Speaking to reporters prior to Phoenix’s game against Philadelphia on Monday, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer discussed his reasons for benching Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, saying he needed to shake things up for his slumping team, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “Feel like we needed to make a change,” he said. “Throughout a 48-minute game, you got to figure … [Read more...] about Pacific Notes: Beal, Nurkic, Finney-Smith, Vanderbilt, Batum, Leonard
Trade Rumors: Collins, Hachimura, Knecht, Johnson, Kings, Nets
Big man John Collins is having a strong season for the Jazz, averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, with career highs in assists (2.5) and steals (1.1) per game, as well as three-point percentage (43.8%). While Collins’ contract – which includes a $26.58MM salary this season and a 2025/26 player option worth the same amount, will limit his value on the trade market, … [Read more...] about Trade Rumors: Collins, Hachimura, Knecht, Johnson, Kings, Nets
Clippers Notes: Kawhi, Reset, Staffer’s Lawsuit
Six-time All-Star Clippers wing Kawhi Leonard scored 12 points while playing on a minutes limit in his 2024/25 season debut on Saturday. The San Diego State alum was on the court for just 19 minutes in the team’s 131-105 victory over Atlanta. According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, the 33-year-old considered his return to the court to be fairly smooth. “[There] was nothing hard … [Read more...] about Clippers Notes: Kawhi, Reset, Staffer’s Lawsuit
Stein’s Latest: Johnson, Vucevic, Poeltl, Brown, Olynyk, Ball
The Nets have already dealt Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. Could forward Cameron Johnson be next? Citing league sources, Marc Stein reports on his latest Substack post that the Pacers are a team to watch in terms of Johnson’s next destination. Brooklyn is looking to clear as much salary as possible for the offseason and Johnson is in the second year of a … [Read more...] about Stein’s Latest: Johnson, Vucevic, Poeltl, Brown, Olynyk, Ball
Lakers Notes: Trade Deadline, Christie, Reaves, LeBron
The Lakers have gone 8-3 since they moved Max Christie into the starting lineup last month, ranking sixth in the league in defensive rating over that span, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. That makes the third-year guard highly unlikely to be moved prior to the February 6 trade deadline, according to Woike. In fact, Christie is just the type of player the Lakers … [Read more...] about Lakers Notes: Trade Deadline, Christie, Reaves, LeBron