BUFFALO, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 05: Avery Hayes #85 of the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing in his first NHL game, celebrates his second goal of the game against the Buffalo Sabres during a game on February 05, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
Before the game, the Penguins gave a few roster updates, including the ill-timed news that forward Rickard Rakell suffered a lower-body injury. As a result, one of the Penguins’ top forward prospects, Avery Hayes, had been recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [PensBurgh]
And speaking of Hayes, he had quite the night on Thursday. A two-goal debut performance is something he’ll remember forever. Fellow rookie Ben Kindel also notched two goals, as Pittsburgh rolled past the Buffalo Sabres 5-2. [Recap]
Members of the Penguins organization, both new and old, are rallying around former team general manager Craig Patrick, 79, who suffered a severe stroke in late December and has been in a Pittsburgh hospital since. [The Athletic]
Updates from around the NHL…
A police affidavit says video footage shows top draft prospect Gavin McKenna allegedly punching a man twice in the face, leaving the victim with a fractured jaw that required surgery and his jaw to be wired shut. [TSN]
Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau has seen his season come to an end after it was revealed that he requires hip surgery. [Sportsnet]
New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer has taken the NHL by storm in his rookie season. He was left off Team Canada’s Olympic roster, but at only 18, he still hopes to don the maple leaf in the future. [NHL]
As the NHL shifts toward its Olympic break, which players lead the races for the top NHL trophies, including the Hart, Norris, and Calder? [ESPN]
Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) dunks against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
One of the core players from Kentucky’s first team in the Mark Pope era has agreed to a contract with the team that drafted him.
Amari Williams, who had a triple-double against Ole Miss last season, has agreed to a two-year, $2.7 million deal with the Boston Celtics. Williams was drafted 46th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Williams was previously on a two-way contract with the Celtics, which he signed back in August. He was originally drafted by the Orlando Magic and then traded to Boston.
In his lone season with Kentucky, Williams averaged 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. Williams was a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year at Drexel before transferring to Kentucky.
During last year’s Sweet 16 run, Williams became famous for eating Weetabix cereal, a company he eventually signed with an NIL deal. I can remember seeing a box of it in the press room in Indianapolis during the Sweet 16. Weetabix clearly caught on.
Amari Williams has agreed to a two-year, $2.7 million deal with the Boston Celtics, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells @TheSteinLine.
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 16: James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers before the game against the Toronto Raptors on January 16, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
“We think that he raises our ceiling and gives us a chance to have real playoff success,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said on Thursday.
“He gives us a different look in the backcourt. He’s 6’5” and he gets downhill, and he is ninth in the league in drives. He’s strong. He’s creative. I think he’s going to be great for our bigs. I also know that Donovan [Mitchell] is excited to play alongside him. Obviously, this is not a trade that we took lightly. But we do know that James is going to help us, and so we’re excited to welcome him.”
Harden will help the Cavs in many ways. He’s still one of the best point guards in the league and is a clear upgrade over Darius Garland at this point.
“[We’re] really excited about when it gets to a chaotic time in the playoffs and we’re on the road, and there’s a fever pitch, being able to throw the ball to him and calm this thing down,” Altman said. “Let’s get a good possession, right? Let’s get a good possession when it gets really, really tight, and it’s loud in that building. We’ve gone to the playoffs the last few years largely as a young team, not a very experienced playoff team, trying to figure it out. Now I think we’re adding just a tremendous amount of experience and know-how.”
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Harden is a one-man offense that can seemingly get good shots for himself and his teammates every time down the court.
That said, those comments ignore the elephant in the room. Harden was brought in to help in the playoffs despite being known as one of the biggest postseason chokers in league history.
“We looked at it, and we studied really hard,” Altman said. “There’s some elimination games that he probably wishes he had back, probably five really bad games out of 173 playoff games. But overall, he certainly raises his level, raises our level. It’s hard being the number one option on a championship-level team. I think the good news for him is he has another number one option right next to him.”
Whether or not Harden fits next to Mitchell remains to be seen. We’ve seen Harden coexist decently well with other ball-dominant players like Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, and Kevin Durant. How that carries over to sharing the floor with Mitchell will determine whether this trade ultimately pays off.
What we do know is that the Cavs have a second player who can carry some of the playmaking burden in the playoffs. That has been an issue in recent postseason runs.
“When it gets really tough in the playoffs, the team takes away your play, your second counter, and we need to get the ball in Donovan’s hands, we need to get the ball in James’ hands, that we’re going to have a great possession, we’re going to have a great possession,” Altman said. “And so really that’s what we’re thinking of. And in the playoffs, I do still think it comes down to largely a half-court game when it comes down to it.”
There’s also the concern that the Cavs play a different brand of offensive basketball than Harden. Head coach Kenny Atkinson’s teams have been built around ball and player movement and attacking in transition.
Harden’s teams have been the opposite. He’s thrived in slower tempo, iso-heavy systems. The Cavs are hoping both sides can meet in the middle.
“We’re going to have to adapt to James,” Altman said. “He’s that good a player, but I think we’re going to still run. … [Playing fast is] still part of what we do. I don’t think that’s going to stop. I do know that James is a great rebounder, and so our pitch-ahead game is going to be great.”
Harden can take the Cavs to another level. How exactly that’s going to look remains to be seen. There will undoubtedly need to be some give-and-take on both sides. But there’s a reason this move was made. The skill upgrade is clear, and that will help when it matters most.
“My job at the end of the day is to bring the best talent to Cleveland and set them up for success,” Altman said. “That’s the job. And so we’re bringing one of the greatest players of all time to Cleveland, who’s still playing at an elite level. We couldn’t be more excited.”
June 22, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; The Milwaukee Brewers 1982 American League Champions pennant during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Miller Park. Milwaukee won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
As Brewers fans, we’ve quickly become used to making it into the postseason.
After just four playoff appearances from the franchise’s inception in 1969 (as the Seattle Pilots) through their first 49 seasons, Milwaukee has now made it to October baseball in seven of the last eight seasons, including five NL Central titles.
But is it enough?
The team’s “bites of the apple” approach has clearly worked in terms of making it to the postseason, but they have yet to make it back to the World Series, with the franchise’s lone appearance coming back in 1982. The 2018 Brewers were a Game 7 win away from making it, and the 2011 and 2025 Brewers also made it to the NLCS, but nobody has won a pennant.
After Freddy Peralta became the fourth big-name pitcher traded by the team in the last four years (joining Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, and Devin Williams), they’ll look to extend their playoff streak to four consecutive seasons in 2026 with a roster built around veterans Brandon Woodruff and Christian Yelich along with a whole bunch of youngsters, headlined by soon-to-be 22-year-old Jackson Chourio.
Is making it back to the postseason still considered a success in your book? Or do the Brewers need to take another step forward in 2026?
Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments, and we may use it later this month.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 26, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The 2026 Yankees have a lot riding on their stars repeating the quality seasons that they put up in 2025, but there’s a select few that they would like to see rebounds from. No one fits that latter category more than Anthony Volpe, who was brutally bad at the plate for months at a time and endured a dreadful season at shortstop for the first time after posting excellent defense at a minimum in his previous two seasons. Of course, now we know that he was playing through a shoulder injury for most of the year, but a third-straight underwhelming season offensively has put him in the hot seat entering 2026.
Volpe’s expected to miss the start of the season as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but he should be ready to go sometime around May-June. When he returns, it’s likely that the Yankees will give him the starting shortstop gig back unless José Caballero manages to put on an otherworldly performance in his stead. Should he disappoint a fourth time in a row, even a Yankees front office that has been enamored with Volpe’s potential for years would find it prudent to chase an upgrade, but what would qualify as a “good” season for Volpe, or at least good enough to warrant keeping him in the plans for the future?
One of the biggest detriments for Volpe has been his inability to get on base, whether that’s because he’s struggled to generate good contact or work walks. Getting above a .300 OBP mark isn’t exactly a sign of a future star, but it would be a first for Volpe in his career if he could do so this year. Getting on the basepaths would enable him to use one of his best tools as well — his speed. Volpe started his career red-hot timing steal attempts, nabbing 13 bags without getting caught by May. Since then he’s struggled to pick his spots, perhaps because of how inconsistently he’s had the opportunity to, and it resulted in him taking just 18 bags last year. Jumping back into that 25-30 range of steals would go a long way to making the bottom of the Yankees’ lineup more threatening.
Of course there’s always the question of Volpe’s power. He aimed to drive the ball out of the park in his rookie campaign, hit a respectable 21 bombs but struggled to do much else on contact, and then flipped his strategy completely in 2024 becoming more of an even-plane swinger. His power plummeted, and the tradeoff didn’t do too much for his ability to find the gap as he hit .243 and bumped his OBP up only 10 points despite the sizeable batting average jump. Last year he went into the season aiming for more of a middle ground, but the injury prevented him from showcasing whether he had found a suitable way to attack pitchers. Perhaps a jump in statistical performance wouldn’t be as big of an indicator for a good year for Volpe so much as merely finding consistency and knowing that he’s found his form at last. Is there a particular benchmark you’d set for Volpe that he’d need to beat to regain some faith, or is it all in how comfortable he looks at the dish? Let us know what you think.
On the site today, Andrés leads off with a look at Michael Kopech as a high-risk, high-reward option for the bullpen. Then, Sam wishes the Bambino a happy birthday and looks at the lasting legacy he’s cast on the sport, Michael gives us the day’s season preview focused on Oswaldo Cabrera, and Estevão takes us back to the infamous Jacoby Ellsbury signing ahead of the 2014 season. Later on in the day, I’ll be back to answer your latest questions in our mailbag.
Our latest NCAA men’s basketball bracket projection features a few changes in the upper quadrant. Several programs with national titles in the past decade are among the teams with upward mobility.
Kansas, riding a six-game winning streak, has surged to a No. 3 seed along with defending champ Florida. Purdue is also back up to the third line, as Michigan State slips to a No. 4 after dropping its second game in a row Wednesday night at Minnesota. Virginia is back in the top 16 as well, grabbing a No. 4 seed as Brigham Young slides to a five after a three-game losing skid.
Gonzaga, thanks to a stunning upset Wednesday at Portland, falls off the second line to a No. 3. That result wasn’t all bad for the West Coast Conference, however, as it moved Santa Clara into first place in the league standings. That puts the Broncos in line for the automatic bid, giving the WCC three teams in the field for the moment. Saint Louis is now the lone Atlantic 10 squad in the projected field with George Mason taking a damaging loss to Duquesne this week.
March Madness bracketology update for NCAA tournament
March Madness Last four in
San Diego State, UCLA, Ohio State, New Mexico.
March Madness First four out
Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, California, Missouri.
NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown
Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (7) Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (3).
Quiz of the week: I guessed my way to a rather decent 12/16.
Virgil van Dijk has hit out at ex-pro pundits in an interview with, er, Gary Neville, ahead of Sky’s broadcast of Liverpool v Manchester City.
For me personally, I can deal with it, but I’m a bit worried for the next generation. I feel like the ex-top players have a responsibility to the new generation. Criticism is absolutely normal and part of the game, and I think it should stay that way. But sometimes criticism also goes into being clickbait, saying things to provoke things, and without thinking about the repercussions for a mental side of players, and especially the younger generation, who are constantly on social media.
Ravaged Italy await a Scottish squad that has too often flattered to deceive while Ireland begin post-mortem after France humbling
If not now, then when? The stakes are never low in the Six Nations but for Scotland and Gregor Townsend the 2026 championship feels more loaded with significance than most.
Under the tutelage of the 52-year-old head coach, the many disappointments of recent campaigns have been met with an assurance that there is potential for success in this squad. Between now and mid-March would be a handy time to prove it.
Feb 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) defends against Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Boston Celtics were down several key players on the second night of a back-to-back as they took on the Houston Rockets. Houston, who came into the game as the fourth seed in the West with a record of 31-18, was widely seen as the favorites given the absences of Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and the recently traded Anfernee Simons, whose replacement, Nikola Vucevic, was not yet officially a member of the Celtics despite the trade being agreed upon.
Taking on a top team on the back half of a back-to-back is hard enough, but doing so short handed would be asking too much of almost any team. The Celtics aren’t just any team, though. By the look of things this season, there’s no task too tall for them. They have too many young, talented, hard-working players to ever be out of a fight.
Luka Garza may just be the hardest working player in the league. It feels like he’s incapable of giving anything less than 100%. He was working all night against the Rockets, and put together one of the best performances of the game in the process.
Garza finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals, shooting 7-13, and hitting two threes enroute. He was also the third highest scorer for the game, outscoring every Rockets player. Yes, you read that right. On a night where Kevin Durant, who was the highest scorer for Houston, played 33 minutes, Luka Garza scored more points.
That was, in big part, thanks to some stellar defense by Ron Harper Jr., who held KD to 1-5 shooting while matched up as the primary defender. It doesn’t take away from Luka’s night, however. With his second three of the night, Garza knocked down his 32nd of the season. That’s twice as many as he made in his entire rookie season, which was also his career high for a season prior to this season. Not only that, but he’s shooting it at a 45.7% clip, by far a career high.
Garza has been a great find by Brad Stevens, and earned a big vote of confidence by the team. Prior to the start of the year, Luka probably would have been viewed as expendable, especially if you were told that Boston would be adding in Nikola Vucevic. As the trade deadline passed, the Celtics dumped several salaries to try to duck under the Luxury Tax, including the Simons – Vucevic swap. After that move, dumping four minimum salaries, converting the two-way guys to standard contracts, and signing players from the buyout market would have been enough to get under the tax.
Three minimum players ended up getting the axe, Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman, and Josh Minott, all guys who couldn’t find a spot in the rotation. If Garza wasn’t playing well, he easily could have been the fourth. Instead, Brad and the rest of the front office decided to craft a complicated, but extremely clever plan with some tight margins to operate below the league mandated minimum roster size for, presumably, as long as possible, buying just enough time to find a prorated contract on the buyout market which will put them back in roster compliance while keeping them under the tax-line.
The point being, Luka has earned his respect with this team. His performance against Houston was 19th game in double figures this season, and one of many examples of the value he provides. Even with the addition of Nikola Vucevic, it seems like Joe Mazzulla will continue to lean on Garza in the big-man rotation. He’s very easily been one of the best stories of the season, and deserves every good thing that’s coming to him thanks to his own efforts.
That’s worth remembering. This is not the first time in the Rafael Stone era that there’s been widespread displeasure with Rafael Stone. It’s familiar territory for Houston Rockets fans.
Specifically, it happens on an annual basis at the NBA Trade Deadline.
To be sure, their recent thrashing at the hands of a Brown-less Celtics squad was aesthetically horrifying. Rockets fans would have done as well to throw on Terrifier.
Early in the season, the notion that Houston’s rebound-focused attack was “gimmicky” was controversial. Now, it’s axiomatic. Anyone should recognize that the Rockets are not going to win at the highest level with this strategy.
The basic recipe to totally shut down the Rockets:
1) Sag way off Thompson and Sengun 2) Press up tight on Durant 3) Victory https://t.co/pUkH82CFdR
There’s friend of the show (who I believe still reads these?), Andrew Soukup, with a succinct summary of the problem. A pair of non-shooters. For all the high-falutin’ conceptual stuff about dribble hand-offs, cuts from the high post, triangle offense, etc., the reality is that it’s difficult to build a high-powered, portable NBA offense with two non-shooters in the lineup.
So, the roster is flawed. That at least partly reflects on management. Yet, it would be an oversimplification to suggest that putting a flawed roster on the floor singularly characterizes a team’s general manager as “bad”.
Stone has done plenty well during his tenure.
Rockets have drafted well under Stone
Here’s a refrain I’ve heard several times recently:
“Four lottery picks, four whiffs”.
Firstly, Amen Thompson is not a whiff. That’s a consequence of fans overestimating the expected return on a fourth overall pick. He may not be “Russell Westbrook, Defensive Player of the Year model”, but he’s certainly not a whiff. Such an assessment of Reed Sheppard is also absurdly premature.
Otherwise, you can’t judge draft picks in a vacuum. They must be judged in the context of the draft itself.
It’s unfair to knock Stone for taking Jabari Smith Jr. with the third overall pick. The consensus could not have been firmer. There were three dudes in that draft, Bari was the third, and the Rockets had the third pick. All 30 GMs were making the same decision. Stone was not reasonably going to select Jalen Williams. He can’t be retroactively held to a standard of “shock the world or bust”. You’re locking him into a false dichotomy: either he’s a genius or he’s a bad general manager.
By the way, there’s almost nobody else in 2022 you’d rather have. Jaden Ivey just got traded for a Kevin Huerter sandwich with extra Mike Conley. Dyson Daniels is fun, but Houston doesn’t need a 12.7% three-point shooter in their backcourt. Tari Eason has been good…
Oh, wait.
How about 2024? If you wanted Matas Buzelis, gloat – but only a little bit. He’s still got a negative Box Plus/Minus (BPM). He’s racking up basic counting stats for the Bulls, if that counts as an accomplishment. That said, he’s certainly flashed potential, and if you think he’d have been a better choice than Reed Sheppard, you’re beginning to have a valid case. There’s nobody else I can say the same for. It seems unreasonable to come down on Stone because there’s one guy that he maybe (maybe) should have taken over Sheppard.
Then, there’s 2021: A Stone Odyssey. Not good. Bad.
A critical error. The cardinal sin of the rebuild. Evan Mobley was the choice.
I don’t want to hear “they wouldn’t have drafted Alperen Sengun”. OK – so they’d have compounded the error? Sengun and Mobley would be a great fit together.
On the subject of Sengun…
The Rockets had good lottery luck. Paradoxically, they also had bad lottery luck. Statistically, the balls bounced relatively well. In a vacuum, they got lucky.
Contextually, in the four years that the Rockets tanked, the only two lottery picks who’d have materially changed their fortunes were Cade Cunningham and Victor Wembanyama. That is it. Paolo Banchero is a bad fit with Sengun, and he has not been as good as Sengun, so let us not utter his name again.
Mobley and Chet Holmgren are both excellent, but they’re ceiling raisers. It’d be nice to have either, but they wouldn’t fix this team’s systemic issues. For that matter, neither would Wembanyama, but he’s just so special that he’d change the team by virtue of being him.
Otherwise, you’re asking Stone to – well, draw blood from a stone. If anything, the fact that he walked away from the rebuild with Sengun in the fold is a testament to his drafting acumen.
So is Tari Eason. Give most NBA general managers everything Stone had. Most of them don’t walk away with Sengun and Eason. Other than drafting Green, Stone has made no discernible, significant mistakes that could be identified even without the use of hindsight, which is notoriously 20/20.
What about on the trade market?
Stone needs to make some signature trades
Stone’s approach to trading has been…meiserly?
There’s not one deal you can point to and call egregiously bad. It’s just that most of his deals have been in the vein of hey, I’ll give you a non-rotational player for an even worse non-rotational player and a heavily protected second. Stone has made a bevy of moves that you wouldn’t notice whether he made them or not.
He has made one noticeable move. You know the one. How does it look now?
Well, let’s see. The Rockets have practically the same Win Percentage (63.3%) now that they finished last season with (63.4%). Yet, that’s not a fair evaluation of the deal. Last year’s Rockets had Fred VanVleet.
The concept behind the Durant deal was always sound. Opponents were always going to sag off of Sengun and Thompson, as described above, and dare a shot maker to make shots. So, trading one of the worst shot makers in the NBA (sorry, residual Green Gangers) for one of the best ought to build on what was already a formidable squad. Even without VanVleet, that might be bearing out:
If not for the loss of Dillon Brooks.
There was no way to flip Green for Durant without including Brooks (or VanVleet). The money has to money. But the Rockets undeniably miss Brooks. They miss his point of attack defense, his (2024-25) floor spacing, and his tertiary shot creation. They miss his cultural impact.
There should be no referendum on Green. This team was not “better with Green than they are with Durant”. They were better with Green, VanVleet, Brooks, and Steven Adams than they are with Durant. At some point, the raw, aggregate net rating of so many players outweighs even a (post-prime, but still) Durant.
Circling back to the thesis: Stone didn’t injure VanVleet or Adams. He didn’t invent the CBA that required him to include Brooks in that deal. He was never going to let Brooks be the deterrent if he wanted Kevin Durant.
So, Stone’s draft record speaks for itself. The totality of his trade activity seems more positive than negative. Here, we have a defensible GM who’s put a deeply flawed contender on the floor.
How do we square that?
Rockets are a work in progress
The Rockets hold a lot of chips. So, by definition, they’re not all in.
Most of the key rotation players are young. They have a surplus of draft capital. Those are the chips; they aren’t on the table. Analogously, they checked on a small raise by giving up Jalen Green and Khaman Maluach.
So until they’re “all in”, the roster should be treated as an unfinished product. Hypothetically, say the Rockets replace Durant with a lesser version of a shot-creating wing in the draft. Suppose they do the same with any veteran on the roster and otherwise run this exact rotation until the core is in their 30s.
OK. Now, the criticisms are fair.
For now, it’s OK if the roster is flawed. If Stone were to trade either Amen or Sengun and picks for Antetokounmpo this summer, he’d better follow that up by acquiring players who complement Antetokounmpo. The roster can no longer be fundamentally flawed. The Rockets will be all-in.
With the trade deadline passed, the NBA world shifts their focus to the buyout market when teams waive players and they subsequently sign with teams trying to make a playoff push. These players historically never really make an impact on teams that go on to win the title, but it is fun to see where some recognizable names go and people like to talk about it.
The Celtics made four deadline deals, only bringing one standard contract player back in all four trades. They did also receive two-way player John Tonje from the Jazz.
While they did convert rookie big man Amari Williams from a two-way to a standard deal, they still are left with just 12 rostered players and need to have 14 players on the roster.
They can have less than 14 on the roster for 14 days in a row and 28 days total. Look for them to take advantage of that, especially with the All-Star break coming up.
Yet, even though they have the roster spots, they don’t have the money available under the luxury tax to be aggressive in the buyout market.
After the deadline, the Celtics are $842,292 under the tax — not enough to sign anyone on the buyout market. They have to get creative when filling out the rest of their roster.
67 days remain in the season.
The Celtics have three open standard-contract roster spots. Boston must fill at least two for at least 39 of the remaining 67 days.
By my count, Boston can squeeze in 90 "player-days" and dodge the luxury tax.
The easiest way for the Celtics to maneuver around the rules is to sign players to 10-day contracts.
For the Celtics rest-of-season roster:
I'd expect some 10 Day contracts to happen, timed around keeping 14 players on standard contracts. Then, when they have enough room, a rest-of-season signing.
They didn't go to all this effort to get under the tax to go back over it.
You never know, but I would put to bed your Cam Thomas dreams, if you have those (I personally do not). I would love Khris Middleton if he is bought out by the Mavericks, but I also doubt that will happen as well.
If you are looking for a big buyout name, you likely won’t find one. In fact, I’d take a look at the Maine Celtics roster because I think that is where the Celtics could be signing players from to fill out the roster. One name that is on there that you might recognize is Keon Johnson, who was a 2021 first round pick and has four years of NBA experience.
Yes, it is fun to imagine big names like Cam Thomas, Khris Middleton, Lonzo Ball or Mike Conley making their way to the Celtics and playing a role for this team. However, Boston’s luxury tax situation probably does not allow for that so I would temper your expectations.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 03: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after making a three-point basket during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on February 03, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — In the NBA world, it feels like an eternity since Austin Reaves burst out of the gate to open the season. The conversations were about his All-NBA candidacy with an All-Star appearance seemingly a given.
However, a pair of calf injuries means that nearly two months had passed since Reaves had his last truly special game this season…until Thursday
Midway through the third quarter against the Sixers, it looked like the Lakers were on their way to another disappointing home loss. They trailed by double figures and with Luka Dončić ruledout for the rest of the game, where the production was going to come from was a mystery.
That’s when Reaves went to work.
With less than four minutes left in the quarter, Reaves overwhelmed the Sixers. He started by drilling a running pull-up 3-pointer, then he drove inside and converted on a layup, followed by an assist to Jake LaRavia.
In a span of 64 seconds, the game went from creeping toward a blowout loss to a tight contest.
Reaves saved his best for the last quarter. He drilled a 32-foot 3-pointer to beat the shot clock. Then he converted a tightly contested stepback three and, suddenly, Crypto.com Arena was his stage and everyone inside his audience.
Fans were in a raucous. Reaves was grinning from ear to ear, high-fiving teammates and celebrating whilereminding Lakers fans why they fell in love with him in the first place.
“He was unbelievable tonight,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said after the win. “I know he made threes tonight and hit a couple that were pretty incredible, but his drives and his thrust, [he] got to the free throw line…got in the paint and made plays and scored at the rim. It was really great to see.”
The result wasn’t secured until the closing seconds, but the Lakers held on and beat the Sixers 119-115. Considering the deficit, Luka’s absence and his limited availability, it was one of the best performances of the season by Reaves.
Philly treated Reaves like a superstar. They played as physically as the refs allowed. He was double-teamed all game long and was guarded full-court during crunch time.
It didn’t make much of a difference.
Reaves still ended the game scoring 35 points off the bench, the most by any Laker reserve this season. He went 12-17 from the field and made five 3-pointers, the same amount the Sixers converted as a team.
While the numbers were impressive, his willingness to do whatever it took to win stood out the most.
Reaves was applying pressure on the rim, leading to trips to the line and putting Sixers players in foul trouble. He continued to sacrifice his body in an attempt to draw charges and shift the momentum in LA’s favor. For many players, this would be a career night, but for Reaves, it was another day at the office.
“Winning’s the main thing,” Reaves said. “Regardless of stats, at the end of the day, did you win or lose is how I look at the game. There’s not many moral victories.
“You can go have a great game and lose and I’m not going to say nobody really cares because there’s people out there that just look at the stats. But people that actually know basketball and appreciate the right things in basketball, care about winning basketball. And that’s what I’ve kind of prided myself on playing my whole career is trying to play the right way and have fun on the court.”
There’s still plenty the Lakers have to fix. The Sixers dominated for long stretches. LA’s defense was as resistant as a turnstile. And the Lakers’ starting center, Deandre Ayton, watched the entire fourth quarter like the rest of us.
Still, Reaves was spectacular. While basketball players’ careers have peaks and valleys, Reaves has had a projection chart that all Fortune 500 companies would envy with steady growth each year and no sign of plateauing.
“Anybody in this league that’s surprised about AR and his ability,” Marcus Smart said, “it’s a shame,”
Thursday was a reminder of just how special those abilities are.
Marnus Labuschagne returned fire toward Sam Elliott on Friday after he was given a send-off amid the 17-wicket Sheffield Shield carnage at the MCG on day one.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 05: Pat Spencer #61 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after hitting a three pointer against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The shorthanded Golden State Warriors pulled off quite a win on Thursday night. Despite playing without Steph Curry, they ended the game on a 22-5 run to steal a 101-97 victory from the Phoenix Suns. It was satisfying and emotional, to say the least, given that the trade deadline had just passed. The beat reporters could hear the celebration from outside the locker room, with Steve Kerr saying it “felt like we won a championship.”
So let’s grade the players who pulled off the feel-good win. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Thursday’s games, league-average TS was 57.9%.
Moody had a slightly easier task than he usually has when facing the Suns, as Devin Booker was out with an injury. But even though he wasn’t having to guard an All-Star, Moody still found a way to strongly influence the game with his defense. It wasn’t a good offensive game, but the defense and rebounding were special … and his amazing hustle play in the final seconds just might have clinched the game. That play bumps him up a half-grade.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Jimmy Butler III is out for the year with an injury and Jonathan Kuminga has been traded. As a result, we’re going to see a lot of Santos. And if this game is any indication, that’s a pretty exciting thing. He was everywhere on the court. Absolutely everywhere.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
This wasn’t Dray’s best game, but you could see in his energy and on his face that he was deeply relieved to still be on the team. It’s been a long career for Green, and this was his first time being on the block at the trade deadline … something he said he hopes to never experience again. He was pretty happy to defer to teammates in this game, and it worked out well. Awesome defense.
Spencer played his final game on a two-way contract, and will certainly be rewarded with a guaranteed deal now that the Warriors have cleared both cap and roster space. He celebrated by scoring a career-high, while running the offense well and making huge plays.
Under normal circumstances, he would get a good grade, brought down a little by the turnovers. But because of the situation, he gets a perfect one.
Grade: A+ for performance and feels Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
Melton is playing out of his mind at the moment, and I’m so glad he stayed on the team through the deadline. That not only means that we get to watch him play this year, but that the Warriors likely think they can retain him next season, too.
The Warriors ended the game on the run of all runs, and I’d argue that Melton was the biggest reason for it. The stats may not be great (other than the plus/minus), but trust your eyes here: Melton was quite arguably the biggest reason they won.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
Just a sensational game from GPII in every area of the game. Despite usually being the smallest player on the court, he was second in the entire game in rebounds, behind only Phoenix center Mark Williams … and in less than 20 minutes of action! That included the biggest rebound of the game, on Dillon Brooks’ go-ahead three attempt in the waning seconds. His defense was as good as we’ve come to expect, and he had one of the best offensive games of his career. Safe to say, they don’t win that game without Payton.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Podz was awful in this game, but you can’t really blame him. He was so ill that he took himself out of the contest, which is saying something for someone who is such a gamer. He was sick enough that Kerr said his status is in doubt for Saturday.
Grade: Feel better! Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
It has been abundantly clear lately why the Warriors were so excited to bring in Horford this offseason. And I’m guessing they’re hoping like heck that he picks up his player option for next year.
I’m guessing we see Richard get a bigger role as the season goes on, and I’m excited to watch that. His defense in this game was just … stunning, really. To quote Bob Fitzgerald, how did this guy fall to the second round? An absolute baller.
