FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Before the second quarter of the Dallas Mavericks’ Dec. 6 game against the Houston Rockets, the operations staff at American Airlines Center cut to a familiar face on the giant video screen: Dirk Nowitzki.

The 2011 NBA Finals MVP was seated next to his son, Max, who was wearing a Cooper Flagg jersey. Max proudly displayed the Mavs rookie’s No. 32, and the crowd cheered in approval.

Nowitzki’s presence that night was notable. It was his first time back in the arena for a game that didn’t involve Luka Dončić since the blockbuster Feb. 2, 2025, trade that sent Nowitzki’s friend and former understudy to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nowitzki was among the thousands in Dallas and elsewhere who felt stung by the Mavericks’ decision to ship out Dončić eight months after he led his team to the NBA Finals. Mavericks fans never accepted then-general manager Nico Harrison’s logic behind trading one of the most gifted offensive players in NBA history for Anthony Davis, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team but a player who is six years older than Dončić, with a long track record of injuries. Fan outrage eventually played a significant part in Harrison’s firing 11 games into this season.

As deafening as their “Fire Nico!” chants were, though, nothing spoke louder than Nowitzki choosing to travel to Los Angeles to support Dončić in his first game as a Laker.

The Dončić trade — along with other decisions Harrison made after winning a power struggle against former majority owner Mark Cuban for now-governor Patrick Dumont’s ear — created distance between the Mavericks and their all-time leading scorer. Nowitzki’s presence at their Dec. 6 game was a signal that Dallas was making progress toward repairing at least some of the emotional damage that had been done.

On Saturday, Dončić is scheduled to play his second game in Dallas since being traded. Nearly a year after the deal went down, the Mavericks are still cleaning up the wreckage.

Dallas, in 12th place in the Western Conference standings, has the fourth-highest payroll in the NBA, which is why team decision-makers are exploring the trade market for many of the veteran players Harrison brought in, including Davis. Dallas is in a difficult position because it doesn’t have full control of any of its own first-round draft picks after this year until 2031. The Mavericks also have yet to name a permanent general manager as Harrison’s successor.

There’s likely plenty to talk about in the next few weeks ahead of the trade deadline. But we figured now was a good time to look back.

Mavericks fans can at least take solace that they have another young star to build around in Flagg. The 19-year-old from Newport, Maine, is averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Flagg’s numbers aren’t that far off from the ones Dončić put up in his rookie season, when he averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and won Rookie of the Year — the first chapter in his electric 6 1/2-season run in Dallas that ended abruptly last February.

As demoralizing as last spring was, the Mavericks still sounded confident they could be a force in the West this year. At media day in September, Klay Thompson said that once injured guard Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup, “I don’t see why we can’t win the whole thing.”

Davis’ availability, however, was a major question mark. He got hurt in his first game with the Mavericks in February, suffering a left adductor strain that knocked him out of the lineup for nearly six weeks.

He had offseason eye surgery to repair a detached retina and was ready for the start of the season. But five games in, on Oct. 29, Davis suffered a left calf strain trying to wrangle a rebound. Cruelly for Mavericks fans, it was the same injury Dončić was recovering from when he was traded.

Without Davis, the Mavericks faltered, going 3-11 in the 14 games he missed. When he attempted to return before the Mavericks were in a full-on tailspin, Dumont intervened, wanting to make sure his $54.1 million player was fully healthy before returning to the court.

Davis was still sidelined when Harrison was fired Nov. 11. Harrison’s two lieutenants, Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley, were named co-interim GMs. For the past 2 1/2 months, both have been in charge of fielding trade offers for Davis so the Mavericks can reset around Flagg.

As the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, moving Davis for anything of value looks difficult. As The Athletic reported earlier this month, Davis’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, has wanted Davis to go to a team with which a contract extension appears more likely (Davis is extension-eligible this offseason). But that appears unlikely, as Davis is hurt again, this time with ligament damage in his left hand that will keep him out until at least the end of February.

Catch Up On The Story

What we’re hearing about Anthony Davis and a possible trade from the Mavericks

With Dallas struggling to hold down a Play-In Tournament spot, will the team look to deal its star big man before the Feb. 5 trade deadline?

The Mavericks have already started vetting candidates to take over as their permanent lead basketball executive, according to team sources, but they aren’t expected to make a hire until this spring at the earliest. That is because the Mavericks want to be able to choose from the widest possible pool of candidates — potentially even ones who are already running NBA teams.

Before the Mavericks hired Harrison in 2021, he spent 19 years with Nike but had never worked for an NBA team. The Mavericks, one league source said, have no interest in taking a risk on a candidate without NBA experience again.

“(They) are going to over-index on the safety aspect of it,” the league source said.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, Anthony Davis is once again sidelined due to injury.Stacy Revere / Getty Images

Mavericks ownership knows it must have someone in place before this year’s draft. The way things are trending, the Mavericks will own a top-10 pick. With so much outgoing future draft capital, it’s a decision Dallas needs to nail.

The Mavericks owe a top-two protected 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets as payment for the P.J. Washington deal and must fork over their unprotected 2029 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for the Irving trade. Their 2028 and 2030 firsts are tied up in pick swaps.

The Mavericks do control the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2029. It was the only first-rounder they secured for sending Dončić to Los Angeles.

As Dončić sat inside his new home arena on the final day of his first season with the Lakers, he admitted he needed to figure things out.

“I’m mentally kind of exhausted from everything that happened,” he said. “A lot of people won’t believe me, but I am. I just think now is the time to process everything.”

Whatever excitement he felt for the opportunity to become a Laker, to take his skill and showmanship to an unquestionably bigger stage, had been suppressed by the hurt and confusion from the shocking trade.

Unlike most stars of his stature, Dončić had not played a role — at least not directly — in his exit from Dallas. Concerns about his conditioning, his prolonged calf injury recovery and injuries he’d hadn’t yet suffered could be linked to bad habits. Few around the NBA, other than Harrison and other Mavericks stakeholders, believed those were sufficient reasons to move on from someone so young and talented.

Those close to Dončić found themselves hate-watching the Mavericks, growing angrier when they saw things like photos of him being removed from displays at the team’s practice facility. His first stint with the Lakers was good — but below Dončić’s standards. He didn’t really find his full-on footing until his first game back in Dallas, when he scored 45 points in front of his old fans in the final week of the regular season.

The Lakers, though, didn’t catch their stride. Dončić suffered an illness before Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Austin Reaves was seriously slowed by a toe injury. And LeBron James, by the end of the series, had suffered a knee injury.

With it all over, Dončić was hungry for closure.

Within days, he met with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to discuss the franchise’s vision to build around him. He returned to Slovenia to begin an intermittent fasting diet and a new workout regimen overseen by his medical team. Pictures of his slimmed-down physique flooded social media. He appeared on the cover of Men’s Health, did a segment on the NBC’s “Today” show and, on Aug. 2, swiftly signed a three-year, $165 million extension to stay with the Lakers.

The Mavericks traded Dončić, in part, because they believed his habits wouldn’t have changed if they awarded him a supermax contract in excess of $300 million. One team source likened him to Elvis Presley — and that the trade to the Lakers helped save him from those habits.

“They (fans) got skinny Elvis,” said the team source.

Sources close to Dončić, though, point to that kind of thinking as a reason why things in Dallas ended in the first place. Instead, they believed Dončić was on a path to improving his diet and conditioning as he matured, regardless of any trade. Their focus, especially since the end of last season, has been on the future and not the past.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Late Lakers run not enough, but they might have found something along the way.

The Lakers almost made another comeback, but this time the hole was too deep to crawl all the way out, falling 112–104 to the Clippers.

If we are looking for positives, though, amid all the drama surrounding the team at the moment, there was still a lot of fight at the end. After it looked like they had given up while falling behind by as much as 26 in the third quarter, the Lakers clawed their way back to as close as two points. It was a familiar scenario for the third straight game: an uninspiring start, followed by a late push, but in the end they simply couldn’t make enough shots to complete a massive turnaround.

Source: NBA dot com

But as up and down as the game was, the post-game interviews brought some light to why the team is so unpredictable and vulnerable to swings at the moment.

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Today’s notes:

Lakers not ready for a playoff-like fight and whistle early

Every man for himself

More drama in an already difficult season

Small-ball, big pressure led by Vando (VIDEO)

More John Collins thoughts (VIDEO)

1-Lakers not ready for a playoff-like fight and whistle early

The biggest takeaway from the start of the game was that the Lakers got punched first and needed more than half the game to respond. The refs allowed a lot of physicality on both ends, and the Clippers took much better advantage of it. I wrote last week about the NBA making another adjustment to how fouls are called, and this game was a perfect example of it. Kris Dunn’s hands were everywhere—he easily could have had 10 fouls or more if what was called earlier in the season was still being whistled now.

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅
@PurpGolded
Who tf isn’t cutting their nails on the Clippers?!

9:26 PM · Jan 22, 2026 · 29.6K Views
20 Replies · 31 Reposts · 1.2K Likes

And Ivica Zubac was simply bullying his way through Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, and every Laker in his path, finishing with 19 rebounds, 10 of them on the offensive glass, and giving the Clippers a huge edge on the boards.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

The Lakers eventually adjusted and turned the force up later in the game, but the long adaptation period proved too costly overall.

2-Every man for himself

What the Clippers’ early force achieved was pushing the Lakers out of their actions, out of their offensive rhythm, and out of their comfort zone. Luka Dončić was scoring early. He had 14 points in the first quarter but needed 11 shots to get there and struggled with his three-point shot all night. And when he tried to get his teammates involved, they were either missing layups, missing open shots, or, in Ayton’s case, simply lacking the focus to follow up and finish lobs. The Lakers had six of their 10 total turnovers in the second quarter, and most of them were committed by role players rather than the playmakers.

Things escalated at the beginning of the second half, when after a couple of missed opportunities everyone started looking for their own shot, including calling their own numbers on ATO plays.

Postgame, JJ Redick highlighted the lack of ball movement as the biggest blueprint for the Lakers’ early struggles, saying it starts with Luka trusting the pass. Redick has not been shy about challenging his players, including Dončić, and to their credit, I think both have managed to respond positively to moments like this. To be fair to Dončić, there was also a stark difference in spacing and outlet options around him compared to James Harden. Ayton struggled to follow his ideas in pick actions, while the spacing was even more limited with Hayes on the floor because another non-shooter, Vanderbilt, was also out there.

3-More drama in an already difficult season

One has to wonder how much of the Lakers’ on-court chemistry, or at times lack of it, stems from the off-court drama that has followed the team since the offseason—from the moment LeBron James didn’t receive a new extension, to his agent’s podcast controversies, and most recently the ESPN story on a Buss family Succession-like fallout, both internally and even between the last Buss standing, Jeanie Buss, and LeBron James. James’ postgame comments on the latter were another indication of how uncomfortable the end of his Lakers tenure is becoming.

If you add that to another challenge—one Redick admitted publicly for the first time—of much of the roster playing on expiring deals, it becomes easier to understand why this team is so susceptible to swings on the court.

To the Lakers’ credit, with all of that in mind and down 26 in the middle of the third quarter, they didn’t fall apart. Dončić led the first charge late in the third, in his usual style, scoring and finding teammates for lobs.

4-Small-ball, big pressure led by Vando (VIDEO)

The interesting thing about this game was that, while watching, it felt like the Lakers were actually playing solid defense, but it was offset by their poor offensive rhythm early. Dončić had a solid defensive game, staying in front of James Harden on several possessions. And that was before they really turned up the pressure and eventually became the aggressors in the fourth.

After Ayton’s struggles, Redick benched him again following a short stint in the third quarter and went to smaller lineups with Drew Timme at the five in the fourth. With the smaller lineup, the Lakers played even more aggressively, blitzing James Harden and doing a great job scrambling on the back end. It was the same strategy they employed against Jamal Murray in the previous game, when I wrote that this aggressive, scrambling scheme is the best way to utilize the motor, hands, and defensive playmaking of Smart, LaRavia, Vanderbilt, and even James and Dončić.

Vanderbilt probably had his best defensive half of the season, flipping the tone of the game with his energy and being everywhere down the stretch.

So even though they lost this one, I think Redick and his staff have found something over the last couple of games with smaller, more aggressive units, reminiscent of last year’s small-ball lineups with Dorian Finney-Smith that had a lot of success in the second half of the season.

5-More John Collins thoughts (VIDEO)

For those who missed it, with the trade deadline nearing, I’ve started embedding analysis and thoughts on interesting players into my game coverage. That began with a deeper dive on Peyton Watson in the Denver preview and observations, and continued with a closer look at John Collins, who will be a free agent this summer, in yesterday’s preview for this game.

In a way, this game was a perfect encapsulation of how I described Collins yesterday: a bigger, more athletic version of Rui Hachimura, and one of the better low-usage, high-efficiency play finishers in the league. Collins scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting at just 11% usage, with all of his makes coming as an outlet for James Harden or Kawhi Leonard after they created the advantage. Collins showed a full portfolio of ways to keep and close those advantages: finishing in transition, attacking closeouts for layups at the rim or soft mid-range jumpers, providing a baseline lob outlet, and finally icing the game with his trademark corner three. As I noted yesterday, the data backs that up—he’s among the best corner snipers in the league.

Collins wouldn’t make much sense on the current roster, as the Lakers already have plenty of players at the power forward spot with James, Hachimura, and Vanderbilt. He could, however, become an intriguing option in a hypothetical rebuilt roster centered around Dončić, if he were, say, a fifth- or, even better, a sixth-man type.

A strong second-half push wasn't enough as the Lakers fall 112-104 to the Clippers. @geeter3, @mike_bresnahan, and @JamesWorthy42 share their thoughts. pic.twitter.com/918xnRjhNJ— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 23, 2026

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Lakers will technically play at least one game at home during their eight-game road trip. This second game of the trip is officially an away matchup at the Intuit Dome, but staying in Los Angeles makes it feel different. Being a cross-town rivalry only adds to that, making this already the third meeting between the two teams this season.

The prior two matchups could not have been more different. In the first meeting, Luka Dončić was the Clippers assassin we have seen many times before, dominating with 43 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds, one steal, and one block. In the rematch, he struggled early, and then things deteriorated quickly. An injury scare led to him missing the second half with a leg contusion. That game marked one of the low points of the season, the start of a three-game losing streak that ended with a demoralizing Christmas loss and the injury to Austin Reaves.

Two key headlines going into this game are whether the Lakers can extend their streak of two strong performances to three, and whether Kawhi Leonard, listed as questionable, becomes the latest player to return from injury against the Lakers.

As with the previous game, I decided to mix up the preview format as the trade deadline approaches. Clippers forward John Collins, who is in the final year of his five-year contract, is the player I chose to take a closer look at for this matchup.

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Lakers (26-16) @ Clippers (19-24) game facts
Rest: LAL on 1 day of rest; LAC on 1 day of rest

Ranking: LAL 16th in Point Diff (-0.2), LAC 22nd in Point Diff (-2.3)

LAL vs LAC 2025-26 record: 1-1 (see Game 17 observations here; see Game 27 observations here)

LAL injuries: Austin Reaves (OUT), Adou Thiero (OUT)

LAC injuries: Bradley Beal (OUT), Bogdan Bogdanović (OUT), Derrick Jones Jr. (OUT), Chris Paul (OUT), Kawhi Leonard (questionable)

LAL projected starting five: Luka Dončić (G), Marcus Smart (G), Jake LaRavia (F), LeBron James (F), Deandre Ayton (C)

LAL key reserves: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxi Kleber, Drew Timme

LAC projected starting five: James Harden (G), Kris Dunn (G), Kawhi Leonard (F), John Collins (F), Ivica Zubac (C)

LAC key reserves: Kobe Sanders, Jordan Miller, Nicolas Batum, Cam Christie, Yanic Konan Niederhauser

Clippers and Kawhi trending up

Apart from another injury setback for Leonard, the Clippers are in a completely different place than they were heading into the previous matchup with the Lakers on December 20. They entered that game on a five-game losing streak, sitting at 6–21 and ranking as the third-worst defense in the NBA. However, that game against the Lakers proved to be a turning point. Including that win, the Clippers have won 13 of their next 16 games and rank as the third-best offense in the NBA since that point.

Before missing his last three games with a left knee contusion, Leonard had been playing like one of the best players in the NBA during that stretch, averaging nearly 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and 2.6 steals per game. The mercurial, injury-prone forward is quietly putting together one of the best seasons of his career, averaging a career-high 28.2 points per game on elite 50, 40, 90 shooting splits.

Key question: will the Lakers defense get weird with James Harden?

Leonard has not only been scoring at a high level, but his on off numbers also point to him being the Clippers’ most important overall player and defender. If he is available, it gives the Clippers three unique pressure points, all players the Lakers will have a difficult time containing individually in Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac.

As dominant as Leonard has been as a scorer, Harden remains the irreplaceable offensive engine. The Clippers score 120.3 points per 100 possessions with Harden on the floor this season, compared to just 107.2 when he is off. That number does not improve much in minutes with Leonard on and Harden off, as the Clippers score at a rate of 109.1 points per 100 possessions in those lineups.

The thing to watch in this game will be whether JJ Redick decides to continue, in his words, getting weird. That has meant playing zone defense for the final three quarters against the Raptors, and blitzing Jamal Murray for the entire second half of the turnaround win against the Nuggets. Harden is a far better playmaker and passer, and far more accustomed to being trapped, than Murray. That makes a similar approach far riskier, but seeing how the Los Angeles Lakers choose to handle Harden will be one of the most interesting subplots of the game.

Player watch: John Collins

As mentioned, I will try to weave interesting players into the game coverage as we get closer to the trade deadline. Collins is in the final year of his five-year contract and, as such, an especially interesting player to track going forward and into the summer

Source: Spotrac

Colli.ns is not a prototypical wing defender or a lob-catching, rim-protecting big who would immediately top the Lakers’ priority list as they look to rebuild the roster around Dončić. He is something of a tweener, with some characteristics of both of those archetypes, but also weaknesses that prevent him from fully fitting either role. He is a good shooter, especially deadly from the corners, but not mobile enough to be a strong wing defender. He is athletic and can finish lobs and block the occasional shot, but he does not have the size or length to consistently play the five.

What makes Collins intriguing to me is his efficiency as both a shooter and a finisher. In some ways, he profiles as a more athletic and bouncier version of Rui Hachimura, someone who could be a useful rotation piece as a sixth man. In that role, he could play as a backup power forward or even as a small-ball center, where his shooting becomes even more valuable. Collins is thriving by punishing teams that sag off him around Harden, shooting 43 percent from three and 48 percent from the corners this season. Over the last two seasons, he has been among the deadliest corner shooters in the league, converting 47 percent of those attempts. For comparison, Hachimura has hit 43 percent of his corner threes over the same span.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

He has lost some of the bounce he had earlier in his career catching lobs from Trae Young, but he remains an effective rim finisher and is still athletic enough to be a vertical threat for a playmaker like Harden or Dončić.

Defensively, Collins is not a wing stopper, but he competes, and his size and bounce make him a much more impactful defensive playmaker than Hachimura. If we look at block and steal rates, P.J. Washington is a much closer statistical comparison, though Collins is not at Washington’s level as an on-ball or one-on-one defender.

Source: bball-index

I am not saying Collins should be on the Lakers’ priority list. Rather, he is a player who could become a useful pickup at the right value if the opportunity arises, and as such, one I will be watching a little more closely tonight.

Hi, HelloKawhi Leonard has been upgraded to QUESTIONABLE against the Lakers.Have a nice day!— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) January 22, 2026

Here are the top-10 Lakers trade targets in NBA today:GUARDSAyo DosunmuQuentin GrimesJose AlvaradoMalik MonkWINGSMichael Porter Jr.Keon EllisBIGSDaniel GaffordRobert Williams IIIKristaps PorzingisNic Claxton https://t.co/gGIH4Jauuj— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 22, 2026

MICHAEL PORTER JR.

Porter has been one of the breakout stars of the season following his offseason trade to Brooklyn, going from excellent starter to potential All-Star who entering Tuesday is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 reounds and 3.2 assists as the Nets play feisty, defensive-minded basketball and are more competitive than expected under Jordi Fernandez.

The 27-year-old forward is 6-foot-10 and is one of the most efficient off-ball scorers in the league, a lights-out shooter from all three levels who is sharp as a cutter and off-ball mover. He’s added more prowess off the dribble this season, knocking down shots from all three levels like he did before his back injury in college. He’s also a killer rebounder and showed the ability to defend in the playoffs when he played with the Nuggets.

Porter is owed $38.3 million this season and $40.8 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. He has also has a history of some injury questions and was flagged at the combine, meaning that teams will want to get a look at more up-to-date medicals before making any big decisions. But a move for Porter could swing the title race for teams like Detroit that could use one more scoring threat.

Trade value
High-End Prospect and A First Round Pick
Age
27

DANIEL GAFFORD

Gafford is a simple player in the best ways. He’s a sharp defender at the rim who uses his supreme vertical leaping ability well and has developed more tact as a drop-coverage defender in ball screens and weakside rotational defender. He’s not overly mobile laterally and can get the corner turned on him if he gets too high in screen coverage, but he’s become solid on that end while consistently converting as one of the league’s best rollers to the rim and lob catchers out of ball screens. He’s made over 70 percent of his field goal attempts through his NBA career and has to be accounted for by the defense.

Gafford just signed an extension last summer and is locked in for three more years and $54 million after this one. It’s a good deal for a starting-caliber center who is only 27 years old. The Mavericks need to make a choice on what their frontcourt of the future looks like, and even after Dereck Lively’s foot injury, Gafford could be the odd man out because of his lack of positional flexibility. He’d be an outstanding pickup for someone like the Pacers, who could use an uptempo starting big.

Trade value
First-Round Pick or Good Prospect/Player
Best fits
Pacers
Age
27
Position
Big
Expiration
2029

NIC CLAXTON

Claxton is a mobile defender who can block shots at a high level and is versatile in his ability to play in different ball-screen coverages. At 6-11, he’s always been a mobile threat rotating across the play to block shots. Sometimes he’ll get overaggressive and get the team into rotation, which can hinder his value on that end. He’s not quite the top-10 defender in the league he was back in 2023, but his offense has started to take a bit of a jump. Back at Georgia, Claxton showed some fun ballhandling and passing ability. He has never actualized that until this year, as he’s averaging 4.1 assists versus only 1.5 turnovers at the center position. He’s become a useful ball-movement cog in the Nets machine.

Claxton is still only 26 years old. The contract isn’t exactly a steal right now at $25.3 million per year. But over the next two years — where he’ll make $44 million — it starts to become one as the deal descends in value when the salary cap is scheduled to rise. He’ll make just under $21 million in 2027-28, which is projected to be just 12 percent of the salary cap. It’ll cost a first-round pick to pry Claxton out of Brooklyn, but there are teams that can reasonably make the assessment that such a move would be worth it.

Trade value
First-Round Pick
Age
26
Position
Big
Expiration
2028
Big
8

AYO DOSUNMU

I’ve long been a fan of Dosunmu, a player who takes exactly what the defense gives him and makes plays every time he’s on the court. He doesn’t overstay his welcome on the ball, but he is capable of slashing to the rim. He moves with purpose off the ball. Defensively, he’s solid and tough at the point of attack at 6-4, 200 pounds. And he’s having his best statistical year. Dosunmu is averaging 14.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3 and 86 percent from the line. This is an efficient, smart basketball player who could make a real difference in several rotations league-wide, especially for teams that have a spacing big.

The former Illinois All-American is on an expiring contract worth only $7.5 million, too. That means he’s available for just about every team, including those that are limited by apron and salary-cap thresholds. Even teams such as the Lakers, Rockets, Knicks and others can theoretically get in the bidding for Dosunmu, and all of them could use him. Because the market could end up being a bit wider, I would expect that Dosunmu would return more than what people expect.

Trade value
Second-Round Picks
Best fits
Rockets, Celtics, Knicks, Pistons, Magic, Lakers, Timberwolves
Age
25
Position
Guard
Expiration
2026
Guard

QUENTIN GRIMES

Grimes decided to take the qualifying offer as a restricted free agent this offseason as opposed to signing a longer-term deal with the 76ers. That means Grimes has a no-trade clause that allows him to approve any destination. Still, he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and it’s unclear how the 76ers see him long-term given their recent draft selections of Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe alongside All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey.

For his part in all of this, Grimes has been very good for the 76ers this season. He’s averaging 14 points while shooting 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3, and he continues to bring energetic defense. Any team that trades for Grimes would also not inherit the Bird rights that the 76ers would if they were to keep him.

There is real reason to buy into the 76ers retaining Grimes given how valuable he’s been, the no-trade clause and the Bird rights conundrum. However, his role has been reduced with Joel Embiid’s return, and they aren’t counting on him for quite as much offense now. The team clearly has a position of strength in the backcourt and a real need for bigger bodies in the frontcourt at the four position. If the team feels like it can’t retain Grimes in the offseason, moving him now to a place that he approves could be a valuable tool.

Trade value
A Different Good Player (Has Right to Approve Trade)
Best fits
Clippers, Timberwolves, Bucks, Trail Blazers
Age
25
Position
Guard
Expiration
2026
Guard

KEON ELLIS

Ellis is the King who has received the most interest on the trade market to this point, per league sources, largely because of his contract and perceived value. At times, Ellis’ ability gets a bit overstated. He is a limited offensive player without a lot of ballhandling skill. He’s also quite skinny, which means that he’s not quite a full-on switchable, stopper with All-Defense caliber-upside on that end of the court.

However, Ellis can bring energetic defensive play with excellent, disruptive hand-eye coordination. He can take on tough defensive assignments in the backcourt. As a shooter, he’s been a 41.5 percent 3-point marksman for his career (36 percent this season), excelling as the fifth offensive option on the court who can space from the corners or in relocations above-the-break. You have to guard him, although I don’t think of him as a guy that you run off-ball actions for.

The key here, though, is that Ellis only makes $2.3 million, meaning every team in the league can theoretically get involved in a potential bidding war. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but the team that acquires him would have his full Bird rights and a low cap hold. The asking price is thought to be in the range of a late first-round pick. Other teams around the league, though, are struggling to answer the question as to why he doesn’t play more on a team that could theoretically use his defense and off-ball shot-making. That might hold it back to a couple of second-rounders.

Trade value
Second-Round Picks
Best fits
Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Knicks, 76ers, Cavaliers, Heat
Age
26
Position
Wing
Expiration
2026
Wing

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS

Porziņģis was off to a strong start for the Hawks, with the advanced stats being big fans of his impact on the team. Particularly, his offensive value was quite high, as the spacing he provided for Jalen Johnson and Atlanta slashers was useful. With Porziņģis on the court, Johnson’s true shooting percentage jumps from 59.7 to 63.2, per Databallr. Additionally, Porziņģis has been putting up numbers of his own, averaging 17.1 points in just 24 minutes per game with a career-high 2.7 assists per game versus a career-low 0.9 turnovers. The Hawks simplified his role, and he was thriving.

Alas, Porziņģis has only been able to play in 17 games because of illness and injury. He’s on an expiring contract worth $30.7 million that could allow the Hawks to look into reshaping their roster if they believe he is unlikely to play a significant number of games moving forward. Undoubtedly, there are good players available with multiple years remaining on their deals whose teams would be happy to deal them. Porziņģis’ contract could easily be used as a mechanism to facilitate such a transaction.

Trade value
Salary Matching In a Trade
Age
30
Position
Big
Expiration
2026
Big

JOSE ALVARADO

Alvarado can help a team. He’s helped the Pelicans a lot when he’s been in the game this year. During his 500 minutes, the Pelicans have been seven points per 100 possessions better than when he’s off the court, largely because his point-of-attack defensive efforts allow the team to have a stronger infrastructure on that end. He’s an aggressive pressure defender who can pick players up in the backcourt and make life harder for opposing teams. He’s also averaging eight points and 3.3 assists while shooting 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3. He makes quick decisions when he’s on the court and generally can play both on and off the ball because of that ability to shoot.

There are size-based hurdles for a team that acquires him. He’s only 6 feet tall, so he won’t be for everyone. However, he consistently helps his team, and I think he could be a useful backup guard for a playoff team. Alvarado is potentially on an expiring contract this year, as he’s making $4.5 million this season and then has a $4.5 million player option for next year. If the Pelicans wanted to cash in now, the time would be right, and I think they’d likely get a couple of second-rounders.

Trade value
Second-Round Picks
Best fits
Knicks, Magic, Clippers, Timberwolves, Rockets
Age
27
Position
Guard
Expiration
2027 (player option)
Guard

ROBERT WILLIAMS III

Williams’ career has been a disappointment because of injury. After making an All-Defense team in 2022, he’s simply been unable to stay on the court. He’s played just 85 games in the last three and a half years. When he’s out there, he’s very valuable because he is a mobile defensive player who has awesome help instincts and can protect the rim. He’s also an efficient finisher at the rim who can operate in short-roll situations on offense with his passing vision. The good news is that he’s been able to play in 30 games this year and has seen nearly 500 minutes of action. But I don’t know that you can rely on that to continue, either, given that teams have to work hard to manage his knee.

Williams’ $13.3 million contract is expiring this year, which means the Blazers will have a choice as to whether they continue to work with him on his injuries or if they try to cash in at the deadline for whatever they can get. A team with an established starting center looking for a difference-maker off the bench is the best situation for Williams. For 15 to 20 minutes per night, he can be an impact guy. But that also holds true for the Blazers, who want to be competent and solid but have precious little center depth behind Donovan Clingan if they were to trade Williams with how raw Yang Hansen is. The team wants its identity to be on the defensive end, and trading Williams would make that harder. Still, he’s an expiring contract who could be looked at as a value add for a number of teams.

Trade value
Second-Round Picks
Best fits
Lakers, Pelicans, Bulls
Age
28
Position
Big
Expiration
2026
Big

The two brothers, along with some of their siblings, had learned during their June meetings and then in the days after that some members of Jeanie’s inner circle stood to receive substantial bonuses from the sale.

One person with knowledge of the events said that those people included Linda and Kurt Rambis, Grigsby, McCormack and Harris, the team’s president of business operations.

Linda Rambis stood to pocket $24 million, the same as McCormack, Grigsby and Harris. Kurt, meanwhile, stood to make $8 million.

The figures were a nod, of all things, to Kobe Bryant, who wore the numbers 24 and 8 during his 20-year Lakers career.

The total figure for such payouts was $114 million, the same figure that Janie said she was told during her June meeting with Grigsby, McCormack and Jeanie.

Otis,There are three areas the Lakers need major improvements in to compete for a championship.1. Volume 3-point shooting. MPJ would give us a second volume 3-point shooter. Could be easiest path to immediate success.2. 15 minutes per game of elite rim protection is…— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 21, 2026