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Community Shootaround: Which Team Has Had Best 2021 Offseason?

August 25th, 2021 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of notable players – including Lauri Markkanen and Paul Millsap – remain available on the free agent market, and it’s possible we’ll still get action in the coming weeks on a trade involving a star like Ben Simmons or Damian Lillard. But for the time being, it looks like most NBA teams are finished with their major offseason roster moves.

With that in mind, David Aldridge of The Athletic ran through all 30 teams this week, ranking which clubs had the best and worst offseasons. As Aldridge explains within his piece(s), his list isn’t about which teams have the best roster heading into the 2021/22 season, but rather which teams made the summer moves he liked the most.

Even with that caveat in place, Aldridge’s top pick is still a bit of a surprise. The veteran reporter lists the Rockets as having the NBA’s No. 1 offseason, despite the fact that the team was fairly quiet on the trade market and made just one significant free agent addition (Daniel Theis). Houston’s offseason was primarily about adding four players draft in the top 24: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba, and Josh Christopher.

While I didn’t see Aldridge’s top pick coming, I don’t believe that making big splashes in free agency and via trades is necessarily indicative of having a great offseason. For instance, no team made more noise on the free agent market than the Bulls, who added DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. However, I didn’t like the price Chicago paid to get DeRozan, who will earn $27MM+ per year for the next three seasons and cost a first-round pick to acquire via sign-and-trade. Your mileage may vary — Aldridge ranked the Bulls at No. 4.

Rounding out Aldridge’s top five are the Clippers at No. 2, the Nets at No. 3, and the Lakers at No. 5. The Wizards, Hornets, Heat, Jazz, and Pistons also made the top 10.

I agree with some of those picks more than others. Aldridge’s rankings suggest a belief that the Russell Westbrook trade was a win-win for Los Angeles and Washington, but I preferred the Wizards’ return, since they badly needed to improve their depth and I’m not entirely sold yet on Westbrook’s fit with the Lakers.

A top-two ranking also seems a little generous for the Clippers, whose major moves were re-signing a star recovering from an ACL tear (Kawhi Leonard) to a four-year, maximum-salary deal and adding Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, and a draft picks. Bledsoe is coming off a bad year and has struggled in the postseason, Winslow has had a hard time staying healthy, and those draftees are pretty raw.

However, I did like the team’s deals to bring back Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum — and if Leonard makes a full recovery and is back to his old self for the 2022/23 season, that investment should be worth it.

What do you think? Which clubs do you believe had the best offseasons in 2021? Are there any potential moves to be made in the coming weeks that could shake up your list?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Longest-Tenured Players By NBA Team

August 24th, 2021 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

It hasn’t even been nine months since we last checked in on the NBA’s longest-tenured players by team. Since then though, there has been some major roster turnover around the league. Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 12 have bid farewell to their longest-tenured player since last December.

That list includes Patty Mills, who left San Antonio for Brooklyn after being with the Spurs for over nine years. Nikola Vucevic and James Harden had been in Orlando and Houston, respectively, since 2012 until they were traded earlier this year. And Kyle Lowry left Toronto for Miami this summer after nine seasons with the Raptors.

Of course, some of the teams with a new longest-tenured player didn’t exactly lose a franchise legend. Blake Griffin, for instance, was the longest-tenured Piston until he was bought out this year. And no Thunder player had been in Oklahoma City longer than Hamidou Diallo before he was traded in March.

Here are the NBA’s current longest-tenured players by team:

(Note: This is a snapshot as of August 2021 and won’t be updated throughout the season.)

  1. Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem (free agent), August 2003
  2. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
  3. Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal (draft), June 2012
  4. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (draft), June 2012
  5. Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), June 2013
  6. Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert (draft trade), June 2013
  7. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (draft), June 2014
  8. Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart (draft), June 2014
  9. Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (draft), June 2014
  10. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love (trade), August 2014
  11. Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell (trade), December 2014
  12. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns (draft), June 2015
  13. Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (draft), June 2015
  14. Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (draft), June 2015
  15. Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam (draft), June 2016
  16. San Antonio Spurs: Dejounte Murray (draft), June 2016
  17. Houston Rockets: Eric Gordon (free agent), July 2016
  18. Brooklyn Nets: Joe Harris (free agent), July 2016
  19. Orlando Magic: Terrence Ross (trade), February 2017
  20. Sacramento Kings: Buddy Hield (trade), February 2017
  21. Atlanta Hawks: John Collins (draft), June 2017
  22. Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine (draft trade), June 2017
    • Note: Lauri Markkanen was acquired by the Bulls in the same trade as LaVine and would share the title of Chicago’s longest-tenured player if he re-signs with the team.
  23. Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks (draft trade), June 2017
  24. New York Knicks: Kevin Knox (draft) / Mitchell Robinson (draft), June 2018
    • Note: Knox (No. 9 pick) and Robinson (No. 36) were drafted by the Knicks on the same night.
  25. Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges (draft trade), June 2018
  26. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James (free agent), July 2018
  27. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (draft), June 2019
  28. Los Angeles Clippers: Ivica Zubac (trade), February 2019
  29. Detroit Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya (draft), June 2019
  30. Oklahoma City Thunder: Darius Bazley (trade) / Luguentz Dort (free agent), July 2019
    • Bazley and Dort officially joined the Thunder on the same day (July 6, 2019). The team reached agreements on draft night (June 20) to acquire Bazley and sign Dort.
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How Teams Are Using 2021/22 Bi-Annual Exceptions

August 23rd, 2021 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The bi-annual exception is one of the tools available to NBA teams who are over the cap, giving those clubs the flexibility to offer free agents more than the minimum salary. In 2021/22, the bi-annual exception is worth $3,732,000, and can be used to offer a deal worth up to $7,650,600 over two years.

However, the bi-annual exception isn’t available to every team. Clubs that go below the cap in order to use cap room lose access to the exception. Additionally, using the BAE imposes a hard cap of $143,002,000 (the tax apron) on a club. So if a team has surpassed the tax apron – or wants to retain the flexibility to do so – that team can’t use the bi-annual exception.

Finally, as its name suggests, the bi-annual exception can’t be used by a team in consecutive years. In 2020/21, four teams used the BAE — the Nuggets (Facundo Campazzo), Lakers (Wesley Matthews), and Bucks (Bobby Portis) As such, the exception isn’t available to those clubs during the 2021/22 league year. They’ll be able to use it again next summer.

With all those factors in mind, here’s a breakdown of how teams are using – or not using – their respective bi-annual exceptions in 2021/22:

Available Bi-Annual Exceptions:

Unused:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Houston Rockets
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Miami Heat
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Orlando Magic
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • Sacramento Kings
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Washington Wizards

Although all of these teams technically have the ability to use their bi-annual exceptions at some point in 2021/22, it’s more realistic for some than others. For instance, the Trail Blazers still have most of their mid-level exception available and are only about $7MM below the tax apron, so there’s virtually no chance they’ll end up using the BAE this season.

Used:

Typically, about three or four teams in a given league year use the bi-annual exception, but so far this season, Dallas is the only team that has done so. The Mavericks have shown a willingness to make use of the BAE when it’s available — they got it back this season after using it in 2019 to sign Boban Marjanovic.

Unavailable Bi-Annual Exceptions:

Went under cap:

  • Charlotte Hornets
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • New York Knicks
  • San Antonio Spurs

These five teams forfeited their right to the bi-annual exception when they went under the cap and used space this offseason.

Over (or near) tax apron:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Utah Jazz

In theory, major cost-cutting moves by these teams could put them in position to use their bi-annual exceptions. In actuality though, that possibility is remote, especially for teams like the Nets, Warriors, and Clippers, who are far over the tax apron.

Used last year:

  • Denver Nuggets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Milwaukee Bucks

As noted in the intro, these are the three teams that used their bi-annual exceptions in 2020/21 and, as a result, won’t have them again until 2022/23.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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Community Shootaround: Lauri Markkanen

August 21st, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Most of the prominent free agents this summer have already been signed, but restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen remains in limbo.

The Bulls forward has been seeking a big offer sheet but that hasn’t come to fruition. With most teams having already eaten up their cap space, it’s unlikely to occur.

Markkanen could still be part of a sign-and-trade but there are complications. Teams such as the Pelicans, Mavericks, Timberwolves and Celtics have been mentioned as potential destinations with the first two having the most interest.

The NBA’s investigation into the Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade makes it unlikely Chicago would pursue another sign-and-trade until the league completes its probe. The Bulls are also reportedly driving a hard bargain. They want a first-round pick in return and don’t want to take on a long-term contract. Some of Markkanen’s reported suitors can absorb his contract in a traded player exception, depending upon the starting salary Markkanen would accept.

The main alternative for Markkanen would be to sign his $9MM qualifying offer, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Markkanen would likely be a second-unit player behind 2020 lottery pick Patrick Williams if he returns to Chicago.

This leads to our question of the day: Where do you think restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen will wind up this coming season?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to your input.

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How Teams Are Using 2021/22 Mid-Level Exceptions

August 20th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to receiving approximately $112.4MM in cap room and being allowed to surpass that threshold in order to sign players using Bird Rights or the minimum salary exception, each NBA team also receives a mid-level exception. The value of this exception varies depending on a club’s total team salary.

A team that goes under the cap to use its available cap room, for instance, receives only a modest form of the MLE known as the room exception. An over-the-cap team receives the full mid-level exception, unless that team is also over the tax apron, in which case it gets a taxpayer version of the MLE that falls in between the full MLE and the room exception. We detailed the exact values of each form of mid-level exception earlier this offseason, but here’s a quick breakdown:

  • Room exception: Can be used for contracts up to two years, with a starting salary worth up to $4,910,000.
  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to three years, with a starting salary worth up to $5,890,000.
  • Full/non-taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to four years, with a starting salary worth up to $9,536,000.
    • Note: Though its name suggests otherwise, using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception doesn’t mean a team can’t or won’t be above the tax line ($136,606,000) at season’s end; it simply means the team’s total salary can’t surpass the tax “apron” ($143,002,000).

Now that nearly all of the NBA’s teams have used up their cap space, it’s worth keeping an eye on which teams still have part or all of their mid-level exceptions available, which we’ll do in the space below. This list will be kept up to date throughout the 2021/22 league year.

Note: As of January 10, the value of the exceptions below began to prorate downward by 1/174th per day, based on the amount of the exception on Jan. 10. For instance, if a team had $1MM of its exception left on Jan. 10, it declines in value by $5,747 per day for the rest of the season.

Here’s where things currently stand:

Mid-Level Exception:

Non-taxpayer: $9,536,000
Taxpayer: $5,890,000

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

  • Used: $5,890,000 (Patty Mills)
  • Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Golden State Warriors

  • Used: $0
  • Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Used: $5,000,000 (Kendrick Nunn)
  • Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Used: $0

New Orleans Pelicans

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

  • Used: $3,300,000 (Georges Niang); $925,258 (Charles Bassey)
  • Note: The Sixers could technically use more than taxpayer portion of mid-level exception, but are in the tax and likely won’t.

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

  • Used: $5,890,000 (Rudy Gay)
  • Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Washington Wizards

Room Exception:

Available: $4,910,000

Charlotte Hornets

Detroit Pistons

Memphis Grizzlies

New York Knicks

San Antonio Spurs

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2021/22 NBA Draft-And-Stash Signings

August 19th, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signees, trade acquisitions, and 2021 draftees have been the most common additions to NBA rosters in recent weeks. However, a small number of players come via the draft-and-stash route, as teams bring aboard players drafted in previous years.

First-round draftees from the last three years – such as Leandro Bolmaro of the Timberwolves – are limited to the 2021 rookie scale. Players who were previously selected in the second round of a draft – or who were first-round picks more than three years ago – are free to sign any type of contract via cap room or exceptions.

Listed below are the draft-and-stash prospects who have signed so far this offseason, with contract details noted. If and when more teams add draft-and-stash players, we’ll update this list, which can be found at anytime on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in the “Features” page in our mobile menu.

  • Chicago Bulls: Marko Simonovic, F/C (2020 draft; No. 44) (story)
    • Simonovic spent another season with Crvena Zvezda in Serbia after being selected in the second round of last year’s draft, but he was one of Arturas Karnisovas‘ first draft picks and the plan was always for him to come stateside at some point. The Bulls saved a portion of their mid-level exception for Simonovic to ensure they were able to give him a third non-guaranteed year on top of his two guaranteed seasons.
    • Contract: Three years, $4.32MM (minimum salary). First two years guaranteed.
  • Charlotte Hornets: Arnoldas Kulboka, F (2018 draft; No. 55) (story)
    • After being drafted in 2018, Kulboka remained with Brose Bamberg, his team in Germany, for another year. He then joined Bilbao in Spain for the next two seasons before coming stateside for the 2021/22 campaign. The 23-year-old will start his NBA career on a two-way deal, so he’ll be limited to 50 games at the NBA level this season unless he’s promoted to the 15-man roster.
    • Contract: Two-way contract.
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: Vit Krejci, G (2020 draft; No. 37) (story)
    • Krejci was still recovering from a knee injury when the Thunder acquired him in the 2020 draft, so he spent the season with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League rehabbing that injury. A year later, the 21-year-old has officially signed his first NBA contract with the Thunder.
    • Contract: Four years, $6.31MM (minimum salary). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: Leandro Bolmaro, G (2020 draft; No. 23) (story)
    • Bolmaro was stashed for a year in Spain after the Timberwolves used one of their 2020 first-round picks to nab him. He won a Liga ACB championship and a Spanish Cup title with Barcelona in 2021, and was named the ACB Most Spectacular Player, proving he was ready to make the leap to the NBA.
    • Contract: Four years, $11.81MM. First two years guaranteed. Third- and fourth-year team options.
  • Denver Nuggets: Petr Cornelie, F (2016 draft; No. 53) (story)
    • Cornelie played for Denver’s Summer League team several times after being selected in the 2016 draft, but didn’t actually make the move stateside until this season, when he filled one of the team’s two-way contract slots. He had spent the last eight years (from 2013-21) playing in his home country of France, including for Elan Bearnais in 2020/21.
    • Contract: Two-way contract.
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Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

August 19th, 2021 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

If you enjoy Hoops Rumors on your smartphone or tablet, be sure to check out our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, and Pro Hockey Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our four sites. Not into all four sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
  • Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
  • Notifications. For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
  • Commenting. You can read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
  • Customer service. If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
  • Did we mention Trade Rumors is a free app? What do you have to lose? Download it now!
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Community Shootaround: Best, Worst Big-Money FA Deals

August 18th, 2021 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

At least one 2021 NBA free agent who remains unsigned – Lauri Markkanen – is a candidate to receive an eight-figure annual salary this offseason, but it’s probably safe to assume that any deal Markkanen signs won’t crack this summer’s top 10 free agent contracts.

Based on information from our free agent tracker, there have been 10 free agent contracts signed this offseason that include at least $75MM in guaranteed money. They are as follows:

  1. Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: Four years, $176.27MM (fourth-year player option)
  2. John Collins, Hawks: Five years, $125MM (fifth-year player option)
  3. Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers: Five years, $100MM
  4. Norman Powell, Trail Blazers: Five years, $90MM
  5. Duncan Robinson, Heat: Five years, $90MM (fifth-year early termination option)
  6. Kyle Lowry, Heat: Three years, $85MM
  7. DeMar DeRozan, Bulls: Three years, $81.9MM
  8. Lonzo Ball, Bulls: Four years, $80MM (fourth-year player option)
  9. Chris Paul, Suns: Four years, $120MM ($75MM fully guaranteed)
  10. Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks: Four years, $75MM

While some teams come to regret their long-term, big-money free agent commitments within a couple years, several of these deals have the potential to age pretty well. Collins, Allen, and Ball, for instance, are all still just 23 years old, meaning they still have many prime years ahead of them and could even continue improving.

Signing a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a perennial All-NBA candidate like Leonard to a long-term contract is also rarely a bad move, even if it’s for maximum-salary money. However, it’s a riskier proposition when the player in question is recovering from ACL surgery and isn’t a lock to play at all during the first year of the deal. The Clippers are confident that Leonard will make a full recovery, but his health issues – both past and present – create some cause for concern.

Lowry and Paul earned significant guarantees, given their respective ages (35 and 36). The Suns, at least, will get some protection in the third and fourth years of Paul’s contract, but if they waive CP3 before his third year fully guarantees, they’d end up paying him $75MM for just two seasons.

Powell, Robinson, and Hardaway are all talented contributors, but they’re role players, not stars. If their production falls off at all, those deals could become onerous in their later years.

Finally, DeRozan is one of the league’s most talented mid-range scorers and has improved as a facilitator, but he doesn’t stretch the floor and is a below-average defender. A three-year deal worth $27MM per season is a significant price to pay for a Bulls team that also surrendered a first-round pick to acquire DeRozan via sign-and-trade.

We want to know what you think. Which of these big-money 2021 contracts would you feel most comfortable about having on your team? Which do you view as the riskiest or most misguided investment?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Checking In On Unsigned 2021 NBA Draft Picks

August 18th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

When Usman Garuba officially signed his rookie contract with Houston earlier this week, he became the 30th and final first-round pick from the 2021 draft to sign his first NBA deal. There will be no draft-and-stash players among this year’s first-rounders — they’re all now officially on NBA rosters.

As our tracker shows, another 23 second-rounders from this year’s draft class have also signed their first NBA contracts or – in Joe Wieskamp‘s case – agreed to a deal that should be officially completed soon.

That leaves just seven prospects from 2021’s 60-player draft class who have yet to be signed. They are as follows:

  1. New York Knicks: Rokas Jokubaitis, G, Lithuania
  2. Boston Celtics: Juhann Begarin, G, France
  3. Brooklyn Nets: Marcus Zegarowski, G, Creighton
  4. Philadelphia 76ers: Filip Petrusev, F, Serbia
  5. Philadelphia 76ers: Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky
  6. Detroit Pistons: Balsa Koprivica, C, Florida State
  7. Brooklyn Nets: RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State

Of these seven players, at least three appear on track to spend the 2021/22 season in Europe. Jokubaitis returned to his team in Barcelona following his Summer League stint with the Knicks, while Petrusev signed with Turkish team Anadolu Efes after playing for the Sixers in Summer League. Begarin, who also played in Summer League for the Celtics, will likely end up heading back overseas to France

That leaves just four true unsigned second-round picks, including a pair of Nets. It will be interesting to see what Brooklyn’s plans are for Zegarowski and Gray. The team currently has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and one on a two-way deal, so there could conceivably be room for Zegarowski on the 15-man squad, with Gray getting the other two-way deal.

However, DeAndre’ Bembry has a partially guaranteed contract and looks like a good bet to make the Nets’ regular-season roster, and Reggie Perry (free agent) and David Duke (Exhibit 10) are among the other candidates to get a two-way deal from the team. It’s also not clear if Brooklyn intends to carry a full 15-man roster to start the season, since leaving a roster spot open would create major tax savings for the franchise.

I could envision a scenario in which Zegarowski signs a two-way contract and Gray signs a G League deal to play for the Long Island Nets, but that’s just my speculation. There are still a number of ways the Nets could go.

Meanwhile, prospects drafted in the 50s like Bassey (No. 53) and Koprivica (No. 57) are generally good candidates for two-way deals, but the Sixers and Pistons have recently filled both of their two-way openings. Perhaps Philadelphia envisions Bassey taking Anthony Tolliver‘s spot on the 15-man roster, since Tolliver is on a non-guaranteed contract.

It’ll be trickier for Detroit to find a roster spot for Koprivica. The Pistons already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and still may re-sign restricted free agent Hamidou Diallo. Stashing Koprivica overseas or in the G League could be the plan. Koprivica was born and raised in Serbia, so he might be more comfortable spending a season overseas than a typical NCAA draftee would be.

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Community Shootaround: Christmas Day Games

August 17th, 2021 at 8:06pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA released its Opening Week and Christmas Day schedules today, giving the basketball world a fresh slate of rivalry games, star matchups and, of course, snubs to discuss.

Christmas Day is always a special time for the NBA. For years, players have confirmed the added intensity and hype from playing in such high-profile matchups. For fans, it offers rare five-game slate of non-stop action of some of the most exciting teams in the league.

This year, the December 25 schedule is as follows (times listed in ET):

  • 12:00pm: Hawks at Knicks
  • 2:30pm: Celtics at Bucks
  • 5:00pm: Warriors at Suns
  • 8:00pm: Nets at Lakers
  • 10:30pm: Mavericks at Jazz

There are a couple games here that stand out from an entertainment/ratings perspective.

What the Knicks-Hawks 2021 playoff series lacked in longevity it more than made up for in off-court fireworks, with Hawks star Trae Young and the Madison Square Garden crowd jawing back and forth at each other throughout the series, sometimes to an uncomfortable degree. The final image of the first-round matchup was Young taking a bow at center court after eliminating the Knicks from their first playoff appearance since 2013.

The NBA will be looking to play up this rivalry once more, especially as the Knicks have retooled, adding more shot-creators in Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, partially in response to the team having its limitations exposed in said series.

Meanwhile, Nets-Lakers is set to be an absolute must-see game. The media circus surrounding the game will be unavoidable, as Kevin Durant and James Harden face off against former teammate Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving faces former teammate LeBron James.

On top of that, assuming health, the Nets and Lakers are the two favorites to win the championship, according to SportsBet.com, which means we could be witnessing a potential NBA Finals preview. Like with Warriors-CavaliersChristmas Day games of the past, what happens in this game will be used as a benchmark going forward as each team works toward their respective championship aspirations.

While the remaining games may not bring as much in terms of narrative, they each offer a fun and compelling matchup of star players who could also find themselves facing off in a playoff series: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending-champion Bucks against Jayson Tatum and the revamped Celtics, Luka Doncic and the Mavs against Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz, who had the best record in the league last year, and of course, two-time MVP Stephen Curry and the Warriors against the 2021 NBA Finalist Suns and Curry’s longtime rival Chris Paul.

The league is betting on the Warriors returning to form after two straight non-playoff seasons, facilitated by Klay Thompson‘s expected return to action, the additions of veterans Otto Porter and Nemanja Bjelica to shore up the bench rotations, and the improvement of young lottery picks James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

But for all the star-studded games and renewed rivalries to enjoy, there are plenty of high-profile players and teams that we won’t be seeing. After appearing on 19 national TV games in the 2020/21 season, including Christmas, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans will not be making an appearance. Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and all of this year’s top-five picks are conspicuously absent, as is reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets. The Clippers, with Kawhi Leonard on the shelf, are out of sight, and Jimmy Butler‘s new-look Heat, Damian Lillard‘s Blazers, and Joel Embiid‘s Sixers will be watching from home like the rest of us.

Naturally not every team, and not every superstar, is able to play on Christmas. After all, the NBA is a star-studded league, with more talent flooding in every year, and there are only 10 slots to fill.

But we want to know what you think about this year’s Christmas Day schedule!

What games are you most excited about? Which game has the highest chance of being a dud? And most importantly, what team was the biggest snub from this year’s slate of action?

Take to the comments to let us know!

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