The first step towards dealing with a problem is admitting you have one, and we should all be abl...

The first step towards dealing with a problem is admitting you have one, and we should all be able to acknowledge that the NBA has a <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3239721" href="https://thescore.com/news/3239721">tanking</a> problem. Again.Nearly a third of the league will spend the final month of this season trying to lose, and there's no way around the fact that's bad for business, even if franchises are selling for <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3246558" href="https://thescore.com/news/3246558">record prices</a> and a mammoth new media-rights deal is already locked in.The most egregious tanking examples cheapen and degrade the NBA product, and further lead to uncomfortable integrity questions for a league that encourages its fans to wager responsibly on games. So, what to do about it?<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The only ways to completely eradicate tanking would be to give every team in the league an equal shot at the No. 1 pick, to replace the draft lottery with something more creative like <a href="https://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-nbas-possible-solution-for-tanking-good-bye-to-the-lottery-hello-to-the-wheel/">The Wheel</a> (which would see teams assigned one of 30 picks every 30 years), or to <a href="https://x.com/theScore/status/1902465099228475660">abolish</a> the draft entirely.Such radical change seems unlikely. A two-thirds majority of owners would need to vote in favor, and most owners still want to sell hope through the draft when they can't sell wins, sell tickets, or sell established superstars on their respective markets.The goal right now should be to find more realistic solutions. Tweaks to the current lottery system can still go a long way towards curbing the most shameless examples of intentional ineptitude.<h3>Flatten the odds</h3><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Odds change" aria-label="Multiple Columns" id="datawrapper-chart-wPEwN" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wPEwN/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="426" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure>Twenty-eight of 30 owners supported flattened odds in 2019 when the lottery format was changed so that the three worst teams each received a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, rather than the worst team receiving a league-leading 25% chance.That 2019 adjustment paid dividends: the league's gone six straight years without the last-place team winning the No. 1 pick after the four lotteries leading up to the change were all won by the worst team. Still, it's clear the NBA didn't go far enough, as evidenced by the depths teams are stooping to ahead of this spring's Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.The first and most obvious fix is to further flatten the odds. The worst teams can still have a slight mathematical advantage, but the difference between each slot should be so minuscule that trying to maneuver from, say, sixth worst to fifth worst is pointless. The trade-off of dropping a spot or two in the overall standings shouldn't be worth the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3240647" href="https://thescore.com/news/3240647">fines</a> the NBA imposes on teams for ripping off paying customers by sitting healthy players.However, you also can't go too far by giving every lottery team equal odds, as that would lead to lower-seeded postseason clubs having far more incentive to tank out of the playoff picture and into the lottery.<h3>Remove the floor</h3>After flattening the odds, the NBA must next increase the risk for tankers.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Lottery team draft ranges" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-QugqQ" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/QugqQ/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="525" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
</script></figure>This idea builds on another change already agreed to in 2019, but one that didn't go far enough. The NBA currently uses a lottery to draw the draft's top four selections, up from three prior to 2019. It's a nice start, as lottery teams can now fall four spots in the draft from their corresponding place in the standings. (The Pistons fell to fifth in 2023 and 2024 despite owning the worst record both years.)But the subtle change still came with too much of a guarantee for the league's most pitiful teams, as the last-place club is assured a top-five pick. Instead, every lottery pick should be determined via the draw, leaving no floor for teams to fall back on.Imagine this: the best-case scenario for the league's worst team is a 1-in-10 shot at the No. 1 pick, with a chance its selection could fall anywhere in the top 14, instead of a top-five guarantee and a 14% chance of picking first overall.The law of probabilities would make sliding 13 spots quite unlikely, but the fear alone would be enough to make prospective tankers think twice.<h3>No repeat winners</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628503/cropped_GettyImages-2152094973.jpg?ts=1742591686" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628503/w220xh124_GettyImages-2152094973.jpg?ts=1742591686 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628503/w320xh180_GettyImages-2152094973.jpg?ts=1742591686 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628503/w640xh360_GettyImages-2152094973.jpg?ts=1742591686 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628503/w768xh432_GettyImages-2152094973.jpg?ts=1742591686 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628503/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2152094973.jpg?ts=1742591686 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jeff Haynes / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Finally, the NBA should prohibit teams from winning the lottery in consecutive years. Would Flagg's new team still look at a loaded 2026 draft class more favorably than a low-seeded postseason berth? Sure, but if the team knew its pick could fall anywhere from second to 14th, it may not be so eager to waste Year 1 of its new franchise player's career (and valuable rookie-scale contract).This change would prove unfortunate for teams that win the lottery in a down year for prospects (hello, 2024 Hawks), but: too bad. This is pro sports, and the system's already designed to prop up bad teams.Tanking on some level will always be part of the equation as long as North America's top leagues insist on sending the best young talent to save their worst-run franchises. (Even the PWHL's "Gold Plan," where teams are encouraged to stack wins after being eliminated from playoff contention, would likely tempt some squads into hoarding losses earlier in the season.) That goes double for basketball, a game uniquely vulnerable to the powers and whims of singular talents.And that's fine, to some extent. Sports' nature means teams will always be navigating different phases of the competitive cycle and making decisions based on where they are on that journey. But more can and should be done to discourage teams from punting on entire seasons, or large chunks of one.Promising young talent and the luck of the draw should inspire hope for fans of losing teams. But more losing should never be seen as the easiest way out.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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3 lottery tweaks that would address the NBA's tanking problem

Welcome to theScore's fifth annual All-Nobody Team, an exercise meant to identify and spotlight a...

Welcome to theScore's fifth annual All-Nobody Team, an exercise meant to identify and spotlight a handful of NBA players who have made a name for themselves after entering the season with relative anonymity.We're looking for players whose NBA futures were uncertain before the 2024-25 campaign tipped off, but who have looked promising enough this year to convince me they can be NBA mainstays.In prior years, this space spotlighted previous unknowns like Austin Reaves, Naz Reid, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Isaiah Joe, Nick Richards, Keon Ellis, and Vince Williams Jr., among others.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>As a reminder, players drafted in 2024 and first-round picks from any year are ineligible, as are players who had already logged at least 1,000 career minutes coming into this season.<h3>AJ Green, Bucks</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775100/cropped_GettyImages-2200409864.jpg?ts=1741898937" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775100/w220xh124_GettyImages-2200409864.jpg?ts=1741898937 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775100/w320xh180_GettyImages-2200409864.jpg?ts=1741898937 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775100/w640xh360_GettyImages-2200409864.jpg?ts=1741898937 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775100/w768xh432_GettyImages-2200409864.jpg?ts=1741898937 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775100/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2200409864.jpg?ts=1741898937 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Stephen Gosling / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Green's 959 career minutes entering the season came in just under our 1000-minute cut-off, making him the easiest choice for this year's All-Nobody Team.The undrafted Northern Iowa product is the type of hired gun who can get his shot off and convert at a high rate despite everyone in the building knowing exactly what he wants to do. Perhaps Green's unorthodox mechanics, which see him bring the ball further back as he loads up, have something to do with it. Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton told theScore earlier this season that Green's unique shot is one of the league's toughest to guard.Green's 42% clip from deep ranks 11th among 169 qualified 3-point shooters, while his 3-point attempt rate of .858 (meaning 85.8% of his field-goal attempts come from long range) ranks second to 2024 All-Nobody selection Sam Merrill. It's no wonder why his minutes per game have more than doubled since last season (11.0 to 22.8).Green caught the eye of Bucks head coach Doc Rivers long before the season tipped off, but even Rivers couldn't have predicted this level of success. "Watching him work this summer, he had the best summer (on our team), in terms of just his commitment to it," Rivers said. "I'm really proud of him and happy with how he's playing. His shooting is game-changing for us."<h3>Scotty Pippen Jr., Grizzlies</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/757023/cropped_GettyImages-2185676751.jpg?ts=1741898986" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/757023/w220xh124_GettyImages-2185676751.jpg?ts=1741898986 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/757023/w320xh180_GettyImages-2185676751.jpg?ts=1741898986 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/757023/w640xh360_GettyImages-2185676751.jpg?ts=1741898986 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/757023/w768xh432_GettyImages-2185676751.jpg?ts=1741898986 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/757023/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2185676751.jpg?ts=1741898986 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Obviously, no one named after their Hall of Fame father can ever truly be a nobody. But staying true to our eligibility rules, Pippen qualifies after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt and logging just 559 minutes through his first two seasons.It's not just his name that makes Pippen a standout on this list. While the other four selections are natural offensive players, the Grizzlies guard is a defensive stalwart who had to find his way on the offensive end."You see him being a point of attack defender every single night. We knew that was one of the great traits of his DNA," Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said. "But offensively, he's a guy who can really fit our pace of play. He's attacking, getting into the paint within three or four seconds, and improving as a playmaker. These were all things we were seeing in the summer during his Summer League prep, offseason workouts, and even in the preseason. He's still making defense his calling card, but offensively, we've seen a lot of progress in his playmaking ability, playing in open space situations, playing in pick-and-rolls. He's just steadily gotten better in our main actions over the course of the season."Pippen ranks sixth in bench assists this season, owns a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, has been the sixth-fastest player in the league, per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance?CF=MIN*GE*500&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AVG_SPEED">NBA.com</a>, and has shot 37.7% from deep on decent volume (2.8 3-point attempts per game) over the last two years. That level of offensive competence is more than enough to see him stick in the Association when coupled with his disruptive perimeter defense.From an undersized long shot known simply as Scottie's son, to logging the fifth-most minutes on a second-place contender, Pippen has made his own way. "We've had to lean on him a lot, just with our injuries to start the year" said Jenkins. "He's played different roles – out of the rotation, being a third point guard, being a second point guard, playing 30 minutes a night." Safe to say Pippen has aced every test.<h3>Jay Huff, Grizzlies</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/cropped_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w220xh124_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w320xh180_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w640xh360_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w768xh432_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/751932/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2180552907.jpg?ts=1741899063 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Joe Murphy / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Every team wants a big man who can spread the floor on one end and protect the rim on the other. But not many teams, if any, envisioned Jay Huff would be one of the best examples of that two-way prowess.Undrafted out of Virginia, Huff logged 5.3 minutes per game while suiting up in just 31 contests for three different teams over his first three seasons in the Association. Then the Grizzlies came calling, and the partnership has proved a match made in heaven.The 7-foot-1 center has canned 41.5% of his 3.3 3-point attempts per game while contesting the third-most shots per minute on the defensive end among 337 players who have logged at least 500 minutes, per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle?CF=MIN*GE*500&amp;PerMode=PerMinute">NBA.com</a>. Huff's not the most mobile defender, but the former G League Defensive Player of the Year can at least use his size as the last line of defense. His defensive field-goal percentage of 57.8 isn't spectacular, but it's solid enough, ranking 24th out of <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*100&amp;PlayerPosition=C&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RIM_FG_PCT">64 centers</a> who have contested at least 100 shots, just behind Brook Lopez.Huff's minutes have fallen off as the Grizzlies have gotten healthier over the last couple months, but I'd be willing to bet he has at least one big game in him during the stretch run or playoffs.As for why the Grizzlies seem to always discover such diamonds in the rough, Huff says it's no coincidence. "It's a very simple system, especially now. Guys play to their strengths within that, but it's still structured in a way that works well for a wide variety of players. And then the way they use the G League - there's some real talent down there. There are guys that have been in the G League for years, that if given the right opportunity, are NBA players. I think (the Grizzlies) have a really good view of the G League. It's developmental, yes, but it's not a separate thing."The fact Memphis has ranked in the top three in man games lost to injury two years in a row also helps lead to increased opportunities for players like Huff and Pippen. But injuries alone can't explain it. Jenkins' Grizzlies share the wealth, with only one player (Desmond Bane) averaging more than 30 minutes this season."There are teams that play a lot of players. I think that helps. That's not to say teams who don't play as many players are doing it wrong, but it is what it is, there's just more opportunity with some teams than others," Huff told theScore. "I think places like that are good places to be for myself, for Scotty, for guys coming up through the two-way (contract) route or through the G League. Memphis has always been a good place to be for guys like us." <h3>Jamison Battle, Raptors</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759096/cropped_GettyImages-2187891563.jpg?ts=1741899122" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759096/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187891563.jpg?ts=1741899122 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759096/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187891563.jpg?ts=1741899122 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759096/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187891563.jpg?ts=1741899122 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759096/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187891563.jpg?ts=1741899122 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759096/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187891563.jpg?ts=1741899122 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Andrew Lahodynskyj / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The only rookie on this year's list, Battle has been a quiet revelation in Toronto for those paying attention to the Eastern Conference tanker, er, rebuilder.Undrafted after five collegiate seasons at Ohio State, Minnesota, and George Washington, Battle has logged plenty of G League time this year, but he's shown the makings of a long-term NBAer in his limited action for the big club.First and foremost, Battle is an elite shooter who knows his role. He's shooting 41.6% from deep, with more than 75% of his shot attempts coming from long range. Among all rookies in the 3-point era (since 1979) who made at least 60 total 3-pointers, Battle's conversion rate ranks 15th, per <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=fg3_pct&amp;year_min=1980&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=60&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=fg3&amp;season_end=1">Stathead</a>. He's not just a shooter, though, occasionally flashing some inside-the-arc craft or putting on an off-ball clinic with his movement and cutting.That combination of shooting, movement, and basketball IQ should see Battle competing for serious minutes as soon as next season, with head coach Darko Rajakovic raving about the rookie's growth behind the scenes. "He's very focused. He's very motivated. He's very coachable, and you can see a lot of development and progress with him already. He's improved his defense tremendously from the point where he was when he came to us," Rajakovic said. "He's just the ultimate team guy. Everyone likes him. He brings a lot of value."As for next steps, Rajakovic said he sees the 6-foot-7, 220-pounder guarding guards and forwards, improving his defensive screen navigation, and rounding out his offensive repertoire. "More of his shots from the 3-point line have to come, not just necessarily from stationary positions, but on the move," Rajakovic said."Once teams are chasing him off the line and not allowing him to get those shots, what's next? Being able to get to the rim, using two dribbles to touch the paint is very important, and playmaking from there. Is it going to be a layup, or his nice little floater, or connecting with his teammates?"<h3>Johnny Juzang, Jazz</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775064/cropped_GettyImages-2204753814.jpg?ts=1741891097" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775064/w220xh124_GettyImages-2204753814.jpg?ts=1741891097 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775064/w320xh180_GettyImages-2204753814.jpg?ts=1741891097 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775064/w640xh360_GettyImages-2204753814.jpg?ts=1741891097 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775064/w768xh432_GettyImages-2204753814.jpg?ts=1741891097 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/775064/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2204753814.jpg?ts=1741891097 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mitchell Leff / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Juzang logged 604 minutes across 38 games through his first two seasons in the Jazz organization. He's racked up 872 minutes over 48 appearances this year, with his combination of shooting and length (6-foot-5 with a 6-11 wingspan) exciting believers like head coach Will Hardy."He's taken a big step this year in his isolation defense, in terms of when to brace up and use his body. On the offensive side, he's continuing to learn how to squeeze off threes when he's a marked man," Hardy told the Score. "His reputation may not be where he wants it to be yet, but he definitely has more of a reputation now than he did six months ago. You see it when he checks in the game, you can hear the other team's coaches and players identify him as someone they don't want to give catch-and-shoots to, so he's figuring out solutions and ways to still find those shots."Juzang's been afforded extra court time and room for error with the banged-up Jazz racing to the bottom of the standings, but the 23-year-old's commitment to two-way improvement and his understanding of how role players stick in the league has not gone unnoticed."I feel like my defense has really gotten better throughout the season. Scoring has come more natural my whole career and I improved my 3-ball last year, but if you can do those things and also be a strong defender, get steals, get deflections, that can make you really valuable," Juzang said. "During the summer and offseason, defense is really in my workouts. I'm working on my body, getting stronger, and working on lateral movement. I'm really guarding, playing one-on-one, and trying to put myself in positions where I can get steals and deflections, working on my anticipation. Getting defensive reps in the offseason is really important, and if you do that at game speed, you start to pick up on more stuff. "Offensively, I've always had a quicker release, but taking the right shots is big, and also knowing where you're going to find your shots. I'm trying to space the floor the right way. Staying active and moving off the ball is a big thing coach talks to me about and works with me on, being super active off the ball, flying around, constantly spacing (the floor). You're not always going to have a lot of time on the ball, but being active off the ball helps you maximize your opportunity out there." Honorable mentions: Neemias Queta (Celtics), Moussa Diabate (Hornets), Dru Smith (Heat)<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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The All-Nobody Team: 5 NBA players making a name for themselves this season

If the Toronto Raptors remain committed to maximizing their lottery odds for the 2025 NBA Draft, ...

If the Toronto Raptors remain committed to maximizing their lottery odds for the 2025 NBA Draft, they'll have to keep the league's easiest remaining schedule and the sad state of the Eastern Conference's bottom half from getting in their way.It says something about that conference's pathetic play-in race that neither an 8-31 start nor an 18-42 record through 60 games could bury the Raptors. Now the organization's decision-makers will have to spend the final 20 games of the season finding creative ways to avoid victory while the players they employ fight for their postseason lives.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Strength of schedule" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-dcDA3" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dcDA3/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="451" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Tuesday's fourth quarter in Orlando might as well have been a preview of the Raptors' final quarter-season. Already missing starter Gradey Dick due to a knee injury, the Raptors benched fellow starters Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl down the stretch of a close game against the eighth-place Magic.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Quickley was replaced by rookie Jamal Shead with 9:43 remaining and the Raptors leading 87-78. With Toronto up 10 at the 8:07 mark, Poeltl was replaced by Orlando Robinson, who joined the team via a 10-day contract in January and only had his contract converted to a standard deal this week. (The Raptors say Poeltl is on a minutes restriction after returning from a hip injury last week.) Barnes, the cornerstone of the Raptors' rebuild and the team's biggest two-way force, exited the game for good with 7:49 remaining and Toronto up nine.When the sputtering Magic proved incapable of grabbing the game being handed to them, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic doubled down by replacing RJ Barrett with recent two-way signee Jared Rhoden. That left Toronto to close out the final 1:37 of what had become a one-possession game with Rhoden, Robinson, Shead, rookie guard Ja'Kobe Walter, and two-way player (and Toronto native) A.J. Lawson.Yet the Raptors still left Orlando with their 20th win of the season and a road sweep of the Magic after a couple of timely jumpers from Lawson and a miraculous <a href="https://x.com/NBA/status/1897118696537256357">3-pointer</a> from Walter. The unlikely victory moved Toronto within four games of the 10th-place Bulls.If you thought that fourth-quarter lineup tinkering was a shameless display of tanking, then, to quote a 50-year-old Canadian classic, you ain't seen nothin' yet.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CuNmzc9UEbE?si=koZ6rrDwojwr6qLW&amp;start=579&amp;end=618" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>The Raptors will have to be even more intentional in the pursuit of defeat down the stretch, <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2628320">consequences</a> and ridicule be damned. Their next four games - all at home - come against the 15-46 Jazz, the league-worst 11-49 Wizards (twice), and the 21-40 76ers, who opened the season as championship hopefuls but have since shifted to lottery-focused tankers. Philadelphia, which only keeps its 2025 first-round pick if it falls in the top six, has shut down former MVP Joel Embiid for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Sixers star guard Tyrese Maxey is currently sidelined by a back injury.The Raptors' next road game comes in Utah against the aforementioned Jazz. That kicks off a tough four-game trip, but if the Raptors steal an unexpected victory or two, they may very well find themselves in the driver's seat for the last Eastern Conference play-in spot no one actually wants. Five of the club's final 20 games come against the three teams standing between them and 10th place, and neither Philadelphia, Brooklyn, nor Chicago is any more inclined to chase a postseason berth than Toronto is (though the Bulls can always be enticed by the lure of extra revenue).It's an incredibly awkward spot for the organization to find itself in. Though team president Masai Ujiri once famously asked, "Play-in for what?" there's a difference between making the postseason's pre-playoff tournament as a team of over-the-hill veterans and an upstart squad like this year's Raptors. Still, Ujiri and Co. surely understand that Toronto needs another impact talent, like the prospective stars who'll headline this year's <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3221439" href="https://thescore.com/news/3221439">draft class</a>.Between the growth of the team's youngsters, the <a href="https://youtu.be/OXRy9FAe9lY?si=C3pFG_8mj20Jws5I">addition</a> of Brandon Ingram, and some offseason tinkering, the Raptors could soar up the Eastern Conference standings next season. But lottery luck could take them to another stratosphere, somewhere no amount of play-in or first-round playoff experience could catapult them. And banking on a play-in loser to win the lottery <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2867120" href="https://thescore.com/news/2867120">two years</a> in a row seems like a fool's errand.Rajakovic's decisions down the stretch in Orlando showed the team's brain trust understands that. Whether a feisty crop of youngsters, a soft schedule, and the rest of their sorry conference cooperate is another matter.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30505340/related

The Raptors have to get shameless to avoid the East play-in

Contrary to their dismal record and bottom-five standing, the Toronto Raptors have mostly enjoyed...

Contrary to their dismal record and bottom-five standing, the Toronto Raptors have mostly enjoyed positive vibes and promising developments this season as they prioritize lottery odds over wins.Franchise star Scottie Barnes has bounced back from multiple injuries to play the best two-way basketball of his career. Hometown favorite RJ Barrett has continued to <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3166141" href="https://thescore.com/news/3166141">develop</a> as a scorer and playmaker, turning his "toxic asset" of a contract into a potentially team-friendly bargain (or trade chip). Sophomore Gradey Dick has hit a wall, but the 21-year-old has flashed star potential in short bursts. Ochai Agbaji has looked like a quintessential glue guy, a high-IQ, 3-and-D role player every contender could use. There's a quintet of rookies all worthy of some measure of excitement based on what they've shown Toronto thus far, either on an NBA court or in the G League.And then there's Immanuel Quickley, who's become somewhat of a forgotten man despite signing a five-year, $162.5-million contract last summer. Quickley's first full season as a Raptor and full-time starter has been derailed by pelvic, elbow, hip, and groin injuries that have limited him to just 20 of Toronto's first 59 games.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The Raptors are 4-16 in those 20 contests and have lost Quickley's minutes by an even worse margin than they have when he's off the court. Quickley has averaged 15.9 points on middling efficiency, his once deadly touch from floater range has abandoned him, and his defense has regressed to the point where it seems impossible he can share a backcourt with Dick.But even as the losses pile up and Quickley's individual performance remains uneven, the last couple weeks have reminded us why the Raptors targeted the speedy guard as an ideal partner for Barnes in the first place.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636530/cropped_GettyImages-2160606659.jpg?ts=1740694670" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636530/w220xh124_GettyImages-2160606659.jpg?ts=1740694670 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636530/w320xh180_GettyImages-2160606659.jpg?ts=1740694670 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636530/w640xh360_GettyImages-2160606659.jpg?ts=1740694670 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636530/w768xh432_GettyImages-2160606659.jpg?ts=1740694670 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636530/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2160606659.jpg?ts=1740694670 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Steve Russell / Toronto Star / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Over his last seven games, Quickley has averaged 18.9 points, five assists, and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 50% inside the arc and 39.2% from deep on 7.3 3-point attempts per game. The Raptors have also narrowly won his minutes during that stretch.More than the results, though, it's the way Quickley has gone about his business as he gets his legs back that has finally provided reason for optimism. He looks quicker, bouncier, and generally fresher than he has all season. He's letting it fly from deep more often. He's creating advantages and putting teammates in good positions to score, even if they aren't actually doing so. (Quickley is averaging 10.7 potential assists since Feb. 9 compared to 9.5 in his first 13 games, according to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/passing?DateFrom=02/09/2025&amp;DateTo=&amp;TeamID=1610612761&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=POTENTIAL_AST">NBA.com</a>.)His ability to make things happen off the dribble and to strike fear in the hearts of opponents as a pull-up threat are desperately needed skills not only on Toronto's currently overmatched roster, but on any Barnes-led team of the future. That goes double <a href="https://youtu.be/OXRy9FAe9lY?si=onmVP9cRjRkp5GLg">with Brandon Ingram</a> now in the fold.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Pull-up 3-point leaders" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-ooNIj" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ooNIj/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="299" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>The biggest knock on Quickley's shooting is that he doesn't pull the trigger enough, with head coach Darko Rajakovic often noting he wants Quickley taking 10 threes per game. For reference, his career high in a season is 6.4 (set last year)."I think, more so, the mindset is just to be aggressive. I don't go into a game thinking, 'Alright, let me shoot this many,'" Quickley said after a recent practice. Still, Rajakovic's message is getting through. "I probably could've shot three or four more that I passed up," Quickley said the day after going 5-for-11 from deep in a loss to Miami. "When I'm aggressive, it opens up a lot of different opportunities, whether I'm getting blitzed and I can hit the pocket (pass). Just trying to be aggressive so that it opens up space for my teammates."Quickley's presence allows Barnes to thrive off the ball rather than being forced to consistently initiate the offense. He's also a sure-handed breath of fresh air for a team that has given the bulk of its point guard minutes this season to two players (Davion Mitchell and rookie Jamal Shead) who rank 43rd and 45th out of 48 point guards in turnover rate, per Cleaning The Glass.While we can all agree this has been a lost season for Quickley (and fans are understandably focused on draft lottery positioning at the moment), that doesn't mean the final six weeks of the year have to be. I may sound like a broken record, but the Raptors need Quickley and Barnes to get more reps together."My only issue is I want to see it even more," Rajakovic said of the Quickley-Barnes pick-and-roll partnership. "They've had some very productive conversations about what Scottie needs to do as a roller, how Quickley can play off of that. They didn't play together for a big part of the season. This is an amazing opportunity for us to put them in those situations, so they can learn each other."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772648/cropped_GettyImages-1991176532.jpg?ts=1740696007" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772648/w220xh124_GettyImages-1991176532.jpg?ts=1740696007 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772648/w320xh180_GettyImages-1991176532.jpg?ts=1740696007 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772648/w640xh360_GettyImages-1991176532.jpg?ts=1740696007 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772648/w768xh432_GettyImages-1991176532.jpg?ts=1740696007 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772648/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1991176532.jpg?ts=1740696007 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Raptors will find themselves needing to answer some tough questions sooner than expected, as Ingram's extension and the addition of a top-five(ish) pick will see Toronto flirting with the luxury tax threshold this summer. However, Quickley's contract and injury-riddled season likely mean he's safe. Selling low on the player deemed a franchise point guard just months ago wouldn't make much sense.For now, this partnership should continue as a marriage of convenience, if nothing else. But amid a ton of injuries, losses, and local consternation over his contract, Quickley has shown flashes of the potential that first endeared him to the Raptors. The next step, or rather the biggest question, is whether he can turn seven-game flashes into the norm. The answer will go a long way in determining which direction Toronto's rebuild veers.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30418172/related

Raptors still need what Quickley brings to the table

Ten years ago, an upstart team in Oakland laid the groundwork for a modern dynasty.  Head coach S...

Ten years ago, an upstart team in Oakland laid the groundwork for a modern dynasty.Head coach Steve Kerr took over for the deposed Mark Jackson just as Steph Curry was ready to morph into an MVP-caliber superstar, and the 2014-15 Warriors exploded into the stratosphere playing a beautiful yet devastating brand of basketball. That Golden State team cruised to its first of four championships and six Finals appearances in eight years.History appears to be repeating itself a decade later. Not in The Bay but in The Land, where Kenny Atkinson has the Cleveland Cavaliers rolling after spending the last three years on Kerr's staff.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772488/cropped_GettyImages-1244996681.jpg?ts=1740609174" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772488/w220xh124_GettyImages-1244996681.jpg?ts=1740609174 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772488/w320xh180_GettyImages-1244996681.jpg?ts=1740609174 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772488/w640xh360_GettyImages-1244996681.jpg?ts=1740609174 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772488/w768xh432_GettyImages-1244996681.jpg?ts=1740609174 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772488/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1244996681.jpg?ts=1740609174 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Ned Dishman / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Cavs began the season as the fourth team in NBA history to start 15-0, while Cleveland's 35-6 record through 41 games was a top-15 all-time mark through a campaign's first half, per Stathead. The Cavs arrive in Boston for Friday's heavyweight bout against the defending champions as winners of eight straight - the team's third streak of eight wins or longer this season - and on pace for 67 wins.Most of their contests haven't been close, either. Only <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/team-span-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=wins&amp;timeframe=seasons&amp;span_length=58&amp;span_type=season_start&amp;single_season=1&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=676&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=diff_pts">nine teams</a> in history (including this year's West-leading Thunder) have managed better point-differentials through 58 games.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Leaders of the pack" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-oI0pM" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oI0pM/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="473" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Still, some might find it hard to believe this club is a genuine contender. After all, this is largely the same roster that was solid yet unspectacular over the last couple of years. A whopping 96% of Cleveland's 2024-25 minutes have been filled by members of the 2023-24 Cavs team that went 48-34, according to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/continuity.html">Basketball Reference</a>. (Only the Celtics have enjoyed more continuity year-over-year.) The Cavs are also one of nine teams to post roster continuity rates of at least 70% in each of the last two seasons, with their core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen now in Year 3 together.Plenty of skeptics are left to wonder, could Kenny Atkinson really be the difference between a 48-win playoff team and a championship-level juggernaut?The same question was asked of Kerr 10 years ago.When Kerr took over from Jackson, the Warriors brought back virtually the same team that averaged 49 wins over the previous two seasons, with only one playoff series victory to show for it.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Warriors vs. Cavs" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-c79F3" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/c79F3/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="368" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Kerr reinvented the Warriors' offense, turning a stale, predictable attack into a dizzying, read-and-react system. In addition, an early-season injury to former starter David Lee spurred Kerr to empower defensive forward Draymond Green, unlocking Green's playmaking prowess and two-way genius. Suddenly, a Warriors team that somehow ranked in the middle of the pack on offense in 2013-14 despite the Splash Bros. presence soared to second in offensive efficiency in Kerr's first season.Fast forward a decade, and Atkinson's script has been eerily similar. He inherited an elite defensive team that wasn't getting the most out of an explosive backcourt or a defensive phenom (Mobley) in the frontcourt. Like Jackson's Warriors, J.B. Bickerstaff's Cavs averaged 49.5 wins over the last two years and won one playoff series.Under Atkinson, the most notable difference in Cleveland's attack is Mobley, who looks more fluid and decisive. It's quite common to see the formerly rigid big man bringing the ball up the floor after corralling a defensive rebound, bullying opposing bigs inside, and even orchestrating the offense from the elbows, allowing star guards Mitchell and Garland to spend more time off the ball.The result? Cleveland went from 16th in offensive efficiency last season to having the second-most efficient offense in league history this year while maintaining the same seventh-ranked defense.Green, among the last remaining Warriors from the 2015 title team along with Curry and Kerr, praised Cleveland's new attack after one of the Cavs' two victories over Golden State. "That ball was humming so crazy, my head was on a goddamn swivel," Green <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqxUA6bacCk">said</a> on a November episode of his podcast. "They were moving that ball so fast."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772486/cropped_GettyImages-2199264282.jpg?ts=1740608860" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772486/w220xh124_GettyImages-2199264282.jpg?ts=1740608860 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772486/w320xh180_GettyImages-2199264282.jpg?ts=1740608860 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772486/w640xh360_GettyImages-2199264282.jpg?ts=1740608860 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772486/w768xh432_GettyImages-2199264282.jpg?ts=1740608860 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772486/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2199264282.jpg?ts=1740608860 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Nathaniel S. Butler / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Cleveland's newfound mojo can't be fully explained by Atkinson's Midas touch, just like much of Kerr's success is tied to Curry's star leap rather than sheer strategic ingenuity.Atkinson's Cavs are deeper and healthier than Bickerstaff's version of the team - none of Cleveland's top-four players have missed more than six games this season. Garland, in particular, has benefited from a return to full strength after missing 25 contests last year. Atkinson, in turn, is reaping the rewards of Garland's career year. Ditto for Ty Jerome, who's been a revelation off Atkinson's bench after an ankle injury limited him to two games last season. Atkinson also has the good fortune of coaching the Cavs after the team finally found its fifth starter (or at least fifth closer) in forward De'Andre Hunter, whom Cleveland acquired at the trade deadline.However you assign credit, there's no denying this team's level of dominance, with the 2015 Warriors serving as a cautionary tale for Cleveland's current doubters. By the time people accepted that Kerr's team was as good as its record suggested, Golden State was already raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772484/cropped_GettyImages-2191250126.jpg?ts=1740608267" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772484/w220xh124_GettyImages-2191250126.jpg?ts=1740608267 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772484/w320xh180_GettyImages-2191250126.jpg?ts=1740608267 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772484/w640xh360_GettyImages-2191250126.jpg?ts=1740608267 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772484/w768xh432_GettyImages-2191250126.jpg?ts=1740608267 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/772484/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2191250126.jpg?ts=1740608267 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Noah Graham / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>No Cavalier will redefine the game or warp the floor like Curry, who remains the most integral ingredient in the Warriors' secret sauce. Mobley also isn't a carbon copy of Green. Not to mention, the Cavs have no chance of landing another superstar as good as Kevin Durant was in 2016, a free-agency coup that accounted for half of the modern Warriors' titles and Finals appearances.But Atkinson's Cavs have been just as shockingly good as Kerr's Warriors were in the coach's first season on the job. And Cleveland's title window appears wide open, with Mitchell, Garland, Allen, and Mobley all under contract for at least the next two to five years (though things can crumble quickly in an apron world).When you spend as Cleveland has - both in terms of asset capital and future dollars - this is the promising payoff you dream of: a rising juggernaut that looks positively Warriors-esque.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's senior Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30403058/related

Deja vu: The 2025 Cavs look a lot like the 2015 Warriors

The days leading up to the 2025 NBA trade deadline were some of the wildest we've ever seen. Belo...

The days leading up to the 2025 NBA trade deadline were some of the wildest we've ever seen. Below, read our analysis on all of the biggest pre-deadline moves, followed by our big-picture takeaways from Feb. 6:<ul>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">Mavs trading Doncic is a move of historically baffling proportions</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207817" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207817">Mavs gift Lakers the lifeline to end all lifelines</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3211401" href="https://thescore.com/news/3211401">Betting on Butler is a gamble. The Warriors had no choice</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3208499" href="https://thescore.com/news/3208499">Breaking down a blockbuster between Spurs, Kings, Bulls</a></li>
<li><a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3211068" href="https://thescore.com/news/3211068">Trying to make sense of Raptors' move for Brandon Ingram</a></li>
</ul><h3>Trade season is alive and well</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/cropped_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w220xh124_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w320xh180_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w640xh360_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w768xh432_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/514032/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1236324259.jpg?ts=1738879453 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Glenn James / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The rumor mill was slow in the lead-up to this year's deadline. The Jimmy Butler saga dragged on drearily, and apart from him, it seemed like Cam Johnson would be the biggest name to change teams. There were fears among NBA slop enthusiasts that the market was and would continue to be frozen by the restrictions on tax-apron teams codified in the new CBA.Then the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, and the floodgates opened. De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine were moved in a three-team deal, the Heat finally bit the bullet and shipped Butler off to Golden State, the Raptors jumped at the chance to acquire Brandon Ingram, and the Bucks said goodbye to Khris Middleton. That's 28 combined All-Star appearances and 16 All-NBA appearances changing hands. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Though that flurry of activity happened in the days and hours before deadline day itself, leaving only smaller marginal moves for Thursday, this has undeniably been one of the nuttiest transaction cycles in NBA history. Amazingly, in the end, Johnson didn't even end up being one of the players moved.Every deadline is different, shaped by its own unique circumstances. We may never see another one quite like this. But at the very least, it seems safe to say that reports of trade season's demise were greatly exaggerated. - Joe Wolfond<h3>Lakers fill their big-man vacancy ... health permitting</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/cropped_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w220xh124_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w320xh180_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w640xh360_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w768xh432_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767570/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2195752637.jpg?ts=1738879484 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Kent Smith / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The franchise-altering <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">trade</a> for Luka Doncic landed the Lakers yet another era-defining superstar, but it left a short-term void in the frontcourt that they didn't have to fill immediately. They did anyway (after reportedly consulting with Doncic).Mark Williams is exactly the kind of athletic, rim-running big man who should thrive in a two-man game with Doncic. The 23-year-old is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 25 minutes this season, and his already solid interior efficiency should only improve when he starts catching lobs and passes from Doncic and LeBron James. The new-look lineup will be light on shooting but still offensively overwhelming with that trio, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura.There's a downside to this deal, though. For one, Williams is an inconsistent rim-protector at best, and that'll be a problem with Doncic and Reaves in front of him. Further, the Lakers also have no depth left in the short term, they moved the last first-round pick they could trade outright at the moment (2031), and they parted with their best young player (non-Doncic division) in rookie Dalton Knecht. That's a lot to surrender for a young center who's missed more games (127) than he's appeared in (85) through the first two and a half years of his career. The Lakers are obviously the biggest overall winner of trade season with their future now tethered to Doncic, but their actual deadline-day deal has some major boom-or-bust potential.For what it's worth, the last remaining first-round draft capital the Lakers can trade before this year's draft (at which point 2032 picks become moveable) are pick swaps in 2026 and 2028. - Joseph Casciaro<h3>Suns' outlook gets grimmer</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/cropped_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w220xh124_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w320xh180_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w640xh360_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w768xh432_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769250/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2183191964.jpg?ts=1738879575 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Chris Coduto / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Suns reportedly left no stone unturned in their quest to shake things up. The league's most expensive team went from hoping Bradley Beal would waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a deal for Jimmy Butler, to the possibility of replacing Kevin Durant with Butler, to even coming close to sending KD back to The Bay. All this after Phoenix traded its unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick for three protected first-rounders in an effort to land Butler (or another star).In the end, the Suns didn't trade one of those picks to get starrier or better, but rather sent a first-rounder (the least favorable 2026 pick between Phoenix, Washington, Orlando, and Memphis) to Charlotte to get off of disgruntled and little-used center Jusuf Nurkic. If you're keeping track at home, that means the only draft capital this aging .500 team currently clinging to the West's final play-in berth has over the next seven years is a collection of pick swaps in which they'll always receive the worst pick.As a second-apron team in tax hell, the Suns were already as all-in as a franchise could get, without the short-term success to show for it. That they turned their one remaining real draft pick into three lesser picks only to do nothing with them is another devastating blow to a recklessly assembled team now dying a slow death. - Casciaro<h3>Cavs complete their starting 5</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/cropped_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w220xh124_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w320xh180_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w640xh360_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w768xh432_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769044/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2196857305.jpg?ts=1738879619 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jason Miller / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Ever since trading for Donovan Mitchell two and a half years ago, the Cavaliers have been looking for a way to effectively bridge their explosive but small backcourt with their gigantic non-shooting frontcourt. The starting small forward in between that quartet has been at various points Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Max Strus, and, most effectively, Dean Wade. In acquiring De'Andre Hunter from the Hawks - with LeVert and reserve forward Georges Niang going the other way - Cleveland may have finally found a more permanent solution.Hunter's a 6-foot-8 wing in the 3-and-D mold who's enjoying by far the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3157801" href="https://thescore.com/news/3157801">best season of his career</a> at age 27. He's the league's top bench scorer, averaging 19 points a game (nearly 24 per 36 minutes) while shooting 39.3% from 3-point range on huge volume. He's evolved into a much more streamlined decision-maker this season, shooting and attacking with conviction and force off the catch. He's nowhere near the ball-handler or playmaker LeVert is, but on a Cavs team rife with on-ball creation, his offensive skills and play style probably represent a cleaner fit.His reputation as a defender outpaces reality - LeVert is friskier at the point of attack and more consistently engaged as a helper - but Hunter's size makes him a better matchup for the big wings of the world. Though he isn't quite the movement shooter Strus is, or the defender Wade is, he kind of blends the things those two bring to the table. And unlike LeVert, who's a pending free agent, Hunter's under contract for two more years (at a reasonable $48 million) after this one.The Cavs have a five-game cushion atop the Eastern Conference. Pushing for an upgrade at a position of need by dealing a bundle of draft assets - three second-rounders and two secondary first-round swaps - along with two rotation players signals a strong belief in what they're capable of this season. When you consider that none of the other legitimate contenders (not Boston, OKC, New York, Memphis, Houston, or Denver) made additions at the deadline, this feels like a pretty big win for Cleveland. - Wolfond<h3>Bucks degrade themselves for tax relief</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/cropped_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w220xh124_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w320xh180_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w640xh360_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w768xh432_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/568142/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1249663655.jpg?ts=1738879674 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Brian Sevald / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It was always a possibility Milwaukee would look to trade Khris Middleton this season, given his injury issues and physical decline, and given the pressure the team's under to win now. But to trade the franchise icon - who remains an effective player, in spite of his limitations - for Kyle Kuzma, of all people? And to throw in AJ Johnson (their 20-year-old first-round pick in last year's draft) and a 2028 pick swap to boot? Not ideal. The Bucks also got Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the trade but subsequently rerouted him to San Antonio.Even with Middleton's diminished athleticism and deteriorating defense, he brought real value to Milwaukee this season with his shooting and playmaking. He still had amazing two-man synergy with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and still put up 63% true shooting (58% from 2-point range, 41% from deep) while averaging 23 minutes off the bench. The Bucks performed 5.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. He obviously isn't the player he once was, but he also underwhelmed on a tight playing-time leash last regular season, and that didn't stop him from averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 48/36/90 shooting across 38.3 minutes a game against the Pacers in the playoffs. He dragged that series to six hard-fought games, with Antetokounmpo out and Damian Lillard badly hobbled. Kuzma, meanwhile, is one of the least efficient big-minute players in the league this year, posting 49% true shooting. That will probably improve significantly when he plays next to Antetokounmpo and Lillard, but Kuzma's always been a poor shooter and below-average playmaker. When he's engaged, he can be a better defender than Middleton is at this stage, but still tops out around average on that end of the floor.The primary impetus for the deal was to shed salary. Kuzma's on a declining deal that will pay him about $13 million less than Middleton can make by picking up his player option next season. And for this season, the move gets Milwaukee below the second luxury-tax apron. The hope was that doing so would do more than just save ownership some scratch; it allowed the Bucks to aggregate salaries in subsequent trades, which they couldn't do as a second-apron team.Unfortunately, the only subsequent trade that materialized was one that sent out MarJon Beauchamp (whose fourth-year option Milwaukee declined) in exchange for Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. - a ball-stopping gunner who's been even less efficient than Kuzma this season and is still under investigation by the NBA for domestic assault. There are seven qualified players this season with usage rates above 20% and true shooting percentages below 50%, and the Bucks traded for two of them.They weren't especially likely to make a deep run this year regardless, but what they did at the deadline effectively punted whatever possibility remained. - Wolfond<h3>Raptors zag again</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/cropped_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w220xh124_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w320xh180_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w640xh360_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w768xh432_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769165/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2054044223.jpg?ts=1738824017 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mark Blinch / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The joke's on us for assuming this was finally the year we had a good read on Toronto's deadline intentions. For the third straight year, a Raptors team sitting outside the postseason picture acted as 11th-hour buyers rather than sellers. Most perplexing of all, this year's team publicly admitted to rebuilding and prioritizing the process over the results. So, what gives?The simple answer is that <a href="https://thescore.com/news/3211068">buying low</a> on a player of Brandon Ingram's upside doesn't have to jeopardize Toronto's 2025 lottery odds. The Raptors own the league's fifth-worst record, Ingram is currently sidelined by a left ankle sprain, and the team did move three rotation players (Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and Davion Mitchell) who all played key roles in the Raptors' recent surge. If they can keep Ingram from helping them win games over the final two months of this season, and can then retain the 27-year-old on a bargain contract going forward, it's a completely defensible bet on a one-time All-Star who may not have been available to Toronto as a free agent. However, if Ingram drives down those lottery odds and gets the kind of money he reportedly wants, I don't understand the logic.<figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Total outgoing</th>
<th>Total incoming</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Bruce Brown</td>
<td>Brandon Ingram</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kelly Olynyk</td>
<td>P.J. Tucker</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Davion Mitchell</td>
<td>2026 2nd-rd pick (via LAL)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2026 1st-rd pick (via IND)</td>
<td>James Wiseman (waived)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2031 2nd-rd pick</td>
<td>Cash</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure>In totality, the Raptors moved two expiring contracts, got out of Olynyk's $13.4-million cap hit for next season, traded a 2026 first-rounder they originally acquired in last year's Pascal Siakam trade, and swapped second-rounders while taking a flier on Ingram without taking on any long-term salary. That's not bad business at all. But it's not what we expected, and carries more risk than feels appropriate for a 16-35 team. - Casciaro

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30142317/related

6 big-picture NBA takeaways from deadline day

If it wasn't for the Dallas Mavericks making a decision of historically baffling proportions, the...

If it wasn't for the Dallas Mavericks making a decision of historically <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">baffling</a> proportions, the Toronto Raptors would've easily taken home the title of deadline week's most confusing team when they traded for Brandon Ingram. It wouldn't be the first time.But unlike their trade for Jakob Poeltl on the eve of the 2023 deadline (or their shortsighted deal for Rudy Gay in 2013), the 2024-25 Raptors had publicly committed to a rebuild. That, and the fact Toronto employed multiple veterans on expiring contracts, should've made the 16-35 Raptors an obvious seller at the deadline, not a buyer.It's possible the team wouldn't have found suitors or recouped the second-round draft capital it presumably sought for players like Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown, and Kelly Olynyk. In a vacuum, some might see Ingram's undeniable talent and say moving Brown, Olynyk, Indiana's top-four-protected 2026 first-rounder, and a 2031 second-rounder is a better outcome than turning Brown and Olynyk into underwhelming picks or doing nothing at all. But context and timelines matter.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Siakam trade 1 year later" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-fjLia" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fjLia/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="180" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Yes, Ingram's sheer talent and raw production are impressive. He's a lanky self-creator who has averaged 23 points while shooting 51% inside the arc, 37% from deep, and 85% from the free-throw line over the last six years. He's also turned himself into an impressive playmaker, averaging 5.6 assists per game over the last four years while boasting a 100th-percentile assist rate among wings this season, according to Cleaning The Glass. And he was available for relatively cheap while still only 27 years old.However, there's a reason for that, and it extends beyond his expiring contract. Ingram's mid-range-heavy game and overall shot diet limit his efficiency, his defensive contributions have rarely measured up to his defensive length, and he's missed 31.2% of his teams' games over the last seven-and-a-half seasons. He's averaged 56.4 games played per 82 contests since 2017-18.Ingram's base statistics, age, and upside likely would've landed him a max contract under the previous collective bargaining agreement, but the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940429" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940429">new CBA's</a> more punitive tax penalties and apron restrictions have teams rethinking how and when to spend their money. It's too difficult to construct a contending team when you're paying max or near-max money to a high-usage scorer who isn't especially efficient, isn't a consistent defender, and can't stay healthy. With reports that Ingram, a one-time All-Star, is seeking top dollar, you can understand why teams weren't lining up to trade for the pending free agent.Ingram is the type of talented scorer who comes with a classic catch-22. He's not quite good enough to be the No. 1 option on a contender, but he's also not threatening enough off the ball to be a great No. 2 or No. 3. He resides in the same awkward middle ground as Toronto's all-time leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan.On the surface, that doesn't sound like the type of player who fits best next to franchise star Scottie Barnes, a playmaking forward with limited range who needs movers and spacers around him.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769164/cropped_GettyImages-1370605473.jpg?ts=1738823934" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769164/w220xh124_GettyImages-1370605473.jpg?ts=1738823934 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769164/w320xh180_GettyImages-1370605473.jpg?ts=1738823934 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769164/w640xh360_GettyImages-1370605473.jpg?ts=1738823934 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769164/w768xh432_GettyImages-1370605473.jpg?ts=1738823934 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/769164/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1370605473.jpg?ts=1738823934 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It's possible that head coach Darko Rajakovic's movement-heavy, quick-thinking offensive system brings out the best and most efficient version of Ingram, just as it's done <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3166141" href="https://thescore.com/news/3166141">for RJ Barrett</a>. If that's the case, and Ingram stays healthy, this will wind up going down as a shrewd, buy-low acquisition for a team that doesn't normally land players of Ingram's caliber on the free-agent market. Plus, the Raptors still employ all the promising youngsters they did before acquiring Ingram and control all of their own first-round picks. But there are still risks.For this deal to be a home run (or even an extra-base hit), a couple more dominoes must fall in Toronto's favor. First, the Raptors can't let the currently injured Ingram sink their 2025 lottery odds. This move doesn't have to mean the front office is suddenly gunning for the play-in tournament, although it speaks to how strange this transaction is that Ingram can best help his new team by not playing right now. Second, Ingram must either be re-signed at a reasonable price or signed-and-traded for a greater return than the Raps coughed up to get him.There's a scenario where this trade ends up a low-risk, high-reward gamble for one of the many franchises that needs to hit on such bets in order to accumulate top talent. But there are too many "ifs" associated with the deal to feel comfortable with a 16-35 team pulling the trigger on it.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30135984/related

Trying to make sense of Raptors' move for Brandon Ingram

With the basketball world still reeling from one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, the ...

With the basketball world still reeling from one of the most <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3207654" href="https://thescore.com/news/3207654">shocking trades</a> in NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Chicago Bulls came together to complete another star-studded deal that would typically be the headliner.Here's how each club made out in this three-team blockbuster.Spurs receive: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Kings receive: Zach LaVine; Sidy Cissoko; 2025 protected 1st-round pick (via Hornets, likely converts to two 2nd-rounders in 2026 and 2027); 2025 2nd-round pick (via Bulls); 2027 1st-round pick (via Spurs); 2028 2nd-round pick (via Nuggets); 2028 2nd-round pick; 2031 1st-round pick (via Timberwolves)Bulls receive: Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, 2025 1st-round pick<h3>Spurs hit the accelerator </h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/cropped_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768622/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738596387 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Ezra Shaw / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>With Victor Wembanyama making the kind of second-year leap that only someone with his stride length could manifest, San Antonio's rebuild is ahead of schedule. The Spurs are playing nearly .500 ball and butting into the Western Conference play-in conversation after going 22-60 last season. It makes sense for them to hit the gas.Fox is one of the fastest and most dynamic point guards in the game, and he's squarely in his prime at 27. He instantly becomes by far the best teammate Wembanyama has had. The fact that San Antonio was able to acquire him while sending out just one of its own picks and without dipping into its cache of young talent (Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan are all still there) feels like a coup. The 2031 Timberwolves pick is the one asset it might eventually hurt to have spent, but it's not too difficult to stomach considering the caliber and age of the player coming back.The only risk for the Spurs in this deal is its potential opportunity cost: not because they could've gotten someone better with the package they traded, but because extending Fox (or re-signing him in 2026) on a max or near-max deal will likely close off certain avenues to acquire a star who moves the needle more. As good as he is, Fox's limitations - he's an inconsistent shooter and a so-so playmaker by point guard standards - make it less than ideal for him to remain Wemby's best co-star through the big man's rookie-extension years.Fortunately, because the acquisition cost was so reasonable, the Spurs still have plenty of good assets to trade in the future. And in the meantime, Fox is going to help a ton. It's scary to consider how productive Wembanyama has been offensively despite the roster's extreme limitations. The Spurs just haven't really had anyone capable of peeling defensive attention away from him; they're light on supplemental scoring threats of any kind, but they're especially light on dribble-drive threats.Although Chris Paul has been a godsend in many ways, it's been a problem that defenses feel so comfortable switching Paul-Wembanyama pick-and-rolls, and that Paul can no longer do much damage against the front end of those switches. It should be much less of an issue with Fox handling the ball in those situations. His burst will open up all kinds of new possibilities for Wemby in both the open floor and the half court, and it's going to be extremely fun to watch their two-man game evolve this season and further into the future.One way or another, this trade signals that San Antonio is ready to get serious, and that's an exciting prospect for all of us. - Joe Wolfond<h3>Kings stay focused on the present</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/cropped_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w220xh124_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w320xh180_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w640xh360_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w768xh432_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/566919/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1474942754.jpg?ts=1738596455 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It puts a team in a seriously tough spot when a star who's close to free agency reportedly indicates they won't sign an extension and has a particular trade destination in mind. That makes 28 other teams reluctant to put their best stuff on the table because they doubt they'll be able to re-sign him, while the player's preferred team isn't motivated to include its best assets because it ostensibly has the option of just waiting and signing him as a free agent.Under those circumstances, Sacramento did pretty well here, nabbing a very good player and a handful of picks of varying quality in exchange for the last season-and-a-half of Fox's contract. LaVine has long been on the Kings' radar, dating back to when they signed him to a four-year, $78-million offer sheet (how quaint do those numbers sound now?) that Chicago matched in the summer of 2018. He reunites with his former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan, and the Kings add a big jolt of shooting and slashing to an offense that hasn't been able to fully recapture its 2022-23 magic.Fox was a major engine of Sacramento's uptempo attack, but LaVine won't hinder it; he's arriving from one of the league's fastest teams. More pertinently, a guy who's shooting 44.6% from deep on 7.3 attempts per game should be a welcome addition for a team that ranks 22nd in 3-point attempt rate and 24th in 3-point percentage. LaVine is also an excellent inside-the-arc scorer, shooting 56% from 2-point range on the season. The Kings rank 29th in the league in rim frequency, and while we tend to associate Fox with explosive downhill burst, his diet has hewed more toward the mid-range in recent years. Just 23% of his shots have come at the basket this season compared to 36% for LaVine.Whether it was a targeted strategy or simply a function of their poor negotiating position, getting LaVine but none of the Spurs' intriguing young players shows that the Kings' goal is being as competent as possible for the next two-to-three years before likely resetting their competitive cycle. That's understandable considering incompetence was the franchise norm for nearly two decades, but it also makes the trade return feel a little underwhelming.As the only long-term assets Sacramento is getting in the deal, the pick outlay is unspectacular, although acceptable under the circumstances. The 2025 lottery-protected "first-rounder" from Charlotte is actually two future seconds - that's what the pick will convert to when the Hornets inevitably miss the playoffs. At the moment, the Spurs' 2027 pick feels very likely to land in the 20s. The jewel of the package is the unprotected 2031 first from the Wolves, but it's hard to get too excited about a pick that far away. At least the Kings were able to shed Kevin Huerter's contract in the process.Between LaVine, DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Keon Ellis, Sacramento is guard-heavy without actually having a true point guard. But those guys should have enough ball-handling and playmaking ability between them (especially Monk and DeRozan) to collectively run the offense, especially considering so much of the action flows through center Domantas Sabonis. The hope is that LaVine fully buys into an off-guard role so as not to siphon too many on-ball touches from those other two guards; both of them are vastly superior playmakers (especially Monk), and LaVine's off-ball gravity (as both a spot-up and movement shooter) will be hugely important. It'll be fun to watch him work the handoff game with Sabonis, which has been significantly less effective this year thanks to Huerter's falloff and Keegan Murray's weirdly terrible shooting season.How all these pieces are going to fit defensively is another matter. The Kings have done well to maintain a league-average defensive rating to this point by dint of effort and connectivity. But even with Sabonis doing solid work at the level, Murray holding his own on the wing, and Monk making genuine improvements, the whole thing feels like it's being held together by Scotch tape (or, more literally, by Ellis).Fox isn't an exceptional defender, but he can dial it up at the point of attack in a way LaVine can't. Starting him, Monk, and DeRozan together alongside an undersized frontcourt feels like a recipe for flammability. Their lack of size and defensive force at the forward positions remains a huge problem. It just feels like this trade can't be judged on that basis because there probably wasn't an option to address said problem in a meaningful way. - Wolfond<h3>Bulls sell low ... again</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/cropped_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w220xh124_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w320xh180_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w640xh360_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w768xh432_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/761192/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2189136476.jpg?ts=1738596505 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jeff Haynes / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>There are a couple ways to look at this deal for the Bulls. First and foremost, this is an underwhelming return that continues a pattern of asset mismanagement for Chicago. Arturas Karnisovas' front office overpaid to construct a mediocre and ill-fitting trio of second-tier All-Stars, moving Wendell Carter Jr. and the pick that became Franz Wagner (among other assets) to pair Nikola Vucevic with LaVine, and then players and picks (including Chicago's 2025 first-rounder) to add DeRozan.Despite getting the green light to rebuild if he saw fit, Karnisovas clung to what was ultimately a play-in-caliber core. When the Bulls finally started deconstructing things, it was too late. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey in the offseason after reports had Caruso commanding multiple draft picks last season, then moved DeRozan in a sign-and-trade that brought back a couple of second-rounders. Now the best asset the Bulls got for LaVine is ... the return of their own 2025 first-rounder. LaVine's inflated salary coupled with the new CBA's harsher tax penalties and apron restrictions were always going to make a trade difficult, but we're still talking about a guy averaging 24 points on 51-45-80 shooting.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Bulls have traded DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, &amp; Alex Caruso for ... - Josh Giddey - Kevin Huerter - Zach Collins - Tre Jones - Chris Duarte - Two Second-Round Picks - Rights to their OWN 2025 first-round pick Not a single additional first-rounder was acquired. Unbelievable.— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) <a href="https://twitter.com/Schuster_Elias/status/1886233626460803544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Once you get past all that, the slightly less depressing side of this deal for Chicago is that the Bulls look ready to initiate that long-delayed rebuild.Jones is a solid young point guard on an expiring contract, but Collins and Huerter will combine to earn roughly $36.1 million next season, so it's not like the Bulls prioritized a clean cap sheet this summer. It's also possible none of the three incoming players figure into the Bulls' long-term plans. They clearly wanted their own pick back, which they would've kept if it landed in the top 10 but then would've been top-eight protected in 2026 and 2027. That's an important piece of the puzzle if you're staring at the bottom third of the standings for the next couple years - and the Bulls might finally be doing that by design rather than by accident. It's a start? - Joseph Casciaro

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Breaking down a blockbuster between Spurs, Kings, Bulls

Even seasoned reporters had good reason to believe ESPN news-breaker Shams Charania might've been...

Even seasoned reporters had good reason to believe ESPN news-breaker Shams Charania might've been hacked when he tweeted that Luka Doncic had been traded for Anthony Davis in a three-team deal that also sent Max Christie and a 2029 first-rounder to the Mavericks. It was too shocking and unfathomable.The NBA has always been prone to bigger and more frequent blockbusters, but a trade of this magnitude has almost no precedent across the sports world. Perhaps the closest comparison was trading Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles in the summer of 1988. That's the transaction pantheon this deal will live in, with the unique distinction of having been completed midseason (while the Lakers and Mavericks occupy postseason spots).On the rare occasions when superstars of Doncic's caliber are traded, the decision to move on is often player-driven. Charles Barkley was famously <a href="https://youtu.be/boW-Go76Zu0?si=q3OQk9X7LJWNubdb">traded</a> from Philadelphia to Phoenix in a lopsided deal, only to win MVP and lead the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals, but Sir Charles wanted out of Philly and was 29 years old at the time.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Doncic is a 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate who trails only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in per-game scoring, trails only Jordan in playoff scoring, and ranks fourth among active players in assists per game. He already has as many All-NBA first-team selections (five) as Hall of Famers such as Barkley, Jason Kidd, and Julius Erving, among others. He's eight months removed from his first Finals appearance and has at least a year and a half of team control left. And his team decided to move on from him.It was mind-bending enough for us to consider whether some sort of Doncic-related scandal was waiting to be exposed. How else could Dallas' thinking possibly be rationalized? Surely not in basketball terms, though general manager Nico Harrison tried his best."I believe that defense wins championships," Harrison told <a href="https://x.com/espn_macmahon/status/1885922718333181992">ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a>. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759496/cropped_GettyImages-2188228911.jpg?ts=1738511101" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759496/w220xh124_GettyImages-2188228911.jpg?ts=1738511101 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759496/w320xh180_GettyImages-2188228911.jpg?ts=1738511101 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759496/w640xh360_GettyImages-2188228911.jpg?ts=1738511101 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759496/w768xh432_GettyImages-2188228911.jpg?ts=1738511101 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759496/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2188228911.jpg?ts=1738511101 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Concerns about Doncic's defense, <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1885935442169835546">conditioning</a>, and endless whining to officials are all valid, especially when he was due for a $345-million extension this summer (which he's <a href="https://x.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1885943895395029382">no longer</a> eligible for). But few stars are perfect, and those are concerns you simply learn to live with as a trade-off for employing one of the greatest offensive talents of our time. In digging into the ramifications of the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940429" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940429">new CBA</a>, I wondered how the more punitive tax penalties and apron restrictions might impact second-tier stars in their quest for full max contracts. I never considered that a team would be discouraged from paying up for a top-five level alpha.A Doncic-level star - who might not have even peaked yet - gives a team a tremendous head start in building a sustainable contender. Players such as Doncic are the great equalizers in a sport and league uniquely positioned to be star-driven and dominated. And the Mavericks gave him away for pennies on the dollar.That's no knock on Davis, a future Hall of Famer in his own right. But the only active players worth trading Doncic for at this stage of their respective careers are Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic. Even if Doncic wanted out of Dallas and suppressed his trade market by telegraphing a preferred destination ahead of his potential 2026 free agency, the Mavericks still could've commanded much more in return than they ultimately received from the Lakers.Deciding to trade Doncic is unconscionable enough. That Dallas then negotiated with only one team - and not a team with stockpiles of draft capital or young talent - was malpractice of epic proportions.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Nico just said Luka gave no indication he wanted out or wouldn't sign an extension moving forward. He also said the Lakers were they only team he talked to. He's saying this directly into a microphone.— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) <a href="https://twitter.com/jga41agher/status/1886129765825798497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>It's also rather rich that Doncic's conditioning was reportedly a trigger for a trade that netted the Mavs an injury-prone big man who is six years older and, like Doncic, is currently on the shelf. Not to mention, this is the same franchise that took a massive risk in acquiring Kyrie Irving at a time when the mercurial guard's availability was seemingly always in question. That gamble has paid off handsomely over the past two years, but how does a team go from staking its future on Irving's unpredictability to deciding Doncic's conditioning is where to draw the line? How does a team still trying to win now give up on Luka freaking Doncic - who has appeared in at least 79% of games in each of his first six seasons - to pair two of the most unreliable stars of their generation (in Irving and Davis) from an availability standpoint?<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768499/cropped_GettyImages-1232477910.jpg?ts=1738510592" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768499/w220xh124_GettyImages-1232477910.jpg?ts=1738510592 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768499/w320xh180_GettyImages-1232477910.jpg?ts=1738510592 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768499/w640xh360_GettyImages-1232477910.jpg?ts=1738510592 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768499/w768xh432_GettyImages-1232477910.jpg?ts=1738510592 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768499/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1232477910.jpg?ts=1738510592 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Glenn James / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The ramifications of this deal will reverberate for years and will likely haunt Dallas for generations. If Davis and Irving are healthy, the Mavericks will remain formidable (though contrary to AD's belief, he isn't as suited to play power forward anymore, which he will do more often in Dallas). But the franchise could exist for another century and never have the luxury of employing a player with Doncic's transcendent abilities again. That's how rare stars of his ilk are. It's why teams trip over themselves in a race to the bottom of the standings ahead of franchise-altering drafts.As for the Lakers, who one way or another - whether by the lure of Hollywood or unbelievably good fortune - always end up with some of the game's era-defining superstars, they've done it again. They've found LeBron James' L.A. heir; the next Lakers legend, who can take the torch from James when the time comes but also help him chase championships in the present. All this when it appeared they didn't even have enough trade equity to land a third-rate star to play behind James and Davis.Before any of us assumed Charania had been hacked, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka must've thought he was being pranked when he received Harrison's offer. NBA observers often cite "this league" in reference to how dramatic and unpredictable the Association has become, but no one could've cooked this up in the most deranged trade machine fever dream.Perhaps that's a testament to Lakers lore. Or maybe the Mavericks should just be ashamed of themselves.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30087393/related

Mavs trading Doncic is a move of historically baffling proportions

Welcome to Deal or no deal?, our annual transaction wish list leading up to the NBA's Feb. 6 trad...

Welcome to Deal or no deal?, our annual transaction wish list leading up to the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline. These aren't necessarily trades that have been reported on or speculated about but rather scenarios we've come up with, and ones we believe all parties involved should consider.If you're looking for prospective Jimmy Butler deals, I covered <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3191847" href="https://thescore.com/news/3191847">why</a> Butler won't get his way in his standoff with Pat Riley and the Heat. I also explored the many ways the Raptors can <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3199536" href="https://thescore.com/news/3199536">get involved</a> in trade season.Without further ado, let's get to the three deals I'd most like to see.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>Fox gets his wish</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768244/cropped_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738350032" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768244/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738350032 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768244/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738350032 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768244/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738350032 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768244/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738350032 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768244/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187779822.jpg?ts=1738350032 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Ezra Shaw / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Spurs receive: De'Aaron Fox Kings receive: Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, 2025 protected 1st-round pick (via Chicago), 2027 1st-rounder (via Atlanta), 2030 1st-rounder (via San Antonio, Dallas, or Minnesota)The presence of a generational talent like Victor Wembanyama allows for fast-tracked rebuilds. It also attracts fellow stars, which helps explain why San Antonio is atop 2023 All-Star De'Aaron Fox's reported wish list. In my proposed deal, Fox gets to his preferred destination 17 months before he can test free agency, Wembanyama gets the game-changing guard who can propel him to the next level, the Spurs significantly increase their talent pool without trading any of their own picks, and the Kings are well compensated.Of note, the Bulls' pick is top-10 protected in 2025, top-8 protected in 2026 and 2027, and converts to a 2028 second-rounder if it hasn't conveyed by then. The 2030 pick would give Sacramento the most favorable first-rounder between San Antonio, Dallas, and Minnesota. If such a deal were to go through, the Spurs would still have plenty of draft capital to dangle in search of a third star to join Fox and Wembanyama; in addition to controlling all their own picks, two more Hawks first-rounders, and a ton of extra second-rounders, San Antonio would also hang on to Minnesota's unprotected 2031 first-rounder.The new-look Spurs would feature a rotation consisting of Wembanyama, Fox, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, and Zach Collins, with all but Paul under team control beyond this season.As for Sacramento, Johnson and Jones' expiring contracts would mostly be salary filler, although the latter is an underrated and competent point guard. This deal would allow the Kings to further orient their offense around Domantas Sabonis, give youngsters like Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis more room to shine, and give the front office some significant trade equity if they want to hunt for another star to pair with Sabonis. It would also give the Kings a nice starting point if they decide to pivot to a rebuild.<h3>LaVine completes the Rockets</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768248/cropped_GettyImages-1915746547.jpg?ts=1738351777" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768248/w220xh124_GettyImages-1915746547.jpg?ts=1738351777 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768248/w320xh180_GettyImages-1915746547.jpg?ts=1738351777 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768248/w640xh360_GettyImages-1915746547.jpg?ts=1738351777 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768248/w768xh432_GettyImages-1915746547.jpg?ts=1738351777 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/768248/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1915746547.jpg?ts=1738351777 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jamie Sabau / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Rockets receive: Zach LaVine, Chris Duarte Bulls receive: Jalen Green, Steven Adams, Jeff Green, Jae'Sean TateMany Rockets fans (and Jalen Green apologists) will hate this deal, but it's the right move. Green has shown more flashes of brilliance this season and is an improved defender, but he's an inefficient volume scorer and poor playmaker who's owed as much as $105.3 million over the next three years. The difference between Green and an elite three-level scorer like LaVine could be the difference between regular-season success and genuine championship contention for Houston.A league-leading offensive rebound rate and positive turnover differential have helped the Rockets cobble together a top-10 offense, but it's smoke and mirrors. Houston ranks in the bottom five in 3-point shooting, effective field-goal percentage, and true shooting, with a 25th-ranked half-court offense, per Cleaning The Glass.The team's defense, depth, and smarts have it knocking on the door of contention, but a shot-creator like LaVine could put it over the top. The two-time All-Star is enjoying the most efficient season of his career and has averaged 24.6 points and 4.4 assists on 48-39-84 shooting over the last seven years. LaVine has also suited up for at least 76.8% of games in six of those seven seasons, for those concerned about the 29-year-old's injury history and contract (which has approximately $95 million remaining over the next two years).From the Bulls' perspective, the 22-year-old Green still has enough talent for Chicago to make him a pillar of its rebuild, which should begin in earnest after years of circling mediocrity. Meanwhile, Duarte, Adams, Tate, and Jeff Green are merely included for salary-matching purposes, with the latter three Bulls-bound veterans all on expiring contracts.What complicates a Green-for-LaVine trade at the moment is the former's "poison pill" contract. Though Green is playing out the final year of his rookie-scale deal on a $12.5-million salary, his looming extension means that his incoming salary for trade purposes is $29.5 million. A trade becomes easier once Green's extension kicks in this summer.The cleanest possible LaVine deal between Houston and Chicago would include the Rockets sending picks and the expiring contract of Illinois native Fred VanVleet to Chicago in a one-for-one swap. However, the point of trading for LaVine would be to win big and win immediately. Moving VanVleet isn't conducive to winning.<h3>Grizzlies go for it with Johnson</h3>Grizzlies receive: Cam Johnson, Trendon Watford Nets receive: Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, 2028 1st-round pick, 2030 1st-rounder (via Memphis, Phoenix, or Washington)A new-look offense has Memphis' attack looking more <a href="https://youtu.be/NhqtzxT2oVI?si=KpHUALNwL1wgq8Uv">playoff-proof</a> than the last time we saw the young Grizzlies in the postseason. Adding a dynamic scorer and high-volume shooter like Johnson would complete the picture. The 28-year-old is averaging 19.4 points while flirting with a 50-40-90 season, and his true shooting percentage of 65.8% ranks ninth all time among qualified shooters who averaged at least 19 points in a campaign, per <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=ts_pct&amp;year_min=1980&amp;qual=fg3_pct_req&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=19&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=pts_per_g">Stathead</a>.Johnson's contract has also become a bargain, with the forward's salary in each of the next two years coming in at approximately 13% of the cap. In fact, this deal would slightly decrease the Grizzlies' payroll for next season (by roughly $1 million).Kennard is on pace to lead the league in 3-point percentage for the third time in four seasons, but he can't match Johnson's volume, overall offensive repertoire, or defensive abilities. Meanwhile, injuries have limited Smart to just 38 games over his first two seasons in Memphis. The value-add of turning Kennard and Smart into Johnson would be immeasurable and well worth the price of multiple first-rounders. (Watford would serve as salary filler.)The Grizzlies have overcome injury woes to play at a 55-win pace while boasting top-7 marks on both ends of the court. Johnson would make an already elite team that much scarier, giving Memphis a core four of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson, Desmond Bane, and Johnson (though he comes with his own injury concerns, having missed more than 27% of his teams' games over his six-year career).That core could eventually get too expensive, but the Grizzlies still have plenty of promising players (like Jaylen Wells, Scottie Pippen Jr., Jay Huff, Vince Williams Jr., and GG Jackson) on extremely cheap deals.As for the Nets, Smart's $21.6-million salary for 2025-26 could become another valuable trade chip if the former Defensive Player of the Year can get healthy. Adding a couple more first-rounders would further aid their quest in trading for another disgruntled superstar at some point. The 2030 pick would be whichever is more favorable between Memphis' first-rounder and the less desirable of Phoenix's and Minnesota's first-rounders. (The Wizards have the right to swap with the Suns, and the Grizzlies currently have the right to swap their own pick for the least favorable pick between Washington and Phoenix.)<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/30066443/related

Deal or no deal? Finding new homes for Fox, LaVine, Johnson

Evaluating a coach is never as simple as counting wins and losses, especially at the professional...

Evaluating a coach is never as simple as counting wins and losses, especially at the professional level.There are numerous questions to consider. What stage of the competitive cycle is the coach's team in, and what are the franchise's short-term goals? How healthy are they? What's transpired off the court? How did the coach manage personalities and jibe with the team's most important players?It can be particularly tough to assess a coach in the position of second-year Raptors boss Darko Rajakovic. Toronto entered the season happily admitting this would be a rebuilding year, with an understanding that the club would prioritize lottery odds over wins. As Rajakovic himself <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3105674" href="https://thescore.com/news/3105674">conceded</a> on opening night, this season would be more about the process than the results. He may as well have used Ty Lue's old <a href="https://x.com/joevardon/status/1044265088440569856">adage</a> about wins and lessons.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>In the three months since, an injury-ravaged version of the Raptors outperformed expectations early, a healthier group looked like the worst team in the league, and now the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3199536" href="https://thescore.com/news/3199536">pre-deadline</a> edition of the squad is winning too much for some fans' liking.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="1 season, 3 teams" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-XHgtI" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/XHgtI/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="254" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>What can be gleaned from such a hodgepodge of results? Perhaps the only thing we can say for certain is that the Raptors haven't quit on Rajakovic. Far from it. That might sound like the bare minimum, but given the position the Raptors were in, it's actually remarkable. Toronto lost 16 of 17 games at one point to drop to 8-31. In addition, the Raptors' 23-year-old franchise player has battled through multiple injuries this season and already signed an extension that runs through 2030, while the team's veterans are viewed almost entirely as trade chips. In other words, there wasn't much to play for in the second half of the season (unless you believe Scottie Barnes can sneak onto an All-NBA team and earn an extra $45 million on said extension).Most groups facing those circumstances would've let go of the rope long ago. If the Raptors weren't living and dying with every possession while 20 games under .500 in January, no one would've blamed them (if anyone was even still paying attention). Instead, they've responded by winning seven of their last eight games, mostly against postseason-caliber competition, with Barnes playing some of the most inspired two-way ball of his career.The obvious question, then, is why haven't the Raptors phoned it in when they had every excuse to do so?"Because we're focused on process, development, and things that we control," Rajakovic told theScore a few minutes after hosting a coaching clinic in Toronto for coaches of all levels. "We did not control the bunch of injuries that happened to us early in the season. We did not control the outsized effect of the schedule - the first 20 games were against extremely good teams. What we do control is our mentality and our effort. Are we going to be good teammates? Are we going to treat people around us the right way?"Controlling what you can control is an easy mantra to preach but a difficult ethos to live by, especially when toiling away on a tanking team in the dog days of winter. As Rajakovic tells it, the work Toronto puts into building chemistry has helped the Raptors stick together and continue playing for each other through adversity."I think our guys spending time together over the summer was very important," the coach said. "When we go to team dinners, we're trying to keep cell phones away, so they can actually talk to each other and connect. There's a human component there that we're really trying to stress to our guys, that it's important for them to be connected and to care about people around them." If that sounds too idealistic for your jaded view of pro sports, consider the perspective of Barnes, who had no shortage of answers when asked how Rajakovic has kept his team engaged and enthused."Darko does a great job of communicating with us every day," Barnes told theScore. "He really cares about us, and I feel like that's what's most important - him being able to build a relationship with each and every single player, caring about their lives off the floor. He brings a whole different perspective about him. We love him for that. He cares about us as human beings. His spirit, pride, and everything he's about, he's just a great guy."Barnes isn't the only Raptor who's praised Rajakovic's communication skills. Reserves Davion Mitchell and Chris Boucher - the latter of whom has been among the league's best bench players over the last month - have both discussed how Toronto's coaching staff has been honest and transparent about their evolving roles.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767918/cropped_GettyImages-2183728815.jpg?ts=1738194490" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767918/w220xh124_GettyImages-2183728815.jpg?ts=1738194490 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767918/w320xh180_GettyImages-2183728815.jpg?ts=1738194490 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767918/w640xh360_GettyImages-2183728815.jpg?ts=1738194490 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767918/w768xh432_GettyImages-2183728815.jpg?ts=1738194490 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767918/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2183728815.jpg?ts=1738194490 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Rocky Widner / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Games won't be won by good vibes and intangibles alone. But there are promising signs the Raptors are taking to Rajakovic's basketball philosophies just as they are his lessons on life. They often run good actions coming out of timeouts, and a year-and-a-half after Rajakovic first installed his movement-heavy system, Toronto ranks fifth in passes per game, third in assist percentage, and third in <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/shots#tab-offense_shooting_frequency">Cleaning The Glass</a>' location effective field-goal percentage (which measures the efficiency of a team's shot profile rather than its' results).Those numbers suggest the bones of a great offense are in place if Toronto can just find more talent and shooting.There are still questions to ask on the defensive end, where the Raptors rank 24th or worse for the second time in as many years under Rajakovic. However, it's worth noting that with Mitchell starting at the point of attack and Barnes finding another defensive gear, Toronto owns the league's second-ranked defense since Jan. 13, per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?DateFrom=01/13/2025&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING">NBA.com</a>. Even <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3166141" href="https://thescore.com/news/3166141">RJ Barrett</a> is defending lately.Of course, when you own a winning percentage of .310 through a season-and-a-half, there's also plenty to nitpick. Rajakovic's <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3185910" href="https://thescore.com/news/3185910">challenge strategy</a> could use some work, while his timeout management and late-game play-calling in a number of close early-season losses left something to be desired. The assumption that Rajakovic was hired to be a rebuilding coach who'll merely serve as a bridge to the next great Raptors team might be unfair, but he's also too unproven to definitively be deemed the guy.Still, he's made the most of the cards he was dealt. Rajakovic's debut season was derailed by dysfunction sown long before he arrived, and Toronto's two most accomplished players at the time (Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby) were traded by January. Then, just when a younger team began to rally around Barnes, the All-Star forward suffered a season-ending injury that tanked the Raptors. Rajakovic will tell you he makes no excuses, but the fact remains his first two seasons on the job have seen him either coaching with one hand tied behind his back or coaching a team designed to lose.The coach, his team, and his franchise star have emerged from that rubble as connected as ever. That's no small feat and a massive win for a franchise less consumed with on-court victories at the moment.Rajakovic has proved he was the right person for the rebuilding job Toronto had in mind. He's at least earned the chance to find out whether he can be the right person for the team's next task, too.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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'We love him': Raptors won't quit on Rajakovic

Last time we checked in on the Toronto Raptors, the bottom had fallen out. A young team built to ...

Last time we <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3185910" href="https://thescore.com/news/3185910">checked</a> in on the Toronto Raptors, the bottom had fallen out. A young team built to lose and overcome with injuries had finally let go of the rope after a surprisingly competitive start. So much for that. The Raptors have won four of their last five games, all of which have come against postseason-caliber competition.Franchise star Scottie Barnes has been the best player on the court in just about all of those contests, extending a stretch of excellent two-way basketball. Barnes' play, the nurturing of winning habits, and head coach Darko Rajakovic's ability to keep his team engaged after a dismal stretch are all positive developments, even for a team whose gaze remains fixed on the draft lottery. As <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2649494">I wrote</a> a couple of years ago, as long as your rebuilding team puts itself in decent lottery position, there's no point obsessing over how every single result might skew those odds. And that was before the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NBA_draft#Draft_lottery">ninth-worst</a> team won the 2024 lottery.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Having said that, the objective for this season hasn't changed. The Raptors want to develop Barnes and their growing crop of youngsters while losing enough games to have a real shot at the potential franchise-changers who'll headline the 2025 draft (such as Duke phenom Cooper Flagg). The next two weeks leading up to the trade deadline offer a perfect opportunity to kill both birds with one stone: Toronto can turn the veterans currently helping the team win games into future draft capital while clearing a path to more playing time for the younger half of its roster.Luckily for the Raptors, the recent play of those veterans is helping the cause. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764544/cropped_GettyImages-2193185931.jpg?ts=1737749583" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764544/w220xh124_GettyImages-2193185931.jpg?ts=1737749583 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764544/w320xh180_GettyImages-2193185931.jpg?ts=1737749583 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764544/w640xh360_GettyImages-2193185931.jpg?ts=1737749583 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764544/w768xh432_GettyImages-2193185931.jpg?ts=1737749583 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764544/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2193185931.jpg?ts=1737749583 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jason Miller / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>As an energetic, bouncy reserve, Chris Boucher and his expiring $10.8-million salary should appeal to contenders looking to shore up their frontcourt depth. When Boucher caught fire earlier this month, the Canadian big man appeared to represent Toronto's best chance to extract some value from the deadline. Fellow reserves Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk have since given the Raptors - and prospective trade partners - more options.Olynyk looked unplayable upon his return from a back injury that sidelined him for the first 23 games of the season. The 33-year-old was too passive on offense and too slow on defense, but he's bounced back as he's found his legs. Olynyk's averaging 18.2 minutes, 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a block over the last four games. In Tuesday's 16-point win over Orlando, Olynyk was an outrageous plus-39 in 22 minutes.He's moving his feet better defensively, he's confidently stepping into the open shots he'd been passing up, and he still serves as a competent playmaking hub. Olynyk has canned nearly half of his 3-point attempts this season (17-of-35) and, perhaps most encouragingly for a 12-year vet coming off a back injury, suited up for 21 straight games, although he's now been sidelined by calf tightness. A $13.4-million cap hit for next season is also far from egregious.The Warriors reportedly almost traded for Olynyk before the Raptors got him last February, and Golden State could still use some frontcourt depth. How about a deal that sees Olynyk or Boucher head to The Bay in exchange for (former Raptor) Dennis Schroder's expiring contract? Toronto could then buy the veteran point guard out. Turning Olynyk into Schroder would clear more than $13 million from the Raptors' 2025-26 cap sheet. If you're wondering what kind of second-round equity the Warriors own, they have a protected 2025 pick from Miami and their own 2030 second-rounder to dangle.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612884/cropped_GettyImages-1945908929.jpg?ts=1707432272" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612884/w220xh124_GettyImages-1945908929.jpg?ts=1707432272 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612884/w320xh180_GettyImages-1945908929.jpg?ts=1707432272 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612884/w640xh360_GettyImages-1945908929.jpg?ts=1707432272 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612884/w768xh432_GettyImages-1945908929.jpg?ts=1707432272 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612884/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1945908929.jpg?ts=1707432272 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mark Blinch / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>As for Brown, the versatile guard went eight-and-a-half months between games due to a knee injury that required offseason surgery, and his rusty play to begin the new year showed it. But like Olynyk, a healthier Brown now looks rejuvenated. The 28-year-old is averaging nearly 20 minutes, 11.8 points (on 60.8% true shooting), 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists over his last six games. Brown's a good connector who can play on or off the ball, moves well without it, can defend one through three, and has shot 39% from the corners over the last four years. Ordinarily, a veteran role player like Brown - on an expiring contract, no less - would be a valuable trade chip for his incumbent team and an appealing target for contenders. But these aren't ordinary times. The introduction of a new CBA and the punitive <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940429" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940429">new aprons</a> that come with it make trading for a player like Brown (and his $23-million salary) more difficult for the big-money clubs that'd usually be interested.Second-apron teams can't aggregate players in trades, while first-apron clubs can't take back more salary than they send out, meaning the latter would have to move more than $23 million in salary to acquire Brown. It's not impossible, and Brown's recent play certainly helps matters, but there's a reason he's seen as a potential post-deadline buyout candidate as much as he is a trade possibility.In any event, if the Raptors can turn some combination of Brown, Olynyk, and Boucher into multiple second-round picks, it'd be a small victory in a season defined by strategic losses, especially given what Brown and Olynyk looked like as recently as a couple weeks ago.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Raptors future draft picks" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-ZPG3d" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZPG3d/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="295" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Starting center Jakob Poeltl carries <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3134395" href="https://thescore.com/news/3134395">more value</a> than any other Raptors veteran, but he remains one of the league's most underrated players. At 29 years old, Poeltl can still serve a purpose on Toronto's next competitive team. That doesn't make him untouchable, but Poeltl's too good to be traded for the sake of it, or to expedite a freefall in the standings (the team can just find creative ways to hold him out of the lineup to achieve that). Barring a desperate team overpaying for him, don't bet on Poeltl moving before Feb. 6.Davion Mitchell's one of the league's premier point-of-attack defenders and the 26-year-old has flashed some playmaking potential, but he's too poor a shooter and too turnover-prone to be more than a good team's fourth guard. He could be a low-key trade candidate if the Raptors aren't interested in re-signing him.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767083/cropped_GettyImages-2193525160.jpg?ts=1737749713" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767083/w220xh124_GettyImages-2193525160.jpg?ts=1737749713 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767083/w320xh180_GettyImages-2193525160.jpg?ts=1737749713 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767083/w640xh360_GettyImages-2193525160.jpg?ts=1737749713 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767083/w768xh432_GettyImages-2193525160.jpg?ts=1737749713 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/767083/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2193525160.jpg?ts=1737749713 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mark Blinch / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The way Mitchell was acquired last summer offers a glimpse into how else the Raptors can make use of the deadline. Toronto was able to take a flier on Mitchell while acquiring rookie point guard Jamal Shead and Portland's 2025 second-rounder (in addition to Sasha Vezenkov, who returned to Europe after a buyout) simply by helping Sacramento get out of a financial jam (Jalen McDaniels was sent to the Kings in exchange).As a rebuilding team with the flexibility that comes from being <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/tax/_/year/2024/sort/tax_space/dir/desc">$10 million</a> below the tax threshold, the Raptors can offer similar assistance to rivals looking to duck the luxury tax or one of the aprons this year. That doesn't mean Toronto will happily take on a terrible contract, but if the Raptors can add to their stockpile of picks by taking on bad money in the short term or facilitating a <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3196996" href="https://thescore.com/news/3196996">blockbuster</a> as the third team in the mix, they will.Finally, it's worth noting that Sportsnet's Michael Grange <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/raptors-holding-a-lot-of-cards-with-nbas-trade-deadline-two-weeks-away/">reported</a> only Barnes and perhaps sophomore Gradey Dick are untouchable, which might come as a surprise to those who view Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji, and the team's five rookies as worthy building blocks. Some of those players will be, but it's unrealistic to think they'll all be, especially given how much work is needed to restore the Raptors to relevance. A good tip for fans of teams in the early stages of a rebuild, as Toronto is: Don't get too attached to anyone.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29972273/related

The many ways the Raptors can get involved in trade season

Not a single player was traded when the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz swung a deal Tuesday, but the ...

Not a single player was traded when the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz swung a deal Tuesday, but the transaction sounded alarm bells around the NBA.The deal, in which the Jazz sent three first-round draft picks to Phoenix in exchange for an unprotected first-rounder six years away, is clearly a precursor to something bigger. It's also a fascinating trade between two teams whose timelines could not be further apart.Suns receive: 2025, 2027, 2029 first-round picks (All least favorable of CLE/MIN/UTA picks) Jazz receive: 2031 first-rounder (unprotected, via PHX)<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><h3>Suns prepping something big
</h3>Phoenix was just about out of bullets in its incredibly expensive quest to win a championship as soon as possible. After trading for former Charlotte Hornets big man Nick Richards last week, the Suns' draft equity consisted of a 2025 second-rounder and the 2031 first-rounder that now belongs to Utah (teams can't trade 2032 picks until after the 2025 draft). As a second-apron team that desperately needed more tradable assets, Phoenix prioritized quantity over quality. The Suns don't control any of their own picks until 2032, but they've tripled the number of first-rounders at their disposal.The elephant in the room is Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who just hooped in <a href="https://x.com/PHNX_Suns/status/1881894830131032108">Suns-colored</a> sneakers. Any potential <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3191847" href="https://thescore.com/news/3191847">Butler trade</a> would likely involve at least three teams and many moving parts. Phoenix is now better equipped to take part in such a blockbuster. In addition, whether acquiring Butler or another veteran star, the Suns will almost surely have to move Bradley Beal. By increasing their total number of picks - and therefore increasing the number of teams they can satisfy - the Suns are also better positioned to sweeten the pot for any club taking on the final two years, $110.8 million, and no-trade clause still owed to Beal.One way or another, the Suns are going to use their new picks to do something big. That means by the time the trade deadline arrives in a couple of weeks, Phoenix could be an aging, play-in bound squad without a draft pick of any kind for the next seven years. Would it be more prudent to explore trading Kevin Durant, recouping draft capital, and trying to salvage some of Devin Booker's future? Yes. But that wouldn't be as fun as the Suns continuing to rewrite the meaning of all-in.<h3>Jazz take the long view</h3>Phoenix's window of contention might be closing fast, but Utah's isn't even visible yet.The Jazz already owned one of the league's most significant draft-pick hauls and aren't exactly looking to compete in the near future, so taking the opposite approach of Phoenix makes sense: turning some of that quantity into more quality, or at least a pick with a higher ceiling. Who knows what the Suns or the NBA will look like six years from now? But an unprotected pick in the distant future always trumps three swap-right picks that give two other teams first choice, especially when that unprotected pick belongs to a team so hell-bent on completing shortsighted maneuvers.Jazz owner Ryan Smith and Suns owner Mat Ishbia bought their teams only a couple of years apart (December 2020 and December 2022), but their strategies for success could not be more different. Smith threw in the towel on a relatively successful but ultimately fruitless era headlined by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, trading both in 2022 for boatloads of picks rather than doubling down on a flawed fringe contender. The Jazz have since punted on the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons despite both teams being surprisingly feisty. Utah then ensured it was built to properly execute a full-season tank this year, with Cooper Flagg headlining a deep 2025 draft class that boasts multiple projected franchise-changers.If the lottery balls don't bounce their way come the spring, the Jazz could very well be prepared to chase prospects instead of wins again next season. However, their treasure trove of picks also gives them the chance to expedite their rebuild by trading for an All-Star (or two) in the event a Flagg-like talent lands in their laps. The Jazz are flexible in ways teams can be when seasons aren't measured in wins and losses.Of course, just like Ishbia's relentless and often reckless pursuit of instant gratification, Smith's grand plan for the future comes with no guarantees. Having said that, what the Jazz (and other pick-obsessed tankers) are trying to avoid is exactly what the Suns have become; a fading play-in team chasing its tail.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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A zero-player trade between the Suns and Jazz teases something bigger

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were a match made in heaven. But the same factors that made that ...

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were a match made in heaven. But the same factors that made that so meant there was always an expiration date on this seemingly perfect marriage. A public standoff was the only way it could end.Butler's no stranger to drama or trade requests, but the six-time All-Star finds himself in uncharted territory. He has little leverage, and in Heat president Pat Riley, Butler might've finally met his match.Under normal circumstances, a franchise-level star who can opt for free agency in six months would hold all the cards. However, the feud between Butler and Miami is far from ordinary. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759956/cropped_GettyImages-2187504249.jpg?ts=1737061337" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759956/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187504249.jpg?ts=1737061337 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759956/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187504249.jpg?ts=1737061337 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759956/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187504249.jpg?ts=1737061337 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759956/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187504249.jpg?ts=1737061337 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759956/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187504249.jpg?ts=1737061337 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Megan Briggs / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Butler remains a two-way game-changer when fully engaged. Only a month ago, he poured in 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals, and a block in 44 minutes against Detroit. And we know he possesses postseason superpowers (only three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has accumulated more <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=player_season_combined&amp;year_min=2020&amp;comp_type=post">playoff</a> win shares over the last five years). But he's also a 35-year-old who hasn't played 65 games in a season since 2018-19 and a secondary star at this stage of his career who seems unhappy in a diminished offensive role. And he's burned bridges at every stop of his Hall of Fame-worthy career. (Though Chicago, Minnesota, and Philadelphia all deserve their share of the blame for those breakups).Butler's supporters point to Paul George's four-year, $212-million contract as evidence there will still be a robust market for Butler's services, but it's not that simple. For one, George's injury-riddled, inconsistent first season in Philadelphia is now a cautionary tale. In addition, while Butler's the more dependable player come springtime, George was two years younger as a 2024 free agent than Butler would be as a 2025 free agent, and George entered free agency as an elite shooter. Long-range marksmanship can help players age gracefully and make them more universal fits around the league. Butler's a career 33% 3-point shooter who's attempted just 32 shots from deep in 22 appearances this season.Then there's the contractual minutiae. Butler, who turns 36 in September, wouldn't be able to sign a contract as lucrative as the one George signed last summer because of the NBA's over-38 rule. The biggest extension Miami could give him would be worth $112.6 million over two years, while the biggest extension a new team could offer would be worth roughly $111 million. In both cases, his 2025-26 salary would come in around $54.1 million. If he hits the open market, the longest contract he could sign would be for three years.Factor in the new CBA's more punitive tax rules and apron restrictions - and the fact only the rebuilding Nets have mountains of cap space this summer - and one <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6036624/2025/01/05/jimmy-butler-trade-rumors-heat-nba/">report</a> had league executives projecting Butler to earn $30-$35 million per year.Given that the 2025-26 player option on Butler's current deal is worth $52.1 million, you can understand why Riley and the Heat are willing to play hardball and call Butler's bluff. If the biggest threat Butler poses to Miami is simply opting in to the final year of his contract, the franchise can live with that rather than settle for a bad trade now. And if Butler remains committed to opting out, he'll have to take a pay cut while the Heat reap the benefits of clarity and flexibility.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/762278/cropped_GettyImages-1178382600.jpg?ts=1737066675" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/762278/w220xh124_GettyImages-1178382600.jpg?ts=1737066675 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/762278/w320xh180_GettyImages-1178382600.jpg?ts=1737066675 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/762278/w640xh360_GettyImages-1178382600.jpg?ts=1737066675 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/762278/w768xh432_GettyImages-1178382600.jpg?ts=1737066675 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/762278/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1178382600.jpg?ts=1737066675 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Michael Reaves / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>This wouldn't be akin to a team watching a younger star walk in his prime. Miami already got six years, two Finals trips, and plenty of value out of Butler. If he's aging out or has worn out his welcome, it wouldn't be devastating to let him walk. In an apron world, nothing can be better than something.If the best offers for Butler include mediocre draft capital and bad contracts (like Bradley Beal's), the Heat won't budge. They can always operate under the assumption that if they just keep their books clean, they'll lure another star sooner rather than later. Such is the advantage of South Beach and no state income tax.It's part of the reason Riley has moved on from legends before, like when the Heat let franchise icon Dwyane Wade leave via free agency over a dispute about Wade's worth heading into the back half of his 30s. That's not to say Riley hasn't made mistakes, or even that he's the executive he once was, but he's not going to back down and allow Butler to hold Miami hostage or take a flamethrower to the locker room the way Butler did to previous teams. Heat Culture may not be all it's cracked up to be, but Riley's franchise is impervious to Butler's shenanigans in ways Chicago, Minnesota, and Philly were not.Finally, surveying the trade market inspires little confidence Butler will get his wish this time.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760211/cropped_GettyImages-2188225707.jpg?ts=1737061552" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760211/w220xh124_GettyImages-2188225707.jpg?ts=1737061552 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760211/w320xh180_GettyImages-2188225707.jpg?ts=1737061552 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760211/w640xh360_GettyImages-2188225707.jpg?ts=1737061552 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760211/w768xh432_GettyImages-2188225707.jpg?ts=1737061552 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/760211/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2188225707.jpg?ts=1737061552 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Issac Baldizon / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Phoenix would need to find a team willing to take on Beal's remaining $110.8 million and his no-trade clause, and that's if the Suns can even convince Beal to waive said clause. Meanwhile, the Warriors look so pedestrian this season that even Steph Curry seems to be <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1879018604802576524">advising</a> Golden State's front office not to do anything rash.The Mavericks would need to gut the snug-fitting depth that helped turn them into a Finals team last season. The Nuggets have Michael Porter Jr.'s contract to use for salary-matching purposes and Butler's off-ball work would pair beautifully with Nikola Jokic's playmaking skills, but Denver already owns the league's worst 3-point attempt rate. Replacing Porter with Butler would see the Nuggets double down on what's already a tricky math problem. Is Butler the right fit for Houston now that his hometown Rockets sit second in the West with one of the league's youngest rosters? Would replacing Dillon Brooks and other Rockets players with this version of Butler really take a team that can't shoot over the top?The Grizzlies and Bucks loom as potential sleepers. Would Memphis be willing to sacrifice depth and draft equity for an aging star it might only have for one playoff run? As for Milwaukee, the Bucks are a second-apron team that would have to get creative in trading Khris Middleton (among others) and finding a third team to help them duck said apron. It's not impossible, but it certainly seems unlikely. You could probably say the same about any kind of Butler trade materializing at this point.Butler is one of the NBA's most fascinating figures - a relentless and rebellious winner turned <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/01/07/jimmy-butler-coffee/">coffee magnate</a> - and the future Hall of Famer can still swing the title race, making his standoff with Miami the league's must-watch story ahead of February's trade deadline. Unfortunately, circumstances seem to dictate this gripping drama will come to an anticlimactic end.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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Why Butler won't get his way in standoff with Pat Riley, Heat

As we exit our holiday malaise and the Toronto Raptors approach the season's halfway point, let's...

As we exit our holiday malaise and the Toronto Raptors approach the season's halfway point, let's check in on Canada's NBA team.<h3>The dog days are here</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764676/cropped_GettyImages-2193040174.jpg?ts=1736538634" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764676/w220xh124_GettyImages-2193040174.jpg?ts=1736538634 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764676/w320xh180_GettyImages-2193040174.jpg?ts=1736538634 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764676/w640xh360_GettyImages-2193040174.jpg?ts=1736538634 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764676/w768xh432_GettyImages-2193040174.jpg?ts=1736538634 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764676/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2193040174.jpg?ts=1736538634 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Al Bello / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>An inspired effort against the league-leading Cavaliers was a sight for sore eyes, but it's clear the bottom has fallen out for Toronto. The undermanned Raptors performed surprisingly well during a brutal early-season schedule. They hung in most games against superior competition, got valuable contributions from promising youngsters, and found small moral victories in their mounting losses. That hasn't been the case over the past month while Toronto has lost 15 of 16 and been outscored by an average of 14.6 points per game. Since Dec. 23, its average point differential stands at a wretched minus-18.0.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Compare that with the team's first 22 games, which saw the Raptors - underdogs in every contest - go 7-15 with a point-differential (minus-3.3) that ranked ahead of wannabe contenders such as the Lakers and Pacers.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Raptors record at stages" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-32MR8" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/32MR8/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="186" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>No matter how you slice it, a bad young team is getting worse as it gets healthier. So, what gives? Head coach Darko Rajakovic will tell you the team's core players need more reps together, lamenting the starting lineup's connectivity after a home loss Monday to Milwaukee. That's a fair point, given that the quintet of Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl hadn't suited up together until this week, and the trio of Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley hadn't shared the court since March.Still, the recent lack of compete has been jarring for fans who deemed Toronto's first quarter of the season an "ethical" tank.The Raptors probably weren't as good as they looked at times over the first six weeks, and the full-strength version of the team surely isn't this bad, but it's also quite possible Toronto just finally let go of the rope. Losing nearly 80% of your games in a season everyone knew was a rebuilding year is going to catch up to you eventually. It doesn't matter how much competitive pride players have, how positive the vibe is in the locker room, or how much work Rajakovic and his staff are doing to keep this young squad from splintering.Therein lies the challenge for Rajakovic over the second half of the season. How do you keep a team engaged and together as the losses pile up and the results get uglier? How do you avoid the next few months being a complete waste of developmental time? How do you find ways to develop winning habits and plant the seeds another coach might get to reap in the future?"In Year 1 of the rebuild, I never expected that this would be consistent throughout the whole year; that we were always going to be playing with a lot of force," Rajakovic told reporters after Toronto's last practice of 2024. "It's a roller-coaster season. That's what we have to understand. There's going to be ups and downs. Improvement and progress is never linear. At some point, you get tired, you get bummed, you've got to learn how to bounce back. There's a lot of adversity, and we're feeling that adversity, and it's good. We're going to use that adversity to our advantage - to get information that we need, to improve, to focus on the most important things, and to see growth. That's what this whole season is about, and to also learn who can rise to the challenge and who cannot."<h3>Challenges have been a ... challenge</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764242/cropped_GettyImages-2191508159.jpg?ts=1736538530" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764242/w220xh124_GettyImages-2191508159.jpg?ts=1736538530 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764242/w320xh180_GettyImages-2191508159.jpg?ts=1736538530 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764242/w640xh360_GettyImages-2191508159.jpg?ts=1736538530 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764242/w768xh432_GettyImages-2191508159.jpg?ts=1736538530 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764242/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2191508159.jpg?ts=1736538530 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>One area Rajakovic and his staff can improve is the coach's challenge. Too often, the Raptors are wasting their challenges on low-leverage plays that also appear to have low chances of success.Coaches should generally use challenges on calls that result in points going on or coming off the board, change-of-possession plays in crunch time, or perhaps to keep star players from fouling out late in games. The ability to retain their challenge if their first attempt is successful gives coaches more leeway, but they should still exercise caution and discipline when risking it early in games. The Raptors have not.Take Wednesday's loss in New York, for example. Rajakovic used his challenge to contest a loose-ball foul on Poeltl with 6.3 seconds remaining in the first half. The Knicks weren't in the bonus, so Rajakovic was not trying to save two potential free throws. At best, Toronto would have taken possession with little time left in the half.That's never a good enough reason to challenge, but if you are going to use it in that situation, you better be sure it's the right decision. As has become the norm for the Raptors, their strange early challenge was unsuccessful, meaning they also forfeited a timeout.Toronto is now 11-of-25 (44%) on challenges this season. Through Jan. 5, the rest of the <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/2024-25-Coachs-Challenge-Data-01-06-24.pdf">NBA</a> had a 58.9% success rate. Whether Rajakovic is making the calls himself or he's getting bad advice from back-benchers on his staff, the Raptors need to reassess their strategy. As the head coach said, this season is about learning who can rise to the challenge and who can't.<h3>A real PG!</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/763224/cropped_GettyImages-2191503481.jpg?ts=1736538679" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/763224/w220xh124_GettyImages-2191503481.jpg?ts=1736538679 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/763224/w320xh180_GettyImages-2191503481.jpg?ts=1736538679 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/763224/w640xh360_GettyImages-2191503481.jpg?ts=1736538679 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/763224/w768xh432_GettyImages-2191503481.jpg?ts=1736538679 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/763224/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2191503481.jpg?ts=1736538679 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Quickley has been understandably rusty since returning from a left elbow injury that sidelined him for 22 games. Toronto's point guard of the future has been inefficient on the offensive end and shaky (to say the least) defending the point of attack. But it's clear to see how much the Raptors missed their one competent lead guard.Quickley's numbers and effectiveness will come around. But his ability to run the offense, get Barnes operating off the ball, and create for himself from deep have already made the Raptors more functional, even if the results don't agree. If nothing else over the next few months, Toronto needs Quickley to develop chemistry with Barnes, improve his finishing, and let it fly from deep more often.<h3>Barnes bounces back</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752627/cropped_GettyImages-2178464396.jpg?ts=1736538901" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752627/w220xh124_GettyImages-2178464396.jpg?ts=1736538901 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752627/w320xh180_GettyImages-2178464396.jpg?ts=1736538901 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752627/w640xh360_GettyImages-2178464396.jpg?ts=1736538901 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752627/w768xh432_GettyImages-2178464396.jpg?ts=1736538901 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/752627/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2178464396.jpg?ts=1736538901 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> David L. Nemec / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>One silver lining in the recent slide is the team's cornerstone player has been playing his best and most consistent ball of the season. Whether it's tied to Quickley's return or Barnes getting healthier after an ankle injury (plus knee soreness and quad tightness) robbed him of his explosiveness, the 2024 All-Star has been feasting on a much healthier shot diet of late.During a 12-game stretch from Nov. 21-Dec. 22 when Barnes returned from an orbital fracture and then a sprained ankle, 45.3% of his field-goal attempts came from 3-point territory. That's far too high for a shooter as poor as Barnes and for a forward as physically imposing as he can be. The low point came in a home loss to the Rockets when Barnes went 0-for-8 from deep while barely touching the paint in 39 minutes.Since then, Barnes has been more committed to bullying his way to the paint, where he's developed a nice touch and improved his mid-range game. His production and efficiency have predictably rebounded.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Barnes rates" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-Sy3Ts" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Sy3Ts/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="210" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Young players in rebuilding situations should be empowered to experiment with their skill sets, as Barnes has done, but they should also embrace the most prudent recipe for success. No one should be shutting the door on the possibility Barnes develops into a better-shooting point forward in the future, but as more of an off-ball connector and playmaking forward - who's also found another gear on the defensive end - there's still a path to stardom.For the season, Barnes is averaging career-highs in points (20.4), assists (6.5), and steals (1.4), and he is one of only <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;order_by=age&amp;year_min=2025&amp;year_max=2025&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=20&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=pts_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=8&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=trb_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B3%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B3%5D=6&amp;cstat%5B3%5D=ast_per_g">five players</a> averaging at least 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists (along with Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Domantas Sabonis).<h3>Boucher on a heater</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764677/cropped_GettyImages-2193284045.jpg?ts=1736544810" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764677/w220xh124_GettyImages-2193284045.jpg?ts=1736544810 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764677/w320xh180_GettyImages-2193284045.jpg?ts=1736544810 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764677/w640xh360_GettyImages-2193284045.jpg?ts=1736544810 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764677/w768xh432_GettyImages-2193284045.jpg?ts=1736544810 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/764677/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2193284045.jpg?ts=1736544810 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jason Miller / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Chris Boucher's basketball IQ and decision-making have landed him in the doghouse of multiple Raptors coaches over the years, but one thing he's always done is stay ready and bring endless energy off the bench. The streaky big man is enjoying one of his better stretches lately, averaging roughly 11 points and four rebounds in only 16 minutes over his past 10 games while shooting 62.5% inside the arc and 47.5% from deep. Perhaps most impressively, the Raptors have lost Boucher's minutes by only 1.8 points per game over the past month while otherwise posting the league's worst point-differential.If the Raptors are going to squeeze any value whatsoever out of this year's trade deadline, Boucher's recent play might be why. Even if it's just second-round draft equity, the bouncy reserve and his $10.8-million expiring contract should appeal to a postseason contender or two.<h3>Minor roster moves</h3>In waiving center Bruno Fernando before his contract became guaranteed, the Raptors brought their roster down to 14 players (plus three two-way players), which opened up a spot to sign Nigerian-Canadian forward Eugene Omoruyi to a 10-day contract.Omoruyi is an Orangeville Prep product who gave up some <a href="https://x.com/BlakeMurphyODC/status/1877182495063515345">money</a> to play for Raptors 905 and has been rewarded for his strong work in the G League. The 27-year-old is a tough player and efficient finisher inside who has improved his playmaking and shooting this season.In the long run, my money's still on that 15th spot being used to convert Jamison Battle's contract from a two-way to a standard NBA deal.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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Raptors notebook: Tank is on, bad challenges, Barnes bounces back

As trade season in the NBA kicks into full gear, a couple of big-market teams headed in opposite ...

As trade season in the NBA kicks into full gear, a couple of big-market teams headed in opposite directions swung a deal Sunday. Here's what to make of the D'Angelo Russell trade, which sees Russell move from Los Angeles to Brooklyn for the second time in his career.Lakers receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton Nets receive: D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, Three second-round picks (2027, 2030, 2031)<h3>Lakers inch closer to finding right mix</h3>For the Lakers, this trade is all about balance. Finney-Smith and Milton don't carry the same name recognition or natural talent as Russell, but they should make more of an impact than a pure talent comparison would indicate by providing head coach JJ Redick with extra balance and depth.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>First and foremost, Finney-Smith will boost Los Angeles' bottom-10 defense as a versatile 6-foot-7 forward. His career-high 3-point percentage (43.5%) may not hold, but he should remain a good enough shooter given the looks he'll get playing off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to provide the Lakers the type of 3-and-D connector every contender needs.Meanwhile, Milton might not be a key contributor, but he's the type of reserve guard who can shoot, create for himself in a pinch, and get hot enough to occasionally change a game. He's a fine third or fourth guard behind Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Gabe Vincent.Russell is a one-way player who wasn't playing well enough on that end of the court. The 28-year-old former All-Star is shooting 33.3% from deep this season after shooting better than 40% and flirting with a 60% true shooting percentage over the last two campaigns. His points per shot attempt of 1.07 ranks in the 36th percentile among point guards, according to <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/3211#tab-offensive_overview">Cleaning The Glass</a>. The Lakers lose some playmaking in this deal, but James and Reaves should provide enough to withstand that loss.While the idea of Russell makes this seem like a talent downgrade, what the Lakers actually did was turn an inefficient scorer and porous defender into a couple of helpful depth pieces. They paid the price in second-rounders, but there's little downside to this deal for L.A. Finney-Smith's $15.4-million player option for next season could complicate matters, but the final two years of Milton's contract aren't guaranteed, so they haven't necessarily taken on any future salary. And the Lakers will save about $15 million in the short term thanks to the trade's tax implications.This won't change the Lakers' trajectory all that much in the big picture. They're a solid team led by two aging greats, but they're not good enough to compete for a title. They should still be trying to build a winner - or at least the best team possible - around their two stars, though. Sunday's trade made them incrementally better without draining them of the assets required to make a bigger splash (even if that splash remains unlikely).<h3>Nets want clean slate</h3>After moving on from the failed Big Three experiment of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, Brooklyn further signaled its short-term intentions by trading Mikal Bridges for a boatload of draft capital in the offseason. The tanking Nets then quickly traded veteran point guard Dennis Schroder after they began the season playing surprisingly competent basketball. In moving Finney-Smith and Milton for Russell's expiring contract, general manager Sean Marks continues to execute what looks like a pretty obvious plan.The Nets want to wipe the slate clean while racing to the bottom of the standings and accumulating as many draft picks as possible. This transaction checks all of those boxes, and I'd imagine Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton are next (if there's a market for the regressing Claxton). The only other players Brooklyn has under contract for next season are sophomores Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson, and Dariq Whitehead, while Cam Thomas, Ziaire Williams, and Day'Ron Sharpe are slated for restricted free agency.It's worth noting that the Nets reportedly turned down a top-15 protected first-round pick, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, and second-round considerations from Memphis before sending Finney-Smith to Los Angeles, according to HoopsHype's <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1873457963387830415">Michael Scotto</a>. A 2025 first-rounder was likely the best asset between the two trade proposals, but Konchar had two more guaranteed years left worth roughly $6.2 million per season. It appears the Nets valued clearing the books over a late first-rounder in a loaded draft class. That's an interesting choice given this offseason is unlikely to feature any superstar free agents.As for Russell, keep in mind that because his $18.7-million salary is worth more than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, apron teams like Boston, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Phoenix, New York, Miami, Denver, and Philadelphia would be prohibited from signing him if the Nets buy him out. However, Russell will get plenty of opportunity to boost his trade value before the Feb. 6 deadline, as he immediately slots in as Brooklyn's lead guard.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

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Breaking down the Lakers-Nets trade

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The 25 greatest athletes of the last 25 years

When the Toronto Raptors acquired RJ Barrett as part of the OG Anunoby trade last New Year's Eve,...

When the Toronto Raptors acquired RJ Barrett as part of the OG Anunoby trade last New Year's Eve, most viewed the Canadian swingman as a salary-matching throw-in. From Toronto's perspective, the deal with New York was the Immanuel Quickley trade; the Raptors just happened to be taking a hometown flier on Barrett in the process. That point was driven home when the Raptors re-signed Quickley to a $162.5-million contract.But injuries have limited Quickley to just three games this season, and we've yet to see the synergy with Scottie Barnes that Quickley's movement shooting, playmaking, and pull-up creation was supposed to bring. Meanwhile, Barrett has looked like a borderline All-Star, with the 24-year-old rejuvenated by the deal that sent him home.As a Knick, it appeared Barrett might stall out as an inefficient, ball-stopping volume scorer prone to bouts of extreme tunnel vision. As a Raptor, he's morphed into a more efficient, versatile scorer on and off the ball who's happy to use the defensive attention he commands to create for teammates.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Barrett's efficiency soared immediately upon his arrival nearly a year ago, with Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic's movement-heavy system unlocking an off-ball cutter and catch-and-shoot threat. That efficiency has slipped this season as injuries to Barnes and Quickley have forced Barrett into more of a primary role with poor spacing around him, but these reps will only help him in the long run.Barrett's averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists, and he's one of only six players averaging at least 23, six, and six (LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Cade Cunningham being the others). His playmaking, in particular, has been a revelation. Barrett's still prone to head-scratching turnovers (and he's still over-reliant on his left hand), but he's also seeing passes and making reads he simply wouldn't have a year ago.<figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Barrett stats</th>
<th>2019-2024</th>
<th>2024-25</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>USG</td>
<td>25.6%</td>
<td>30.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PPG</td>
<td>18.4</td>
<td>23.5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>TS%</td>
<td>52.8%</td>
<td>54.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>APG</td>
<td>2.9</td>
<td>6.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AST%</td>
<td>14.0</td>
<td>29.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>TOV%</td>
<td>10.9</td>
<td>13.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure>(Source: Basketball Reference)Most of Barrett's playmaking has been the result of his ability to get into the paint. He ranks ninth in drives per game and sixth in assists per game off drives, according to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives?CF=DRIVES*GE*10&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=DRIVES">NBA.com</a>. Overall, his assist percentage is in the 94th percentile among forwards, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4574#tab-offensive_overview">Cleaning The Glass</a>.With the skills Barrett's honed playing an outsized role this season, and the off-ball tools he's sharpened playing alongside Barnes, it's not a stretch to envision him as the secondary scorer on a contending team one day. But it's a big jump from filling the role Barrett has on the cellar-dwelling Raptors to playing a supporting role on a trophy-seeking club. And if the Raptors decide he can't be part of the core that gets them there again, it won't be because of his offense.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758421/cropped_GettyImages-2187280009.jpg?ts=1734747621" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758421/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187280009.jpg?ts=1734747621 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758421/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187280009.jpg?ts=1734747621 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758421/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187280009.jpg?ts=1734747621 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758421/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187280009.jpg?ts=1734747621 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/758421/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187280009.jpg?ts=1734747621 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The biggest issues for Barrett lie on the defensive end, and there are many. Though his strength and 6-foot-7 frame allow him to hold his own in one-on-one matchups, his lack of lateral quickness negates that length and strength on the perimeter. As a result, Barrett is porous at the point of attack.Off the ball, he's even worse. Barrett can often be caught ball-watching and generally losing track of his man or defensive assignment, allowing cutting opponents too many easy baskets. He dies on screens, jogs back in transition, and doesn't make enough defensive plays to make up for any of it. Other than Barrett's solid defensive rebounding, his contributions on that end are minimal.Rajakovic doesn't quite see it that way. "I think he's making strides with on-ball defense," the head coach told theScore after a recent practice. "There are a lot of those small things (he can do better). Is it a deflection when you need a deflection? Is it securing a rebound when you need it? Awareness on the weak side, knowing when he needs to come and help, keeping contact with his man - a lot of stuff that he can improve also applies to our whole team, not just him. But those are the areas that he needs to make strides."While Rajakovic made a point of not singling Barrett out, that doesn't mean he's afraid to hold his player accountable. As Barrett told <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/longform/how-raptors-wing-rj-barrett-ended-up-exactly-where-he-needs-to-be/">Sportsnet's Michael Grange</a>, "Darko be on my ass. There's been games where probably, to the fan's standards, I played really well, but he still gave me shit. Like, it's not just about one aspect of the game, it's for all areas of the game and growing to be the best player that I can be."That's the kind of attitude Rajakovic, Barrett, and the Raptors must embrace if RJ's ever going to be a complete player.To that end, when asked whether Barrett's increased offensive burden could be dragging his defense down, Rajakovic was having none of it. "We're not in the business of doing easy things. There's nothing easy in our line of business. He's very blessed to be in the position he's in, and we count on him so much. He's very capable of carrying that load. We're stressing the importance of that, we're working on that, and I'm seeing the growth."In fairness to Barrett, the list of players capable of doing what he's doing on the offensive end and being impact defenders is a short one. And it's a list of superstars. The Raptors don't need him to ascend to that level. Heck, the contract once deemed a <a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/274148/RJ-Barretts-Contract-Considered-Toxic-By-Some-Front-Office-Exes-Coaches">toxic asset</a> already looks like a bargain (worth less than 18% of the cap through 2027). But even just being a passable defender rather than a terrible one would be a massive development for Barrett's trajectory and a potentially transformative one for Toronto's rebuild.His offensive metamorphosis has already proved the difference a year can make for a young player. Is it that unreasonable to ask for something half as impressive on the other end?Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who coached Barrett with Team Canada, cautioned the doubters. "It feels like he's been playing in the NBA for a while, but RJ is young, and I have no doubt in my mind he'll continue to get better," Fernandez told theScore before a recent game in Toronto. "He'll keep growing. At his size, he should be able to be physical, contain the ball, rebound. At this point of his career, he's not a final product. The kid works really, really hard, and he does it with a smile on his face and positive energy. That's why I know he'll continue to grow, because I know what he does day to day."If the Raptors have their way, the fruits of that labor will leave us just as shocked by Barrett's defense in 2025 as we were by his offense in 2024.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29548470/related

The Raptors found a hometown star in Barrett. Now RJ must find his defense

It's deja vu for the Toronto Raptors, who are preparing for their lone All-Star to miss several w...

It's deja vu for the Toronto Raptors, who are preparing for their lone All-Star to miss <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3156739" href="https://thescore.com/news/3156739">several weeks</a> for the second time this season.Officially, the Raptors said Scottie Barnes' sprained right ankle will be re-evaluated in one week. He suffered the injury Monday, just 10 games into his return from an orbital fracture that sidelined him for 11 games (24 days).As Toronto once again prepares for life without Barnes, the questions and silver linings are much the same as last time. The team's upcoming schedule isn't as daunting as the stretch that saw it go 2-9 without Barnes, but the losses will continue to pile up for a 7-18 squad if this proves to be another extended absence. And plenty of draft lottery-obsessed Raptors fans will celebrate that fact.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>In addition, RJ Barrett will get more reps as a lead creator, Gradey Dick will be promoted in the offensive pecking order, and rookie Ja'Kobe Walter should get to explore the limits of his improving off-the-dribble game. All of those can be positives for a rebuilding team that's prioritizing the big picture.But Barnes remains the foundation of that rebuild, and the Raptors have played too many games without him when they need to gather intel on how all the pieces fit around their franchise player. Barnes' last three injuries have been caused by rotten luck rather than an injury-prone body - a teammate accidentally kicking his hand, an elbow to the eye, and landing on an opponent's foot - so concerns about his durability aren't valid. Still, there's no glossing over the fact he'll have played just 14 NBA games over the last 10 months if he's sidelined through December.None of that will matter if the Raptors strike lottery gold and add a player like Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper to an already promising Barnes-led core. But even the worst teams only have a 14% chance of winning the lottery, and the absolute worst team still has a better chance of picking fifth (47.86%) than it does of landing a top-three pick (40.17%). Mathematically speaking, Barnes' injury-riddled campaign is unlikely to benefit the Raptors the way some assume it will. The trade-off is Barnes losing valuable time and much-needed reps as the lead dog while hitting the shelf again in the midst of his finest defensive stretch as a pro.Barnes is also averaging career highs in points (20.6), rebounds (8.4), assists (7.4), and steals (1.3) while playing fewer minutes than ever.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Headline" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-ugqia" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ugqia/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="222" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Toronto's running out of time to see if this year's squad is worth building on. The Raptors have been surprisingly <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3144670" href="https://thescore.com/news/3144670">competitive</a> despite a litany of <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/injured/_/year/2024/view/team">injuries</a>. They've won more quarters than they've lost and share the league's second-best <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/trends/ats_trends/">record</a> against the spread despite being 11 games under .500 overall. In their last two losses, the Raptors outscored the contending Mavericks and Knicks by a combined 15 points in 60 minutes with Barnes on the court (and lost the 36 non-Barnes minutes by 27 points).The way the Raptors have competed teases the potential for something more at full strength. But their presumed starting lineup of Barnes, Barrett, Dick, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl hasn't been available once this season. The Raptors have also been without multiple starters in 17 of 25 contests, and they have yet to play more than two straight games with even four of their five starters in the lineup.That aforementioned starting five has logged four minutes together dating back to last season, and the trio of Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley hasn't shared the court since March 1. By the time Barnes returns, the trade deadline could be a month away, and Poeltl will be a hot commodity. Is there a big enough sample to decide whether the veteran center <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3134395" href="https://thescore.com/news/3134395">should continue</a> playing with this young core or be sold to the highest bidder? These are the uncomfortable questions that arise when a roster's been decimated by injury.For all the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3127174" href="https://thescore.com/news/3127174">positives</a> to be found in this young team's losing season, it would still be a shame to come out of it never knowing what these Raptors would have been capable of when whole.The boosted lottery odds are nice, but the draw is still a game of chance. Barnes' latest injury has sidelined the one Raptor who's already a sure thing.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/29397479/related

Boosted lottery odds not worth another Barnes injury

The NBA can be a funny, upside-down place.  A winning team that isn't quite living up to expectat...

The NBA can be a funny, upside-down place.A winning team that isn't quite living up to expectations can spend every day in full-blown crisis mode, while a rebuilding squad that's lost roughly 70% of its games can emit immaculate vibes.The Raptors fall into the latter category, having so far managed to <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3144670" href="https://thescore.com/news/3144670">outperform</a> expectations everywhere but the win column. It's easy to keep things light when you openly admit on media day that it will be a rebuilding year, but it's easier still when the goals of a rebuild are being met.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The ultimate goal of landing another franchise-changing talent will have to wait for the draft lottery and the draft itself (unless the full-strength Raptors prove <a href="https://youtu.be/5SZVAx4_xxU?si=LUwZpyiJ0ALs2NCI">too good</a> to tank). However, if Toronto wanted to boost its lottery odds while developing as much young talent as possible, then mission accomplished so far.While the play of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, and even veteran center <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/3134395" href="https://thescore.com/news/3134395">Jakob Poeltl</a> have been positive developments in Toronto's big-picture plans, perhaps the most surprising twist has been the production the Raptors are getting from four rookies.Without the benefit of their own 2024 first-rounder, the Raptors might've snagged the best crop of rookies anyway. None of the team's freshmen project as future stars, but it looks like Toronto found at least three rotation players in what was billed as the worst draft class in at least 11 years. Given the structure of rookie contracts and salaries, such surplus value can be incredibly advantageous when filling out a roster in an <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940429" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940429">apron</a> world.Second-round picks Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead, in addition to the undrafted Jamison Battle, all rank top 20 in total rookie minutes, while first-rounder Ja'Kobe Walter has started five straight games since returning from the second shoulder injury of his young career."One thing I like about the rookies on our team is they're not afraid," head coach Darko Rajakovic said. "They're not afraid of the moment. They're not afraid to step on the court and play hard. When you play hard and you have your heart in the right place to play for your team, good things happen."Still, Rajakovic acknowledges the two-way challenges that come from playing so many inexperienced professionals, joking that he doesn't know which end of the court brings a steeper learning curve."One day it seems like it's offense, and then you play the next game and it's the defense," Rajakovic laughed. "In the long term, it's the defensive things for rookies. Learning the game, learning how the NBA works, being able to sniff out what actions are coming their way. In the NBA, if you're a half-step late, you're too late."Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault knows what it's like to coach young teams that are rich in enthusiasm but short on NBA know-how. "It's a very patterned game that you learn the patterns of. Later in your career, you can anticipate more, because you've seen the pictures. Early in your career, you haven't seen them yet. You're learning them."But there's benefits to coaching a young team," Daigneault told theScore before Thursday's win in Toronto, noting that young players are often hungrier and eager to prove themselves. "There's a lot of energy behind that. There's a lot of horsepower behind that, and we've always found that to be very invigorating. It's a long season, and when you've got guys excited to play basketball every night, that's a benefit."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759077/cropped_GettyImages-2185472342.jpg?ts=1733433027" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759077/w220xh124_GettyImages-2185472342.jpg?ts=1733433027 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759077/w320xh180_GettyImages-2185472342.jpg?ts=1733433027 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759077/w640xh360_GettyImages-2185472342.jpg?ts=1733433027 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759077/w768xh432_GettyImages-2185472342.jpg?ts=1733433027 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759077/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2185472342.jpg?ts=1733433027 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Raptors rookies (from left) Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, Ulrich Chomche, and Jamal Shead during a Raptors 905 game on Nov. 22. Christian Bonin / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Toronto has lost the <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/injured/_/year/2024/view/team">second-most</a> value to injury this season, so Rajakovic has sometimes found himself fielding lineups featuring three or four rookies on the court at once."There are obviously some really good stretches, but there are moments as well where they look like rookies," Rajakovic told theScore after a November loss to the Lakers. "The game is very fast. You're playing against experienced players that know how to read every inch of the mistakes that you might be making. You're over-thinking, and those guys know how to punish that. But the only way you learn that is getting experience on the court against some of the best players in the world."That experience is paying immediate dividends. A Raptors team that ranked last in defensive efficiency through its first 11 games has hovered around the top 10 <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING&amp;DateFrom=11%2F12%2F2024&amp;DateTo=12%2F04%2F2024">since Nov. 12</a>, with Walter, Mogbo, Battle, and Shead all averaging 12-22 minutes per game during that improved stretch. Only the last-place Wizards are giving more of the team's minutes to rookies.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Rookie minute percentage" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-1R3Ft" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1R3Ft/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="229" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Here's a quick look at what the Raptors have in each rookie.<h3>Ja'Kobe Walter</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/754319/cropped_GettyImages-2181650797.jpg?ts=1733432366" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/754319/w220xh124_GettyImages-2181650797.jpg?ts=1733432366 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/754319/w320xh180_GettyImages-2181650797.jpg?ts=1733432366 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/754319/w640xh360_GettyImages-2181650797.jpg?ts=1733432366 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/754319/w768xh432_GettyImages-2181650797.jpg?ts=1733432366 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/754319/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2181650797.jpg?ts=1733432366 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Selected with the 19th pick acquired from Indiana in last year's Pascal Siakam trade, Walter's debut was delayed by a sprained shoulder that kept him out of training camp. Still, those around the team have raved about Walter's maturity and approach while sidelined, noting that young players don't always make the most of such time."I think I was getting better in different ways (while not playing)," Walter told reporters after a 12-point effort in a win over Miami. "Watching a lot of film with my coaches and talking through the games (on the bench) with my teammates helped me for this experience right now." Rajakovic also noted how impressed he was by Walter's conditioning work while out of the lineup.As a 6-foot-5 guard with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Walter is capable of wreaking havoc on the defensive end. He's an active and disruptive defender who fits in well given Rajakovic's newfound focus on ball pressure. His length also makes him an above-average rebounder for a guard, which in turn helps him push the pace and fuel the fast breaks his head coach wants.Walter's offense, in general, is a work in progress. He missed 24 of his first 29 3-point attempts after shooting 34.1% from deep at Baylor. His constant movement and off-ball motor will lead to easier opportunities at the rim, and Rajakovic has noted that the Raptors identified that Gradey Dick-like quality in Walter as a prospect. "He has that potential, and we're very intentional working with him on that. With his workouts and everything, we're trying to make him very active off the ball and to always be on the run."<h3>Jonathan Mogbo</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759074/cropped_GettyImages-2187566884.jpg?ts=1733432463" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759074/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187566884.jpg?ts=1733432463 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759074/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187566884.jpg?ts=1733432463 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759074/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187566884.jpg?ts=1733432463 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759074/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187566884.jpg?ts=1733432463 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759074/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187566884.jpg?ts=1733432463 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Mark Blinch / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Selected with the 31st pick acquired from New York (via Detroit) in last year's OG Anunoby trade, Mogbo's earning playing time with his relentless energy and nose for the ball. The only thing more impressive than his explosive leaping ability is his second jump, with the big man often levitating again while opponents are merely loading up or still descending from their first jump.That's what makes the 6-foot-9 forward an elite NBA rebounder already. Among 240 players who've logged at least 300 minutes this season, Mogbo's offensive rebound rate of 16.1% ranks third, per <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;display_type=totals&amp;comp_id=NBA&amp;draft_pick_type=overall&amp;season_start=1&amp;comp_type=reg&amp;match=player_season&amp;order_by=orb_pct&amp;year_max=2025&amp;year_min=2025&amp;season_end=-1&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=mp&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=300&amp;offset=0">Stathead</a>. Mogbo is arguably the best rebounder on the league's best offensive-rebounding team. His ability to create extra shots for the shooting-starved Raptors gives him offensive utility, even if his overall skill set still needs to be rounded out.The long-term vision is clear when you see Mogbo at his best. He can be a versatile, switchable defensive big who grabs a rebound, brings the ball up, makes the type of pass that keeps an offense humming, and shoots the occasional 3-pointer to complement his interior scoring. It might be a while before the 23-year-old reserve puts all those skills together, but a top-tier rebounder who brings consistent and infectious energy off the bench will always be in demand.It also doesn't hurt when you're the franchise player's <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/jonathan-mogbo-and-scottie-barnes-have-been-friends-since-grade-4-now-theyre-raptors-teammates/article_0facf516-354e-11ef-a963-0b145be01b8a.html">childhood friend</a>.<h3>Jamal Shead</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759075/cropped_GettyImages-2187567240.jpg?ts=1733432609" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759075/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187567240.jpg?ts=1733432609 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759075/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187567240.jpg?ts=1733432609 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759075/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187567240.jpg?ts=1733432609 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759075/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187567240.jpg?ts=1733432609 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759075/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187567240.jpg?ts=1733432609 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Vaughn Ridley / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Selected with the 45th pick acquired from Sacramento in the Jalen McDaniels trade, Shead is the Raptors rookie who has looked most like a rookie. The undersized guard hasn't been star-struck or shy, and the effort of an on-ball pest is there, but Shead's decision-making needs to improve (on both ends).The undersized guard can be too aggressive and eager at times, resulting in a boatload of fouls, particularly on jump shooters. Shead owns the highest foul percentage among guards who've played 300 minutes this season and the second highest among 240 players who've logged as many minutes, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/players?stat_category=defense_rebounding">Cleaning the Glass</a>. On the offensive end, Shead has the instincts of a pass-first point guard, but he can also try to force passes that just aren't there. Among 30 point guards who've played 250-plus minutes, only Ben Simmons and Scoot Henderson turn the ball over at a higher rate, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/players?stat_category=offensive_overview">Cleaning the Glass</a>.Shead's shooting woes compound those turnover issues. They've also led to defenders helping off of him, which can cramp the floor for Barnes, so it's been encouraging to see him knock down eight of his last 18 long-range attempts.Shead could use some development time in the G League, which should come when starting point guard Immanuel Quickley returns to the Raptors' lineup, but I still think there's a scrappy NBA reserve in there somewhere. His defense should stabilize as the game slows down for him and he dials it back a bit, and we've seen smaller guards find a way with their playmaking. The question is whether his shooting will ever come around.<h3>Jamison Battle</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759037/cropped_GettyImages-2187889863.jpg?ts=1733432632" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759037/w220xh124_GettyImages-2187889863.jpg?ts=1733432632 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759037/w320xh180_GettyImages-2187889863.jpg?ts=1733432632 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759037/w640xh360_GettyImages-2187889863.jpg?ts=1733432632 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759037/w768xh432_GettyImages-2187889863.jpg?ts=1733432632 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/759037/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2187889863.jpg?ts=1733432632 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Andrew Lahodynskyj / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Undrafted out of Ohio State (his third college program), Battle's been a revelation for the Raptors. The 6-foot-7 marksman knows his role and carries himself with the steely calm of every great shooter.Among the 250 players who've logged the most minutes this season, Battle's 3-point attempt rate of 75.3% ranks 12th, per <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/player-season-finder.cgi?request=1&amp;year_max=2025&amp;match=player_season&amp;comp_type=reg&amp;year_min=2025&amp;season_start=1&amp;draft_pick_type=overall&amp;comp_id=NBA&amp;season_end=-1&amp;display_type=totals&amp;order_by=fg3a_per_fga_pct&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=mp&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=290&amp;offset=0">Stathead</a>. Meanwhile, his 3-point percentage (42.5%) tops all qualified rookie shooters. Those marks have put the lefty on opposing scouting reports, but the 23-year-old is simply unflappable. He's already mastered the arts of side-step threes and patiently waiting for a defender to fly by before pulling the trigger on his jumper.It's impressive to be this great a shooter when everyone in the arena knows you're going to let it fly, but the next step for Battle will be varying his offense somewhat to keep defenses guessing. Based on some of the craftiness and finishing he's flashed the few times he's attacked closeouts, the Raptors might've really struck gold here when it comes to shooting and scoring talent in an undrafted prospect. The only question now is when his two-way contract will be converted to a standard NBA deal.<h3>Bonus rookie: Ulrich Chomche</h3>What? You forgot about the fifth Raptors rookie to log NBA minutes this season? The 57th and youngest selection in the 2024 draft, Chomche played five minutes on opening night but has since been a full-time G Leaguer. He's the biggest project among the quintet, and his offensive skills are incredibly raw, but there are those who will tell you he has the highest ceiling of any Raptors rookie.Chomche, a Cameroonian big man and product of NBA Academy Africa, is much more of an NBA prospect on the defensive end. The near 7-footer with a 9-foot-1 standing reach ranks fifth in blocks per game (2.8) in the G League. However, he's also committing 6.5 fouls per 36 minutes.<a href="https://x.com/JosephCasciaro">Joseph Casciaro</a> is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA writer.

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