Month: December 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers’ most recent 113-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night improved their record to 15-12, with the team maintaining possession of the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

In a game where the future Hall-of-Fame tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis shot a combined 36.5% from the field, Austin Reaves was the one who stepped up by scoring 25 points while shooting 50% from the floor and connecting on three of his seven attempts from distance.

Matching up against a tough squad in the West despite what their 13-15 record may indicate, Reaves’ contributions were desperately needed against Sacramento’s superstar duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

In the aftermath of their victory and seeing the impact Reaves had on the outcome, the Lakers may have been given some indirect motivation to scour the trade market for an even more solid third star to pair with James and Davis.

While Los Angeles could begin a search for a borderline superstar to help lead the team back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2020, a recently developing story around the Oklahoma City Thunder could see the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference deal their secondary scoring option, Jalen Williams.

In light of this news, the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka could be tempted to pick up the phone to contact the Thunder and inquire about their rising superstar and former Clutch Player of the Year candidate playing in just his third season.

“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has firmly established himself as an MVP candidate, but whether he has a true co-star remains unclear,” wrote Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor Thursday morning.

“Jalen Williams has shown brilliant flashes but fell short in critical moments last season, averaging 17 points on only 50.8% true shooting in Oklahoma City’s second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.”

“The fact Williams is already this good — 21/6/5 with versatile defense — gives him obvious All-Star potential. But can Williams grow into a more consistent star-level talent by this spring?”

Williams’ 21.3 points and 5.9 rebounds on a 55.2% effective field goal percentage are wonderful figures for a 23-year-old forward with plenty of defensive upside, but Oklahoma City’s presumed concerns with his ability to contribute in a postseason atmosphere could lead to an eventual trade.

With James and Davis in front of him as the first and second options on any given night, Williams would be able to grow into arguably the best No. 3 option on a contending team in the entire league.

In a deal for Williams, the Lakers would likely have to exchange Reaves and prospects like Max Christie and Jalen Hood-Schifino paired with plenty of draft compensation.

While plenty of teams have been speculated as desired destinations for Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler to land before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets are the latest to enter the fray.

Sporting a 14-11 record and maintaining possession of the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, the Nuggets could look to facilitate a blockbuster deal to acquire the six-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive Team selection with hopes of keeping their title contention hopes alive.

A deal for another star that could assist their three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić would be especially helpful as the Serbian center is in the midst of a possible fourth MVP campaign, averaging 31.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.8 assists.

New reports have indicated that the Nuggets should still be considered a possible landing spot for the 35-year-old averaging 19.2 points on a career-best 55.2% shooting clip from the field and that the team could throw their offensively talented small forward Michael Porter Jr. into potential negotiations.

“Butler, who faced off against the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals, would be the ideal type of player for Denver to add next to Jokic and Murray as that third star to elevate them in what is a loaded Western Conference,” wrote ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel on Friday afternoon.

“If there is one dark horse team that makes the most sense to trade for Butler, it’s the Nuggets, especially if they are serious about discussing Porter’s future.”

The acquisition of Butler would drastically improve the Nuggets’ chances of winning a title in 2024-25, as the former Most Improved Player award winner and 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP has led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances this decade.

Butler’s reputation as an elite two-way force would also immediately contribute to the improvement of Denver’s current No. 16 ranked 113.4 defensive rating.

In a possible deal to bring in Butler, Denver would have to give up Porter Jr., who is in the midst of a career season with averages of 18.4 points and 7.1 rebounds on a 59.5% effective field goal percentage.

Porter Jr. would be shipped to Miami in order to make the deal work financially, but he’d also be a great building block for the future for a Heat team that would be pressing the reset button by parting ways with Butler.

The 26-year-old Porter Jr. would likely be paired with several of Denver’s prospects like Peyton Watson, Christian Braun or Julian Strawther in a trade along with plenty of first-round draft compensation to help Miami begin their rebuild.

The Miami Heat, amid a 13-11 record, are in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference but are expected to trade away Jimmy Butler before he enters free agency this offseason. Under Pat Riley, the Heat simply refuse to tank and rebuild, so a trade for a winning player to replace Butler is a sensible assumption for fans to make.

However, if they decide to keep Butler and let him play out his contract in South Beach, they have a very clear area of need to address: a point guard who can get the ball to their scorers and create by himself.

Between Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro, Miami doesn’t have a traditional floor general on their roster. Herro’s continued improvement makes him an unlikely trade candidate, so bringing in a player who can complement him, Butler and Bam Adebayo is a must.

Should they hold onto Butler, the Heat have been linked to the Sacramento Kings and All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who is averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting a solid 48% from the floor.

According to Fadeaway World’s Cholo Magsino on Friday, Miami could offer Terry Rozier, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick for Fox.

Parting ways with Jaquez Jr. is a big ask, and he could be replaced in the deal with Josh Richardson. Notably, the Stepien rule prevents the Heat from trading consecutive draft picks and they don’t own their pick in 2027, so the 2028 pick would have to be a swap.

Still, with those slight modifications, the Kings might be interested in making a deal, especially if Fox makes it clear he is not interested in an extension.

Even if Butler doesn’t re-sign with the Heat, a tandem of Adebayo and Fox should be enough for Miami to remain a playoff team for years to come.

Starting yesterday, Dec. 19, the official voting for the NBA All-Star game opened up. With a variety of dates listed as opportunities for fans to select their favorite players for the game, numerous teams hope to send their star players to the massive event.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they have one frontrunner for the game in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a potential first-timer in Jalen Williams. But how have the Thunder faired in years prior? Here is a look at Oklahoma City’s history during the All-Star game.

Highlights: Jerzy Robinson leads Sierra Canyon over Vanden in high school girls basketball

Five total OKC Thunder players have been All-Stars
With the franchise leaving Seattle and forming in Oklahoma City in 2008, there hasn’t been too much time for the Thunder to be rooted in NBA history, especially compared to other teams. However, in their short existence, they have managed to send five players to the All-Star game, all of which make up the franchise’s 20 total All-Star selections:

Out off all of these All-Star selections, when it came to being a starter, OKC members were voted eight total times.

Over the past 16 seasons, the Thunder have had an All-Star in 13 total seasons and seven total season with two All-Stars.

MORE: NBA All-Star Game voting, explained: How to vote for starters, 3-for-1 days, key dates to know for 2025

With the 2024-25 NBA All-Star game taking place Feb. 16 in Golden State at the Chase Center, Oklahoma City has the chance to make it 14 seasons with an All-Star appearance and a potential eighth season with two All-Star appearances.

While the Minnesota Timberwolves have been playing improved basketball over the past couple of weeks, there is still a move that needs to be made.

The other teams in the Western Conference are getting better every day. Some of the younger teams that weren’t expected to take the next stride have already hit theirs, like the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.

If the Wolves want to contend in the West against those teams and especially the Oklahoma City Thunder, they need to make a move prior to the trade deadline that shakes things up a bit. In their last game against the New York Knicks, they were booed by their hometown crowd.

There is a trade that could improve two teams in different ways. In a trade with the Miami Heat, the Wolves could send Julius Randle to the Heat along with several future draft picks, for guard Tyler Herro and forward Kevin Love.

After spending the past couple seasons in Miami surrounded by trade rumors, it is unlikely they will trade Herro this season. He is having the best year of his career, averaging 24 points. But could it be a fluke? He hasn’t played at this level any other season in his career, and it could be the perfect time to finally move him if Miami doesn’t believe he is the future face of the franchise. If the Wolves want to make this offer more enticing, they’ll have to add some major future draft capital.

A frontcourt of Bam Adebayo and Randle could really spread the floor for Jimmy Butler and help the offensive flow under coach Erik Spoelstra.

Much like Minnesota, the Heat will be scratching and crawling their way to secure a playoff spot as well. They both can become antsy and want to make a move. This move not only fits both of their team’s needs, but also reunites veteran Love back in Minnesota to finish his career where he started.

Earlier in the week, the Milwaukee Bucks took home the NBA Cup championship and each player was awarded with $500,000.

The team did not celebrate with the supplied champagne as the NBA Cup is not their ultimate goal. To better their chances of reaching the NBA Finals in June, a complement to Brook Lopez is needed.

In a recent report, NBA insider Jake Fischer noted the Bucks’ willingness to make a depth move.

“There’s a rather robust trade market coalescing for centers this winter. With many names and situations to monitor…Milwaukee has made calls to explore ways to add more of a lob threat to complement Brook Lopez, according to league sources,” Fischer wrote.

While lob threats are not abundantly available, the ailing Philadelphia 76ers could make Andre Drummond expendable due to their poor performance. It could be argued that another stretch big would be more beneficial than a lob threat who clogs the paint, though. This is where Guerschon Yabusele could play a role as a small-ball five. The former first-round pick has experienced an NBA resurgence after standing out in the Olympics this offseason and has most likely priced himself out of Philadelphia next year.

A deal involving Drummond and Yabusele heading to Milwaukee could resemble the following:
Bucks receive: Andre Drummond, Guerschon Yabusele, KJ Martin, Reggie Jackson

Sixers receive: AJ Johnson, MarJon Beauchamp, Pat Connaughton, Delon Wright, 2031 first and second round picks

Martin and Jackson are included to match salaries, but come with their own strengths. Jackson has a long-standing relationship with Drummond and would replace Wright’s role while Martin is a swing at a young athlete who has shown he belongs on an NBA court.

For Philly, Connaughton and Wright’s contracts serve as salary-matchers while the draft capital can be consolidated for win-now assets. Additionally, Johnson and Beauchamp are unproven first-round picks who have earned minimal NBA opportunity. If the Sixers decide to tank, this duo could see more run in an attempt to recoup the draft capital used in their selections.

Fischer also mentioned Lopez’s trade market, writing, “…the Bucks’ incumbent center has generated no shortage of trade interest since last summer.”

It would be wildly irresponsible for Milwaukee’s front office to move Lopez as they are in the market for a center themselves. The space that the 36-year old stretch five creates with his range is arguably unmatched by any other center in the league. Thus, his value is highest alongside MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.