Sunday’s NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins might feature the most unique design surrounding the rink.
Coinciding with Tampa’s annual Gasparilla parade, which begins on Saturday, the NHL has gone all-in on the pirate fest and there will be a treasure map with hockey-themed landmarks as the focus of the field design.
Advertisement
The landmarks will feature specific references such as “Brayden’s Point of No Return,” after Lightning forward Brayden Point, and “McDonagh’s Marsh,” after Tampa defenseman Ryan McDonagh. There will also be props such as barrels, boats, a shipwreck scene that will have the names and logos of both teams, and probably a few real pirates involved.
“We’ve got props everywhere,” NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer said, via NHL.com. “There’s 120 barrels coming. We’ve got boats coming. We’ve got a lot of pieces you’ll see in the far side of the field, behind both benches. It’s a shipwreck that will actually be the identifiers of both the Bruins and the Lightning. So we’re really leaning into the pirate theme. And on Sunday, you may see a few live pirates as well as we open up the game and really lean into Gasparilla. This is what Tampa Bay is all about.”
The famous 103-foot pirate ship replica in the north end zone will also be involved in the stadium presentation.
Advertisement
“We’re going to take it over,” Mayer said. “And make it very Stadium Series-centric.”
To combat any potential weather issues affecting the ice, the entire rink was constructed inside of a 34-foot high, 125-foot wide, 240-foot long steel-framed air-conditioned structure to protect it.
The NHL has held 44 outdoor games since the 2003-04 season. They’ve played at historic venues such as Fenway Park, Notre Dame Stadium, Wrigley Field, Michigan Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Yankee Stadium, among many more. What they had never done before until this season was host such an event in the state of Florida.
Sunday’s game will be the second outdoor game this season the NHL has held in the Sunshine State following the New York Rangers-Florida Panthers Winter Classic game held earlier this month at loanDepot Park in Miami, home of baseball’s Marlins.
Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Ramírez’s restructured deal will see him earn $25 million per season from 2026 to 2032, with $10 million deferred each season.
The 33-year-old Ramírez has spent his entire 13-year MLB career with the Guardians. The third baseman is a seven-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner and a two-time All-MLB First Team member.
Two of MLB’s biggest awards have eluded Ramírez, as he is a three-time AL MVP finalist and seven-time Gold Glove Award finalist.
Last season, Ramírez slashed .283/.360/.503 with 30 home runs and 85 RBI. He hit 34 doubles and stole a career-high 44 bases in 158 games. His .863 OPS was third among qualified third baseman, and per FanGraphs, he posted 6.3 WAR, which was tied with Francisco Lindor for eighth among position players.
Ramírez joined the Guardians in 2009 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic. A franchise stalwart, he is second in franchise history with 285 home runs, 52 behind Jim Thome. He is also top-five in games played (1,609), stolen bases (287) and runs scored (1,001).
The Golden State Warriors have discussed with the Milwaukee Bucks “their willingness to put a substantial offer on the table,” including as many as five first-round draft picks, for Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
The Warriors own unprotected first-round picks in 2026, 2028 and 2032, plus a top-20 pick in 2030 (owed to the Washington Wizards if it falls from 21-30) and a first-round pick swap.
Advertisement
The Bucks have expressed interest in 23-year-old Jonathan Kuminga since the summer, and 22-year-old Brandin Podziemski “could also help nudge the needle,” Slater reported. Jimmy Butler’s contract, which pays him $56.8 million next season, would almost certainly be required to make the salaries match in any offer for Antetokounmpo.
This is the first of several “aggressive offers” made to the Bucks that has been detailed.
Advertisement
Why might Milwaukee be interested? For starters, Kuminga is a superb talent, capable of scoring 20 points a game and doing it in the playoffs. There are questions about whether he can do that for a winning team, since the Warriors have benched him for significant stretches, even when they have needed a wing contributor who fits his exact description.
There are surely more attractive young players on the market than Kuminga or Podziemski. The Houston Rockets, for example, have either Alperen Şengün or Amen Thompson to anchor an offer, though their level of interest in parting with either player is not yet known.
However, those draft picks — the last of which will fall when Golden State’s Stephen Curry is 44 years old — are awfully enticing. They are less attractive knowing Antetokounmpo will be in his mid-30s for most of that span, but that is also the case for most interested teams.
Advertisement
The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, control the better pick between Milwaukee and the New Orleans Pelicans in this coming June’s draft, and that may be better than any pick the Warriors could offer. Atlanta also has more talented young players than Kuminga to offer.
We do not yet know how aggressive the Hawks are going to get.
Why the Warriors would want this deal is a little more obvious. It is a chance to pair Antetokounmpo with Curry, another two-time MVP. The Bucks are outscoring opponents by 9.9 points per 100 possessions whenever Antetokounmpo shares the court with sharpshooter AJ Green. Imagine what Golden State could do with Curry in Green’s stead.
Advertisement
It is unclear how Antetokounmpo would respond to playing in Golden State, though if his past actions and comments are any indication — he once selected Stephen Curry first in the All-Star draft — it seems clear he would welcome the chance to play with him again.
The Warriors’ motives for such a bold move — one that would severely limit their flexibility moving forward — became clear once Butler suffered a torn right ACL. With that injury went any chance of Golden State contending again in the Curry era, save for a Hail Mary.
This is that Hail Mary. As Warriors executive Mike Dunleavy Jr. told reporters in the wake of Butler’s injury, “If there’s a great player to be had, we’ve got everything in the war chest that we would be willing to use.” Whether the Bucks are convinced by it is another matter.
Bill Belichick is the NFL’s all-time leader in Super Bowl titles among coaches. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in playoff wins. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in division titles, playoff appearances and conference championships. He is third all-time on the regular-season wins list.
Overall, Belichick falling short of the Hall of Fame says a lot more about the Hall of Fame than it does about Belichick’s legacy. An often opaque process has resulted in one of the most baffling results in the history of sports halls of fame, in which the coach with the NFL’s most loaded résumé has been told he doesn’t warrant a bust in Canton. At least, not yet.
So, how did this happen? To answer that, let’s dive into how Pro Football Hall of Fame voting actually works. We’ll warn you right now: It’s complicated.
Let’s start with the basics.
Advertisement
Hall of Fame enshrinement is entirely controlled by Canton’s selection committee, a 50-person panel of media members all selected by the Hall’s board of directors and appointed to two-year terms. This year’s group is listed at the bottom of this article.
Every team’s media contingent gets a representative, as does the Pro Football Writers of America organization. The final 17 spots are filled by at-large contributors, often veteran media members and people with actual experience playing and coaching in the NFL such as Tony Dungy, Bill Polian and Dan Fouts. At least by background, it’s a diverse group. Some of the biggest outlets and broadcasters are represented, such as ESPN, but there are also reporters working for newspapers, team sites and independent outlets.
To be enshrined, every candidate must receive at least 80% approval from this voting body, which usually means 40 votes. However, if not enough candidates receive 80% approval, the list is shortened until the Hall has its required four enshrinees.
How are these votes held?
The selection committee meets annually, not long before the Super Bowl, to discuss every candidate and put them up to a vote. All Hall of Fame cases, including Belichick’s, come down to these conversations.
Advertisement
Before that, though, there’s a lengthy process of narrowing down an enormous list of potential names. Officially, any fan can nominate a player or coach by writing to the Hall of Fame. In practice, the construction of the list is determined by the selection committee, with preliminary lists compiled over the course of the summer.
For coaches, as well as contributors and “seniors,” there is a blue-ribbon committee, compiled from nine members of the 50-person voting body. That group is charged with selecting one coach to nominate each year.
This year, they obviously chose Belichick.
Advertisement
This process changed recently
In 2024, the Hall of Fame made a number of changes to this process. Most notably, it separated out that specific coaching category. Before, coaches had to compete with NFL owners and executives for consideration in the contributor category. That’s why there is always one coach now.
Also, the Hall made it so coaches had to wait only one year after retirement to be eligible. It was thought at the time that would mean quicker enshrinement for Belichick.
OK, so what happened with this vote?
That’s even more complicated!
Bill Belichick isn’t a Hall of Famer. The reason why is needlessly complicated. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
(Jaylynn Nash via Getty Images)
As voter Mike Sando laid out, the process of deciding whether a coach should be in the Hall of Fame is even more complex than the above mechanics. In actuality, Belichick was competing with the other nominees from the blue-ribbon committee categories of contributors and seniors.
Advertisement
This year, those were Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood — the senior players up for consideration — and, in an incredible twist of fate, Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
So, that’s five guys looking for 80% approval among 50 people. However, that voting body has to select at least one of them or, more importantly, at most three of them, leaving each voter to select up to three of those five, which means at least one of those guys made it in over Belichick.
That creates some fun possibilities here.
Possibility No. 1: A bunch of people assumed Belichick was already in
Let’s say you’re a voter who really likes Craig. Or Greenwood. You want them to get in, and you assume there’s no possible world in which Belichick doesn’t make it.
Advertisement
So you vote for your guy(s) and leave the Belichick voting for everyone else. This happens in voting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where a 10-player maximum on ballots causes some voters to sometimes leave off slam-dunk candidates to support others they think should receive more attention.
Possibility No. 2: Some people cared more about the seniors than Belichick
Here’s another way to rationalize not voting for Belichick: You don’t know when Craig is going to be on the ballot again, so you really want him to make it now. You also know that if Belichick doesn’t make this year, he’s certain to be back next year, because he’s Belichick.
Therefore, maybe it’s better if you vote for Craig now and Belichick later, though that isn’t great for the candidates Belichick will be competing with next year. Or you just think players are more important than coaches.
Advertisement
Possibility No. 3: They’re punishing a cheater
Here’s the theory that came with ESPN’s report, which cited one anonymous voter who claimed that Polian, who butted heads with Belichick as general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, told some voters he believed Belichick should wait a year for induction as a penalty for the Spygate and Deflategate scandals that went down under his watch.
The best comparison for that situation is probably former MLB outfielder Carlos Beltrán, who was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this month. When Beltrán retired, many observers believed he had a case to make it in on his first ballot. However, his role as one of the ringleaders in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal clearly had an effect on his candidacy and resulted in him having to wait until his fourth ballot to reach Cooperstown.
Advertisement
Are any of these good reasons to vote against Bill Belichick?
Absolutely not!
When it comes to cheating, Belichick and the Patriots were already investigated and publicly punished by the NFL. It’s hard to imagine anyone asked for a mysterious group of voters to dispense additional justice with a one-year enshrinement delay.
And judging from the accountsof voters in the room, some of Belichick’s opponents spoke up in the room and cited Spygate, but there weren’t enough to make their colleagues think Belichick was in danger of missing out.
If you want to hold this stuff against Belichick, fine. Then make your case to your fellow voters and to the public. The latter might still happen, as the vote has not been officially revealed.
Advertisement
Hiding behind an anonymous vote to secretly punish someone disconnects the offense from the consequence in a way that teaches the world nothing and gives the “defendant” and his supporters zero opportunity to make their case. When baseball players are excluded from the Hall of Fame because they took steroids, the reporters voting against them often own it and write about it. We understand why Barry Bonds isn’t in the Hall of Fame, because the voters told us.
Doing it behind closed doors instead invites only confusion, anger at your colleagues and the possibility of more voters taking it upon themselves to quietly patrol the outskirts of Canton. Should we be preparing for this same thing when Tom Brady is up for induction?
As for Possibilities Nos. 1 and 2, let’s just say it plainly: You should vote for the candidates you think most belong in the Hall of Fame. Trying to game the system like that opens the door for some supremely wacky outcomes, like today.
Does this process need changing?
Does any of the above make sense to you? No? Then probably!
Advertisement
Ultimately, we’re seeing the result of the Hall ensuring it’s celebrating between four and eight people every year. It wants players people care about supplemented with the coaches, executives, owners and other luminaries that make the game great.
Making sure a coach makes it every year won’t be the solution, nor was the old process much better. At the very least, transparency would be a welcome addition to this multifaceted tug of war.
Do we know which voters voted for or against Belichick?
As of Thursday morning, only one of the 50 voters has come forward about voting against Belichick: Kansas City Star columnist Vahe Gregorian. Other voters have come forward to make clear this isn’t on them.
Kent Somers, retired Arizona Republic (Arizona Cardinals) *
Darryl Ledbetter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta Falcons)
Scott Garceau, 105.7 The Fan/WMAR-TV (Baltimore Ravens)
Vic Carucci, WGRZ-TV (Buffalo Bills)
Darin Gantt, Panthers.com (Carolina Panthers)
Dan Pompei, The Athletic (Chicago Bears)
Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com (Cincinnati Bengals)
Tony Grossi, ESPNCleveland.com/WKNR Radio (Cleveland Browns)
Rick Gosselin, Talk of Fame Network (Dallas Cowboys)
Jeff Legwold, ESPN/ESPN.com (Denver Broncos)
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press (Detroit Lions)
Pete Dougherty, Green Bay Press-Gazette (Green Bay Packers)
John McClain, SportsRadio610 (Houston Texans)
Mike Chappell, Fox 59/CBS 4 (Indianapolis Colts)
Sam Kouvaris, SamSportsLine.com (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star (Kansas City Chiefs)
Paul Gutierrez, Raiders.com (Las Vegas Raiders)
Eric Williams, Sports Illustrated (Los Angeles Chargers)
Howard Balzer, SiriusXM NFL Radio (Los Angeles Rams)
Armando Salguero, Outkick.com (Miami Dolphins) *
Mark Craig, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Minnesota Vikings) *
Ron Borges, Talk of Fame Network (New England Patriots)
Jeff Duncan, Times-Picayune (New Orleans Saints)
Gary Myers, Author (New York Giants)
Rich Cimini, ESPN.com (New York Jets)
Paul Domowitch, the33rdteam.com/PhillyMag.com (Philadelphia Eagles) *
The Denver Broncos’ season ended at the hands of the New England Patriots in a 10-7 loss in the AFC Championship Game. With Bo Nix sidelined and Jarrett Stidham starting, the Broncos needed someone to step up on offense. Unfortunately, that wasn’t rookie RB RJ Harvey, who was lackluster against the Patriots despite a solid first year when it came to fantasy football production during the regular season.
Matt Harmon and Justin Boone recently discussed Harvey’s 2026 fantasy outlook on the Yahoo Fantasy forecast and whether or not managers can trust the talented young back in Year 2.
Harvey finished the postseason with just 57 yards on 19 carries plus nine catches on 12 targets for 68 yards and no touchdowns. Harmon points out that while Harvey finished as a top-20 back in fantasy, there are obvious holes to his game. He was losing snaps to Tyler Badie in the AFC Championship because of his weakness as a pass protector. Harmon doesn’t view Harvey as an every-down back and while Harvey is a solid pass-catcher, he isn’t a great pass blocker.
Advertisement
Boone looks at the other side and plays devil’s advocate a bit in that Harvey did lead the backfield in touches with 17 total (13 rushes) and wasn’t productive against a tough New England run defense. Add in that the weather conditions were far from ideal and it isn’t that surprising that Harvey struggled.
The interesting part for Boone is whether or not JK Dobbins ends up back in Denver in 2026. He missed most of the second half of the season due to a foot injury but was having a spectacular season prior to that, rushing for 772 yards through 10 games. If it isn’t Dobbins, the Broncos might bring in another back.
Either way, Harvey appears to be a part of the future and could be the lead back in 2026 and beyond, but not in the way we think about some of the top fantasy backs, such as Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Saquon Barkley. Boone still thinks there will be some type of committee in the Denver backfield that might hold back Harvey from being a true RB1.
Advertisement
Harvey, 24, finished the 2025 season with 540 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, plus 47 catches on 58 targets for 356 yards and five additional scores.
Beware who you offer to the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, for some resentment toward your organization is bound to build up if a deal fails to materialize.
“Just ask the [New York] Knicks, whose talks with the Bucks about Antetokounmpo last summer led to hard feelings with Karl-Anthony Towns that, per team sources, remain to this day,” according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
Advertisement
The Bucks and Knicks entered what was described as a weeks-long “exclusive negotiating window” on an Antetokounmpo trade in August, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. As Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee discussed his future in the summer, New York reportedly emerged as “the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee.”
However, the Knicks are still among “serious suitors” for Antetokounmpo’s services, along with the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, per Charania.
Any deal for Antetokounmpo involving the Knicks would almost certainly have to include Towns’ contract, which includes a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 season. As of now, the Knicks cannot offer a single unprotected first-round pick for Antetokounmpo, though they do own swap rights to any of their selections in 2026, 2030 and 2032.
Advertisement
Milwaukee is seeking “blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks” in return for Antetokounmpo, according to Charania, and New York has neither to offer at the moment.
After the season, New York could attach a pair of first-round draft picks — their 2026 and 2033 selections — to Towns’ contract as enticement. That still does not explain why the Bucks would want Towns, a 30-year-old, as the centerpiece of their new rebuilding project.
There is another avenue the Knicks could take for Antetokounmpo. They could trade both OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges for young players and picks, and then turn that around to sell Milwaukee on a deal. Because that would require the participation of one or more other teams, it would be awfully difficult to make this happen by the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Advertisement
That is not what Towns is focused on, though. He is reportedly convinced that the Knicks offered him in a deal for Antetokounmpo, and, really, what team would not make that offer?
“Hard feelings” still linger, though, when you are on the wrong end of a trade discussion.
The NFL has partnered with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to introduce a game-enhancing device that will allow visually impaired fans to experience Super Bowl LX like never before.
A select group of blind and low-vision fans will be granted unprecedented access to the Super Bowl this year, utilizing a tactile device that tracks the ball’s location, provides vibrations for key plays and delivers real-time audio commentary.
Advertisement
The NFL has collaborated with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to present this game-enhancing experience 15 times during the regular season, during games in Seattle, Jacksonville, San Francisco (Santa Clara), Atlanta and Minnesota.
Scott Thornhill, the executive director of the American Council of the Blind, has expressed great anticipation for the event. Thornhill was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was 8 years old and later lost his sight.
Approximately 10 blind and low-vision fans will have the chance to test this technology at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, when the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots on Feb. 8. By placing their hands on the device, they will feel the ball’s location and receive audio updates on the progress of the game.
Advertisement
Seahawks fan Clark Roberts was invited to the team’s Dec. 14 home game against the Indianapolis Colts and given the opportunity to try the OneCourt device. Roberts lost his sight at the age of 24 due to retinitis pigmentosa.
“The device does two wonderful things,” Roberts explained to the AP. “It vibrates in different ways for different plays and through headphones, I was able to hear Seattle’s amazing announcer, Steve Raible. Real-time audio is the real beauty of the device because usually when I’m listening to a game, there can be a delay of up to a minute or more and that can be challenging to constantly ask family and friends what happened.”
OneCourt is also working on bringing this innovation to other sports and leagues. It has partnered with NBA and Major League Baseball teams to provide access to these devices at games and are currently in talks with the NHL.
Co-founder Jerred Mace launched OneCourt in 2023 after seeing a blind fan attending a University of Washington soccer match. The company is headquartered in Seattle and utilizes NFL tracking data from Genius Sports, which it then translates into feedback for the device, creating unique vibrations on plays such as touchdowns and tackles. That data is generated from chips and cameras embedded in balls, jerseys, and other key components of a game.
“It’s a testament to the maturity of the product and our company that we have gone from delivering this to a handful of teams throughout the last year or two to having it at the largest event in American sports,” OneCourt co-founder Antyush Bollini said. “The Super Bowl is such an amazing event and now blind and low-vision fans can use our technology in a way they deserve.”
This year’s Super Bowl takes place on Feb. 8 from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at 6:30 p.m. ET, airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
It’s time for the 2026 Australian Open. This week, some of the biggest names in tennis are playing Down Under at the Australian Open. The tournament has reached the semifinals. Coverage is airing across ESPN and ESPN2. The entire tournament — including qualifying — will be available to stream for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 Australian Open.
The 2026 Australian Open tournament officially kicked off on Sunday, Jan. 18, and runs through Feb 1.
Australian Open channel:
In the U.S., the Australian Open will air across ESPN, with the entirety of the tournament streaming on ESPN+ for Unlimited subscribers. Select tournament coverage will also air on ESPN2, before moving to ESPN for the semifinals and beyond.
How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:
Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Disney Channel, and 30 more with no other subscriptions or commitment necessary. No strings attached.
Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:
If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.
Advertisement
Don’t live in the land down under? Don’t worry, you can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.
9Now. Plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: The Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month).
ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
Australian Open 2026 schedule:
All times Eastern
Thursday, January 29
(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 8:00 p.m.
Advertisement
Friday, January 30
(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.
Saturday, January 31
(Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.
Sunday, February 1
(Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.
Who is playing in the 2026 Australian Open?
The top 10 seeded players for the singles draws are listed below.
Men’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026
1. Carlos Alcaraz
2. Jannik Sinner
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Novak Djokovic
5. Felix Auger-Aliassime
Women’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026
1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Amanda Anisimova
4. Coco Gauff
5. Elena Rybakina
Australian Open prize money:
For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners of the Australian Open each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and Semi-finalists $1,250,000.
Deadlines tend to bring action, the truism goes, and with the 2026 NBA trade deadline now just a week away, 30 NBA teams have the opportunity to show us — not tell us — where exactly they think they are in the grand scheme of the league, and what exactly they feel they need to get where they want to go.
Those who fancy themselves contenders might enter this final week searching for one last piece to complete the puzzle, fortifying their chances of playing into June. For teams living a bit lower in the standings, the deadline offers a shot at one last transactional closing kick that can separate them from the middle of the pack, avoid the play-in tournament and maybe even land home-court advantage in the first round.
Advertisement
For others, it’s a chance to keep matriculating the ball down the field on your in-process rebuilding project by trying to snag some future picks or prospects on the outskirts of larger, more present-tense-focused deals. And if you’ve got nothing much else going on, maybe you can at least cut down your luxury tax bill and save your owner a few million bucks. (The Nets and Jazz, the two teams with more than $10 million in salary cap space still available, and the Wizards, who are nearly $30 million under the luxury tax line, will be more than happy to take those teams’ calls and assist … provided you pony up some of those aforementioned picks and prospects.)
Whatever game they’re playing, front offices across the NBA are working overtime trying to find the help they want at the price they need. Let’s take a look at the five most interesting teams — to me! — in the NBA as we approach the deadline, starting — where else? — with the current center of the NBA universe: The Good Land.
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
“I can’t wait until all the deadlines and stuff pass, because we’re rumor central,” head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Tuesday before his Bucks lost in Philadelphia — their sixth loss in the last seven games. “It’s unbelievable. Some true, some not true. I don’t know what half of it is true, but it’s a distraction, at times, for sure.”
Advertisement
Well, yeah. When arguably the greatest player in franchise history makes it clear that after years upon years of rumblings, he would welcome a trade — sorry: that he’s “ready for a new home” — maybe that distracting stuff was a little more than half true, and maybe it wasn’t ever all that unbelievable.
That Giannis’ much-discussed ongoing evaluation of the state of the Bucks has reportedly left him unconvinced that the only franchise he’s ever known can build another championship contender around him should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched Milwaukee this year. The Bucks are 3-12 in the 15 games — and counting — that Antetokounmpo has missed this season, and have been outscored by 11.4 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions without him on the floor. The worst team in the NBA, the 11-34 Washington Wizards, gets outscored by 10.9 points-per-100.
This is not a team that is One Weird Trick That They Don’t Want You To Know About away from suddenly vying for the top spot in the East. It is a lost team in desperate need of a dramatic infusion of talent — and, of course, of a dramatic improvement in the health and structural integrity of Giannis’ calves — just to try to squeak past the likes of the Hawks, Bulls and Hornets into a play-in spot. It is also a team that has precious few chips left to play to procure said talent.
Whether the moves worked or not, taken together, they laid out an organizational philosophy: We will, at every turn, double down in an attempt to craft a winner around the best player we’ve had in half a century. That completely defensible ideology has left the Bucks with one first-round pick available to trade (either 2031 or 2032, but not both), with no movable second-round picks, with an immovable $22.5 million dead money roster charge on their books every year through 2030 from the Dame stretch, with only four players (Antetokounmpo, Turner, Kuzma and Bobby Portis) making more than $5.2 million this season, and with no young prospects of note aside from pleasant-surprise guard Ryan Rollins.
Not exactly a bumper crop of assets. More of a bummer crop, actually.
Advertisement
Maybe it’s still enough to shake some action. Maybe the markets for Kuzma and Portis, which Milwaukee has reportedly beengauging for weeks, are more robust than we think. Maybe Horst can turn that one tradable first into multiple picks, like the Suns did last year; maybe that gets the Bucks in the mix for someone like Miles Bridges, in whom they’ve reportedly shown interest, and for whom Charlotte’s reportedly seeking a first (if not more).
Maybe Milwaukee instead goes the other way, shedding whichever vets it can (Gary Trent Jr., Gary Harris, Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey) for whatever second-rounders they might return, steering into the skid of another month and a half or so without Giannis in pursuit of a plunge down the standings. Remember: While the Hawks are in line to get the better one of the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ 2026 first-round picks, thanks to the trade that landed Derik Queen in New Orleans, the Bucks will still get the worse pick … which could still be a very good pick if both the Pelicans and Bucks stink.
Maybe, in what’s projected to be one of the strongest top-of-the-draft classes in recent memory, that lands the Bucks a high lottery pick who might help revitalize the franchise, a la VJ Edgecombe in Philly. Maybe that kind of shot in the arm strengthens the case Horst can make this offseason, when he offers Giannis the four-year, $275 million maximum-salaried contract extension he becomes eligible to receive on Oct. 1 — the kind of deal that would hopefully convince the two-time MVP to scrap all this “new home” talk in favor of staying in Milwaukee for good.
Advertisement
Maybe Giannis doesn’t find that case particularly compelling and decides against signing that extension. In which case: Well, Horst did everything he could, and now it’s time to sift through the best offers everyone can make when there’s more cap space, more draft picks, more opportunities — more, more, more.
Or, maybe, all this is moot. Maybe Wednesday’s “we’re open for business” report nets an offer good enough for the Bucks to take right now — and maybe the balance of power in the NBA shifts drastically, dramatically, immediately.
That’s a lot of “maybes.” That’s why we’re all talking about you guys, Doc, and why everybody’s waiting on you. Sorry for the distraction.
Three and a half months ago, with Jayson Tatum in the early stages of his recovery from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, the C’s trade deadline path seemed clear. Continue the work that personnel chief Brad Stevens did this offseason when he dealt Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņġis, let Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk, and got Boston’s payroll to within $4 million of getting under the first apron and within $12.1 million from getting out of the luxury tax entirely. Re-route new arrival Anfernee Simons (and his $27.7 million expiring contract) or move sharpshooting forward Sam Hauser (making just over $10 million in the first year of his extension).
Advertisement
Save the owners, old and new, some scratch. Reset the clock on the repeater tax. Give yourself some financial flexibility, maybe add a draft pick or two, and put yourself in position to return to the top of the East once Tatum’s healthy enough to return in 2026-27.
A funny thing happened on the way to that balance-sheet-driven approach, though: Boston just … stayed at the top of the East.
How will the uncertainty of Jayson Tatum’s return impact Boston’s thinking at the trade deadline? (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
(Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The Celtics went 15-4 from late November through early January, with Jaylen Brown looking like an All-NBA First Team selection and Derrick White earning All-Star buzz (from certain irredeemable nerds, anyway). Simons has gone from placeholder to potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging 15 points in 25.2 minutes per game over his last 20 appearances, shooting 41.1% from 3-point range on more than seven attempts per game. Hauser has rebounded from a frigid first month to start scorching, shooting 44% from deep in his last 30 games. A frontcourt rotation of Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza and Amari Williams has looked better than anybody outside TD Garden had any right to believe. The player with the single best on-court/off-court splits in the NBA this season (minimum 500 minutes played) is rookie wing Hugo González.
Advertisement
A week out from the deadline, Joe Mazzulla’s club is tied for second in the East, with the league’s second-best offense, and a better point differential than anybody besides the Thunder, Pistons and Rockets. Everything’s going about as well as it possibly could have; the vibes, broadly, have been immaculate. The Celtics can look any team in the East in the eye without blinking; they’ve lost three of four to the first-place Pistons, but I don’t think Boston would be scared of that matchup in the playoffs.
Particularly if “once Tatum’s healthy enough to return” comes a bit earlier than anticipated.
Despite tearing his Achilles in May, Tatum has refused to rule out a return this season, pushing hard in rehabilitation and workouts (some of which have been public), with each video and cryptic caption stoking hopes that the comeback might come sooner rather than later. In a recent appearance on “The Pivot Podcast,” Tatum made multiple mentions of a hypothetical return 50 or 60 games into the season — which, with the Celtics at 29-18, wouldn’t be too far off:
But Tatum also said the prospect of him disrupting the flow the team’s found in his absence, with Brown as the unquestioned No. 1 option and everyone else understanding the complementary roles they’ve slotted into around him, is something he’s contemplating “every single day.” Sure enough, Chris Haynes of Prime Video and NBA TV reported Wednesday that the five-time All-NBA selection is now “re-evaluating his situation,” and that a return this season is “up in the air.” Tatum confirmed that to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne later Wednesday, saying he “wants to get it right the first time, so it’s just a lot to think about.”
Advertisement
It’ll be interesting to see how much — if at all — the uncertainty surrounding Tatum’s status gives Stevens and Co. to think about heading into the deadline. If Tatum’s not as ready as he hoped he’d be at this stage, and he’s unlikely to be able to give the Celtics much by the postseason, will they stick to that presumed preseason plan by trying to sell high on Simons, duck under the apron and the tax, and live to fight another day? (For what it’s worth, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported earlier this month that the Celtics “are under no pressure to reduce their current luxury tax bill […] but wouldn’t mind going below the tax for the right deal.”)
On the other hand, if they feel confident that Tatum will be back in uniform before season’s end, might they adopt a more aggressive posture — either letting it ride by hanging on to Simons, looking for a smaller move to add another big man to bolster their rebounding (they’re reportedly one of a handful of teams who’ve shown an interest in New Orleans center Yves Missi) or potentially looking to use Simons’ expiring contract for a big swing on the kind of player who could both help the C’s chances of winning a down East this year and fortifying the roster around Brown, White and a full-strength Tatum in the years ahead?
Which path the Celtics take next week could tell us a lot about the likelihood of seeing Tatum back in uniform this spring — which, in turn, could go an awful long way toward shaping the state of play in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
This was the Knicks team that opened the season 23-9 and won the NBA Cup: sharing the ball, moving with purpose, flying around on defense, creating turnovers, pushing the pace in transition, and bringing the kind of energy that can overwhelm even good competition, even without key reserves Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride, in the second game of a back-to-back, on the road. That’s the version of the team that led owner James Dolan to go on New York radio and proclaim that the Knicks “should win the Finals” — a version of the team that, frankly, hadn’t been seen often, or at all, since mid-December.
Advertisement
The question: Does Leon Rose believe that team is well and truly back, and sticking around? Or did the last six weeks shake his confidence in the foundation of last year’s Eastern Conference finalist enough that he believes it’s time for a new foundation — like, for example, a great big Greek one?
If it’s the former, the Knicks could be in line for smaller moves, with a package of fringe pieces — like offseason acquisition Guerschon Yabusele, who hasn’t worked out, lightly used former first-round pick Pacôme Dadiet, and some future second-round picks — aiming to return new, better-fitting bench pieces to bolster New York’s rotation for the postseason. Reported targets have included the Pelicans’ Missi and Jose Alvarado, and Sacramento’s Keon Ellis.
If it’s the latter, though? Well, then, Rose will have his work cut out for him, because pulling together the sort of package that Milwaukee is reportedly seeking for Antetokounmpo — “a blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks” — will require assets that the Knicks don’t currently have. Which would mean turning the things the Knicks do have — like the slumping Karl-Anthony Towns, who says he’s unconcerned by his recent presence in trade chatter but who’s reportedly had “hard feelings” about popping up in Giannis rumors before the season, or starting wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges — into the kind of picks-and-prospects package that Horst seeks.
Advertisement
That would require a hell of a lot of movement over the next few days, potentially looping in multiple teams: Jake Fischer and Marc Stein have both connected dots between any Knicks-Bucks talk and the Trail Blazers, who employ ex-Giannis teammate and potential Knicks target Jrue Holiday, and who also control three future Bucks first-round picks dating back to the trade that sent Lillard to Milwaukee. And if, at the end of it, the Knicks have traded away 60% of their starting lineup and multiple reserves to try to get a currently injured Antetokounmpo onboarded, up to speed and in sync with Jalen Brunson in time for April … well, is that juice worth the squeeze for New York? Is the devil the Knicks know — KAT, with all his flaws, still leading the league in rebounding and playing hard despite errant shooting and decreasing minutes; Bridges, with his tendency to lean away from contact and disappear at times, still in the midst of the best all-around season of his career; Anunoby, his handle sometimes shaky and his aggression intermittent, still one of the premier 3-and-D+ players in the NBA — better than the devil they don’t?
The glass-half-full view: Toronto’s flirting with a 50-win pace, blowing away preseason expectations, thanks to an All-NBA-caliber two-way performance by Scottie Barnes; strong complementary scoring and playmaking from Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley; a tone-shifting bench led by Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jamal Shead; and the NBA’s No. 6 defense. That’s a damn good foundation — one that should allow the Raptors to return to the playoffs for the first time in four years, and should give them a real chance to advance beyond the opening round for the first time since 2020.
The more pessimistic view, though, comes on a night like Wednesday, when Barnes, Barrett and Quickley shoot a combined 12-for-35 from the floor, when Toronto gets outscored by 21 points from the 3-point line, and when the Raps score a dismal 82 points per 100 possessions in the second half — some real Process Sixers/7-59 Bobcats business. (As Eric Koreen of The Athletic put it, “When it looks hard for the Toronto Raptors, it looks really hard.”)
The Raptors have been in trade rumors involving star players. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Toronto is a team built to win with high-pressure defense — by forcing mistakes (fifth in opponent turnover rate) and punishing them (No. 1 in both transition frequency and fast-break points per game) — and with an egalitarian offense that winds up amounting to more than the sum of its parts. It is not a team with overwhelming individual offensive talent, save perhaps for Ingram’s midrange mastery, or a surplus of shooters. It’s fair to wonder if that’s a recipe for regular-season wins, but an early playoff exit.
Which is probably why, in recent weeks, Toronto has been mentioned in connection with virtually every big name that’s come on the trade block, with multiple reports suggesting the Raptors have looked to gauge the markets for Quickley, Barrett, Poeltl and reserve wing Ochai Agbaji, among others.
The Raptors were reportedly at least somewhat in on Anthony Davis (before his injury) and Ja Morant (before his injury). They reportedly remain in on Domantas Sabonis — “a man increasingly out of time,” as Tom Ziller recently described him, for his inability to protect the rim and space the floor, but also a high-IQ offensive connector who would immediately be Toronto’s best playmaker. He would also give the Raps an actual center-sized center, which they’ve largely lacked with Poeltl missing significant time due to a back injury, leading to Collin Murray-Boyles — an absolute ace of a defender, but also a 6-foot-7 rookie — punching up in weight class at the 5.
Sabonis wouldn’t solve the shooting problem, though, and finding someone who would is probably going to cost a pretty penny; the Pelicans are said to be looking for a “Desmond Bane-type offer” to even consider entertaining calls about Trey Murphy III. The Raptors do have all of their own first-round picks to deal, plus at least six tradable seconds, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. Are they willing to pony up that kind of package to try to pry loose the sort of wing who could help decongest that half-court offense? Just a game out of second in the East, do they feel like the time is right to push some of their chips to the middle for that kind of swing? Hell — do they decide to push all of them in, getting in on the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes in pursuit of a bet-on-yourself deal reminiscent of the trade that made Kawhi Leonard a short-term Canadian and the Raptors all-time champions?
Advertisement
More likely, the Raptors decide to slow-play things, nibbling on the edges in search of a deal that returns a backup big — they’ve been connected with Missi and Phoenix’s Nick Richards — while offloading enough salary (like Agbaji’s $6.4 million) to duck below the luxury tax line, which they’re currently less than $1 million over. (Sportsnet’s Michael Grange recently called such a move a “seeming certainty.”) In a market where there might not be many difference-makers moving, though, a Raptors team that is pretty good with young talent and all of its draft picks could be in position to upend our expectations once again.
The Kings aren’t the worst team in the NBA at the moment, but they might be the most purposeless.
The Wizards have pulled together a young core of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson, reorienting their salary structure to have significant cap space this summer even after trading for Trae Young. The Nets took five prospective playmakers in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, got paid an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to take on Michael Porter Jr. and let him cook his way into All-Star consideration, and are developing an identity under Jordi Fernandez.
Advertisement
The Jazz have Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and (when healthy) Walker Kessler, and they’re playing the game to try to get themselves one more bite at the top-of-the-lottery apple. The Pacers only stink because Tyrese Haliburton can’t play right now. The Pelicans stink for myriad reasons, and may well do so into the future, but they drafted Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen to go with Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and, from time to time, Zion Williamson.
It’s probably too charitable to say that all of these bad teams know what they’re doing, but you get the sense, at least, that they know what they’re trying to do.
What are the Kings trying to do? What’s the goal of what Sacramento — 12-36, with the NBA’s fourth-worst offense and third-worst defense — has put together, under the eighth head coach and fifth lead front office executive of Vivek Ranadivé’s checkered ownership tenure?
Job No. 1, as general manager Scott Perry recently told ESPN’s Anthony Slater, is to “get younger as a team” … which, considering the five highest-paid players on his roster are between 27 and 36 years old, seems like a recipe for a fire sale. (It’s at least kind of funny that the Sacramento player who reportedly has the frothiest market — ace-defending fourth-year guard Keon Ellis, about whom Marc Stein recently reported “an estimated 14 teams have registered varying degrees of trade interest” — just turned 26 and could absolutely be part of a longer-term solution in Sacramento … if it wasn’t for the part where Doug Christie only plays him like 18 minutes per game.)
Advertisement
It’s reasonable to wonder, though, what kind of markets there realistically might be for the likes of Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Dennis Schröder — all of whom have guaranteed money on the books next year (or, in the case of LaVine, a $49 million player option that seems highly likely to get picked up).
All of those players have skills that could play up in the right context: Sabonis’ passing, rebounding and interior scoring; LaVine’s high-volume 3-point shooting; DeRozan’s seemingly unyielding and ageless ability to create his own shot and drop 20 from the midrange; Monk’s instant-offense scoring and 3-point shooting off the bench; Schröder’s quickness, ability to get downhill and play tough two-way basketball, as he did for Detroit last season during their playoff series against the Knicks. If sticker shock results in paltry offers coming back, though, will Perry just bite the bullet and take whatever picks and projects he can get, betting on his front office being able to do a better job of evaluating young talent in the draft, and of Christie being able to do a better job of developing it, than their predecessors?
Advertisement
And if what winds up coming back is of a significantly lower wattage than what goes out — if those multiple former All-Stars mostly bring back a passel of late-first and second-round picks — will Ranadivé really be willing to keep his hands off the wheel and let Perry steer Sacramento through what could, and frankly should — be a protracted rebuild?
“Obviously, he’s passionate about his team,” Perry told Slater. “But we are aligned on the vision, and we both understand that there could be some short-term pain in order for some good long-term gain.”
It’s easy to buy the bit about more pain coming to Sacramento. How long it lasts, and whether it’ll amount to anything, will depend on whether Perry’s able to sketch out an actual long-term plan, and whether he’s able to spend the next week turning those vets who aren’t going to be part of it into picks and/or prospects who might be.
After another disappointing regular-season finish, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen underwent a minor procedure on his injured right foot.
Allen’s foot injury was added to the list of other things aching or hurting on his body as the season progressed. He suffered the foot injury in Week 16 and carried it until the Bills were eliminated in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. While the injury isn’t viewed as serious, it was enough for the team to schedule Allen to undergo surgery.
The surgery was to correct a fifth-metatarsal avulsion on Allen’s right foot. Allen’s outlook for recovery time is 8-10 weeks, which puts him right around mid-April barring any setbacks. This means he should be good for the offseason program and shouldn’t miss any time with the team.
Advertisement
Buffalo’s offseason has been quite eventful already. With the news of Allen’s injury and need for surgery came the firing of head coach Sean McDermott. Since then, the franchise has promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach and introduced him in his new position during a press conference on Thursday.
During the press conference, Allen was in attendance and gave his thoughts on how the season ended and subsequent moves following the loss to Denver.
“If I make one more play, that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now,” Allen told reporters. “We’re probably not making a change. In all honesty, we’re probably getting ready to play another game.
“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I was still sick to my stomach about how the season ended.”
One season after making it to the AFC championship game and being one step away from the Super Bowl, Buffalo took a step back in 2025, which is what ultimately got McDermott canned after nine seasons.
In 2024, Allen won his first MVP award and had Buffalo on the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance. This season, Allen and the team fell off, and while it wasn’t a major slide, it was enough to force owner Terry Pegula to make a change.
