Josh Hart

Knicks Notes: Hart, Anunoby, Robinson, Dadiet, Thibodeau

Josh Hart and OG Anunoby will be available as the Knicks face Boston this afternoon, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Both players went through pregame warmups before a final decision was made on their status.

Hart had been upgraded to questionable after sitting out the previous two games due to a bout with “runner’s knee.” Bondy notes that it’s the first time he has missed consecutive games since joining the Knicks. Anunoby played Friday at Cleveland after missing six games with a foot injury, but he was limited to five points and no rebounds and was a minus-23 in 27 minutes.

Mitchell Robinson will miss another game as he works his way back from offseason ankle surgery. He resumed practicing last week, but said earlier this month that he wants to make sure he’s fully ready before trying to play.

“I’ve just been taking my time. I want to make sure it’s 100 percent, I ain’t trying to keep having these sit-outs and setbacks and stuff like that,” Robinson said at the time. “This time, I’m just going to play it smart. Usually, I’d be young and dumb to go out there and try to get back as fast as I can. I can’t do that no more.”

Robinson’s goal is to return to action at some point within the next week, Shams Charania reported today on ESPN’s NBA Countdown (Twitter video link), adding that the big man has participated in multiple 5-on-5 scrimmages in recent days.

There’s more on the Knicks:

  • This season has been a learning process for first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, who is adjusting to the NBA after playing in Europe, Bondy writes for The New York Post. Even though he has spent much of the season in the G League, Dadiet doesn’t have any doubt that he can succeed at the NBA level. “I try to be focused and watch what others are doing, guys that have been in the league for like 10 years,” he said. “Having a routine is very important. Watching (Karl-Anthony Towns) and (Cameron Payne) doing the same thing every day. And it’s working for them.”
  • Tom Thibodeau has been criticized for relying too heavily on his starters ever since he became a head coach, but he doesn’t see any reason to change, Bondy adds in a separate story. The issue came up regarding Friday’s matchup with the Cavaliers, who use a deep rotation and only have two players averaging more than 30 minutes per night. “We’ve got to (have lineups that are) strong on both sides of the ball, and then, ‘Can your guys handle minutes?’” Thibodeau said. “There’s different minutes in the course of the game. If you look at Jalen (Brunson) and (Towns), their minutes are what other the main players are. The wings are different. OG is at 36 (minutes). Mikal (Bridges) is the highest, and Josh’s are high as well. Both of those guys can handle minutes, and they want the minutes. If they can handle the minutes, give it to them. If they can’t, cut it back.” 
  • The way the Knicks are constructed, they’ll need all five starters to be healthy to have any chance of making a long playoff run, opines Steve Popper of Newsday.

Atlantic Notes: Gordon, George, Holiday, Hart, McBride, Anunoby

Sixers wing Eric Gordon has been out since February 9 due to what the team is calling a sprained right wrist. When word broke that Lonnie Walker had agreed to sign with Philadelphia, Marc Stein reported that the team made the move in part because Gordon’s return from that wrist injury may not happen in the near future. Head coach Nick Nurse confirmed as much on Thursday.

“He’s seen two specialists, and they still don’t know what to do,” Nurse said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

According to Nurse, Gordon is expected to receive more medical opinions on his wrist before he and the team decide on a treatment plan. While there’s a possibility the injury can be managed, there’s also a scenario in which it keeps the veteran shooting guard sidelined for a “long time,” Nurse acknowledged.

We have more from around the Atlantic:

  • In other Sixers injury news, forward Paul George confirmed last week’s report from Shams Charania, which said that he had been receiving injections in order to play through various health issues, including tendon damage in his finger. “I’m hanging in there,” George said on Thursday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m giving this team everything I have. The report is true. You know, I am taking some sorts of medicines to kind of, I guess, play through pain. But yeah, I’m going to try to give everything I got.” As Pompey writes, with George and Joel Embiid both at less than 100% and Philadelphia holding a 20-35 record, it would be “completely understandable” if the team decides to shut down its two stars for the season, though there has been no indication that will happen.
  • After missing the Celtics‘ last four games prior to the All-Star break due to a right shoulder issue, Jrue Holiday returned on Thursday and played 20 minutes in a win over Philadelphia. As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays, Holiday said the injury had been nagging him “for a little bit,” but that it “feels really good” now after the team’s training staff insisted he take some time off. “Sometimes they’ve got to save you from yourself,” he said. “Especially for me, if it’s a game I want to play. You play through injuries, you play through being hurt but sometimes it’s smarter to take a little bit of time especially since we’re at the second half of the season. Obviously I would have played through it, which I feel a lot of us do, is play through injuries. All testament to the training staff.”
  • Knicks forward Josh Hart will miss a second consecutive game on Friday in Cleveland due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee), writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. With Hart out on Thursday vs. Chicago, Miles McBride got his first start of the year and scored a season-high 23 points in a tight overtime win, as Peter Botte of The New York Post details.
  • While Hart will be out on Friday, another injured Knicks forward – OG Anunoby – is on track to return to action. Anunoby, who has been on the shelf since February 1 due to a sprained foot, is expected to be available vs. the Cavaliers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, McBride, Hart, Towns, Shamet

The return of Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby to today’s practice gave the Knicks a fully healthy roster for the first time all season, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. This was Robinson’s first time participating in a full practice with contact since undergoing offseason ankle surgery, while Anunoby missed the last five games before the All-Star break with a sprained right foot.

New York has already declared Robinson out for Thursday’s game with Chicago, but it appears his season debut won’t be far away. Coach Tom Thibodeau is looking forward to having his defensive anchor back on the court.

“You have to anticipate that the game’s gonna be different, so we’ll see where he is once he’s out there,” Thibodeau said. “He’ll need a little bit of time. But the things that he can bring, the hustle, the ability to see things early, play pick and roll, rim-protect, offensive rebound; those are things he’ll bring right off the bat.”

Thibodeau added that Anunoby was able to heal during the week-long All-Star break. Miles McBride was also back at practice today after a rib issue forced him out of last week’s game with Atlanta.

“It means a lot. Obviously after the break you want everyone to be ready to go,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m excited to get down this stretch. I love this team a lot.”

There’s more from New York:

  • Josh Hart will be held out of Thursday’s game with patellofemoral syndrome in his right knee, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. The condition is also known as “runner’s knee.”
  • The Knicks have been the clear winners of the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, who has become their best center since Patrick Ewing, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. He states that Towns has been far more productive than Julius Randle, who was sent to Minnesota in the deal, while Donte DiVincenzo has suffered through an early-season shooting slump and a recent toe injury. Vaccaro notes that Towns has also shed any reputation he had of being “soft.” He has been able to stay on the court despite knee issues and a sprained thumb.
  • Landry Shamet appears to be the odd man out of the rotation once Robinson is cleared to resume playing, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Shamet is averaging 11 minutes per night in 22 games off the bench, but Edwards notes that Thibodeau prefers a nine-man rotation at most and isn’t likely to expand that when Robinson becomes available. However, Edwards expects Robinson to start out on a minutes restriction, so there should still be some opportunities for Shamet.
  • Towns isn’t likely to complain if he has to move from center to power forward to accommodate Robinson’s return, Edwards adds. He points out that Towns’ most successful season came playing alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

Eastern Notes: Williams, Russell, Suggs, Banchero, Knicks

In an ironic twist, Hornets center Mark Williams is listed as probable to play against the Lakers on Wednesday, Charlotte’s PR department tweets.

Williams would be playing in his first game since the Hornets-Lakers trade was rescinded after he failed to pass Los Angeles’ physical due to “multiple issues.” The probable status is due to “return to play reconditioning.”

The Lakers front office thought it had solved their starting center issue by acquiring Williams. They had agreed to give up rookie wing Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap. Knecht and Reddish returned to the Lakers along with the draft capital when the team decided to void the deal.

Williams, who has battled injuries throughout his young career, is averaging 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.7 steals per game in 22 contests this season.

We have more Eastern Conference news:

  • While the Nets gave all the appearances of tanking earlier this season, their young core isn’t cooperating. They are within range of a play-in spot, trailing the 10th-place Bulls by just 1.5 games. They’ve gotten a boost from D’Angelo Russell in his second stint with the organization. Russell led them to an unlikely postseason berth five years ago and it could happen again, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Russell is averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists in 16 games since he was acquired from the Lakers. “Last time it just … kind of happened,” Russell said. “So I think if it’s gonna happen, it will. We definitely have the chance. We definitely have a nice group, definitely have all the coaches and everything to give it that. So we’ll keep preparing like that’s in the plans. But as far as getting ahead of myself and trying to do things out of the ordinary, that’s not really … it’s kind of out of my control, I would say. So [we’ve] just got to go one game at a time, one win at a time.”
  • Even with added rest and recovery time, Jalen Suggs is still not 100 percent. Head coach Jamahl Mosley told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) on Tuesday that the Magic guard was “able to go through running portions of practice but no contact still.” Suggs missed the last nine games before the All-Star break due to a left quad contusion.
  • Expect better results from Paolo Banchero after the All-Star break, Beede opines as he examines five storylines to watch for the remainder of the Magic‘s season. After missing 34 games due to a torn right abdominal muscle, Banchero has averaged 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.4 turnovers per game while shooting 28.9% from 3-point range over the past 18 contests. Banchero said his main issue after recovering from the injury was getting back into top shape to play with the same energy and effort on a nightly basis.
  • The Knicks got good grades on their midseason report card. The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy gives Josh Hart an A-plus, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns earning As.

Injury Notes: Hart, Gafford, Ball, Cancar

Josh Hart hasn’t had to miss any time due to right knee soreness, but he has continually shown up on the Knicks‘ injury report as a result of the issue, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The 29-year-old forward said on Monday that he isn’t sure whether or not he’ll need to undergo an offseason procedure on the knee.

“We’ll see what it calls for at the end of the season,” Hart said. “But, like I said before, I’m a servant to (my teammates) this year. I want to make sure I put these guys in the best situation. It’s not just for them. It’s also for (head coach Tom Thibodeau). I want to make sure that I’m available to him, I want to make sure when I’m out there, I’m playing at a high level and playing the game the way I know how to play. If I’m out there, I’m healthy enough. And I’m good.”

Hart has certainly achieved his goal of playing at a high level this season. Appearing in 51 of 52 possible games, he has scored 14.4 points per game, with career-best marks in rebounds (9.6 per game), assists (5.7), steals (1.5), field goal percentage (55.4%), and free throw percentage (80.6%).

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • The Mavericks‘ frontcourt situation went from bad to worse on Monday night, as starting center Daniel Gafford exited the game vs. Sacramento and didn’t return due to what the team called a right knee sprain (Twitter link). Dallas big men Dereck Lively (fracture in ankle) and Anthony Davis (adductor strain) are already expected to be unavailable for at least the next few weeks, so the club would be extremely shorthanded up front if Gafford has to miss time too.
  • Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, who has battled ankle issues for multiple seasons and just recently returned from a left ankle sprain, sat out the final three quarters of Monday’s loss to Brooklyn due to right ankle soreness (story via ESPN.com). While Ball said after the game that he didn’t think the injury was serious, the Hornets could hold him out of their final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday in order to give him an extra week to rest.
  • Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in early December, will remain on the shelf through the All-Star break, but there’s a chance his return isn’t too far off, according to head coach Michael Malone (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). Malone said over the weekend that Cancar might make it back to the court before Peyton Watson does — Watson was ruled out for at least four weeks on February 3 due to a right knee sprain.

Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Irving, Hart, George

Winning a championship last season has affected the Celtics’ killer instinct, center Kristaps Porzingis admits. Porzingis made his comments after Boston’s win over Dallas on Saturday.

“We were a lion last season, and some games this year we’ve looked like a house cat,” Porzingis said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “We want to have that spirit as a team this year, and it’s tough. Obviously we can’t trick ourselves and make it [like] it’s playoffs every game. It’s tough, just human nature. But we know the group that we have and we know that we’re going to bring it to the big games, but we need to bring it consistently and keep building on top of good wins like (Saturday).”

Boston has gone 11-9 over its last 20 games.

“We’re definitely working towards getting our killer instinct back,” Porzingis said. “We want to have that. Some moments we’ve looked really good, some moments not so good. Some moments we’ve cruised a little bit.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Kyrie Irving had a tumultuous stint in Boston before departing in free agency in 2019 but he has nothing but praise for the current version of the Celtics, according to Brian Robb of Masslive.com. “Everyone kind of criticizes them based on what their season is this year, but if you look at their first 42 games, it’s pretty similar compared to last year,” the Mavericks guard said. “Maybe two years off. This is a well coached basketball team.”
  • Josh Hart was considered a game-time decision on Saturday due to knee soreness. The Knicks forward wound up posting his sixth triple-double this season with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists as New York blew out the Kings. Hart never had a triple-double before he joined the Knicks in 2022, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. “I think that’s a lot of credit to Thomas Thibodeau,” Hart said. “And him putting me in a position to be successful. I think it’s always a good combination when you have a coach and player who match each other’s craziness. So I gotta give him all the credit for the success I’m having since I’ve been here.”
  • Paul George has dealt with numerous injuries in his first season with the Sixers, the latest being a finger ailment suffered on Saturday. “You feel bad for him,” guard Tyrese Maxey told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “especially because now you think he’s finding his rhythm, kind of finding his niche where he fits in with the offense.”

Atlantic Notes: Drummond, Thomas, Hart, Raptors

Sixers center Andre Drummond cashed in with Detroit when he became a free agent in 2016, signing a five-year, maximum-salary contract worth in excess of $127MM. However, the veteran big man has had to settle for deals worth the minimum or a little above it in recent years — his current two-year, $10MM pact with Philadelphia is his most lucrative contract since that max deal ended.

Appearing this week on Podcast P with Paul George (YouTube link), Drummond told his Sixers teammate that he regrets how he responded after earning that max deal with the Pistons.

“Once I got that max contract, I was like, ‘Oh s–t, my work is done. I did it. I made it here. Now I get to play however I want to play. I’m the best guy on my team, making the highest amount of money, so I get to have this leadership role,'” Drummond said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “I don’t think I did it the right way, because not only did I not understand that that could’ve been $100 million two or three or four or five times — I only got it once because I didn’t maximize that time of being the max guy.

“If I could go back, I would’ve done it completely differently. I would’ve been a lot more attentive to working on my game and becoming more than just the best rebounder in the league. I would’ve tried to add more different pieces to my game so that when the league changed, it wouldn’t have been so difficult for me to make the adjustment with the league too.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Nets guard Cam Thomas, who has been out since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, has resumed on-court activities but isn’t taking contact yet, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez. Bridget Reilly of The New York Post has the story.
  • Josh Hart believes his comments earlier this month about the Knicks needing to put aside “egos” and “agendas” were blown out of proportion and made it clear he wasn’t referring to any specific teammates, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “Y’all look too much into everything,” Hart said on Tuesday. “… I said something about egos and y’all took that and ran with it. To win, you have to have a team that don’t have egos. That’s why Boston won. They have a team that doesn’t have egos. You got Jrue Holiday that’s been an All-Star, All-Defense, All-NBA, max player. He don’t give a damn about scoring. So that’s the ego-less attitude that we have to have. There was no pinpointing somebody. But that’s what you have to have to win.”
  • Tuesday’s 16-point victory over Orlando served as a glimpse at what the first half of the Raptors‘ season could’ve looked like if the team hadn’t had to deal with so many injuries, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. As Grange observes, reliable second-unit veterans like Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown – both of whom didn’t make their season debuts until December – played key roles in the win. Olynyk, who was an incredible +39 in 22 minutes, and Brown are both considered candidates to be moved at the trade deadline.

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Towns, Hart, Shamet, Robinson

Traded from Brooklyn to New York over the summer, Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has had to adjust to new roles on both sides of the ball this season, as Chris Herring writes for ESPN.com.

On offense, Bridges is handling the ball significantly less than he did with the Nets, with his touches down nearly 20% and his usage rate easily the lowest it’s been since his last full season in Phoenix. On the other end of the court, he has often served as the point-of-attack defender on guards rather than being assigned to bigger wings, which means he’s spending more time chasing smaller players around screens.

“Teams wanted to try attacking him, because it was a different spot for him; especially early on,” one Western Conference scout said to Herring. “If you got past him initially, you could force all sorts of aggressive rotations because the team was still getting used to having (Karl-Anthony) Towns at the rim. And the collective trust didn’t look like it was there.”

While Bridges’ transition remains a work in progress, his offensive numbers have rebounded following an up-and-down start. Since the start of December, he has averaged 20.0 points per game on .523/.385/.757 shooting. He’ll face his old team on Tuesday in the Knicks’ first visit to Brooklyn this season.

“It’ll be just good to be back,” Bridges said on Monday, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “To see my teammates and the coaching staff that was there for a couple months before I got traded. See the staff and everybody. Good energy.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Towns, who missed a pair of games due to a bone chip in his right thumb, was back in action on Monday against Atlanta. Josh Hart was also active after initially being listed as questionable due to a cervical compression that he said had been bothering him for a little while and was aggravated on Friday, according to Bondy. Towns’ injury appeared to be affecting his shot – his 27.8% mark from the field (5-of-18 shooting) was his worst of the season – but both players made it through the contest without setbacks. They’re listed as probable to play against Brooklyn on Tuesday, tweets Bondy.
  • Head coach Tom Thibodeau expanded his rotation from eight players to nine on Monday, with Landry Shamet earning 10 minutes off the bench after a pair of DNP-CDs, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Bridges was the biggest beneficiary of the move, logging just 27 minutes, well below his season average (a league-high 38.7 MPG). “It’s nice, man,” Bridges said, according to Bondy. “We got a lot of players, 1 through 15. So it’s good.”
  • Mitchell Robinson, who said just a few days ago that he was down to 268 pounds, said on Monday that he’s now at 265, according to Bondy, who suggests the big man’s weight is notable due to his struggles with fitness and conditioning coming off injuries. According to Begley, he hasn’t heard anything to contradict the “internal hope/belief” that Robinson could return to action in early- to mid-February.

Atlantic Notes: Edwards, George, Celtics, Hart, Nets

Sixers two-way rookie wing Justin Edwards is emerging for a team in need of silver linings, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Philadelphia native scored 25 points on four three-pointers made, along with six rebounds and four assists on Tuesday against the Thunder.

Edwards’ role increased with eight players out for Philadelphia, leading to a career high in minutes played.

I think he’s really, really improving,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “Again, he gives a really good effort on the defensive end. He’s capable of guarding lots of positions defensively, and he’s got a good feel offensively. Again, the ball finds him because he’s moving to the right place at the right time. I thought he took a good number of threes that were there.

According to Pompey, Edwards credited the G League with his development this season. Edwards has appeared in 17 games for the Delaware Blue Coats this season, averaging 18.5 points per game on .474/.381/.880 shooting in the NBAGL. He didn’t play much at the NBA level to open the season, but has logged at least 12 minutes in six of the Sixers’ past seven games, averaging 9.7 PPG on 55.0% shooting during that stretch.

The Sixers signed Edwards to a two-way deal after he went undrafted in 2024. Like fellow two-way players Pete Nance and Jeff Dowtin, he’s on a one-year contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • After losing four straight games and seven of their last nine, the Sixers and Paul George aren’t giving up on what has been a disappointing season, Pompey writes in another story. George says he sees a light at the end of the tunnel with 43 games left in the season. Nurse expressed a similar sentiment, issuing a reminder that the Sixers’ big three of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have only played 10 games together — the club is 7-3 in those games.
  • The Celtics are facing a tough stretch this month despite owning the NBA’s third-best record at 28-12. The defending champions have mostly downplayed their recent struggles, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, but Himmelsbach says there was “a new, ominous air of frustration and urgency” following double-digit Wednesday loss to the 10-win Raptors on Wednesday. The Celtics have three losses – all by at least 13 points – in their last five games, eking out a one-point victory over the 10-win Pelicans during that stretch.
  • Josh Hart continues to prove he’s one of the league’s elite role players, averaging 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 56.6% from the field and 36.9% from three. As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic observes, that stat line has never been accomplished by a player 6’8″ or shorter, which would make Hart the first if his statistics hold. In fact, the only players in league history to reach those minimum averages in a season are Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Larry Bird.
  • The Nets are exactly where they need to be in their rebuild, opines Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily. While their Wednesday 59-point loss to the Clippers was the worst in franchise history, they have a coach in Jordi Fernandez who looks like a long-term solution, along with plenty of cap flexibility, draft capital and young players worth taking further looks at.

New York Notes: Towns, Hart, Embiid, Nets, Johnson

Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns missed Wednesday’s overtime victory over Philadelphia due to a thumb injury. He has a bone chip in the thumb, which he injured during a loss to Detroit on Monday, but plans to play through it, Peter Botte and Stefan Bondy of the New York Post report.

The thumb is also sprained but surgery isn’t necessary or anticipated, either during or after the season, the Post duo adds. Towns is averaging 25.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in his first season in New York.

We have more on the New York City teams:

  • Josh Hart called out unnamed Knicks teammates after recent losses for letting “egos” and “individual agendas” get in the way of team goals. Coach Tom Thibodeau said on Wednesday that Hart needs to choose his words more carefully, Bondy writes. “I think oftentimes the next day after you look at the film, you’re putting a mic in front of someone right after a game. And sometimes they may say things, we all may say things that we wish we had not said until you watch the film the next day,” the coach said. “And then there’s usually a pretty good reason why something occurred. So before you say something, you probably should think.”
  • The Knicks are fortunate they didn’t go all in and trade for Joel Embiid when rumors circulated last season about the team’s interest in the Sixers center, Bondy opines. They would have squandered their draft capital and other assets for an oft-injured center still owed $300MM due to his extension without injury protections. Of course, Philadelphia never actually made Embiid available.
  • The games just keep getting uglier for the rebuilding and tanking Nets, as they suffered the worst loss in franchise history on Wednesday. The 126-67 pummeling by the Clippers was also one of the 10 biggest routs in NBA history, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. “This is not the time to point or deflect anything,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “It’s time for everybody to own, and I will own first. The guys kept fighting; I don’t think that they quit. And it’s one of those days that you don’t do anything right, you don’t have that right energy and togetherness. But you try and you just need a little bit more focus and all these things.” Cameron Johnson, who could be moved before the trade deadline, missed the second game of a back-to-back due to a sprained right ankle, Lewis adds.
  • With the front office clearing more cap space than any other team for next offseason and hoarding draft picks in trades, the Nets have the flexibility to make a franchise-altering move, Lewis writes for the New York Post (subscription required). The big prize would be Giannis Antetokounmpo if he ever asks out of Milwaukee, as the Nets covet the superstar forward.