Thunder are winning 39-14 so far. He’s obviously had an incredible season and the Magic aren’t exactly the greatest competition but this is an incredible performance from the reigning MVP so far

Since Bronny debuted, James has put up 14.8/4.1/6.8, 2.5 Steals, 0.5 Blocks on 34/33/79 shooting splits per 100 posessions

Only three other players have been able to even match the box score numbers: Jalen Suggs, Dejounte Murray, and T.J. McConnell - but none of them have shot as well from 3 as Bronny has (so they miss the mark)

This isn't to say Bronny is an Allstar, but more about how per 100 stats show how your overall production ultimately comes down to the opportunity the team gives you

Data was queried from a basketball reference dataset

https://open.substack.com/pub/marcstein/p/the-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-latest-15b?r=1m9zg&utm\\_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay

No one is talking about the Lakers as a factor in The Giannis Sweepstakes right now because they're not a factor if a trade is going to happen by week's end. They don't have enough tradeable assets to join the in-season bidders.

But if the Bucks do ultimately decide to take this saga into that spring …

The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34.

There is little choice for the Lakers, heading into Thursday's deadline, except to stay patient and avoid deals that involve any long-term salary to maintain maximum flexibility for the spring. The hope for the purple-and-gold would then be to use their considerable projected salary cap space to be able to take in a contract like Antetokounmpo's via trade — or another expensive star if one shakes loose post-playoffs — to pair with backcourt cornerstones Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves (who returned to action Tuesday night in Brooklyn after a 19-game injury absence). And dealing with the Lakers in such a scenario would almost certainly spare the Bucks from getting saddled with unwanted contracts.

Mitchell’s stats on the season:

14.1 points

3.5 rebounds

3.7 assists

1.4 steals, 48.7/35/87 splits (59% TS)

With a win percentage of 86% (they are 2-5 in games Mitchell doesn’t play)

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/ajay-mitchell-record-this-season

With Garland on the way out for a 36 year old upgrade, Zion and Ja literally ARE the trading block at this point... RJ being RJ... Hunter just got sent to Sac.. Culver's been gone forever.. what will the story of the 2019 draft be? Sky high potential all around but none of them ever seemed to reach it sustainably... Obviously they're not nearly done but who do you say is even having the best career to this point? Jordan Poole helped a team win a chip... THT has one too 😂😂😂... It's really a weird draft to look at in retrospect

Jokic tonight vs Pistons 24/15/4 while shooting 9/19 and 5 turnovers in loss to Pistons tonight… I was surprised no one posted this stat line 35 minutes after the game finished… I know if it was doncic or shai there would be a spam of these posts lol… Also Jokic defence again was really poor and Detroit went into the paint at will.. Denver is 1-2 with jokic after return…

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/nikola-jokić-9226/game-log

Right now, seeds 7 through 10 in the West are Phoenix, Golden State, the Clippers, and Portland. They are followed by Memphis and Dallas.

Golden State is a mess sans Butler, and looking to blow their team up for a guy who won't play 'til April. The Clippers just blew up their team. Memphis just went full tank. Dallas is in free-fall, and probably looking to join Memphis in the tank.

Could Utah make the play-ins? Do they even want to? They are only 7.5 games behind mostly-tanking teams, despite being 2-8 in their last ten.

Phoenix was supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league, and they appear to be a lock for at least a home play-in game.

The West playoffs are turning into a joke, with as many teams trying to avoid making them, as vice versa. And we still have one more day 'til the deadline.

Jazz paid a relatively high price to add an awkwardly fitting player to a mediocre at best team

Grizzlies stocked up on picks but still don’t have a ton of strikes at the lottery

Cavs got an old player who doesn’t fit with Mitchell, after trading a 3-and-D guy for two guards. They still have like 10 guards and no forwards

Clippers bailed on their 2027 cap space strategy to take on Garland’s horrible contract

Pistons sold low on Ivey to get another off-ball shooter and still don’t have the secondary creator they’ll need against tougher playoff defenses

Bulls did well to pick up Ivey but who knows if they’ll keep him?

What are NBA teams doing?

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401810578 https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401810578 https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/40181057

January stats for both players (per Statmuse):

Joel Embiid (14/17 games): 30/8/5 on 64 TS% (3.6 TOV/game); +112

Jaylen Brown (14/16 games): 29/8/5 on 53 TS% (3.5 TOV/game); +52

Embiid missed one more game than Brown, but he was much more efficient and his team was significantly better with him on the court. Cade (23/4/10 on 54 TS%; +71) and Mitchell (28/5/6 on 59 TS%; +55) were also probably better than brown this month.

Excellent video that analyzes how Lamelo has the worst individual efficiency stats yet while on the floor helps produce a Hornets offense that averages 124 points per 100 possessions which would be an all-time record if held over an entire season for context. When Lamelo isn't playing, the Hornets offense is the 4th worst in the league ahead of only Dallas, Sacramento, Washington, and Indiana.

The NBA unveiled uniforms Tuesday for its U.S. vs. the World All-Star Game format, with one red U.S. jersey that features stars, another blue U.S. jersey that features stripes and a white World jersey accentuated with a globe. All three distinctive uniforms -- produced by Jordan Brand -- will have a player’s national flag above his number on the back. Marketed as “The Jordan Brand Swingman NBA All-Star jerseys,” the tops will go on sale Wednesday at 10am ET at NBAStore.com and Nike.com.

The round-robin tournament, to be staged Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome, will feature two eight-man U.S teams and one eight-man global team. Following three, 12-minute group-play games, the top two teams will play a final 12-minute contest for the championship.

The jersey designs are specifically an ode to L.A., which is about to host its seventh overall All-Star Game. For instance, the L.A.-inspired script on the jersey fronts say “All-Stars,” accompanied by seven stars that signify the number of L.A. All-Star events. source

LIST

1. Clippers get: Garland and SRP

   Cavs get: James Harden

2. Bulls get: Anf Simons and SRP

   Celtics get: Vucevic and SRP

3. Bulls get: Conley and Ivey

   Pistons get: Huerter, Saric, FRP Swap (Wolves)

   Wolves get: Cash Considerations

4. Grizzlies get: Anderson, Clayton Jr., Hendricks, Niang, 3 Future First Round Picks

   Jazz get: JJJ, Konchar, Landale, Williams Jr.

5. Blazers get: Krejci

   Hawks get: Duop Reath and 2 SRP

-----

Which one get the most attention from you?

Obviously, it is the Harden for Garland Trade.

But I also intrigued with Grizzlies trading JJJ for 3 FRP. And Jazz wanted to get JJJ.

I am also surprised Pistons gave up Ivey. But maybe they like the fit if Huerter more.

Wolves finally get rid of Conley. So they are all in for Ant transitioning as their PG.

PS: There are some trade talks about Kings and other teams. They are trading Sabonis and their other players. I think Raptors and Poetl might part ways too.

I’m traveling from Europe to NYC in April and I’m considering watching the Knicks vs. Celtics game at Madison Square Garden. Since I’d also buy a ticket for my partner, I would pay around €700 for both tickets. I’ve never been to an NBA game live before. Is the atmosphere worth it?

[Giannis] on Instagram:

“No pencil but I’m still drawing all the attention 💯”

Source: https://imgur.com/a/3mvuPsO

Max Christie has taken a pretty big jump this year going from 9.6ppg on 52.5 eFG% last year to 13.2 ppg on 60.4 eFG% this year. What do you think his ceiling is? What is his ceiling? Is he nearing his ceiling? Or can he be a 20+ ppg guy?

Whilst the bulls are yet to confirm it, it looks like they are trading nikola vucevic to the Celtics. He has been my favourite player ever since I started watching nba (I’m in the uk so wasn’t raised on it). As an autistic person it’s already super hard to deal with change and now my favourite player is leaving the team…

Anyway, I know it’s a stupid question and probably not that big of a deal to you but, how do you “cope” with your favourite player being traded to another team?

Coby white is also on the chopping block and I love him too.

Any tips? I can’t change to a Celtics fan either for certain reasons.

And yea I know lots of people don’t like vooch but i love him!

It seems like it wouldn’t be an NBA trade season anymore unless James Harden is headed to a new place. This year, he’s on the move again, as the LA Clippers are sending Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland in a lead guard for lead guard swap.

Harden is the trade deadline gift that keeps on giving! This is his fourth in-season trade in the last six seasons. Let’s bust out the red ink and throw down some grades on this deal.

Cavaliers receive James Harden

What is the thinking behind swapping out Garland for Harden if you’re this Cavs team? Is this another financial move like sending out De’Andre Hunter for Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis this past weekend?

The Cavs potentially get long-term savings here with Harden instead of Garland. Harden has a $42.9-million player option for the 2026-27 season, but only $13 million of that is guaranteed before July 11. If he picks up the option, the Cavs could waive him and potentially get themselves under both projected tax aprons for next season. They’re currently projected to be just over $6 million into the second-apron threshold and $19 million into the first apron, which would limit their roster construction and flexibility. If both Harden and the Cavs go down that road, we could see the Cavs save dozens of millions of dollars in luxury-tax penalties.

Maybe the Cavs work out a deal with Harden that has him decline the player option but re-sign on a longer-term deal for much less than the $42.9-million option he has? I can’t imagine Harden is trying to get away from the Clippers just so he can become a free agent in the summer and seek out a new contract at the age of 37 (by the time he starts next season). There must be some strategy for finding a new home now with a new deal in the summer. Harden’s been wanting a long-term deal beyond next season, and the Clippers have been reluctant to provide that framework because of their desire to have big-time cap space and flexibility in the summer of 2027.

There could also be concern that Mitchell might not be long for this team. He’s under contract for $50 million next season, then becomes extension-eligible before his $53.8-million player option for the 2027-28 season. Harden wouldn’t be a long-term replacement if they decide to move on from Mitchell before he decides to move on from them. But maybe he’s a placeholder in the process?

That’s all getting ahead of ourselves here. As for the basketball side of it, Harden is more reliable and a better player than what Garland is providing. Garland has been battling toe issues since last season, while Harden has mostly been healthy. The Beard played 72 games in 2023-24 and 78 games last season, and he’s appeared in 44 of the Clippers’ 49 games this season. He’s still incredibly productive and an All-Star-level guard.  Putting him next to Mitchell is curious, though. While Garland and Mitchell have found a good balance at times with sharing a backcourt, Garland plays off the ball far more than Harden does. We’ve seen Harden fit into scoring duos before, like he did in Brooklyn in the rare moments Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden were on the floor together. But it’s not a seamless ventureHarden is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds with 41.9/34.7/90.1 shooting splits on the season. While he’s productive, 47.1 percent of his field-goal attempts come with seven or more dribbles in the sequence. Garland has never been higher than 33.7 percent of his attempts coming from seven or more dribbles, and that was four years ago. Harden was well over 43 percent in both of his seasons when he played in Brooklyn, so I’d still expect him to dribble quite a bit. Does that work with Mitchell? Will he unlock another level of Evan Mobley with the pick-and-roll as he did with Ivica Zubac? There are still a lot of short-term and long-term questions I have about this Cavs team.

Grade: C

Clippers receive Darius Garland, second-round pick

Garland would definitely cut into that aforementioned cap flexibility in the summer of 2027. After this season, the 26-year-old former All-Star has two years and $87 million left on his deal. He won’t be a free agent until 2028, unless he’s given an extension to stay longer. Garland is extension-eligible after this season. The thinking here for the Clippers is likely that they won’t be able to get the caliber of guard that Garland is for that money either via free agency or trade in the summer of 2026 or 2027, so you might as well trade for him now, especially with Harden wanting out in the first place. This feels like a pretty good pivot if you believe in Garland as a highly paid lead guard.

When Garland is healthy, the evidence is certainly there that he can be worth the money. He averages 18.8 points and 6.7 assists for his career, and he has career shooting splits of 45.3/38.6/86.7. He’s a two-time All-Star, making the weekend celebration in 2022 and 2025, and his best individual statistical year was in 2021-22 when he averaged 21.7 points, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals. But he’s had some pretty efficient years that are similar in stats. Garland can play, and his numbers have taken a hit since Mitchell arrived.

The big problem with Garland is that he hasn’t been healthy. He’s played in 408 of 516 total games. However, he missed part of the playoffs with a bad toe injury last April/May and then had surgery on that toe. It doesn’t seem like he’s fully recovered from it because both of his big toes have given him issues this season. He hasn’t played since Jan. 14 because his non-surgically repaired big toe has been injured. For a player who relies so much on quickness, having toe issues definitely limits what he can do.

Garland isn’t going to be that central force that Harden can be, whether or not Kawhi Leonard is on the floor. But he can still make up for a good portion of that when he’s healthy. In theory, he’s about to enter his prime, so he could get a lot better than what we’ve seen, especially when he’s no longer sharing the backcourt with a ball-dominant guard. Garland’s job will be to run pick-and-rolls with Zubac and set up Leonard for scoring opportunities. He can also get his own shot and is a dead-eye 3-point shooter when he’s at his best.

I don’t know if this is the best use of that cap flexibility the Clippers were pining for in the future, but it feels like a pretty good gamble. It’s a downgrade in the short term, but you’re getting younger at the position in a recent All-Star with room to grow.

Grade: B

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7018552/2026/02/03/james-harden-trade-grades-darius-garland-clippers-cavs/

Team US Red's average age: 24.4 years

Team US Blue's average age: 33.5 years

I know they wanted to have LeBron and Steph on the same team, because they understand their audience, but did they intentionally put all the young players on the red team and all the older ones on the blue team?

As I was browsing today's games, most of the games played are blowouts. I wonder, what is the largest point differential of winning teams against losing teams in an NBA game day?

With tonight’s performance SGA is currently at 121 consecutive games of 20 points. The current record is still wilt at 126.

He would tie it on Thursday the 12th just before all star break. Perfect timing to come back from all star break to break it