PG being done for the season was a given. Yeahhh. That means the clippers
will be open to trading Zubak. He has one year left on his contract, or maybe even
Morris or Hartstein. Expect some type of fire sale from them before the trade deadline.

It’s quite evident after losing to the Mavericks that we need some size. Teams know
they can simply score inside, and facing a PG like Luka, he exploited that...and other
elite guards will exploit it as well.

Bulls play Brooklyn tonight on ESPN. Bulls have beaten them twice this season,
so I’m expecting a L. It’s difficult to beat a team three times in a row, plus Kyrie will
be playing.

Derozan getting snubbed for player of the month is a god damn travesty.
But some old dude out in LA is stat padding
while taking Ls, and it gets all the news.
I guess you don’t have to be a winner to get a chicken dinner.

They're nice.

And they aren't better without Ja. Obviously.

well coached, and can win with or without Ja.

My problem with Ja is the enormous shot taking that leads to
tight or close games, making games harder than what they need to be.

25-27 shots in a game, when there are serious shot makers in Bane,
Jackson, and Brooks are excessive. A team can get away with that
in the regular season, but for the playoffs, there must be more ball
distribution.

No doubt he is a superstar, but he needs to improve on defense. I imagine and hope
that he matures in his game in those areas.

But Memphis is a team that can win with or without Ja...and the moving
and sharing of the ball makes their games easier.

10-0 = they don't win by enough and it's because of the coach
Career high FG and 3pt % = he shoots too much


Playoffs 2nd year
4th seed halfway through year 3
Lead the league in PPG to start the season
= but they not Winning a chip this year

Did Ja Morant steal your girl?

I just understand they have some serious talent on that team,
and that other players deserve shots as well.

Plus Ja is an injury prone skinny guard, and taking 23-25 shots
a game will just lead to even more wear and tear. Even Jordan
had to learn that. Under Collins he was taking 30 damn shots a game
almost, and would have broken down under Collins. Phil comes in and
puts the ball in Pippen’s hand, and instituted a system where Jordan
didn’t have to kill himself every night.

Jah around 17-20 shots a night, with Bane, Jackson, and Brooks getting
getting double digit shots will make the team’s games a lot easier, and
also help to keep Jah healthy....,unless you want him to wind up like iverson.

( plus he needs to put on some muscle and improve his defense ....he has
actually improved since he has been back)

It’s just constructive criticism.

Unfollow her SM yet?
It won't last
Probably just a jump-off for Ja
Hang in there buddy

Peace

https://youtu.be/NAClaQvcmLk

https://youtu.be/uxra2Nn7K9Y

Now I’m a hater because I think other players deserve more shots,
and that he needs to put on muscle and improve his defense for Memphis
to win a championship.

Ja is elite and he is a superstar, but his game needs adjustments ...just like
Jordan had to make adjustments.

And yes I believe Memphis can win with or without Ja

https://mobile.twitter.com/kysportsradio/status/1480373033177124879

Did Ja Morant steal your girl?

...in year 3
Whole lotta hurt in that man's real life.

I'm from Philly
We love dudes like Ja
Wasn't a 5 star recruit
Worked his a$$ off in NCAA
and is balling TF out in the league

SMH...old Oscar the grouch a$$ okayplayer hater (c)

https://youtu.be/zR3ZQWbap-M

https://streamable.com/c9hxvx

How can you hate on that?

.

Covington, Nurkic.... I would love to have either one of those dudes.

The rise of Anfernee Simons has been activated...Do what Golden State
did last year, and just let the youngins play and let them build.

Also, Ben Mclemore is getting major minutes to ball out.

How that is I don’t know. Props to Jason Kidd, because Luka just doesn’t
give a fock about his ability. He is two donuts away from being Zion.

No way do I trust that dude’s body. He looks doughy as hell and slow and gimpy
tonight.

If Philly get Hield/Barnes/Haliburton for Simmons/ Harris, I’m going to be sick.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/bill_simmons_says_the_sacramento_kings_are_the_only_team_that_can_trade_for_a_package_of_ben_simmons_and_tobias_harris/s1_16751_36967739

That would mean Bagley is staying, since he is getting along really well
with Gentry.

both of which are key defenders in a series vs brooklyn and/or milwaukee.

unlike the thibs era it'll be nice not to blow our load during the regular season. those 4-0 reg season records vs lebron where thibs treated each game like the finals proved meaningless.

...to grow as a defensive player.
Although he was exposed as a rookie guarding Harden tonight (I mean, it's Harden).
But I thought he played well against Trae Young and Luka.

so i agree, this experience is important.

but caruso and javonte are getting those "defensive stopper" minutes in the playoffs. mainly caruso. now we just gotta find a PF somehwere.

nobody has a shot against them if those three get superstar calls consistently.

Rie’s fro greying
Harden fat
KD got to the moon and back miles on his legs

They don’t win this year…that’s probably a wrap…right…?

and yeah, this is their window and literally no one outside of a few midwestern transplants who now call themselves nets fans will give a shit if they fail.

this team has to be the most uninspiring superteam ever constructed other than maybe the latest LeBron/AD concoction.

>and yeah, this is their window

lol what? KD and Kyrie each have two years left on their deals, and I doubt Harden goes anywhere to start all over at his age.


>this team has to be the most uninspiring superteam ever
>constructed other than maybe the latest LeBron/AD concoction.

no argument there. i blame kyrie and his me me me me personality.

>Rie’s fro greying
>Harden fat
>KD got to the moon and back miles on his legs
>
>They don’t win this year…that’s probably a
>wrap…right…?

at the same time i did not expect us to get blown out. but whatever, we're not legit contenders with a healthy brooklyn in the mix. that's no surprise. at least for this season.

hopefully this is the type of wakeup call that will help us down the road. gotta do something in free agency with our gaping hole at PF.

maybe i should have stated "three OF our best defenders." obviosuly lonzo is a great defender.

but yeah. missing the guys below don't leave us with much room for error...

1. caruso
2. javonte green
3. derrick jones jr (ie the only person with the length to at least get a hand in kd's face)

not an excuse though. like i said, this team is not good enough to beat a healthy brooklyn. i don't think any team is, including whoever comes out of the west.

Ball is hands down our best 1-5 defender, and he played.
Caruso is second, and then Jones.... are you also including Williams
who is out for the season? Green is a solid defender, but he isn’t a stopper.

I get what you mean, but it’s slightly inaccurate.

but you're correct. lonzo is a great defender.

Yeah, he got murked. He seemed off.

He is playing on a back to back, so there is that.

And due to injuries and COVID, it hasn't consistently been on the floor.
So when LaVine, DeRozan and White are your first point of contact,
it puts Vucevic into unfair situations for his skill set.

This team has to defend on the outside, that's why Caruso is so important.
So just adding Lonzo Ball to the lineup alone (after having COVID)
I didn't think was going to raise our defense to what it was at the start of the season.
It's a group effort.

That 9 game winning streak was the result in my opinion of us just out scoring teams. Full stop.

This game didn't worry me.

It’s very tough to win 3 in a row, plus bulls are on a back to back.

However, we have a major problem now. Derrick Jones got severely injured
at the beginning of the game, and with that our interior defense is in complete
shambles. Vucevic was completely useless out there. Two rookie bigs killed
him with speed and effort.

Harden torched our backcourt, and Durant ate up anyone who was
guarding him

We need BIGs right now, so hopefully management gets the ball rolling tomorrow
to improve our interior...or we will get ousted very early in the POs.

if guys like covington or batum can be had without mortgaging the future, sure.

thing is, like 90% of this roster has zero playoff experience. making a respectable playoff run with one of the above mentioned forwards and then looking to regroup in the offseason and go after it next season makes sense. especially when/if the nets disband.

the reality is that we need playoff experience and we need to take those inevitable playoff lumps. i assume our new competent front office will have that in mind when teams come asking for the farm in return for whoever we go after. but overall i agree that we have a huge hole up front. i expect that to be filled cautiously. and then we can look to get creative in the offseason.

He can hit the 3, guard all bigs, and he plays every night. If we can
get him, It would improve our interior defense tremendously.

Wood, Covington, Zubak, Lyles, Plumlee, Nurkic, Bagley....

My wishlist, just to name a few.

>Harden torched our backcourt, and Durant ate up anyone who was
>
>guarding him

Utah's recent history with the Cavs has been a frustrating losing streak including some bullshit wins made possible by random players.

Well, the Cavs finally got their asses back. Minus Gobert, the Cavs drop a 20-point win on 'em. Darius Garland gets his first career Triple Double. Evan Mobley impressed. Lauri Markkanen quietly had one of his best games of the season... because Lamar Stevens WASHED 'EM in the third quarter. The first 13 points of a 21-0 run that put the game out of reach, no matter how many 3s the Jazz took.

The Cavs were without Rondo and I was worried that DG (who badly needs some rest) would be blitzed horribly and Goodwin couldn't keep up. It didn't matter. That was an long coming ass whooping.

On to the Spurs and OKC to finally get off this wretched road trip.

I swear Kings players were smiling everytime he rose up to shoot...

Lebron hairline looking worse and worse every game...dude is STRESSED


>PG being done for the season was a given. Yeahhh. That means
>the clippers
>will be open to trading Zubak. He has one year left on his
>contract, or maybe even
>Morris or Hartstein. Expect some type of fire sale from them
>before the trade deadline.
>
>It’s quite evident after losing to the Mavericks that we
>need some size. Teams know
>they can simply score inside, and facing a PG like Luka, he
>exploited that...and other
>elite guards will exploit it as well.
>
>Bulls play Brooklyn tonight on ESPN. Bulls have beaten them
>twice this season,
>so I’m expecting a L. It’s difficult to beat a team three
>times in a row, plus Kyrie will
>be playing.
>
>Derozan getting snubbed for player of the month is a god damn
>travesty.
>But some old dude out in LA is stat padding
>while taking Ls, and it gets all the news.
>I guess you don’t have to be a winner to get a chicken
>dinner.
>
>

https://twitter.com/Westbricknews


>Lebron hairline looking worse and worse every game...dude is
>STRESSED

LOL

.

Aren't Knick fans tired of the "Oh we're gonna get (insert free agent here)" chase?

in a bigger deal

Does Reddish not play good enough defense for Nate McMillan to stomach him being on the Hawks?

Knox so far has been a bench riding scrub (sorry RealBillyRawDawgs, but it's true), and that packaged draft pick can't be all that low, so I don't get why the Hawks would want to make that trade for such middling returns.


*edit*

I just checked the schedule and low and behold, the Knicks next opponent happens to be the Hawks this Saturday. That should be enough time for Knox and Reddish to complete their physicals and for both to actual be available for Saturday's game.

Pretty interesting, at least to me.

He has no swag to his game right now. His body language looks bad. For a guy with supreme confidence, he doesn't look comfortable in his own skin out there - and he just really can't seem to focus. I expect him to break out of this funk, but man, this is ugly to watch.

Lot of reports on Laker trades. Take Russ out of it. Nobody is trading for him with that salary. But THT & Nunn for Jerami Grant has been floated which is intriguing. Not sure that moves the needle but Grant could very well be the third best player on this team.

Pelinka deserves some heat if things don't improve. Essentially all of his off-season moves have failed to pay off thus far.

Ultimately this team will be judged on the post-season. But with how things are going right now, they better worry about just making the playoffs as a top-6 seed. They are digging a hole right now.

-->

>He has no swag to his game right now. His body language
>looks bad. For a guy with supreme confidence, he doesn't look
>comfortable in his own skin out there - and he just really
>can't seem to focus. I expect him to break out of this funk,
>but man, this is ugly to watch.

How don't the refs call that immediately?
These fake tough guys are hilarisad
But...Allen gotta swell up at least one time...

the Jazz were getting teched and all, but calls were coming late or not at at all when anything happened in the paint for either team mostly. Allen was pissed that there wasn't a whistle immediately

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/33034686/2022-nba-trade-deadline-watch-potential-deals-all-30-teams

With the 2022 NBA trade deadline less than a month away (Feb. 10, 3 p.m. ET), there hasn't been much trade activity in the 2021-22 regular season.

Only three trades have occurred since Oct. 6, and while the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Rajon Rondo to replace injured guard Ricky Rubio, there has been a financial motivation for at least one of the teams involved in all three trades. That includes the Rondo deal, which helped trim the Los Angeles Lakers' luxury tax bill.

Most rosters were hit hard by players entering COVID-19 health and safety protocols in December, putting a hold on any major trade activity.

Will that change with the Feb. 10 deadline on the horizon?

Team executives whom ESPN spoke to predicted that we could see lots of trade activity in February because of a weaker-than-usual free-agent class coming up in July and a lack of salary-cap space among teams leaguewide to even pursue those free agents.

With that in mind, we've broken down what to watch for all 30 teams: what kind of moves they can make, what we're hearing, front-office trade histories and trade restrictions to note. We've also identified one trade we would like each to see from each team between now and the deadline.


Note: Teams have $5.8 million cash to send out and receive in trades unless otherwise noted.

MORE: 2021-22 trade tracker

Atlanta Hawks

What to watch: The future finances.

In the offseason, Atlanta doled out more than $300 million in new contracts for Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, John Collins and Clint Capela, investing in a roster that was two games away from the NBA Finals. Combined with the spending spree of the 2020 offseason that brought in Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the current (and underachieving) roster is trending toward the luxury tax in 2022-23.

"Certainly, Tony is willing to pay the tax if we are going to be a contender," general manager Travis Schlenk told the Atlanta Journal Constitution in the offseason. "I'm probably more conscious of it than Tony is, to be honest with you. It's my job to manage his money. He's got a lot more of it than I do, so I worry about it more than he does."

While a significant tax penalty is still a year away, Atlanta will face decisions this July on rookie extensions for Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter, along with Gallinari's $21.5 million partially guaranteed contract. Keeping all three would put the Hawks over the tax line for the foreseeable future.

That matters because Atlanta faces a balancing act starting at the trade deadline. The Hawks want to remain a competitive win-now team but also keep an eye on the future. In the short term, Atlanta is one of a few teams that still has all its first-round picks available. The Hawks also have $20 million in expiring contracts (Lou Williams, Delon Wright, Solomon Hill and Gorgui Dieng) along with one of its top young prospects in Reddish to explore the trade front.

The Hawks have been inconsistent this season, and after a loss to Portland, Schlenk voiced his displeasure with the roster to 92.9 The Game.

"Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to bring everybody back, that's on me," he said. "We have a few weeks here at the trade deadline, and that's what I need to figure out ... it's my responsibility to put a product on the floor that can win. Right now I'm questioning whether or not I have done that."

Front-office deadline history: GM Travis Schlenk has made 10 deadline deals during his tenure.

Last regular-season trade: Acquired Lou Williams and $1.35 million from the Clippers for Rajon Rondo (March 25, 2021).

Impact transaction: Clint Capela from the Rockets as part of a three-team, 12-player trade.

Trade we would like to see: Solomon Hill and a 2022 first-round pick (top-15 protected) to the Thunder for Kenrich Williams. The Thunder will receive second-round picks in 2022 and 2024 if the first-round pick does not convey this year.

Restrictions/notes

The Hawks are $1.9 million below the luxury tax.

Capela cannot be traded because of the extension restriction in his contract.

Hill and Williams have a one-year Bird restriction and have veto power on any trade.

Young and Huerter signed rookie extensions and have a poison-pill restriction in their contract.

Bogdanovic has a 15% trade bonus in his contract.

The Hawks own all their draft picks and have a top-14-protected first-rounder from the Thunder in 2022. It will turn into 2024 and 2025 second-round picks if not conveyed.

Atlanta has a $1.8 million trade exception.

Boston Celtics

What to watch: Dennis Schroder, a $17.1 million trade exception and the luxury tax.

Schroder is averaging a career-high 32.6 minutes and is on trade watch because he signed a one-year contract last offseason. The Celtics are restricted in what they can offer him (up to $7.1 million) in a new contract in July.

The Celtics could hold on to Schroder or move him for either multiple second-round picks or a player who has a few years left on his contract. Any team that trades for Schroder will have the same limit in re-signing him, unless that team has cap space or the full non-taxpayer midlevel exception in the offseason.

Trading Schroder, combined with the likelihood that Jaylen Brown will miss out on his bonuses (All-Star and team achievement), would put the Celtics under the tax threshold.

Like last season, the Celtics once again have one of the larger trade exceptions heading into the trade deadline. The $17.2 million exception (they also have $9.8 million and $5.1 million exceptions), created as part of the Evan Fournier sign-and-trade deal to New York, does not have a Feb. 10 expiration date, and the Celtics can wait until the offseason to use it. Using the exception this season would come with a significant financial penalty because Boston is in the luxury tax.

We also have hit a point to the season where there have to be realistic expectations with this roster.

There is no denying that the Celtics have underachieved this season, but that does not mean they should trade two young stars -- Brown and Jayson Tatum -- who have not even hit the prime of their careers and are under contract for the foreseeable future. The Celtics' failure to put an adequate supporting cast (either via free agency or the draft) around both players has been the bigger problem.

After a win against New York, Brown was clear that he and Tatum can play together.

"I think we can play together," he said. "We have played together well for the majority of our career and things like that. The last year or so hasn't gone as expected, but I think a lot of the adversity that we're kind of going through now is going to help us grow and get better in the future. If we get over this slump and continue to learn, I think there's a lot of good basketball on the other side of this. I only can control what I can control. I understand everybody has to do their jobs, but me and JT talk. We talked after the game, communicated with each other and things like that. So we're on the same page. I get where all the other frustration comes from, but as long as I'm on the same page with him and he's on the same page with me, that's where we're most focused on."

Whether Tatum and Brown can coexist is an argument for the offseason after Brad Stevens has had a full 82 games to evaluate the roster.

Besides trades that trim around the edge (Schroder, trade exceptions), the focus for Stevens should be exploring what a package of Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson and draft picks could bring back.

Front-office deadline history: This is the first trade deadline for Brad Stevens in his role as president of basketball operations. The former Celtics head coach has made five trades since taking over in June.

Trade we would like to see: Dennis Schroder into the Mavericks' $10.8 million trade exception. The Celtics would get back the Mavericks' second-round picks in 2022 and 2024. This trade would put the Celtics under the luxury tax.

Restrictions/notes

Boston has an open roster spot.

The Celtics are $3.7 million over the luxury tax (not including the Brown bonuses) and have a projected tax bill of $5.5 million. Boston is not subject to the hard cap and can exceed the $143 million apron.

The trade restriction for Smart gets lifted on Jan. 25.

Robert Williams III signed a rookie extension and has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

Tatum has a 15% trade bonus but that would be voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

The Celtics received $110,000 from New York in the Fournier sign-and-trade deal. They are now restricted to receive no more than $5.7 million in a trade.

Brooklyn Nets

What to watch: The $11.5 million and $6.3 million trade exceptions, luxury tax and buyout options.

Despite using most of its draft assets to acquire James Harden last January, Brooklyn is sitting on two valuable trade exceptions that are worth $11.5 million and $6.3 million. However, to use either one, the Nets would need to waive a player or send one out in a trade, and have ownership sign off a significant addition to the luxury tax bill.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Trade targets, draft capital and big questions facing every team
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For example, if the Nets acquired a player like Indiana Pacers forward Justin Holiday, their luxury tax bill would increase from $110.4 million to $142.4 million.

The Nets were one of the more active teams in the buyout landscape last year, signing Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge. Because they do not have an open roster spot, the Nets would need to either trade a player before a deadline or waive someone to do that again this year.

If the Nets do create an open roster spot, look for them to possibly convert the two-way contract of David Duke Jr., who has started recently but would not be eligible for the playoffs if he remained on a two-way deal.

Front-office deadline history: Nets GM Sean Marks made the Harden trade during the regular season last year but is not known for shaking up the roster at the deadline. Marks has made three deadline trades since taking over in 2015.

Impact transactions: This was not a deadline deal, but Brooklyn acquired Harden, a former MVP, during the regular season last year. The trade cost Brooklyn Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Taurean Prince (in addition to many draft picks). In 2019, the Nets acquired Greg Monroe and a 2021 second-round pick from Toronto. That pick was sent to Detroit in the 2020 trade for Bruce Brown. The Monroe trade is also the last time Brooklyn made a deadline deal.

Trade we would like to see: Dorian Finney-Smith from Dallas for a 2028 unprotected first. The Nets are clearly all-in, and this would be a huge risk considering that it is unlikely Kevin Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving will be on the roster in 2028. The positive is that Finney-Smith is an elite level defender and Brooklyn inherits his Bird rights, allowing them to re-sign him in the offseason.

Restrictions/notes

Brooklyn is $35.3 million over the luxury tax and has a projected $110.4 million penalty.

The Nets sent $5.8 million to Detroit as part of the DeAndre Jordan trade and are not allowed to send cash out in a trade.

Brown and Griffin have veto power on any trade because they signed one-year contracts.

The 15% trade bonus for Durant would be voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

Kyrie Irving has a 15% trade bonus in his contract. Because his contract is below the maximum this season, the bonus is valued at $2.9 million.

The Nets owe Houston unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026. They are allowed to trade an unprotected first in 2028. The Rockets also have the right to swap a first in 2023, 2025 and 2027.

Charlotte Hornets

What to watch: Mitch Kupchak.

Kupchak and his front office (along with head coach James Borrego) have to decide whether the current roster, when healthy, is more than just a play-in team. If not, is there a deal to their liking that can upgrade the center position? The Hornets acquired Mason Plumlee from the Pistons this offseason, a low-risk move that also saw Charlotte swap second-round picks (from 57 to 37) with Detroit. But it was really just a Band-Aid on a center position that has troubled Charlotte for years.

Sending Plumlee and PJ Washington to the Pacers for Myles Turner works financially, but Charlotte is restricted when it comes to sending out additional draft compensation. The Hornets surrendered a top-18-protected 2022 first-round pick to New York the night of the draft and cannot move a future first until two years after it is conveyed.

Front-office deadline history: Since Kupchak took over as GM in 2018, the lone regular-season trade came last season when the Hornets acquired Brad Wanamaker from the Warriors.

Trade we would like to see: Mason Plumlee and James Bouknight to Indiana for Myles Turner.

Restrictions/notes

The trade restriction for Terry Rozier gets lifted on Jan. 30.

Gordon Hayward has a 15% trade bonus in his contract. The bonus is valued at $11 million.

The Hornets owe New York a first-round pick that is top-18 protected in 2022, top-16 in 2023 and top-14 in 2024 and 2025. They can trade a first but only two years after the pick to New York is conveyed.

The Hornets received $2 million from New Orleans as part of the Devonte' Graham sign-and-trade deal. They are now restricted to receive no more than $3.8 million in a trade.

Chicago Bulls

What to watch: The $5 million trade exception, Patrick Williams and buyout options.

It is hard to see a path for the Bulls to be active at the trade deadline outside of trading their young-but-injured forward Patrick Williams.

Chicago cannot trade any of its own first-round or second-round picks over the next seven seasons and is only $3 million below the luxury tax line, making it difficult to use the $5 million trade exception. The Bulls do have the $9.7 million expiring contract of Derrick Jones Jr.

Would a Jones and Williams package be enough to get Jerami Grant from the Pistons? Grant would give the Bulls a wing who can guard multiple positions and allow DeRozan to slide back to the small forward spot.

Front-office deadline history: Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls vice president of basketball operations, began to reshape the roster last March when the Bulls traded two future firsts (along with Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter Jr.) to Orlando for All-Star Nikola Vucevic. Besides the Vucevic trade, Chicago was also part of a three-team, seven-player trade that saw it acquire Troy Brown Jr. and Javonte Green.

Trade we would like to see: Derrick Jones Jr., Patrick Williams and Portland's 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick to Detroit for Jerami Grant.

Restrictions/notes

The Bulls are $8.4 million below the hard cap.

Chicago owes Orlando and San Antonio a protected first in future years. It can trade either a 2027 or 2028 first, but only if the protection is lifted on both. The Bulls are allowed to trade the 2022 (lottery protected) first they received from Portland as part of the Lauri Markkanen trade. The first is lottery protected until 2028.

The Bulls sent $1.2 million to New Orleans as part of the Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade deal. They are restricted to sending out no more than $4.6 million.

Chicago received $1.1 million in the Daniel Theis sign-and-trade deal and are restricted to receiving $4.7 million.

Chicago has a $5 million trade exception.

Cleveland Cavaliers

What to watch: Bench depth, first-round picks and Collin Sexton.

Recent trade: As part of a three-team deal, the Cavaliers acquired Rajon Rondo from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Denzel Valentine.

For the first time in the non-LeBron James era, the Cavaliers are not actively looking to shed contracts for draft picks but are looking to improve the roster at the deadline.

While their core players (Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen) should be off limits, the Cavaliers do have $10.4 million of salary in Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler, along with former lottery pick Collin Sexton, to send out in a trade.

Osman has three years left on his contract (the last year is non-guaranteed) and is shooting a career-high 41% from three this season.

Sexton is out for the season with a knee injury, but despite that, he could have significant trade value. Sexton will be a restricted free agent this summer, and any team acquiring him in a trade has the ability to give him a qualifying offer, which will give it the rights to match any offer sheet. The team would also acquire his Bird rights, meaning it could exceed the cap to re-sign him.

The Cavaliers are also one of a handful of teams that still have access to all of their first-round picks in the next seven years.

One thing to keep an eye on is the Cavaliers luxury tax situation. The Cavaliers are $3.3 million below the threshold and have prioritized staying under this season.

Front-office deadline history: GM Koby Altman is known to be aggressive during the regular season, making 12 trades since he took over in 2017.

Impact transaction: Cleveland was the one of the winners of the four-team, seven-player trade that saw James Harden land in Brooklyn. As part of the trade, the Cavaliers sent a 2022 first-round pick (via Milwaukee) to Houston and acquired center Jarrett Allen from Brooklyn.

Last regular-season trade: Traded JaVale McGee to Denver for Isaiah Hartenstein and two future second round picks (March 25, 2021).

Trade we would like to see: Ricky Rubio and a 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick to Houston for Eric Gordon.

Restrictions/notes

The Cavaliers are $9.7 million below the hard cap and $3.3 million below the luxury tax.

Cleveland has $4.3 million, $1.8 million and $858,000 trade exceptions.

Dallas Mavericks

What to watch: The $10.9 million trade exception.

The Mavericks continue to tread water in the middle of the Western Conference, but they have a valuable trade asset: the $10.9 million exception created last offseason.

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Dallas is well positioned below the luxury tax ($16.4 million of room) and can target additional backcourt help for Luka Doncic at the deadline (hello, Dennis Schroder) or wait until the offseason to use the exception.

The rest of the roster outside of Jalen Brunson (a free agent this summer) and Dorian Finney-Smith does not have significant trade value (sorry, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell and Reggie Bullock) unless of course Dallas is willing to attach a 2025 or 2027 first-round pick.

Dallas could trade both of those picks, but only if it amends the top-10 protection on the 2023 pick that is owed to New York.

Front-office deadline history: This is the first deadline for Mavericks GM Nico Harrison. The lone trade during his tenure is the deal that sent Josh Richardson to Boston in July for center Moses Brown. The trade helped the Mavericks create their $10.9 million trade exception.

Trade we would like to see: None. Save the trade exception until the offseason. The lone transaction should be Dallas waiving Willie Cauley-Stein (or possibly finding a trade partner) and using the open roster spot to sign Marquese Chriss.

Restrictions/notes

The Mavericks are $16.4 million below the luxury tax.

Doncic has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

Bullock and Kristaps Porzingis each have a 5% trade bonus. The bonus for Porzingis is voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

Trey Burke has a 7.5% trade bonus.

Dallas owes New York a first-round pick that is top-10 protected in 2023, 2024 or 2025. The Mavericks are allowed to trade a future first but only two years after that pick is conveyed.

Denver Nuggets

What to watch: Patience.

Recent trade: Acquired Rodney McGruder and a 2022 second (via Brooklyn) from Detroit for Bol Bol. The trade gave the Nuggets some additional savings below the luxury tax and a draft asset.

It is hard to preach patience considering that Nikola Jokic continues to play like an MVP.

However, with Denver hovering around .500 while missing the injured Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., a roster shake-up is likely not coming.

For starters, because of the prior trades with Oklahoma City (rights to R.J. Hampton) and Orlando (Aaron Gordon), the Nuggets are not allowed to trade a first-round pick.

Second, taking Jokic, Murray, Porter and Gordon off the trade board leaves starters Will Barton and Monte Morris, reserves Jeff Green, JaMychal Green (has to approve a trade) and Facundo Campazzo, and young players Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji as the lone trade options.

Denver could make a minor move and trade P.J. Dozier (or waive Rodney McGruder) and cash to open up a roster spot. However, if the injured Dozier is moved, the Nuggets would lose full Bird rights on him.

Keep in mind that because of the extensions for Porter and Gordon, the Nuggets are a luxury tax team and likely do not have an appetite to take back additional salary that stretches into the 2022-23 season.

Front-office deadline history: Since taking over as president of basketball operations in 2013, Tim Connelly has made 14 trades during the regular season.

Last regular-season trade: Last March, Denver acquired Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark from the Orlando Magic for Gary Harris, Hampton and a future first-round pick.

Impact transaction: Traded Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee to Portland for Will Barton, Victor Claver, Thomas Robinson and a 2016 first-round pick (turned into Malik Beasley). Barton has averaged double figures in scoring every season and is now the full-time starter at shooting guard. Beasley was traded to Minnesota as part of the four-team, 12-player trade in 2020.

Trade we would like to see: For Denver to waive McGruder and convert the two-way contract of Davon Reed into a standard deal.

Restrictions/notes

The Nuggets are $2.4 million below the luxury tax.

Gordon cannot be traded because of the extension he signed.

Green and Austin Rivers each have a one-year Bird restriction and have veto power on any trade.

Porter has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

The Nuggets owe a future first to Oklahoma City (either 2023, 2024 or 2025) and Orlando (either 2025, 2026 or 2027). As a result, Denver is not allowed to trade a future first.

The Nuggets have $2.2 million and $1.7 million trade exceptions.

Detroit Pistons

What to watch: The cost of trading away players.

Recent trade: Acquired Bol Bol from the Nuggets for Rodney McGruder and a 2022 second-round pick (via Brooklyn).

Having one of the worst records would seem to make it obvious that Detroit should be looking to see what it can get from other teams for its players at the deadline.

However, the Pistons have multiple players either on their rookie-scale contracts or who have a team option for next season. In fact, the Pistons have 12 players earning less than $6 million and each one of them is under contract for next season. The only player on the roster who earns more than $20 million is forward Jerami Grant.

Detroit is also already projected to have north of $20 million in cap space next offseason. Given a free-agent class that is average at best, the Pistons don't need to prioritize creating more cap space.

Grant is out with an injury but has the most trade value. He plays a position of need and is under contract through the 2022-23 season.

Front-office deadline history: Four of the current Pistons players -- Cory Joseph and Hamidou Diallo and the draft picks used to select Isaiah Livers and Luka Garza -- were part of the three regular-season trades that GM Troy Weaver made last season.

Trade we would like to see: Grant to the Grizzlies for Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, Jarrett Culver and two first-round picks (from the Jazz and Warriors).

Restrictions/notes

The Pistons received $5.8 million from Brooklyn as part of the DeAndre Jordan trade and cannot take back money in a future transaction.

Diallo, Frank Jackson and Joseph each have a one-year Bird restriction and can veto any trade.

Detroit owes Oklahoma City a first-round pick that is protected from 2022 to 2028. Because the pick has protection in the next seven seasons, Detroit is not allowed to trade a future first unless the protection is modified.

Golden State Warriors

What to watch: Team continuity.

The Warriors have made deadline deals in each of the past two years, but during their five consecutive trips to the Finals from 2015 to 2019, Bob Myers and his front office made no regular-season trades. Expect that trend to resume in 2022.

The Warriors' biggest in-season additions are the returns from injury of All-Star Klay Thompson and former No. 2 pick James Wiseman. Considering that Golden State did not have to give up anything, the return of both players is better than any trade the Warriors could make.

Front-office deadline history: Before the trade that saw D'Angelo Russell head to Minnesota in 2020, Golden State had not made a regular-season trade in six years.

Last regular-season trade: In two separate transactions, Golden State sent Marquese Chriss to San Antonio and Brad Wanamaker to Charlotte. The trades helped save the Warriors $21.6 million toward the luxury tax.

Impact transaction: In what was seen as a lopsided trade at the time, the Warriors sent All-Star Russell to the Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and a lightly protected (top three) first-round pick. Golden State would select Jonathan Kuminga with the seventh pick in the 2020 draft.

Trade we would like to see: None. The Warriors will certainly explore their trade options, but there is no single trade that can improve a roster that is already championship ready.

Restrictions/notes

The Warriors are $39.3 million over the tax and have a league-record $170.3 million penalty.

Golden State has three trade exceptions: $2.3 million, $1.9 million and $1.8 million.

Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green each have a 15% trade bonus. The bonus for Curry would be voided.

Golden State owes Memphis a first-round pick that is top-four protected in 2024, top-one in 2025 and unprotected in 2026. The Warriors are allowed to trade a 2022 first and a future first but only two years after the pick to the Grizzlies is conveyed.

Houston Rockets

What to watch: Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, John Wall and D.J. Augustin.

The first question that the Rockets need to answer is if Porter is part of the team's future.

There have been multiple instances in both Cleveland and now in Houston in which his immaturity has overshadowed his on-court play. However, he is still only 21 years old and is not a free agent until 2023. The big decision will come not at the trade deadline but when the guard is extension eligible in the offseason.

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As for the rest of the roster, the Rockets are clearly in the retool phase. A balance on the court has to be struck between young players such as Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun and veterans such as Gordon, Augustin and Wood.

The Rockets went 5-16 in the early part of the season with Porter and Green getting the bulk of the minutes in the backcourt. When both missed extended time in December, the Rockets played their best basketball, going 5-6.

Green is part of the future and it is important to give him freedom on the court. However, moving Augustin and Gordon now should be taken into consideration if doing so would accelerate the development of the team's young core.

Gordon is under contract through 2023-24, but his contract is nonguaranteed in the last year. Augustin has $333,000 of his $7.3 million contract guaranteed in 2022-23.

Wood is having an All-Star-type season, is on a team-friendly contract ($13.7 million and $14.3 million) and will not become a free agent until 2023. However, he was recently suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team. Like with Porter, the Rockets have a decision on whether to build around him. Wood can sign an extension this offseason worth up to $77 million over four years.

As for Wall, it is hard to see a taker for his contract ($44.3 million this year, $47.4 million next year), unless, of course, the Rockets want to reacquire Russell Westbrook from the Lakers.

Front-office deadline history: In only two seasons, GM Rafael Stone has made 12 trades, including four during the 2020-21 season.

Last regular-season trade: Traded Victor Oladipo to Miami for Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and the right to swap Miami's first-round pick (top-14 protected) with Brooklyn's in 2022.

Impact transaction: The James Harden blockbuster is the most notable, but acquiring Porter for a top-55-protected second-round pick has had the biggest impact.

Trade we would like to see: Wood to the Knicks for Mitchell Robinson, Kemba Walker and two first-round picks (Dallas and Charlotte).

Restrictions/notes

The Rockets are $7.3 million below the luxury tax.

They sent out $1.2 million in the Daniel Theis sign-and-trade deal and $110,000 to Brooklyn. They are restricted to $4.6 million to send out.

Garrison Mathews has a signing restriction and cannot be traded.

Theis has a 15% trade bonus in his contract.

Houston has a $1.8 million trade exception.

The Rockets are owed unprotected first-round picks from Brooklyn in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The Rockets have the right to swap Brooklyn's 2022 first for Miami's (top-14 protected). They also have the right to swap with the Nets in 2023, 2025 and 2027. They also have an unprotected pick from Milwaukee in 2023. The Rockets owe the Thunder top-four-protected first-round picks in 2024 and 2026. In addition, Oklahoma City has the right to swap picks in 2025 (top-10 protected; OKC has the right to swap with the Rockets or Clippers).

Indiana Pacers

Who to watch: Kevin Pritchard.

Instead of listing the names of Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Jeremy Lamb and Caris LeVert as the players to watch at the deadline, all eyes are on the head of basketball operations, Kevin Pritchard. The longtime executive is tasked with improving a roster that is average at best, without going into a full-scale rebuild.

"I don't want to see ," owner Herb Simon told Bob Kravitz of The Athletic. "If I don't want to see it, the fans don't want to see it. Why would we want to go through a rebuild when we can build on the go? That's the talent. Donnie did it all the time. Larry did it. Kevin will do it. We can do it."

Since the 2010-11 season, the Pacers have missed the playoffs only twice: in 2014-15, when star Paul George missed most of the year because of a broken leg, and last season, when they lost to the Wizards in the second play-in game. Indiana has prided itself on being able to adjust without taking a giant step back.

If that same plan is to continue, Pritchard will have to parlay Turner or LeVert into draft picks and players who can help now and in the future.

Front-office deadline history: The LeVert trade last January was the first time that Pritchard made a regular-season trade since 2014. Besides LeVert, the Pacers also acquired two future second-round picks as part of the four-team trade with Brooklyn, Cleveland and Houston.

Trade we would like to see: Turner to Minnesota for Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince, a 2022 first-round pick (top-nine protected) and the right to swap firsts in 2023 (top-five protected).

Restrictions/notes

Indiana is $2.3 million below the tax threshold and has an open roster spot.

Malcolm Brogdon cannot be traded because of the extension he signed in October.

Indiana has three trade exceptions: $7.4 million, $4.0 million and $2.4 million.

The Pacers sent Washington $1 million as a part of the Aaron Holiday trade and have $4.8 million available to send out in a trade.

LA Clippers

What to watch: Serge Ibaka and the luxury tax.

When healthy, the Clippers would be considered a Western Conference contender and would be looking to add to the roster at the deadline even if that meant adding to their payroll. Unfortunately, the Clippers aren't healthy. Kawhi Leonard has been out all season rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in last year's playoffs, and Paul George has recently been sidelined with an elbow injury.

Because of both injuries and a roster that is stuck in the middle of the pack in the standings, the Clippers should take a short-term financial approach with their roster.

By trading Ibaka and his $9.3 million salary, the Clippers would see their $94 million tax penalty shrink to $53 million -- a savings of $41 million. Ibaka will be a free agent this summer and his remaining salary at the time of the trade deadline would be $3.1 million -- just slightly less than the $3.3 million in cash the Clippers have available to send out in a trade.

While the next available first-round pick the Clippers can trade is in 2028, they do have seven future second-round picks they can include in any deal.

The Clippers have $3.3 million available to send in a trade and seven future second-round picks.

Front-office deadline history: President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has made eight trades during the regular season since taking over in 2017.

Last regular-season trade: Traded Lou Williams, $1.35 million and two future seconds to the Atlanta Hawks for Rajon Rondo.

Impact transaction: Traded Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 second. The trade would help pave the way for the Clippers to sign Kawhi Leonard in 2019.

Trade we would like to see: Serge Ibaka, a 2025 second and $1 million to the Thunder for the rights to Vasilije Micic.

Restrictions/notes

The Clippers are $31.9 million over the tax and are projected to have a $94 million tax bill.

Terance Mann cannot be traded because he recently signed an extension.

Nicolas Batum signed a one-year contract (second year is a player option) and has the right to veto any trade.

Leonard, Ibaka and Reggie Jackson each have a 15% trade bonus. The bonus for Leonard is voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

The Clippers paid $2.5 million for the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr. They now have $3.3 million available to send out in a trade.

The Clippers owe unprotected first-round picks to the Thunder in 2022, 2024 and 2026. In addition, the Thunder can swap firsts in 2023 and 2025. The Clippers are allowed to trade a first starting in 2028.

Los Angeles Lakers

What to watch: Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, DeAndre Jordan, the 2027 first-round pick.

The Russell Westbrook trade in the offseason proved that as long as LeBron James is on the roster, the Lakers will always be a win-now team.

The downside, however, is that the Lakers have backed themselves into a corner on how this team can improve.

If you remove James (untouchable), Anthony Davis (there have been no discussions about moving him) and Westbrook (there is no realistic deal for him that would upgrade the roster) off the trade table, that leaves the Lakers with two assets other teams might want in a trade: Horton-Tucker and their 2027 first-round pick. Because of his $5 million salary, Nunn could be added to the group, but the guard has not stepped on the court this season and has a player option for 2022-23.

Horton-Tucker and Nunn combine to earn $14.5 million, which means the maximum that the Lakers can receive in a trade for the duo is $18.2 million, which is not enough for a player like the Pistons' Jerami Grant unless a player on a minimum contract is included.

Knowing that a 42-year-old James will likely not be on the roster in 2026-27 (and Davis can become a free agent before then as well), the big question is if the front office would entertain moving a 2027 first-round pick, especially since it'd likely have to keep the pick unprotected to bring anything of value back. Since James entered the league in 2003, his teams (Cleveland, Miami and the Lakers) have traded 15 first-round picks in separate deals.

The Lakers created a roster spot with the Rajon Rondo trade and can explore opening up another one if a team is willing to take back DeAndre Jordan. Waiving Jordan is less desirable because of the luxury tax impact. The Lakers can attach cash (they have up to $5.5 million available) or a second-round pick to entice a team to take on Jordan's salary.

Front-office deadline history: In his third year of running the Lakers' front office, Rob Pelinka has not made a trade during the regular season.

Trade we would like to see: Sorry, Lakers fans, it is a minor one. Jordan and $1 million to Orlando for the draft rights of Janis Timma.

Restrictions/notes

The Lakers are $18.6 million over the tax and have a projected penalty of $40.5 million.

The Lakers sent a combined $1.35 million to Memphis and New York in two separate trades. They now have $4.4 million to send out in a trade.

James and Davis each have a 15% trade bonus. The bonus is voided because it would exceed the maximum salary allowed.

The Lakers owe New Orleans or Memphis a first-round pick in 2022. The Pelicans get it if it falls in the top 10; otherwise, it goes to the Grizzlies. In addition, the Pelicans have the right to swap first-round picks in 2023. They also have the Lakers' first-round pick in 2024 and have the right to defer that pick to 2025. The earliest that the Lakers can trade a first is two years after the pick in 2024 or 2025 is conveyed.

Memphis Grizzlies

What to watch: Straddling the fence of good but not great.

The Grizzlies are in a unique position heading into the deadline. They have the assets in draft picks (10 total) and contracts to go after that second star (or do they have that already in Desmond Bane?) to play alongside Ja Morant.

For example, they could put together an incredible package for someone like the Celtics Jaylen Brown. Or they could stand pat, valuing the depth that has led them to a top-four spot in the Western Conference standings. Because of the position they're in, a tier below Golden State, Phoenix and Utah in the West, the Grizzlies can take a conservative approach to the deadline, waiting until the offseason for the right deal to surface.

Front-office deadline history: Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman has made 18 trades since taking over in 2019. However, only two of those transactions occurred during the regular season. In 2020, Memphis acquired Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow from Miami in exchange for Solomon Hill, Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala. Memphis also traded Bruno Caboclo to Houston for Jordan Bell and the right to swap second-round picks in 2023.

Trade we would like to see: Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, Jarrett Culver, a 2022 first-round pick (owed from Utah), and a 2024 first-round pick (owed from Golden State) to Detroit for Jerami Grant, Rodney McGruder and Luka Garza.

Restrictions/notes

Jaren Jackson Jr. has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

Anderson has a 15% trade bonus.

Killian Tillie is not allowed to be traded.

Memphis is owed a first-round pick from Utah that is top-six protected in 2022, top-three protected in 2023, and top-one protected in 2024. It will also get the Lakers' 2022 first-round pick unless it falls in the top 10 (in which case it will go to New Orleans). Memphis also has a future first-round pick from the Warriors that is top-four protected in 2024, top-one protected in 2025 and unprotected in 2026.

The Grizzlies have a $4.1 million trade exception.

Miami Heat

What to watch: The final roster spot and Victor Oladipo.

When healthy and at full strength, Miami is a top-four team in the East. That is why the Heat's trade-deadline additions will likely be internal moves. The two-way contract of Caleb Martin could be converted to a regular contract, and former All-Star Oladipo -- who has been out since April 8 after undergoing surgery on his right quadriceps tendon -- could return.

Martin is averaging a career high in minutes (22.4), points (8.8) and field goal percentage (50.5%) this season.

Oladipo had surgery in May, and although there is no timetable when he steps on the court, the former All-Star started to travel with the team in December.

"It's a big step," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the Miami Herald in December. "It's not about a step of when he'll be back. It's more about just the emotional and mental boost for him. He has been doing all this work behind the scenes, at the arena while we've been on the road. And we've been on the road virtually the entire season. So he hasn't been with us for a large part of it."

Even if Oladipo does not play this season, the Heat have his Bird rights and can sign him to a contract for more than the veteran minimum in free agency.

The Heat do have one roster spot available and can fill it starting on March 25 while staying below the luxury tax, so Miami could look to add a player who is bought out after the trade deadline.

Front-office deadline history: The Heat have been aggressive the past two trade deadlines, acquiring a combination of Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, Oladipo and Trevor Ariza.

Last regular-season trade: Acquired Oladipo from the Houston Rockets for Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and the right to swap first-round picks (top-14 protected) in 2022. Oladipo would later injure a knee and miss the end of the regular season and the playoffs. He later re-signed with Miami on a one-year veteran minimum contract, and the Heat have full Bird rights to re-sign him in July.

Impact transaction: As part of a three-team trade, the Heat acquired Iguodala, Crowder and Solomon Hill from the Grizzlies, giving up Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters. The trade added a starter in Crowder and helped strengthen their bench. Miami would go on to lose in the NBA Finals to the Lakers.

Trade we would like to see: None. Instead of making a trade, Miami should convert the two-way contract of Caleb Martin in late March.

Restrictions/notes

The Heat are $166,000 below the luxury tax and $6.6 million below the hard cap.

Oladipo, Dewayne Dedmon and Udonis Haslem signed one-year contracts and have the right to veto a trade.

Butler has a 15% trade bonus.

The Rockets have the right to swap Miami's first (top-14 protected) with Brooklyn's. Miami owes Oklahoma City a first-round pick that is top-14 protected in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and unprotected in 2026. The Heat are allowed to trade a first-round pick but only two years after the one owed to the Thunder is conveyed.

Milwaukee Bucks

What to watch: Health and the open roster spot.

The defending champions have proved that when healthy (even without Brook Lopez), they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

Milwaukee is 13-3 this season with a lineup of Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.

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If there is a slight weakness, it is that Milwaukee lacks a wing defender when Antetokounmpo shifts to the center position. The Bucks could also use another big if Lopez does not return.

However, acquiring either such player would likely force them to trade Donte DiVincenzo. The pool of players who fit the Bucks' needs, outside of the Mavericks' Dorian Finney-Smith, is shallow.

Front-office deadline history: In the past three seasons, GM Jon Horst has added P.J. Tucker, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and Nikola Mirotic in four separate trades during the regular season.

Last regular-season trade: Acquired Tucker, Rodions Kurucs and a 2021 second-round pick (was later traded to Indiana) for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson and a 2021 first-round pick (the rights to Josh Christopher). The Bucks also agreed to move back the 2022 first that they owed Houston to 2023.

Impact transaction: The Tucker trade. The forward started 19 playoff games and played an instrumental role in helping end Milwaukee's 50-year championship drought.

Trade we would like to see: None. This Milwaukee team is good enough to win a second consecutive championship with the current roster.

Restrictions/notes

The Bucks have an open roster spot.

Milwaukee is $20.3 million over the tax and has a $46.2 million penalty.

Allen has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Portis each have a one-year Bird restriction and veto power on any trade.

Antetokounmpo has a 15% trade bonus that would be voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

The Bucks received $1 million from Memphis as part of the Allen trade and are restricted to receiving $4.8 million.

The Bucks have two trade exceptions: $1.7 million and $1.6 million.

Milwaukee owes Houston an unprotected first-round pick in 2023. The Bucks also owe New Orleans unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027. The Pelicans have the right to swap firsts in 2024 and 2026. The Bucks are restricted from trading any future first-round picks.

Minnesota Timberwolves

What to watch: The roster outside of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

The Timberwolves are in that in-between stage. The current roster has the ceiling of a play-in team but nothing more.

Minnesota is only $873,000 below the luxury tax line but has more than $30 million in expiring contracts and all of its future first-round picks available to make trades to improve the roster.

The front office has to ask, outside of Towns and Edwards, are there any players on the roster (possibly D'Angelo Russell or Malik Beasley) who have enough trade value to land a third star?

The Timberwolves do have Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaden McDaniels, but both are on controllable team-friendly contracts.

Front-office deadline history: This is the first trade deadline for executive vice president Sachin Gupta in the lead role. Gupta, however, is a veteran, having worked in the front office of Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit and -- in the past three seasons -- Minnesota. In 2020, the Timberwolves made three separate deadline trades that involved nine teams and 23 players.

Trade we would like to see: Terrence Ross from the Magic for Taurean Prince and three second-round picks (their own in 2022 and 2023 and Washington's in 2022).

Restrictions/notes

The Timberwolves have an open roster spot and are $873,000 below the tax.

Minnesota has a $4.8 million trade exception.

Towns has a 5% trade bonus. The bonus is voided if Towns is traded.

New Orleans Pelicans

What to watch: Tomas Satoransky.

At this point of the season, we would have thought that the Pelicans would be looking to upgrade the roster for a playoff push. Instead, injuries (namely Zion Williamson) have the Pelicans languishing in lottery position.

Moving forward, the focus is on the veteran guard Satoransky, who is on an expiring $10 million contract. The Pelicans could trade him and take back salary that stretches past this season if there is draft compensation attached.

Front-office deadline history: Executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has made a total of 13 trades in New Orleans but only one during the regular season. Last March, the Pelicans traded JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli to Dallas for James Johnson, Wes Iwundu and a 2021 second-round pick (later traded to Philadelphia).

Trade we would like to see: Satoransky and Garrett Temple to New York for Evan Fournier and a future first from Charlotte.

Restrictions/notes

New Orleans has the Lakers' first-round pick in 2022 if it falls in the top 10, but it goes to the Grizzlies if it's 11-30. The Pelicans also have swap rights with the Lakers in 2023, and they can get an unprotected first-round pick from the Lakers in 2024 or defer that pick to 2025. New Orleans has the Bucks' unprotected firsts in 2025 and 2027 and swap rights with Milwaukee in 2024 and 2026.

Brandon Ingram has a 15% trade bonus. It would get voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

Jonas Valanciunas has a trade bonus that is the lesser of 15% of his remaining contract or $1 million.

The Pelicans traded the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr. to the Clippers and received $2.5 million. They are restricted to receive $3.3 million in a trade.

As part of the Devonte' Graham sign-and-trade deal, New Orleans sent $2 million to Charlotte. It has $3.8 million available to send out in a trade.

New Orleans has two trade exceptions: $17.1 million and $3.9 million.

New York Knicks

What to watch: Kevin Knox II and Mitchell Robinson.

Despite an underachieving season, the Knicks need to continue to take a long-term approach with this roster. There is no disgruntled All-Star available to turn the Knicks from a team fighting for a play-in spot back into a top-four team in the Eastern Conference.

The front office should put the nine first-round picks at their disposal, lock them away and wait until the right trade materializes rather than chasing a short-term fix.

Instead the focus should be on getting what they can for Robinson and Knox, a pair of 2018 draft picks. Both are set to enter free agency in the offseason, and New York should be looking to trade both of them before that happens, rather than losing them for nothing.

Front-office deadline history: Under the watch of team president Leon Rose, the Knicks have made 11 trades since 2020, including two in the regular season.

Last regular-season trade: As part of a three-team, six-player trade last March, the Knicks acquired Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and two second-round picks.

Impact transaction: Acquired Derrick Rose from the Pistons for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round pick (the rights to Isaiah Livers).

Trade we would like to see: Robinson and Knox to Oklahoma City for Derrick Favors and a 2022 first-round pick (via Phoenix).

Restrictions/notes

New York has an open roster spot.

The Knicks are $17.5 million below the luxury tax.

Despite being hard capped as a result of the Evan Fournier sign-and-trade deal, New York is not in danger of coming close to the $143 million apron.

New York is owed a first-round pick from Dallas that is top-10 protected in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Knicks are also owed a first-round pick from Charlotte that is top-18 protected in 2022, top-16 in 2023 and top-14 in 2024 and 2025.

The Knicks sent Boston $110,000 in the Fournier trade and have $5.7 million available.

They received $1.1 million from the Lakers in the Denzel Valentine trade and can receive up to $4.7 million.

Julius Randle has a trade restriction that expires on Feb. 3.

Oklahoma City Thunder

What to watch: The minimum salary floor.

Recent trade: Acquired Miye Oni and a 2028 second-round pick from the Jazz in exchange for cash considerations.

Because teams are required to spend up to 90% of the $112.4 million salary cap, Oklahoma City is in a position to accumulate additional draft assets by taking on unwanted salary from other teams.

The Thunder have a league-low $78.2 million in salary and are currently $23 million below the floor. They also are $33 million below the salary cap.

Keep in mind that only the salary owed at the time of the trade and not the cap hit counts toward the floor. The Thunder also would have to create a roster spot.

If the Thunder do not reach the minimum floor, the shortage is distributed back to the players on their roster.

Front-office deadline history: One of the longest-tenured executives, Sam Presti, has been part of 79 trades since 2007.

Last regular-season trade: Prior to the Oni deal, the Thunder acquired Tony Bradley, Austin Rivers and two second-round picks (2025 and 2026) last season. As part of the trade, the Thunder sent veteran guard George Hill to Philadelphia.

Impact transaction: Traded a first-round pick to Chicago for Thabo Sefolosha. The guard started 367 games in Oklahoma City and was named All-Defensive second team in 2010.

Trade we would like to see: Two first-round picks to the Hawks for Cam Reddish. The picks going out would be the Clippers' first in 2022 and the 76ers' first in 2025 (top-six protected). Oklahoma City would retain the Clippers' first if it falls in the top five of the draft, and Atlanta would receive three future seconds.

Restrictions/notes

Besides their own first (which is owed to the Hawks in the unlikely event it falls outside the top 14), the Thunder have 12 future firsts from nine different teams.

Oklahoma City has two $9.6 million trade exceptions.

The Thunder sent $1 million to the Jazz, and they are restricted to $4.8 million to send out in a trade. They also are restricted to receive no more than $4.9 million in a trade.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

Mike Muscala has a one-year Bird restriction and can veto any trade.

Orlando Magic

What to watch: $17.2 million trade exception and Terrence Ross.

Just because the Magic sit at the bottom of the standings doesn't mean they cannot add players or picks at the deadline.

Orlando is $22.9 million below the luxury tax and is well-positioned to use the $17.2 million trade exception that was created from the Evan Fournier trade to Boston in March.

Similar to the approach they took with Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic last year, the Magic also should look to move the contract of Terrence Ross.

Although he is shooting a career-low 30.2% from 3, Ross has the versatility to play multiple positions, has embraced the role of sixth man off the bench and has a team-friendly contract ($12.5 million cap hit this year, $11.5 million next season).

Front-office deadline history: The retooling of the Magic roster started in March, when president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman traded Nikola Vucevic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier in three separate deals. In total, Weltman has made 16 trades since 2017, including six in the regular season.

Impact transaction: In two separate deals in March, the Magic acquired three first-round picks. One of the draft choices has turned into Franz Wagner, a 2022 Rookie of the Year candidate.

Trade we would like to see: Ross to the Timberwolves for Taurean Prince and three second-round picks: two in 2022 (Minnesota's and Washington's) and one in 2023.

Restrictions/notes

The Magic are right at the salary cap.

Wendell Carter Jr. has a poison-pill restriction in his contract.

Orlando is owed a first-round pick from Chicago that is top-four protected in 2023 and top-three protected in 2024. The Magic also are owed a first-round pick from Denver that will convey two years after the Nuggets send a pick to the Thunder. The pick is top-five protected in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Philadelphia 76ers

What to watch: Ben Simmons.

Daryl Morey has said he is willing to wait the full four years of Simmons' contract to find the right deal for him. We are going to find out in the next month how true to Morey's word the 76ers will be.

Will they let the deadline pass if there is not a trade package to their liking and wait until the offseason? Or will they take the best available deal?

NBA Trade Machine

Want to forecast where your favorite NBA stars could wind up? Create your own deals with ESPN's Trade Machine.

If the 76ers play the waiting game until this summer, the likelihood is that the current roster will not get past the first round of the playoffs.

However, while taking the best deal available could help the roster now, the 76ers would be losing an All-NBA talent for a short-term fix.

The best option for the 76ers would be for Simmons to remain on the roster and return to the court by the time the deadline passes, but that is unlikely to happen.

Front-office deadline history: Since taking over in 2020, Morey has made a total of five trades. The lone trade that occurred during the regular season was when the 76ers acquired George Hill from Oklahoma City.

Trade we would like to see: Simmons and Matisse Thybulle to Boston for Jaylen Brown and Juancho Hernangomez. Remember, this is a deal that we would like to see from Philadelphia's perspective, not Boston's.

Restrictions/notes

The 76ers are $5.1 million over the luxury tax and are projected to pay a $7.6 million penalty.

Joel Embiid cannot be traded this season because of the extension restriction in his contract.

Simmons has a 15% trade bonus in his contract that would get voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.

Tobias Harris has a trade bonus that is the lesser of 5% of his contract or $5 million.

Philadelphia owes Oklahoma City a first-round pick that is top-six protected in 2025 and top-four protected in 2026 and 2027. The 76ers have their own first in 2024 but are not allowed to trade it.

Phoenix Suns

What to watch: Dario Saric, Jalen Smith and future draft assets.

The Suns can find a working balance on improving the roster without trading any of their starters or rotational players.

While Saric was a key component last year, the forward tore his right ACL in the NBA Finals, and he is likely out for the entire 2021-22 season. He is under contract for next season but on a team-friendly $9.2 million contract.

Smith was taken 10th overall in the 2020 NBA draft but saw the third-year option in his contract declined. Despite a limited role in his first two campaigns, Smith has averaged 17.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in four starts this season.

One disadvantage for any team acquiring Smith in a trade is that because his option was declined, it would be limited to offering him a maximum of $4.7 million in first-year salary in free agency this summer, the same amount as what his 2022-23 option would have been. (The Suns have the same restriction if they choose to keep Smith past the deadline and want to re-sign him this summer.)

The Suns do have two things working for them in potential trades, beyond the players on their roster: They are allowed to trade up to three first-round picks in any deal (if the protection is lifted off the 2022 first owed to Oklahoma City), and they are $8.2 million below the luxury tax.

Front-office deadline history: Since taking over basketball operations in October 2018, James Jones has made nine trades, including four during the regular season.

Last regular-season trade: Acquired Torrey Craig from Milwaukee for $110,000 in March.

Impact transaction: Craig averaged 7.1 points after the trade and appeared in 23 playoff games as the Suns reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.

Trade we would like to see: Saric, Smith and two second-round picks (2025 and 2026) to Portland for Robert Covington.

Restrictions/notes

The Suns are $8.2 million below the luxury tax and have an open roster spot.

Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet have poison-pill restrictions in their contract.

Abdel Nader and Frank Kaminsky are subject to the one-year Bird provision and have veto power on any trade.

Bismack Biyombo cannot be traded.

Phoenix owes Oklahoma City a first-round pick that is top-12 protected in 2002, top-10 protected in 2023, top-eight protected in 2024 and unprotected in 2025. The Suns are allowed to trade a future first but only two years after the pick to the Thunder is conveyed.

Portland Trail Blazers

What to watch: Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic and the luxury tax.

One name you will not find on the "what to watch" list is All-Star Damian Lillard. As Adrian Wojnarowski reported in December, Portland has made it known to teams that Lillard is not available in trade talks.

That leaves interim GM Joe Cronin tasked with the job of reshaping the roster around Lillard, starting with Covington and Nurkic. Both players are on expiring contracts, and the value of each depends on whether the acquiring team views him as a rental or as someone they will prioritize signing in the offseason.

Covington was acquired at the 2020 draft for two first-round picks, and he has gone from starter to a role coming off the bench. The forward is averaging 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and has the second-worst defensive rating in his career. For a playoff team looking for a wing that can guard multiple positions, Covington is the best name available. However, the Trail Blazers need to be realistic that the return value is likely not a first-round pick but instead ones in the second round.

Nurkic has started every game he has played but one since the Trail Blazers acquired him from Denver in 2017. He also is on the verge of playing his most games since the 2018-19 season.

Even if both players depart as free agents this summer, Portland already has $110 million in committed salary in 2022-23 and is not projected to be a team that has financial flexibility, outside of the $10 million midlevel exception.

Also keep an eye on the Trail Blazers shedding salary to get under the luxury tax. Portland is $3 million above the threshold but will face a challenge to go under because the roster is top-heavy in salary.

Front-office deadline history: This is the first deadline in the lead role for Joe Cronin. However, Cronin has been part of the Trail Blazers' front office the past 16 years.

Trade we would like to see: Covington to Phoenix for Dario Saric, Jalen Smith and two second round picks (2025 and 2026).

Restrictions/notes

The Trail Blazers have an open roster spot.

Portland is $3 million over the luxury tax and has a projected penalty of $4.5 million.

Portland has a $1.8 million trade exception.

The Trail Blazers owe Chicago a first-round pick that is top-14 protected from 2022 to 2028. Because the pick has seven years of protection, they are not allowed to trade a first unless the protection is lifted.

Sacramento Kings

What to watch: The roster.

No one on the Kings' roster should be considered untouchable. Not even De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.

Does that mean come Feb. 10, GM Monte McNair will swap out all 15 players and have a new team? Of course not. The goal is to improve a roster that is competing for one of the final play-in spots and not to have a complete tear down.

The body of work this season confirms that although the roster has individual talent, the parts of the puzzle do not fit, either with former head coach Luke Walton in charge or under interim head coach Alvin Gentry.

Although Sacramento has played close to .500 since Gentry took over, the Kings rank 23rd in offensive efficiency and 26th defensively since Nov. 22. Under Walton, the Kings were 11th in offense and 26th in defense. To be fair, the roster has been besieged by players testing positive for COVID-19.

The Kings already have 12 players under contract for next season, so any big changes in this roster could come at the deadline. They could take a big-picture approach, with a serious look at whether Fox is part of the future. They also could make moves on the margins, such as former No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley III, one of the few pending free agents in Sacramento.

Front-office deadline history: This is the second trade deadline for GM Monte McNair. The Kings have made seven trades under the watch of McNair and four during the regular season.

Last regular-season trade: Cory Joseph and two second-round picks to the Pistons for Delon Wright in March. The Kings would then trade Wright in the offseason for Tristan Thompson.

Impact transaction: The Kings acquired Terence Davis and Maurice Harkless in two separate trades at the deadline in March. Both were re-signed in the offseason.

Trade we would like to see: Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Thompson and two first-round picks (top-six protected in each season) to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons, Shake Milton and Charles Bassey.

Restrictions/notes

The Kings are $6.3 million below the luxury tax.

They have two trade exceptions: $3.6 and $2.1 million.

Richaun Holmes has a 15% trade bonus in his contract.

San Antonio Spurs

What to watch: Thaddeus Young.

Despite his lack of playing time in San Antonio, Young could give playoff teams another veteran presence who can play either forward position and provide an insurance policy at the backup center position.

He is averaging a career-low 14.1 minutes this season for the retooling Spurs but has still managed to average 6.0 points and sh

have a 5.3 million dollar trade exemption, Derrick Jones’ 9.7 million
dollar expiring contract, and a future protected draft pick that it got from
the Lauri deal that they can use in a trade deal.....Patrick Williams’
contract can also be used in a deal, but he is untouchable in my book.
He is an important piece and he has an immense amount of upside.

And Derrick Jones suffered a knee injury last night.

The Bulls can’t trade it’s own first or second round picks for
the next 7 years.

I’m going to be sick.

at some point they will probably have to make a decision between Coby and Caruso for a more versatile wing, Vuc is a defense liability so they may have to find a rim protector to cover for him

That is not even close to being a weak area for us, so dealing Caruso
or White is not needed. Our main problem is our interior, and
maxing Lavine would handcuff us from truly addressing that issue.

Coby White is slowly turning into an offensive beast, and is shooting
50 percent from 3 in his last 8 games. He is just going to continue to grow
under Billy.

Ball/White/Derozan/Williams/a superstar big can be a future championship
team. Plus there is AYO who has tremendous upside.

Getting an elite big is way more imperative than keeping
Lavine. We have a surplus of offensive guards to let
Lavine walk. Coby White has the potential to be just
as elite as Lavine. White is on a similar trajectory
based on Zach’s first 3-4 years in the league. Numbers
are similar.

Vucevic is 100 percent trash, and Orlando won.

Look at Cleveland. They now have elite bigs with a soon
to be allStar guard, so Sexton is now expendable even though
he is a talented player.

Letting Lavine walk would give the Bulls some serious cap space to make
some major moves.

Bulls traded Jimmy Butler so they wouldn’t have to give him a Supermax
deal....who did they get in return?

Lavine, who was only known as a dunker at the time. His game evolved
over the years....White’s offensive game is already there, just needs
polishing and experience.

You see how that works? Keep or get a potentially equivalent player
who is younger and cheaper.

While Lavine was in Covid Protocol Derozan smaked up the Lakers
with a 38/4/6 game, handing the lakers a L with Lebron and Westbrook
on the floor.


Derozan is getting his points and shots regardless of who is on the floor.


Like Avon wanted his corners, I want my BIGs!

>While Lavine was in Covid Protocol Derozan smaked up the
>Lakers
>with a 38/4/6 game, handing the lakers a L with Lebron and
>Westbrook
>on the floor.
>
>
>Derozan is getting his points and shots regardless of who is
>on the floor.
>
>
>Like Avon wanted his corners, I want my BIGs!

You’re good. I like Derozan, but let’s not act like LeBron didn’t whoop that ass for years in the eastern conference and Toronto didn’t win a title immediately after he left. Let’s not act like Spurs didn’t have a losing record the last few years when he was there for the first time in almost 25 years. He’s making the most of a great situation in Chicago but he is who he is.

>
>Getting an elite big is way more imperative than keeping
>Lavine. We have a surplus of offensive guards to let
>Lavine walk. Coby White has the potential to be just
>as elite as Lavine. White is on a similar trajectory
>based on Zach’s first 3-4 years in the league. Numbers
>are similar.

unless its Jokic or Embiid bigs are largely becoming irrelevant in today's NBA

See Cleveland with what Allen and Mobley are doing...

See what Portis, Lopez and Giannis did in the finals.....and what
Ayton didn’t do.

The last two Championships were won by teams with super versatile bigs.

Bigs are not irrelevant. They are more versatile than ever.
And we need them. Small Balling ain’t winning no chips

We get Zach, you get Brow

I would make that deal right now.

Watch Leroy come in here on some heartthrob shit.

one of my favorite in game dunkers probably of all time.

Yet another reminder of my age these days lol

good grief!

i mean...even if you have a monumental 20 point comeback...you still have 20 points to go lol.

role players back to looking like role players

team looking soft in the middle without dray

and klay is fucking up the flow of the offense when hes in there.

steph got a lot of premature hype (by people like me) on both the offensive and defensive end but hes been subpar on both ends for a minute now...his topline numbers and the role players overachieving covered a lot of that up.

klay coming back has fucked up the chemistry/rotation that dudes were accustomed to tho. and i think its had a compounding effect on the their other flaws.

a guy like Jrue is hell for the Warriors guards regardless of lineup

and Bucks bigs are seasoned enough to get through the kind of chicanery they do. Plus they got Middleton who is an elite wing. Nwora is a problem too.

if you don't get nuclear Steph, Klay (and Jordan) it's gonna be a long night against the Bucks

which is weird because theyre the defending champs with a superhuman star only getting better.

they have some crazy record when they have all 3 of their top players healthy.

Their futures are still at +700 in Vegas (I got in at +800). They're only the third favorite to win it. I think that's too low.

The only real concern is the mileage on Holiday and Middleton after both a title run and an Olympics run. But even then, they've got better depth this year than last. I'm a big fan.

He is out. Warriors are somewhat overrated and very small
in the middle.


I don’t see anyone stopping the Bucks.

and I think they have the best chemistry of all the elite teams, and are reaping the benefits of continuity - which few elite teams actually have.

Divincenzo coming back adds yet another layer to their depth. Giannis leadership-style has empowered the entire team. Not appreciated enough.

-->

ends of the floor

A STEALS CROWN!

Portis is Venom to Lopez’ Spider-Man.

He is even more potent. Not even the Nets can fock with this.

Too long, too skilled and still hungry as hell, despite having a shit coach.

Giannis is in Jordan mode after Jordan won his first chip...That following year, the
Bulls were bananas

dude cant get to the cup without a wide open lane and is blowing a lot of layups.

The deep championship runs wrecked everyone on that team. Steph, Klay & KD all dealt with serious, season-ending injuries that kept them out for extended periods of times. Lot of high-leverage mileage.

I actually think what they've already done is impressive, bouncing back from extended post-championship hangover to play elite basketball again. You have to think once they get healthy - and Klay gets a couple months under his belt - that they will be elite and perhaps even conference title favorites.

Front-office did a good job of softening the deafening blow of losing KD by surrounding the Klay/Steph/Dray core with a lot of competent, complementary pieces at each position.

-->

>The deep championship runs wrecked everyone on that team.
>Steph, Klay & KD all dealt with serious, season-ending
>injuries that kept them out for extended periods of times.
>Lot of high-leverage mileage.
>
>I actually think what they've already done is impressive,
>bouncing back from extended post-championship hangover to play
>elite basketball again. You have to think once they get
>healthy - and Klay gets a couple months under his belt - that
>they will be elite and perhaps even conference title
>favorites.
>
>Front-office did a good job of softening the deafening blow of
>losing KD by surrounding the Klay/Steph/Dray core with a lot
>of competent, complementary pieces at each position.
>
>-->

Completely fair.

I’ll say he does look way ahead of where I thought he’d be. The work he put into his core while injured really showed yesterday. He still doesn’t budge when someone tries to post up

theyre success was largely predicated on steph playing at an mvp level and the rest of the team overachieving and playing at a level they really havent played at in the past.

well steph has been inefficient and sometimes downright dreadful in a lot of games recently. and the role players cant keep up with consistent overperformance.

even when theyre winning...steph is uneven and cold for long stretches on offense but they were lucky to get a combined 50 points from wigs and poole and stuff like that. wigs was the best 3 point shooter in the league for like a month and otto porter was an absolute game changer a lot of times. but thats not looking sustainable over the long haul and someone like jordan poole is back to looking like jordan poole on most nights.

klay *should* help out with a lot of that but right now hes looking to get a shot off whenever he touches the ball and the role players are struggling with the lack of ball movement when hes in the game.

and then you always have the turnovers.

Last year I thought Steph played his most dynamic individual basketball of his career, and they still couldn't get into the playoffs. He's not a LeBron level impact to where he can single-handedly just will a team into the top-tier by himself. Not a knock, there's only a handful of guys who can single-handedly will a team to be elite in the game's history.

>klay *should* help out with a lot of that but right now hes
>looking to get a shot off whenever he touches the ball and the
>role players are struggling with the lack of ball movement
>when hes in the game.
>
>and then you always have the turnovers.

Def agree. I don't doubt that Klay will once again be an elite shooter who can score in bunches. I do wonder how his lateral movement will be. In his prime, he was one of the very best two-way guys in the game. I wonder if his defense will taper off at this stage of his career with the injuries.

But I think this team will find its groove in April expect them to be conference title favorites.

-->

.

even stevie wonder could see a blowout coming

No focking effort defensively or on the offensive glass.

Got small ass Warriors killing him inside.

God damn Bums tonight


And Ball is playing like shit since coming back.

80 focking points!

Wiggins out here murdering us.

https://twitter.com/jomboymedia/status/1482162772758642690?s=21

almost made watching the first half of this garbage game worth it.

Nothing like a near-court-length, no-look, behind-the-back transition pass. Gotta love this sport.

…cuz michigan is strugglinggggg 🏀



>PG being done for the season was a given. Yeahhh. That means
>the clippers
>will be open to trading Zubak. He has one year left on his
>contract, or maybe even
>Morris or Hartstein. Expect some type of fire sale from them
>before the trade deadline.
>
>It’s quite evident after losing to the Mavericks that we
>need some size. Teams know
>they can simply score inside, and facing a PG like Luka, he
>exploited that...and other
>elite guards will exploit it as well.
>
>Bulls play Brooklyn tonight on ESPN. Bulls have beaten them
>twice this season,
>so I’m expecting a L. It’s difficult to beat a team three
>times in a row, plus Kyrie will
>be playing.
>
>Derozan getting snubbed for player of the month is a god damn
>travesty.
>But some old dude out in LA is stat padding
>while taking Ls, and it gets all the news.
>I guess you don’t have to be a winner to get a chicken
>dinner.
>
>

I think they’d be 9-4 maybe 10 -3 if healthy

No green
No Lavine
No Caruso
No Jones.


However, it’s clear as day that Vucevic is a liability and is the weakest link,
and has zero grit in him, so without a tough player playing along his side,
he will get devoured like a lamb in Jurassic Park.

There was no defensive dog on the floor for us, except Lonzo and he doesn’t
look right.

Jackson 10
Bane 12 ( bane scored 21 on 12 Shots)
Melton 10
Clarke 10

They scored 116 points and played with a lot of balance. Ja at 16-20 shots,
and other players scoring and shooting as well makes them more complete
as a team....

And Zaire Williams is going to be a beast.

why do you act like Ja is some Mamba mentality, Bubbachucking scrubby-ass gunner?

Trae Young avg 20 a game, and you know he jacks shots. So that
doesn’t tell the full story.

All I’m saying is a PG leading his team in FG attempts doesn’t equate to championships, However, Curry is the exception or should I say outlier. We saw it with Iverson. We saw it with Westbrook. In the long run, it doesn’t lead to Chips.

I like for PGs to be all around, and making sure everyone is getting involved.

which is 14th in the league, and below avg for a PG. He needs to at least be at 8-9
assists a game, so he needs to focus on getting everyone involved. 2-3 fewer shot
attempts, and 2-3 more assists a game is where he needs to be.

I think he takes too many shots as a PG, and some
of those shots could go into getting more assists and getting
others involved.

That was the whole point....two other PGs take the similar 19 shots
other than Curry( which is the exception), and that is Young and Lillard,
and their squads ain’t winning.

Again PGs leading their team in FG attempts don’t lead to chips,
because they are doing more shooting then assisting. History doesn’t lie...
and again, Curry is the exception.

Ja has a scorers mentality more than a facilitating mentality...He will get
superstar recognition, no doubt....but that doesn’t make the team better
in the long run.

>Again PGs leading their team in FG attempts don’t lead to
>chips,
>because they are doing more shooting then assisting. History
>doesn’t lie...
>and again, Curry is the exception.

you're right, history doesn't lie - Curry is not the exception.

>which is 14th in the league, and below avg for a PG.

There are 30 teams in the NBA. That means 30 starting PGs. Draymond and Jokic are in the top 14, so that means Ja Morant is 12th among PGs in the NBA in assists per game. Now, I may be but a mere math tutor, but 12th out of 30 starting PGs is, in fact, above the average.

So that's wrong.

Now, you may think he needs a little more distribution. The average among starting PGs is about 6, he's a little less than one assist per game above average. Okay, fair enough. I think if one argued he should notch his assist numbers up somewhere between .7 and 1 APG more, putting him firmly in the top third of NBA starting PGs in assists instead of being merely better than average, I think that's reasonable.

This, however, is silly:

He needs
>to at least be at 8-9
>assists a game

Ony 6 players in the NBA are averaging 8+ assists per game. He *needs* to be putting up more assists? When his PER is Top 2 among all PGs in the NBA? Word?

>2-3 more assists a game is where he needs to be.

So, Ja Morant is currently averaging a shitty 6.8, and in order for his assists to not be shitty, he needs to average between 8.8 (only four players in the NBA average this number or higher) and 9.8 (only two players in the NBA average this number or higher)?

There's got to be a way to argue that Morant could benefit from distributing the ball a little bit more at times without arguing:

(a) that 6.8 APG is shitty (it's demonstrably not)
(b) that 6.8 APG is below average (it's factually not)
and (c) he needs to be a Top 6 APG guy in the NBA for Memphis to be an actual contender (this isn't an argument that's quantifiable in one way or another, so I don't even know how to address it or assess it, lol... suffice it to say, I think their mediocre 3 point and FT shooting and their relative experience are bigger issues for the Grizzlies' ability to contend than whether Morant averages somewhere between 1.2 and 3 more APG)

I know you won't care about any of this, but I figured I'd post this for the people who read that post and thought, like me, "wait a minute, how is 14th in the NBA shitty and/or below average?" The answer is it's not, and it's not.

and spew off other nonsense, but so can I.

Ja Morant is in the category of Kyle Lowry, D. Murray , Chris Paul, and James
Harden, and all 4 PGs are averaging 8 or more assists a game
and get others involved. You also brought up Jokic, who isn’t even
a pg, who averages more assists than Ja Morant as a big, because he
looks to get his teammates involved. And he is playing with a less
talented cast, because Porter and Murray are both out, and Barton has
also missed time.


Then there is Garland, Ball, D. Russell, and Doncic who all avg more assists
than Ja Morant while playing the same amount of minutes.

Chris Paul: 10.0
James Harden: 10.0
Murray: 8.9
Doncic: 8.7
Westbrook: 8.0
Lowry: 8.3
Garland: 7.8
Ball: 7.6

He is the worst of his peers. Facts. 6.8 assists a game is subpar for a PG of
his caliber, tier, and usage rate, and with the talent that he plays with in
Jackson, Bane, Brooks, and Williams, etc, his numbers should be way better
than what they are. He looks for his shot more than he looks to facilitate.
If you were to put any of the aforementioned PGs on the Griz, they would
definitely amass way more than 6.8 dimes a game.


Also, look at total assists. Ja and Luka have played the same amount of games(32),
and both were out due to injuries. Luka has amassed 243 assist, Ja 212.

He needs to tremendously improve his facilitating skills, and look to
get his teammates involved more. Hopefully, that will come as he matures.

You said ranking 14th in the NBA (12th among PGs) is below average. There are 30 starting PGs in the NBA.

>He is the worst of his peers. Facts.

Your definition of "facts" is different than convention.

>If you were to put any of the aforementioned PGs on the Griz, they would
definitely amass way more than 6.8 dimes a game.

Your definition of "definitely" is different than convention.

>Also, look at total assists. Ja and Luka have played the same amount of games(32),
and both were out due to injuries. Luka has amassed 243 assist, Ja 212.

Right, and Doncic has more assists per game than Morant. That's how averages work. You don't need to look at the totals when they played the same amount of games. The per-game averages tell you Doncic averages more assists than Morant.

>He needs to tremendously improve his facilitating skills, and look to
get his teammates involved more.

So Morant, definite NBA All-Star and All-NBA contender, who currently has the Memphis Grizzles in 3rd in the West, holding the best record of any team that doesn't have two past All-Stars or more on the roster (and Memphis doesn't even have one, technically!)... he needs to do something tremendously different. Again, your definitions of "needs to" and "tremendously" are different than convention.

You're right about one thing, though.

>but so can I.

anywhere, because they are a TEAM who can win with or without Ja,
and have already proven that.

Iverson made several allStar teams, and was a superstar, but is known
as one of the worst distributors in NBA history as a PG. He too avg 6 assists
a game because he focused on scoring instead of facilitating. So being
a superstar and making allStar teams don’t necessarily equate to
winning championships or getting teammates involved.

Ja Morant’s facilitating needs to improve if Memphis wants to be a true
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER.

btw Ja is currently averaging 6.8 assists/game + over 7 for his career so far.

>Ja Morant’s facilitating needs to improve if Memphis wants
>to be a true
>CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER.

Ja's 22 years old, and Memphis is the 2nd youngest team in the NBA. Chill the fuck out - nobody thinks he is leading them to a championship right today.

so he's able to put up shots and take over a game scoring when needed to win, but he doesn't do it very frequently and doesn't just jack up shots at will.


>Trae Young avg 20 a game, and you know he jacks shots. So
>that
>doesn’t tell the full story.
>
>I like for PGs to be all around, and making sure everyone is
>getting involved.

Trae is also 3rd in the league in assists/game and first in assist%, and was second in assists/game the previous two seasons. He likes to shoot but is also one of the best in the league at making sure everyone is getting involved.


>All I’m saying is a PG leading his team in FG attempts
>doesn’t equate to championships, However, Curry is the
>exception or should I say outlier.

Cousy, Frazier, Magic, Isiah, and Tony Parker all won championships leading their team in FG attempts. So no, Steph is not an exception or outlier in that regard.


>We saw it with Iverson. We
>saw it with Westbrook. In the long run, it doesn’t lead to
>Chips.

they are inefficient gunners; Ja is not.

and how many chips do Stockton, Nash, and CP3 have?

your argument is an oversimplification and is not very well thought out or supported by evidence.

between them, both just ran into 2 of the greatest players off all time.
But I can cherry pick players, too

Magic was a huge scorer in high school and college, but he even stated that he had to put more emphasis on facilitating because he had players like Kareem and Worthy on the squad. He has 5 rings

Jason Kidd, 3 championship appearances and one ring.

And take James Harden, who stated that playing like he did in Houston
wouldn’t be beneficial for the team, because more facilitating is needed
then scoring, because there are other talented players on the team.

The PG position is the most cerebral and intricate position on the court, so it is highly imperative for PGs to make sure that the ball is being distributed to all players,
and to ensure that the team plays as a cohesive unit.

Ja Morant can do a lot better than what he is doing in the assist department, so
I hope he improves.

and just ran into 2 of the greatest players of all time as well. if you're trying to draw a distinction here, it's not going very well.

and you were talking about chips before - when did the goalposts get moved to "championship appearances"? You sound like a loser-ass Iverstan.



>between them, both just ran into 2 of the greatest players
>off all time.
>But I can cherry pick players, too
>
>Magic was a huge scorer in high school and college, but he
>even stated that he had to put more emphasis on facilitating
>because he had players like Kareem and Worthy on the squad. He
>has 5 rings

LOL- now you're just making shit up. Magic never said that, and he wasn't a huge scorer in college - he averaged 17 point + 8 assists in college, then averaged 18 & 7 his rookie year in LA. He didn't change anything, that was just his natural game.


>And take James Harden, who stated that playing like he did in
>Houston
>wouldn’t be beneficial for the team, because more
>facilitating is needed
>then scoring, because there are other talented players on the
>team.


Harden is a fat loser who alienated teammates for the bulk of his career dominating the ball at all times, chokes in the playoffs and has never won shit.


>The PG position is the most cerebral and intricate position on
>the court, so it is highly imperative for PGs to make sure
>that the ball is being distributed to all players,
>and to ensure that the team plays as a cohesive unit.
>
>Ja Morant can do a lot better than what he is doing in the
>assist department, so
>I hope he improves.

Westbrook led the NBA in assists 3 times - just putting up assist numbers doesn't ensure that you're involving the team or that they're playing as a cohesive unit. Ja involves his team - he's throwing lobs left and right, he moves without the ball, cuts to the rim, does stuff to open things up for the team without dominating the ball at all times or just gunning at will. And he's still only 22 - very few PGs that young are fully developed floor generals. He's still learning and developing. But you're stuck on assist numbers, so go watch Westbrook instead - he averages more assists, so that must mean he makes sure everyone is getting involved and has his team playing together as a unit.

Magic Johnson started off as a big time scorer. He avg 29 points a game in
high school, and would have 40 and 50 point games. He stated in an interview that
a lot of people don’t know that about his early years, but he stated as his game
matured, he didn’t need to do a ton of scoring with other talented players on the
team.

AND YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT.

you said he was a huge scorer in college; he averaged 17 points in college and didn't even lead his team in scoring.

AND YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT.

FOH

The Cavs drafted him because they thought he had the potential to be a 3-point shooting guard with some playmaking skills. Sort of like how Halliburton is for the Kings.

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaan, they fucked around and got the real reincarnation of Steve Nash (DG's shot has been off a bit lately from 3, but when it is on? few people have a better looking shot). Maybe even CP3. The way Garland controls his passes is ridiculous. Some amazing plays against the Spurs last night.

He has been BALLING this season at levels I didn't even think he would.

Spurs game was tough. It's Popovich so you know you can't slack. Dejounte Murray is good at basketball. For some reason I like Lonnie Walker (even though I don't recognize him without the hair. Both he and De'Aaron Fox).

EMVPiid has been doing all of the heavy lifting during the prior Win streak

Great to see the team come out of the gate and put a foot on the Cs neck

Jo didn't really have to do much...and still balled

I'm going to reserve making definitive statements about Tatum due to my 6ers bias

But I feel confident in saying he's not a leader.

He's got tons of game...and at 23YO he could grow into that role

But I saw a lot of guys disinterested in wthe game while he forced shots

Celtics are currently a dumpster fire.

https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1482530426233237504

Nets say Kevin Durant is out for the rest of the game with a left knee sprain.

may the healthiest team win.

*assuming Kyrie only plays road games

>may the healthiest team win.

.

I think they *may* have flexed the Golden State game which was by far his worst this season. Outside of that, this dude has been pulling off stuff I had no idea he was capable of doing

Giddey was shit, tonight…but it was enough Shai, Lou, Mann and even Bazeley, that we should have held that lead.

he's what I want Okoro to turn into. SGA had some crazy numbers himself, it was more than one Thunder player inching toward double-digit assists.

he literally did nothing. Westbrook is such a fucking chump. Can't wait until his Iversonian fade into Bolivian in the next year or so.

is absolutely HILARIOUS


you know he had his team / agent contact the NBA and whine for it to stop...dude is a surly petulant loser

>you know he had his team / agent contact the NBA and whine for
>it to stop...dude is a surly petulant loser

he sure is.

>he literally did nothing. Westbrook is such a fucking chump.
>Can't wait until his Iversonian fade into Bolivian in the next
>year or so.

he actually hit him in the face before they called the actual foul, should've been a flagrant 1 on Gordon

>he actually hit him in the face before they called the actual
>foul, should've been a flagrant 1 on Gordon


ran into a brick wall, tried it again and this time bounced off gordon and fell and tried to act tough to shake off the embarassment.


flagrant 1? you are ridiculous lol

>he actually hit him in the face before they called the actual
>foul, should've been a flagrant 1 on Gordon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3_ww66EeN8

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJMahY0WUAkShSL?format=jpg&name=900x900

https://twitter.com/papyfaye1/status/1482557875453153288

the Cavs at one point were down 18 in the 3rd quarter, and came all the way back, ground out a big win. 5-1 on the road trip (only loss was GSW on Klay Day).

Markkanen with another game saving shot.
Okoro low key shut down SGA after a certain point.

Ty fuckin Jerome was killing the Cavs from 3. Lu was killing the Cavs from everywhere. Sometimes Giddey had a free ride to the basket. It's always someone.

That the Cavs came back and won that one with the way they were being officiated? Man.

Bring on the Nets.

avg: 23/10/8.

He leads Brooklyn in assists and rebounds,
and is tied for 1st in the NBA in assists.

This dude is truly doing MVP shit for Brooklyn,
and is arguably the best pg in the league.

with KD out at least 4 to 6 weeks and Kyrie on the nights and weekends plan.

Due to no other scoring options, and playing with a lot of youngsters,
he might have to transform into Houston James Harden....which
isn’t a positive thing.

But if he finds a way to get those young players going, and they stay near
the top of the East, NBA will have to put a beard on that MVP trophy.

>But if he finds a way to get those young players going, and
>they stay near
>the top of the East, NBA will have to put a beard on that MVP
>trophy.
>
>

He is playing at a MVP level for sure, but If Harden keeps the Nets on track with
no KD and Irving being a part time player, no way Jokic will get it.

It will either be Embid or Harden..

We look like a hot bag of horseh!t. Blow this sh!t up.. it's a wrap...Let this mofo go chase stats somewhere else because is clearly not about playing winning basketball at this point. Now we gotta go thru another 10 year rebuild because we shipped out all of the young talent for a glorified disney vacation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

*doesn’t see a damn soul defending Russ*

This is the team. There are no trades to save the season. Nobody wants him.

reliable and consistent player all year.

He takes the heat off people like THT who has been hot garbage since they gave him that contract.

If Dennis Schroeder was still here putting up Westbrook numbers people would be saying he was an all-star.

Russ struggled early with his last 2 teams in Houston and Washington but came on strong in the second half of the season.

Frank Vogel needs to figure his lineups out and get the team to play better defensively. Our defense has been terrible that’s the problem.

I still say if we have a healthy Bron and AD in playoffs I’ll like our chances against anybody in a 7 game series.

Can’t shoot or defend. Be better off keeping Rondo and Caruso and trading for Hield or something.

>He takes the heat off people like THT who has been hot garbage
>since they gave him that contract.
>
>If Dennis Schroeder was still here putting up Westbrook
>numbers people would be saying he was an all-star.

If Schroeder was doing 19-8-8, people would be dancing in the streets. And if THT had taken a fraction of the leap people anticipated when they let Caruso walk, Lakers would be at worst the 5th seed and people wouldn't be as fervently looking for heads to decapitate, lol.

This is the Russy experience, for better and for worse. He'll go through bursts of shooting 9-16 and 10-18, then he'll go through bursts of 2-15 and 3-14. He'll have 11 assist/4 turnover games, then he'll have a 5 assist/6 turnover game. I definitely thought Bron and AD would be around more to counter Russy's offensive droughts, and AD is of course crucial to the defense not being a sieve. But he's honestly only been *slightly* worse than expected.

I do think that the absence of AD is a much bigger factor than the absence of Russy. The defensive impact alone is immeasurable. They'd won 8 of their last 12 right before AD got hurt.

But I think in regards to this...

>Frank Vogel needs to figure his lineups out and get the team
>to play better defensively. Our defense has been terrible
>that’s the problem.

... Russ definitely plays a role in how bad the defense has been. Again, AD would help. But Russ is real bad on defense.

At some point we’ve gotta be honest with ourselves that AD is not going to solve all the problems. They were barely better than a .500 team WITH him. The schedule has been soft. It’s about to get very bad. I keep waiting on the 8-10 game win streak that simply hasn’t come close to happening.

Russ doesn’t deserve ALL of the blame - of that I agree with. But there’s just no way this team is going to make a run given the personnel.

But I do think there's some truth to when Bron says it's hard to assess this team, as it's never been whole. AD has missed 16 games; Bron has missed 12. THT in and out of lineup. AR 15 in and out. Ariza in and (mostly) out. Nunn hasn't played a second. Ellington hasn't always been available. Never-ending lineup experiments (especially at Center).

It's crazy how there's been zero continuity for the Lakers the past two years after winning the 'chip. This is a brand new team, yet again, and a very difficult chemistry project even if everyone was available. With injuries and lack of availability, we've really only seen a handful of games where the big three are even on the court together, let alone everyone else.

But this is who the team is right now: a marginal team in danger of missing the playoffs. If they can't get somewhat healthy, they have no chance at making a deep run. AD & Bron have to be full for the playoffs. If they are, they'll be a dangerous wild card - especially if Russ is rolling and the team is healthy to where the depth they have can actually be showcased.

Lot of ifs though.


-->

https://youtu.be/asg9x0Rm13M

Another W and more fake tough guys
Herro puffing up vs Andre...LOL
These dudes was out here flexing real early
Congrats on winning the first quarter... when's the parade
F'n clowns
Really surprised a Riley team with Jimmy Buckets isn't keeping this bull$hit in check...SMH

.

Silver lining is that it wasn't more serious (looked like it could've been much worse) - and that the timing of it should mean he'll be able to peak come playoff time after recovery.

Last year they actually played quite well when KD was out - but that was with Kyrie and Hardees (lol) playing consistently. Brooklyn has been another team that's impossible to assess.

-->

when Harden was brought in, everyone thought they were going to be some 2013 Miami Heat death squad

people forgot that they have a moody mental midget at PG who doesnt care about basketball, and a coach who was brought in to babysit and stroke egos rather than actually coach.


nothing but drama and losses against the top teams in the league (chicago is fugazi)


this team was so much more fun to be a fan of as a scrappy 8 seed.



>PG being done for the season was a given. Yeahhh. That means
>the clippers
>will be open to trading Zubak. He has one year left on his
>contract, or maybe even
>Morris or Hartstein. Expect some type of fire sale from them
>before the trade deadline.
>
>It’s quite evident after losing to the Mavericks that we
>need some size. Teams know
>they can simply score inside, and facing a PG like Luka, he
>exploited that...and other
>elite guards will exploit it as well.
>
>Bulls play Brooklyn tonight on ESPN. Bulls have beaten them
>twice this season,
>so I’m expecting a L. It’s difficult to beat a team three
>times in a row, plus Kyrie will
>be playing.
>
>Derozan getting snubbed for player of the month is a god damn
>travesty.
>But some old dude out in LA is stat padding
>while taking Ls, and it gets all the news.
>I guess you don’t have to be a winner to get a chicken
>dinner.
>
>

https://twitter.com/Westbricknews

.

https://twitter.com/Pickswise/status/1482421711559614471

yes, they just beat the Bulls.

but that team is basically Lakers East right now with a younger team. Brown, Tatum and vibes. Last time I saw the Celtics this dysfunctional was in the '00s when Iverson's Sixers and the Nets ruled that division and it was constant banter between them, Raps, and Knicks as to who sucked more. LOL

Cavs leaked out a 3rd quarter but went nuts defensively late in the game. Okoro better not traded unless they get a GOAT in return; he's taken out Dejounte, SGA, and now Kyrie in crunch time coming back from injury. Had he the kind of offense that would put fear in the opposition, he'd be coveted across the league.

He just takes your best guard out.

I really dislike James Hardees and his fucking foul grifting, now that the refs are letting it happen. If Trae does that shit when the Cavs play the Hawks next... it's ON.

Darius Garland is still a Point God in the making. 5 Cavs in double digit scoring.

Brandon Goodwin is doing a hell of a job with his limited time as Rondo sits out. I hope the Cavs keep him as their end-of-rotation guard.

He, Rondo, Garland... that'll give the Cavs some insurance.

that "Top PG List" is going to need an update

https://twitter.com/MattBrooksNBA/status/1483215543591133185?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Kyrie Irving gave a very long answer about his vaccination status, but he ended with:

"I've made my decision already and I'm standing on it."


I hope more players pull a Nasir Little on him on every single play and dive at his ankles and knees....fuck this dude and anyone who supports him.



>PG being done for the season was a given. Yeahhh. That means
>the clippers
>will be open to trading Zubak. He has one year left on his
>contract, or maybe even
>Morris or Hartstein. Expect some type of fire sale from them
>before the trade deadline.
>
>It’s quite evident after losing to the Mavericks that we
>need some size. Teams know
>they can simply score inside, and facing a PG like Luka, he
>exploited that...and other
>elite guards will exploit it as well.
>
>Bulls play Brooklyn tonight on ESPN. Bulls have beaten them
>twice this season,
>so I’m expecting a L. It’s difficult to beat a team three
>times in a row, plus Kyrie will
>be playing.
>
>Derozan getting snubbed for player of the month is a god damn
>travesty.
>But some old dude out in LA is stat padding
>while taking Ls, and it gets all the news.
>I guess you don’t have to be a winner to get a chicken
>dinner.
>
>

https://twitter.com/Krisplashed/status/1483214990991630336

dude thinks *everything* is a conspiracy.

>https://twitter.com/Krisplashed/status/1483214990991630336
>
>dude thinks *everything* is a conspiracy.