Basket

Darsch turned Ohio State into a powerhouse, helped two U.S. teams win Olympic gold and was one of the original coaches in the W.N.B.A., leading the New York Liberty. More

James Wiseman went to the Golden State Warriors at No. 2, and the Charlotte Hornets picked LaMelo Ball at No. 3. More

The Houston Rockets’ two stars want out, but the market for Westbrook is lukewarm and dependent on what happens with James Harden. Plus: the latest on LaMelo Ball and the N.B.A. draft. More

It has taken months of watching film, traveling the country and conducting interviews on video, but Minnesota is just about ready to make the first pick in the N.B.A. draft — or trade it away. More

Isaiah Stewart is ready to make his mark on the N.B.A. after a down season at Washington led many to overlook him. “I just have to remind them,” Stewart said. “I have to wake them back up.” More

The Milwaukee Bucks, under immense pressure to upgrade their roster to persuade Giannis Antetokounmpo to pledge his long-term future to the franchise, arranged a bold trade late Monday to acquire the in-demand Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans.The Bucks have agreed to send a hefty package of picks and veterans to the Pelicans to beat out several teams interested in Holiday, according to two people with knowledge of the transaction who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The package includes the veteran guards Eric Bledsoe and George Hill; three future first-round draft picks; and the right to swap two more future first-round picks.The move, first reported by The Athletic, does not come without tremendous risk for the Bucks. They face a Dec. 21 deadline to sign Antetokounmpo to a so-called supermax five-year contract extension expected to exceed $230 million. Antetokounmpo, 25, won the N.B.A.’s Most Valuable Player Award the past two seasons. Milwaukee will not automatically lose Antetokounmpo, if he declines to sign the extension, but that scenario would set him up to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season. Holiday, 30, who has just one guaranteed season left on his contract, can also become a free agent next summer.To bring in Holiday, Milwaukee is thus parting with several draft assets that it would likely need if Antetokounmpo decides to leave. Holiday has earned only one All-Star appearance in his 11 seasons but is widely regarded as one of the best two-way guards in the league.Holiday averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game last season and earned selection to the N.B.A. all-defense team in 2017-18 (first team) and 2018-19 (second team). On a podcast in August hosted by the Pelicans’ JJ Redick, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers called Holiday “the best defender in the league.” The Nets’ star Kevin Durant said in a subsequent podcast with Redick that Holiday was “probably the best defender in the league at the guard position.”The Nets were among the many teams interested in Holiday, but the Pelicans were holding out for a draft haul similar to what they received in July 2019 when they traded Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. David Griffin, New Orleans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, has acquired six first-round picks in the two trades along with the All-Star forward Brandon Ingram and the former Lakers guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart to flank the Pelicans’ new franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson.The Bucks had been actively shopping Bledsoe after his well-chronicled postseason struggles and a disappointing second-round exit in last season’s playoffs. Holiday, who is scheduled to earn $26.1 million this season and holds a $27 million player option for 2021-22, joins Antetokounmpo and the All-Star swingman Khris Middleton in Milwaukee’s new star trio.The Bucks’ owners promised roster upgrades to Antetokounmpo in a meeting after their five-game playoff exit to Miami. In a conference call earlier Monday, Bucks General Manager Jon Horst had told reporters: “We continue to focus on taking big swings, making the appropriate moves.” More

The long-awaited reopening of the N.B.A.’s trade market on Monday delivered an immediate blockbuster that will send Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns to join Devin Booker in what has the look of a dynamic backcourt.Oklahoma City will receive the veterans Kelly Oubre Jr., 24, and Ricky Rubio, 30, from the Suns as the headliners of a package for Paul that also includes a 2022 first-round draft pick. The deal came together in the first hour after the N.B.A. permitted trades for the first time in more than nine months.On Sunday, the rebuilding Thunder struck a verbal agreement to trade the reserve guard Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to two people familiar with the agreement. Oklahoma City will also acquire Danny Green and the No. 28 pick in Wednesday night’s draft for Schroder, meaning that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti — once the trades are made official — will have amassed 16 first-round picks over the next seven N.B.A. drafts through 2026.“Chris has been the consummate leader and has left a tremendous legacy in a short period of time,” Presti said in a statement Monday announcing the trade.Rubio, fresh off helping the Suns have a surprising 8-0 winning streak to close last season alongside Booker, appeared to react to the trade on Twitter with some exasperation: “…what a business,” he posted, followed by an upside-down happy face emoji.The Thunder were one of last season’s overachievers after acquiring Paul in a trade with the Houston Rockets that netted two of those 16 future first-round picks as well as the right to swap first-round picks with the Rockets in 2021 and 2025. Yet it quickly became apparent, after the Thunder lost a first-round playoff series to the Rockets in seven games, that Presti was poised to commission a rebuild.Coach Billy Donovan left the Thunder in September instead of trying to hash out a contract extension and was hired shortly thereafter as the coach of the Chicago Bulls. More recently, Presti told Paul and his representatives that they could try to find a trade partner that would appeal to the All-Star guard, according to a person with knowledge of the arrangement who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.Paul, 35, who has two seasons and roughly $85 million left on his contract, wanted to remain in the Western Conference to be near his family, which stayed in Los Angeles last season while he played in Oklahoma City. Paul also has a strong relationship with Suns Coach Monty Williams, according to the person, after playing for Williams for one season in New Orleans.In addition to reuniting with Williams, Paul will now team with the Suns’ young cornerstone duo of Booker and Deandre Ayton to try to restore Phoenix to Western Conference relevance. The Suns have missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, the second longest active playoff drought behind Sacramento’s 14. But Phoenix was one of the surprise stories of the N.B.A. restart at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla., after arriving with the second-to-worst record of the 22 teams participating yet only missing the postseason by a half-game after the 8-0 flourish.The trade is the latest milestone event in an eventful year-plus for Paul. During the 2019 off-season, Houston gave up four draft assets to persuade Oklahoma City to absorb Paul’s contract. This off-season, after Paul played at an All-Star level for the Thunder, Oklahoma City was able to acquire a first-round pick in trading him away.“Man, I’m 35 years old and I still get a chance to play basketball every day and say that’s my way of life,” Paul said last week when asked about trade rumors during an appearance in the Time100 speakers’ series. “That is crazy in itself, so regardless what happens, I’ll be ready.”Paul averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game last season in earning his 10th trip to the N.B.A. All-Star Game. Oubre averaged a career-best 18.7 points per game for the Suns last season but did not play in the N.B.A. bubble while recovering from knee surgery; Rubio averaged 13.0 points and 8.8 assists in his first season with the Suns after signing a three-year, $51 million contract in July 2019.Oklahoma City’s Schroder trade, as The New York Times reported Sunday, came together in part because the Lakers fear Rajon Rondo will command offers in free agency after a strong run in the playoffs, making it difficult for them to re-sign him given the reigning champions’ budget constraints. The Lakers see Schroder, who averaged 18.9 points and 4.0 assists per game as one of the league’s top sixth men last season, as a huge boost to their offense.The Lakers also have interest in signing Milwaukee’s Wesley Matthews Jr. in free agency to replace Green’s defensive ability, 3-point shooting and experience, according to a person familiar with the team’s plans who was not authorized to discuss them publicly. More

Say it this time with feeling: The Knicks have lots to look forward to this coming season — a stable management structure, talented young players to build around and a respected coach.OK, we said that last year, too. And the Knicks ended up among the worst teams in the league again. They cleaned house with most of management and fired their respected coach.So is there good reason to actually be bullish on the Knicks? Yes, with Patrick Ewing-size caveats.The Knicks’ basketball leadership, led by team President Leon Rose, General Manager Scott Perry (a holdover from last year) and Coach Tom Thibodeau, has crucial decisions to make this off-season. The team pretty much has a blank slate, with lots of cap flexibility, few contracts beyond 2021 and some intriguing trade pieces.Of course, every team has important considerations. But for the Knicks, a poor trade, draft pick or free agent signing will hamper the team’s credibility at a time when impatient fans are already tuning out. (Knicks attendance has declined steadily since 2016.) The team has not made the playoffs since 2013 and hasn’t won a championship since “All In The Family” was in its prime.Free agency officially begins on Nov. 20, two days after the draft, where the Knicks, as a result of an unlucky lottery, will draft eighth.Right now, the Knicks do not have a single player who can be considered a surefire contributor to a championship team. This isn’t ideal, but it’s not terrible, either. It means the Knicks aren’t closely tied to anyone, allowing for greater flexibility when it comes to trades. The closest to a cornerstone is RJ Barrett, who was drafted third in 2019. His rookie year was inconsistent, as he averaged 14.3 points, 5 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting about 40 percent. He did not make either of the two All N.B.A. rookie teams, but showed flashes of star potential.Here is a look at what the Knicks might be able to accomplish this off-season.How much cap space do the Knicks have?A lot, and maybe even more than they expect. The N.B.A. announced this week that the league salary cap would be $109.1 million and the luxury tax level would be $132.6 million. The Knicks have approximately $82 million tied up in salary right now, not including their first-round draft picks, leaving them as one of the few teams with substantial cap space (roughly between $20 million and $30 million). This is enough to acquire a player who commands a maximum level contract, either through trade or free agency. And that $82 million number is flexible, depending on what contracts the Knicks choose to guarantee next year.Surely some of that cap space will be used on the Knicks’ current players.The Knicks have several players who are either under a team option or non-guaranteed contracts for next season. They have team options on Bobby Portis’s $15 million contract and on Theo Pinson’s, which is slightly less than $2 million. Maurice Harkless and Damyean Dotson are both unrestricted free agents.Other players, like Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington and Taj Gibson, have only a small portion of their contracts — about $1 million — guaranteed for next season.Bet on few, if any, of these players returning next season. (Gibson might return at a lesser salary, given his history with Thibodeau with the Bulls.)What’s the deal with draft picks?Aside from the eighth pick, the Knicks will pick again in the first round at No. 27, and again at No. 38 over all in the second round. They also have a bevy of future picks to offer in trade talks.This sounds promising. What do the Knicks need?Um, everything? The team needs more consistent playmaking, shooting and defense.That’s mean. Surely, they have some reason for optimism beyond players they might get.Maybe.The 22-year-old Mitchell Robinson made some strides last season. He led the league in field goal percentage (74.2 percent) and remained an excellent defensive presence around the rim. The knock on him is he gets into foul trouble, which actually improved last year. He’s also not much of an offensive threat beyond dunking. Robinson is entering the last year of his rookie contract, so don’t be surprised if extension talks heat up soon.Other young players like Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. have just not shown any sort of meaningful consistency.So what should the Knicks do?Relax and enjoy the ride.That isn’t something that owner James Dolan wants to hear, but this season will almost assuredly be a bridge year without a trip to the playoffs. In theory, this campaign will be more about installing good habits on the floor than wins and losses. It’ll be about development and seeing whether any of the Knicks’ young players are worth keeping long-term.And that’s OK.Do the Knicks have enough flexibility to sign a maximum contract superstar? Yes. Maybe even two. Should they? Absolutely not. This is a much different off-season than last year, when stars like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were on the market.The best unrestricted free agents that will be available are Montrezl Harrell and Fred VanVleet. They’ll want long-term deals. Both have been bench players for the majority of their careers and are not going to make a team into a championship contender. Using cap space for the sake of using it is not sound team-building.There are players with optouts, like Gordon Hayward and DeMar DeRozan, who might become available, both quality players on the wrong side of 30.What the Knicks do have is cap space, draft picks and young players with potential. Those three things combined make the Knicks an attractive trade partner for when a disgruntled star (or stars) makes his feelings known.Next year’s free agent class is far more interesting, with names like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo all potentially targets for the Knicks.They should do nothing then?Not quite. Signing a bunch of players to one- or two-year deals, like before the 2019-2020 season, actually was very smart. That’s the way to go and see if someone sticks. Maybe Goran Dragic, Davis Bertans and Serge Ibaka (all unrestricted free agents) all can be had for pricey one- or two-year deals, allowing the team to keep its cap flexibility while also improving the team immediately. (This would complicate midseason trades, but that is probably fine.)Another possible use of cap space: Trading for players with bloated contracts that other teams don’t want, provided they attach draft picks to add to the Knicks’ bank.The Knicks are not going to win the championship in 2021. They are building for something beyond that. So being careful and measured with their moves — as opposed to pulling panic moves to win now — is the right path to take. Now it’s on the team’s fans (and its owner) to see that plan through and wait for the right time to cash in all the chips. More