seth Lugo. He does, however, own a World Series ring from his time in Houston in 2022, where he put up a 2.09 ERA across 29 games despite not pitching in the postseason.
In total, Martinez boasts 144 Major League innings. The 31-year-old righty most recently pitched in the Marlins organization, where he spent most of the year in Triple-A Jacksonville. The Red Sox signed him to a minor league deal and gave him a non-roster Spring Training invite. He’s also out of options, which means if he’s not on the Major League roster, he’s getting waived, traded or released outright.
Is he any good?
He wasn’t great in 2024, which is the only time he qualified for league rankings in his career. He struck out just 36 batters in 52 2/3 innings that year. Plus, his average fastball velocity didn’t reach 91, He also didn’t quite have it in his limited time on Miami’s Major League roster last season, where his 5.40 ERA was actually quite a bit less than his 7.19 FIP. He does have 7.1 inches of extension, which is something that Andrew Bailey has always gotten excited about. His career numbers look a little better since he was a solid multi-inning option out of the Astros’ bullpen, and so that “anything under 4.00 isn’t good” benchmark is really put to the test with Martinez, who has exactly a 4.00 ERA in 117 career games.
Tl;dr, just show me his 2025 stats.
MLB: 6.2 IP, 4 K, 3 BB, 4 H, 2 HR 4 ER
AAA: 43.3 IP, 54 K, 18 BB, 37 H, 3 HR, 3.71 ERA
Show me a cool highlight.
You don’t need a 99-mile-per-hour fastball to close out a game. This is proof.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
Attempting to record one of just 20 Major League outs Martinez notched for Miami in 2025.
What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?
Just as with Vinny Capra or Tristan Gray, having a guy who you can turn to on the Triple-A roster who’s spent some time in the Show is valuable. It really opens up the ways the remainder of the Triple-A bullpen can be used, which helps guys with brighter dispositions for their careers. Martinez may record some innings in mop-up duty early in 2026 just due to his experience getting more than three outs in relief in his career, but if he’s recording meaningful situations with high leverage, it will signal that something went pretty badly on the depth chart.
BOSTON — Neemias Queta is finally taking a night off to deal with a non-COVID illness that’s been bothering him since Friday. Queta has been on the injury report since the Celtics’ game against the Brooklyn Nets, but he’s nonetheless played in all three of the team’s most recent contests.
The Celtics center has averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds on 64.4% shooting in 24.9 minutes per game this season. But his numbers have dipped while he’s battled illness; over the past three games, Queta has averaged just 5.3 points and 4 rebounds a night.
Luka Garza missed Monday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers with illness, but is back in the lineup on Wednesday. Garza is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game, while shooting 58.6% from the field and 45.5% from three.
Garza will undoubtedly shoulder a bigger load when the Celtics and Hawks face off on Wednesday. And, so could two-way rookie Amari Williams, who has appeared in 11 games for the Celtics and is coming off a career-high 26 minutes on Monday. Williams’ 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks all marked career highs.
“I thought Amari did a great job today,” Jaylen Brown said on Monday. “I thought he looked exceptional. He came out, protected the rim, and was where he was supposed to be for the most part. Amari made it easy for us tonight, but any given night — depending on how the team is playing us — that communication has to be great.”
Outside of Queta, the only other player on the Celtics’ injury report is Jayson Tatum, who continues to rehab a torn Achilles. (Josh Minott, who missed three weeks with an ankle sprain, is off the injury report, but was nevertheless a DNP on Monday night.
For the Hawks, Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendonitis), Zaccharie Risacher (left knee bone contusion), and N’Faly Dante (right knee torn ACL) are out. Porzingis did not travel with the team to Boston, per CLNS’s Bobby Manning.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers activated goaltender Dan Vladar off injured reserve Wednesday, clearing him to return at night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Vladar missed the past two weeks after leaving a game at Buffalo with what the team called a lower-body injury. The Flyers have lost four of six games since.
At 28 now after being mostly a backup since reaching the NHL, Vladar was in the middle of arguably the best season of his career when he got hurt. He is 16-7-4 with a 2.46 goals-against average that ranks ninth in the league and a .905 save percentage that is good for 18th among netminders with at least 20 appearances.
Vladar was one of three goalies chosen to play for the Czech Republic at the upcoming Olympics in Milan. Anaheim's Lukas Dostal is expected to be the Czech starter, with Vladar and Utah's Karel Vejmelka competing to back up.
The CBS Sports Classic is adding another blue blood to its showcase event.
CBS Sports announced on Wednesday, Jan. 28 that No. 14 Kansas has been added to its annual men's college basketball showcase that features Ohio State, North Carolina and Kentucky. The Jayhawks will face the Buckeyes on Saturday, Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden in the 2026-27 season, with the other matchup including the Tar Heels vs. the Wildcats.
The doubleheader event will rotate matchups and venue sites each season, with matchups set through the 2029-2030 season.
Under Self, the Jayhawks further their status as one of men's college basketball's biggest blue bloods. The Jayhawks rank second for the most wins among Division I men's college basketball programs, and rank seventh for the most national championship titles since 1939, the first of the NCAA Tournament, at seven.
Since its start in 2014, the CBS Sports Classic has served as one of the marquee non-conference showcases in college basketball each season. With Kansas' addition to the field, the CBS Sports Classic now has two teams that also compete in the annual Champions Classic, with the other being Kentucky.
Kansas is 15-5 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play this season despite missing star freshman guard Darryn Peterson for a handful of games due to different injuries. Peterson is expected to be available for the Jayhawks next Big 12 game on Saturday, Jan. 31 against BYU, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
Future CBS Sports Classic matchups
Here's a breakdown of upcoming CBS Sports Classic matchups through the 2029 season:
The Buffalo Sabres remain the hottest team in the NHL after winning four of five games on their just-completed five-game road swing. The Sabres are 19-3-1 since mid-December, and have climbed into a tie for third place in the Atlantic with Boston and Montreal, and have carried three goalies in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis all season, something that head coach Lindy Ruff is thankful for.
"We've had good goaltending, and the fact we've had three with the injuries we've had between UPL, Lyon, and Ellis with his concussion, three has been a blessing for us as it has turned out." Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the club held a short practice on Wednesday. "(Managing three goalies has) sometimes (been) tough to deal with, but it's turned out to be a strength of ours. It's got us through a lot of games."
Lyon missed three weeks earlier this month with a lower-body injury, while Ellis missed a couple of weeks last month with a concussion. Luukkonen suffered a lower-body injury during summer workouts, missing time during training camp, and re-aggravated it after one period during the preseason, missing the first three weeks of the regular season.
In Tuesday’s 7-4 victory over Toronto on Tuesday, Luukkonen left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury and was replaced by Ellis. Lyon, who was with the team but not suited up, headed to the Sabres locker room and was got into his equipment. With the possibility of Luukkonen being out longer than a few days, the burden will fall on the 33-year-old, who has tied a club-record with nine consecutive victories.
"When you have a goalie room with guys that are competitive and care about winning, I think that those types of things kind of build on themselves," Lyon said. So when (UPL) and I are going back and forth here this last little bit, you always feel a little competitive with each other and you don't want to let the other guy down at the same time. That's really healthy. Colton is of the same mindset as the both of us. So I think our goalie room is in a good spot right now."
Ruff did not have an update on Luukkonen’s status, and Lyon patrolled the Sabres home net at practice in preparation for their game against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
As sports betting scandals continue to swirl in professional and amateur sports, federal prosecutors are peeling back the curtain on even more NBA games.
Lawyers for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York indicated they were investigating more NBA games than the ones that implicated Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter, The Athletic reported.
Key Takeaways
Porter was the first player who was charged with a major betting scandal in the NBA, and he was banned for life.
Former Pistons guard Malik Beasley is currently under investigation.
Federal officials did not provide information on who their investigations involve.
While federal officials have put the NBA back under the microscope, they did not provide any information on which games, teams, or individuals are under investigation.
“The government has ongoing investigations,” David Berman, an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, said in court last week. “And our understanding is the defendant has conducted himself in similar manners in other instances as well.”
Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, and five others were arrested for their involvement in the sports betting scandal. At the time, investigators noted that Rozier only played one part in a trading ring rife with privileged information and access that allowed gamblers to illicitly profit from wagering on games.
Rozier was charged in October due to an incident that occurred when he played for the Charlotte Hornets. According to prosecutors, he told a friend in March 2023 that he would exit a game early, allowing the friend to profit by betting the under on his prop lines. The friend sold the information to bettors, who bet the under on his points, rebounds, assists, and threes lines.
Rozier and the other defendants pleaded not guilty. St. John’s men’s basketball coach and Rozier’s former coach at Louisville, Rick Pitino, said that the accusations represented behavior that was “not like him.”
Porter was accused of the same crime of prematurely withdrawing himself from games for the benefit of sports bettors twice during the 2023-24 NBA season. He pleaded guilty in July 2024 and is awaiting sentencing, although he already received a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Four other men were arrested for facilitating the operation and betting on Porter. Three pleaded guilty.
Basketball scandals pile up
On top of the Rozier and Porter scandals, former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is still under federal investigation for possible involvement in illegal sports gambling. Beasley was expected to sign a three-year, $42 million deal with the Pistons during the summer free agency period, but that was scrapped when news of the investigation broke.
Beasley is still a free agent.
“To my understanding, he’s still under federal investigation but there’s been no recent direction on what terms they’re looking at him,” Beasley’s attorney Steve Haney told The Athletic. “At this point, Malik is stuck in this investigative purgatory and unable to continue his career despite the fact that he’s been under investigation for over a year.”
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested, but for a much different reason. Billups was one of 31 people who were arrested for allegedly running a rigged card game ring.
Billups, a former NBA champion and Finals MVP, was used as a celebrity participant to attract players. He pleaded not guilty to wrongdoing in the scandal, which allegedly involved marked cards, fake shuffling machines, and members of the mafia.
A few of the men who were charged were also indicted earlier this month amid an investigation into point-shaving in college basketball. After starting with the Chinese Basketball Association in 2022, conspirators allegedly offered $10,000-30,000 to players at small-conference schools to underperform through February 2025.
Sentencing begins
While investigations and court proceedings are still ongoing, one man was already sentenced.
Timothy McCormack, who bet on games that both Porter and Rozier allegedly rigged, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
Dillon Brooks has gotten under the skin of a lot of players over the years, now we can add Nets rookie Egor Demin to the list.
Tensions in a physical game between the Suns and Nets boiled over with just over a minute to go during a scramble for a loose ball.
A big scuffle breaks out after Egor Demin shoves Dillon Brooks, who was pulling at a loose ball well after the whistle was blown. Brooks shoved Demin earlier in the game and got a tech.
The Suns lead the Nets 104-102 with 1:14 remaining. Officials are going to the monitor for a… pic.twitter.com/9AmGhZcR0a
It was a two-point game, 104-102, with 1:14 remaining, so players were going all-out. After a scramble, Ziaire Williams and Brooks both had their hands on the ball, a whistle blew signaling a jump ball, Brooks didn't stop trying to pull the ball away, and that is when the rookie Demin walked up to defend his teammate and shoved Brooks to the ground.
Then it was on, with Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neal, Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, and more assistant coaches than anyone thought were at this game jumping into the fray to break things up. In all that, Porter shoved Suns assistant Demarre Carroll
Once things were calmed down and the referees reviewed the footage, five technicals were handed out: Demin, Mann, Porter, O'Neale and Allen.
"I just had to get him off Ziaire," Demin said postgame about shoving Brooks. "It was a dead ball, and the whistle was blown already. I didn't have any intentions to hurt anybody or to even start a fight."
"They were playing real physical. We were, too, but I think they were taking it to another level," Suns center Mark Williams said, via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. "It was definitely built up."
Brooks had gotten a technical for pushing Demin earlier in the game, that's his 15th of the season, one short of an automatic one-game suspension from the league.
Williams scored 27 on the night to lead the Suns to a 106-102 victory.
Winners of three straight, the New York Knicks (28-18) are in Toronto tonight to take on the Raptors (29-19) who have won four in a row themselves.
These teams sit tied in the Atlantic Division, one game back of the division-leading Boston Celtics and in third and fourth respectively in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is 9-4 in January. The Knicks are 5-8 in January.
The Knicks’ recent struggles are well-documented and widely discussed with numerous theories making the rounds, but the one constant has been the scoring supplied by Jalen Brunson. The veterancontinues to produce, scoring 20 or more points in 10 of his 11 games played this month. For the Raptors, its been a different individual story almost nightly. Its been the defense that has been a constant and been at the foundation of their push north in the standings. Toronto is allowing an average of 110.4 points per game in January.
This is the third of five regular season meetings between these teams this season. The Knicks have coasted to wins in each of the first two meetings. The aforementioned Jalen Brunson poured in 35 points on December 9 in New York’s 117-101 win in Toronto and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 22 in a 116-94 win for New York at home on November 30.
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: Knicks at Raptors
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2026
Time: 7:30PM EST
Site: ScotiaBank Arena
City: Toronto, ON
Network/Streaming: MSG, Sportsnet
Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest NBA Player News for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Game Odds: Knicks at Raptors
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: New York Knicks (+105), Toronto Raptors (-125)
Spread: Raptors -1.5
Total: 220.5 points
This game opened Raptors -1.5 with the Total set at 224.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Josh Hart (ankle) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Miles McBride (ankle) has been ruled OUT of tonight’s game
Mitchell Robinson (rest) has been ruled OUT of tonight’s game
Toronto Raptors
Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb) is questionable for tonight’s game
Chucky Hepburn (knee) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Jakob Poeltl (back) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Knicks at Raptors
The Raptors are 13-10 at home this season
The Knicks are 9-12 on the road this season
The Knicks are 24-23 ATS this season
The Raptors are 24-24 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed in just 19 of Toronto’s 48 games this season (19-29)
The OVER has cashed in 24 of the Knicks’ 47 games this season (24-23)
Immanuel Quickley has picked up 7 or more assists in 4 of his last 5 games
Josh Hart has pulled down at least 9 rebounds in each of his last 3 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 Knicks and Raptors’ game:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Knicks on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Knicks +1.5
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 220.5
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed Tristan Enaruna to a two-way contract. Enaruna played his junior and senior years at Cleveland State University before joining the Boston Celtics’ G League affiliate and eventually returning to Cleveland with the Charge.
Enaruna is averaging 20.9 points and 4.6 assists in 30.8 minutes per game for the Charge this season. He’s an athletic forward who has made a significant leap in three-point shooting, going from below 30% in 2024 to an above 45% shooter on nearly five attempts per game this year. It’s worth noting Enaruna has played only nine games so far this season, but that jump in efficiency is still commendable.
Cleveland’s other two-way spots are currently being filled by Luke Travers and Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who has been a standout this season and has already played 36 games with the Cavaliers. Tomlin is running out of NBA eligibility and wouldn’t surprise anyone if he earned a standard contract sooner, rather than later.
Forward Chris Livingston, who previously held Cleveland’s final two-way spot, was waived by the team earlier this week. This opened the door for Enaruna.
The Cavs have already gotten more help from their Charge prospects than most franchises would ever expect. Someone like Sam Merrill, who blazed his way out of the G League behind elite three-point shooting, is perhaps their best success story. But Tomlin is another success, while Travers, Enaruna and Killian Hayes are all promising in their own ways.
There won’t be much room for another Charge player to crack Cleveland’s current rotation. Assuming the Cavs can ever get healthy, the competition is simply too thick to predict that Enaruna or anyone else will get a chance to play significant NBA minutes.
But that’s not the point of the two-way contract. This is an opportunity to reward someone for their hard work. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to take the next step and join the big leagues right away. It’s simply a strong step in the right direction.
As their number two behind Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns is central to the Knicks’ plans. Lately, though, he hasn’t been central to how games are ending. Over the past week, a new strategy has emerged from New York’s coaching staff. When the screws tighten, their most effective lineups have often come with Towns watching from the bench.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic lays out the case. During New York’s recent three-game win streak, the Knicks have played their best late-game basketball Towns off the floor. Coach Mike Brown has leaned on defense-heavy closing groups built around Brunson and Mitchell Robinson, as evidenced in last night’s win over Sacramento. After a three-quarter slog, a KAT-free lineup finally created separation down the stretch. Karl did hit two three-pointers to start the final frame, but those were only brief glimmers in what was a muddy performance.
Edwards notes that the early lineup data backs up what we have seen on the court. Brunson lineups surrounded by four strong defenders have been effective in limited minutes, while combinations featuring both Brunson and Towns continue to expose their defensive inadequacies. The sample sizes are small, but the consistency of the trend has raised real questions about fit. And, don’t forget the trade deadline is a week from tomorrow. (Read Edwards’ piece here.)
Jared Schwartz of the New York Post picked up on the same theme. He focuses on how familiar Towns sitting late has become. Against Sacramento, Towns didn’t play the final 6:51 as Brown again closed with Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Robinson. Can you blame Mike? That lineup clearly balances offensive and defensive strengths.
“He saw what he saw. We got a win, that’s the most important thing,” Towns said about his early exit.
Brown described the decision as situational. On a number of occasions he has made clear that he’s comfortable riding whichever lineup is working, even if it means putting extremely well compensated starters on the bench.
“At the end of the game, we had a group out on the floor that was playing well. It was a tight ballgame, so I just rode that group to the end of the game,” Brown said. “During the flow of the game, you find a group of players that you feel are playing well together, and you roll with it as long as you can.”
To that point: in a separate Post piece, Schwartz examined how different the Knicks really look under Brown. As he explains, the changes are more subtle than sweeping. Three-point volume is up, but improvements in pace, ball movement, and bench production—all areas identified as weak spots last offseason—have been modest. To the surprise of some, the team is a lot closer to last season stylistically than expected, with Brown turning more often to Thibsian lineups.
In Schwartz’s article, ESPN analyst Tim Legler points to Towns’ offensive regression as the most noticeable shift. “For me, the biggest difference right now is actually the fact that I don’t feel as good about Karl-Anthony Towns most nights,” says Legs.
He also frames Towns’ usage as a signal of offensive health. “I was hoping to see more nights this year where Karl-Anthony Towns is your leading scorer. That would tell me that [Jalen] Brunson has got a lower usage rate… that would be a good thing for them offensively.”
Towns has played 11 seasons between Minnesota and New York, with career averages of 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 688 regular-season games. He was selected to five All-Star games, and won the Rookie of the Year award. This season, his first under coach Mike Brown, KAT has averaged 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, while posting the worst shooting percentages of his career.
With owner James Dolan declaring his championship expectations . . . and KAT and Brunson still not gelling . . . and KAT and Coach Brown apparently at odds . . . all that has fueled nationwide speculation about whether New York will (or can) move their expensive big man by the trade deadline. This season he will earn $53 M. Next year’s salary is $57 M. In 2027, when he has a player option, it rises to $61 M. That’s a lot of money for a team to bring onto their books.
Michael Pina of The Ringer sees the trade deadline as a pressure point for New York. Working within the constraints of the league’s restrictive CBA, Pina frames Towns as the clearest source of tension on the roster, citing his efficiency dip, hefty contract, and uneven adjustment to Brown’s system. (The piece also mentions Brunson’s paradoxical impact as an offensive engine whose defensive limitations complicate postseason aspirations. But ain’t no way Leon Rose trades Cap, or he’ll get tossed off the nearest bridge.)
Pina stops short of calling for drastic action, but outlines an odd trade proposal. His idea is to send KAT to Milwaukee for Myles Turner, Kyle (bleech) Kuzma, and a top-five pick . . . in 2031. Start scouting JV squads now! And shouldn’t we be focusing on a different Buck?
Writes Pina:
If your first reaction to this was “That makes no sense,” you are 100 percent correct. A blockbuster trade between New York and Milwaukee that doesn’t include an increasingly melodramatic Giannis Antetokounmpo would belie rational thought. The Bucks should absolutely not do this. But the Bucks should absolutely not have done a bunch of other stuff they thought was a good idea, so let’s operate in that reality for a minute.
He describes KAT as “an increasingly problematic defender who will turn 30 in August and seems to be walking off an ankle injury once a week.” However, he also points out that the Knicks are better defensively when Kat is on the floor without Brunson.
The article argues that the need for change isn’t about talent. No one will argue that Karl has a prodigious scoring ability for a big man, after all. But the fit just isn’t it in New York. Read Pina here.
For now, New York’s brass remains typically mum. You can be sure their phones are hot, though, and the prospect of superstar trades has the league excited. Superagent Rich Paul couldn’t help inserting himself into the mix, too. TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott chatted with Dexter Henry about it on the New York Post Sports YouTube channel.
“All four people I talked to didn’t agree on whether Rich Paul would represent Giannis,” said Henry, “but all four agreed that the mission is to get Giannis out of Milwaukee.”
Given their similarities in contract and star power, it is conceivable that Towns would be included in a trade. Giannis Antetokounmpo is due $54 M this season, $58 M next year, and $62 M in 2027-28. Last offseason, Antetokounmpo expressed interest in coming to New York. According to Abbott, that interest persists. “One person told me Giannis’s preferred list is three teams: the Heat, the Wolves, and the Knicks.”
The Knicks head to Toronto tonight for a SEGABABA, with sole possession of third place on the line. If Towns is serious about working things out in New York, he has a chance to prove it in one of the season’s biggest games. If Mike Brown again decides he can’t trust Towns in crunch time, however, it may be what ultimately triggers a trade. Stay tuned.
Well, it’s official. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the market. And while the update still lands with a thud, this part really shouldn’t shock anyone who’s been paying attention instead of pretending Milwaukee was fine. The breadcrumbs have been there for months. Subtle comments. A team stuck between honoring a championship window and realizing that window is now cracked, foggy, and barely open.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/OejatbQjDy
Look at Milwaukee’s situation honestly. Aging core. Limited flexibility. A roster built to win yesterday, not tomorrow. When you reach the point where your best option is asking a generational player to keep dragging the same suitcase up the same hill, eventually the suitcase breaks. Or the player asks for a new road.
So yeah, this makes sense. Painful for Bucks fans. Uncomfortable for the league. But logical.
The Suns and the Bucks are living in the same neighborhood, even if they took different streets to get there. Both spent the better part of a decade building around a singular star, hoping the surrounding pieces would hold long enough to matter. Milwaukee got the ring, ironically against Phoenix, but everything after that has been a slow asset bleed to the point where recovery feels unrealistic. The Suns fumbled too, loudly and publicly, but they stopped the bleeding and stabilized.
The Bucks moved Jrue Holiday, a player they paid real draft capital to acquire and a cornerstone of their title run, to chase offense in Damian Lillard. It blew up. The Suns chased Bradley Beal. Same result. Different logo. Both franchises exhausted picks, flexibility, and patience in the process. Phoenix emptied the cupboard for Kevin Durant and Beal. Milwaukee did it for Jrue, then doubled down with Lillard, burning three more first-rounders along the way.
That left both teams at the same crossroads last summer. How do you move forward when the margin is gone? How do you improve when the tools are spent? How do you keep your star engaged? Giannis is on a different tier than Devin Booker, a two-time MVP with league-bending value, but the tension was the same. One last swing to see if it could work.
Phoenix chose structure and vision, bringing in Jordan Ott and resetting the tone. Milwaukee chose money because money was the only lever left. They could not move Kyle Kuzma at $22.4 million, so they added Myles Turner at $25.3 million and kept throwing dollars at a problem that needed direction. Same problem. Different solution. Only one of them feels sustainable.
Now is the moment where Milwaukee actually has to stare into the mirror and make a decision on Giannis. The Suns are not in that space. They do not need a reset. They already hit it last summer in a smaller, smarter way, and it worked. In Phoenix, the retool stabilized everything. In Milwaukee, it didn’t.
So the obvious question shows up. Should the Suns be in the Giannis business? The answer is no. Clean and simple.
Start with assets. Phoenix does not have anything Milwaukee would want unless the conversation begins with Devin Booker, and that conversation ends the moment it starts. Even then, the Bucks would demand draft capital, real draft capital, and the Suns do not have it. You can make the money work on a screen. You cannot make the reality work.
Then there is the basketball part. The Suns do not need an aging, increasingly injury-prone Giannis. If you somehow pulled off a deal and kept Booker, you would gut the depth that makes this team function. And depth is not a luxury anymore. It is the foundation. We learned that the hard way during the blank check years, when money flowed and cohesion did not.
What makes this Suns team viable is not star chasing. It is identity. It is culture. It is the fact that when Booker or Jalen Green is out, the team still knows who it is. That does not happen by accident. That happens because the depth carries the same DNA.
Look no further than Houston. They landed Kevin Durant, climbed the standings, and still paid a cultural price that cannot be refunded. Injuries hit. Depth thinned. Flexibility vanished. Being higher in the standings does not automatically mean being in a better place.
Phoenix does not need to relive that lesson. They already learned it. And for once, they are acting like it.
The Giannis situation is fascinating, not because of where he might land, but because of what it’s going to do to the league in the process. The packages that get floated. The egos that get bruised when players realize their names are suddenly in trade rumors. That kind of turbulence has a way of leaking into locker rooms and warping seasons in real time. And the Suns should have zero interest in being anywhere near it.
We already lived this movie last year. Kevin Durant rumors. Whispers. Leaks. Vibes getting weird. A season quietly suffocating under the weight of speculation. Phoenix does not need to revisit that. Especially not after spending the last two years overpaying for players whose production depreciated faster than their salaries rose. We finally climbed out of that hole. No reason to jump back in for fun.
So yeah, we can sit back. Eat the popcorn. Watch it unfold from a safe distance. The Suns and Bucks timelines look similar on paper, but they are no longer moving in the same direction. Giannis delivered a ring. Booker did not. I would trade places with that banner in a heartbeat. But you cannot undo the past. You can only set yourself up to be smarter moving forward.
Right now, Phoenix is doing that. Milwaukee is not. And for once, the Suns are on the healthier side of the equation.
While this season is the primary focus for Lakers fans, the front office has to look at the big picture, including this summer, as they focus on creating a roster that best fits Luka Dončić.
So, maybe these trading block players aren’t the wings they are seeking, and the person they truly want will be available in the offseason.
In a recent “The Stein Line” newsletter, Jake Fischer writes that Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets is a player the Lakers are reportedly preparing to have interest in.
It must be said, though, that rival executives are increasingly curious about Denver’s likely struggles to retain Peyton Watson this summer given the fourth-year swingman’s recent breakout play amid all of the Nuggets’ healthwoes. We’ll certainly be tracking this situation over the coming months, since Watson’s restricted free agency is already shaping up to become a major domino of the offseason. Sources say teams that are projected to have cap space — notably such as the Lakers — are already preparing interest.
Watson has improved every year and is currently averaging 14.4 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, all career highs for the four-year player.
He is precisely the kind of player who can thrive playing with Luka. He is a sniper, making 41% of his 3-pointers. Watson is an elite catch-and-shoot guy, converting on 47.5% of those shots. That’s the best percentage of any player on Denver’s roster.
The Nuggets could have given Watson a contract extension last summer, but they didn’t. Watson told the Denver Post he understood the decision but would “operate as a business” in the offseason.
That decision could end up being Denver’s loss and LA’s gain.
With the majority of the Lakers’ roster not on the books for next year, they should have plenty of cap space this summer to make an intriguing offer to the restricted free agent.
They still have to pay Austin Reaves, and what LeBron James will do next year is still a mystery, but even with those contracts being unknown, LA should be able to make a respectable offer for Watson if he wants to make a move.
Waiting until the summer for LA to upgrade their wing depth might not be what fans want, but it could be the best option.
No deal is better than a bad deal, and ultimately, the Lakers have to find the best long-term solutions as they attempt to build a sustainable title-contending roster.
