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Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will reportedly return to the team next season and eschew interest from the New Orleans Saints, according to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports.

The Saints had interest in interviewing Kingsbury for their head coaching position, but the Washington offensive coordinator turned down all interviews while Washington remained in the playoff hunt, and now has reportedly decided against leaving the organization altogether.

Kingsbury's return to Washington doesn't come as a huge surprise.

For one, New Orleans was arguably the least desirable head-coaching opening this winter. The Saints have a roster that just went 5-12 and a brutal cap situation. For now, the Saints are $50.2 million over the cap for the 2025 season, per Spotrac, meaning some tough roster decisions are forthcoming.

If I'm Kliff the Saints job aint it. Worst cap situation in football. No QB. Now if Buffalo opened up....Regardless, I'm not leaving Jayden and great situation for an eh job

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) January 28, 2025

Now, the Saints will have the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming draft, its own second-round selection and a pair of picks in both the third and fourth rounds, so the team will have a number of avenues to improve. But they'll need to nail the draft, given their lack of flexibility in free agency.

Kingsbury, meanwhile, is returning a Washington team that just made a run to the NFC Championship Game, has a brilliant young quarterback in Jayden Daniels and had one of the best offenses in football this past season. If the Commanders continue to ascend next season, Kingsbury may have his pick of the openings in the 2026 coaching cycle.

And as PFT's Mike Florio noted, "Kingsbury is being selective. He can afford to be. As previously explained, his Cardinals buyout extends into 2026. He'll be making head-coaching money regardless of whether he stays where he is."

He'll bring a comprehensive résumé to the table once he does decide he's ready to return to the ranks of head coach. He's held the position for both Texas Tech (2013-18) and the Arizona Cardinals (2019-22), alongside serving as the offensive coordinator for Houston (2010-11), Texas A&M (2012) and the Commanders. In his many stops, he's worked with quarterbacks like Daniels, Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel, among others.

While his Cardinals tenure resulted in just one playoff berth and a 28-37-1 record overall, the team improved in each of its first three seasons under Kingsbury before regressing to a 4-13 mark in 2022. But he rebuilt Washington's offense in 2024 around the strengths of Daniels, and the results speak for themselves. Barring a major regression from the team in 2025, he'll be a hot candidate next offseason.

Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox doesn't appear headed to the Los Angeles Lakers amid ongoing trade rumors and speculation regarding the 27-year-old star.

"One thing I can say, with Rich Paul, we know he's got LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers. I'm told the Lakers are not part of that destination of choice for De'Aaron Fox potentially," ESPN's Shams Charania reported on NBA Today.

Earlier Tuesday, Charania reported bombshell news on Fox, who could be headed out of Sacramento. Of note, Fox reportedly has a "target destination" in mind prior to his upcoming 2026 free agency.

JUST IN: The Sacramento Kings are expected to open up talks to potentially deal All-Star De'Aaron Fox ahead of Feb. 6 trade deadline, sources tell ESPN. There will be plenty of suitors, but it's believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency. pic.twitter.com/Oh3fXgZjm3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025

SNY's Ian Begley reported that the Brooklyn Nets are monitoring the Fox situation, while ESPN and Sirius XM Radio's Frank Isola also mentioned them as being "in play."

The Nets, per sources, are among the teams that view De’Aaron Fox as a trade target and have been monitoring the Fox situation in SAC. ESPN reports Kings are expected to listen to offers ahead of trade deadline but Fox has preferred destination. He is under contract through…

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 28, 2025

Brooklyn Nets are in play. As one source said “they’re one of the options.” https://t.co/6T7lX7h2mQ

— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) January 28, 2025

The Houston Rockets have been mentioned, but NBA insider Marc Stein reports the team wants to see how far this current group can go.

There will be inevitable trade connections made between the Rockets and De'Aaron Fox, but league sources tell @TheSteinLine that Houston's in-season intentions remain unchanged: Let this current group see how far it can go.

More from NBA Trade Season: https://t.co/LFQEa4zNFM https://t.co/08aiCKbGfG

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 28, 2025

Longtime Kings reporter James Ham said the San Antonio Spurs are believed to be Fox's preferred destination.

According to multiple sources, if De'Aaron Fox leaves the Kings via trade, his preferred landing spot is the San Antonio Spurs. It could be an interesting couple of days in Sacramento.

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) January 28, 2025

Sam Amick of The Athletic also connected Fox and the Spurs.

Source: De'Aaron Fox's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, recently sent word that it would be wise for the Kings to move him now.

Even with Fox's preferred destination - widely believed to be San Antonio - Fox's side will remain open to all destinations.

More here, at…

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 28, 2025

Forbes' Evan Sidery also said San Antonio and Fox "hold significant mutual interest."

The Spurs and De’Aaron Fox are believed to hold significant mutual interest in a future partnership, per source.

Fox believes he is the missing piece in San Antonio alongside Victor Wembanyama to make them a sustainable title threat in the Western Conference for years to come. pic.twitter.com/PHMM4Xm4vE

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 28, 2025

Fox has averaged 25.2 points, 6.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game this season for the 24-22 Kings, who sit 10th in the Western Conference.

It's no surprise the Spurs, among other teams, have interest in Fox. As for why Fox might want to be in San Antonio, one towering reason makes sense above over all others in Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, who could very well hold the league's title as its unquestionable GOAT soon enough.

Wembanyama is averaging 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and a league-high 3.9 blocks for a much-improved Spurs team that went 22-60 last year to 20-23 this year. San Antonio has a fighting chance at making the play-in tournament, and a top-six spot isn't even out of the question (the Spurs are currently three losses behind the Los Angeles Clippers for sixth).

Fox is from Texas, having gone to school at Cypress Lakes in Katy, which is less than a three-hour drive from San Antonio. So he could go close to his old home and play with one of the best players in the world.

The Spurs need a long-term solution at point guard too. Veteran and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul is faring quite well right now, but he's a free agent after this season and turns 40 in May.

The table could be set for Fox in San Antonio, but in the meantime, he's running the show for the Kings, who are fighting hard in the playoff race.

Don't expect the Los Angeles Lakers to make a major splash ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

"There's always a chance the Lakers are doing a huge smokescreen here and they are sneakily putting together some type of package for both first-round picks, and they're going all in. But as I've reported, as others have reported, it seems like they are not thrilled about the current trade market," The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported on his podcast (1:06:50 mark). "They aren't necessarily looking to use both firsts. A more realistic outcome is a smaller move, likely with both seconds, potentially with a protected first. I think that's probably the most they're willing to give up right now unless the [Walker] Kessler talks go below two firsts. That would change that. "

It remains to be seen if Tuesday's big news in the NBA—that the Sacramento Kings will field offers for star point guard De'Aaron Fox—might change the Lakers' thinking:

JUST IN: The Sacramento Kings are expected to open up talks to potentially deal All-Star De'Aaron Fox ahead of Feb. 6 trade deadline, sources tell ESPN. There will be plenty of suitors, but it's believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency. pic.twitter.com/Oh3fXgZjm3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025

L.A. currently sit at 26-18 on the season, good for fifth in the Western Conference, thanks to wins in six of its past seven games. And the team already shook up its roster, trading D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and a trio of second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.

The team is 8-5 since that deal, and it appears that the Lakers and first-year head coach JJ Redick have settled into a nice rhythm. While upgrading at center—which would allow Anthony Davis to play at the 4 more often, lessening his wear and tear throughout the season—would make sense, the Lakers appear to be on a good track regardless.

So if they do make another trade, improving on the margins is probably more likely than a major splash.

Unsurprisingly, the Milwaukee Bucks will not be dealing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

ESPN's Bobby Marks provided a thorough breakdown on where general manager Jon Horst and the Bucks are at right now, noting the team could still make other moves while mentioning Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton as the "most valuable assets."

"Antetokounmpo and Lillard are not trade candidates, leaving Horst with the expiring contracts of Lopez, Portis and Pat Connaughton as his most valuable assets," Marks wrote.

The Bucks certainly wouldn't want to deal either of their top two players with the team squarely in playoff position. They've rebounded quite nicely after a 2-8 start, going 24-10 since then for a 26-18 record overall, good enough for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The big question is whether a bad playoff showing could lead to seismic moves this summer. ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported on Dec. 27 that rival NBA teams are monitoring Milwaukee regarding the "longer term" chance an early playoff departure this year leads to the team dealing Antetokounmpo.

For now, though, Milwaukee is clearly hoping the Giannis-Lillard pairing leads to a title. Last year, the Bucks encountered struggles en route to a first-round exit to the Indiana Pacers. This year's squad is on fire with a 9-2 record in its last 11 games.

Milwaukee could very well make some moves at the deadline, though. Per Marks, the Bucks have made 28 trades since Horst was promoted to GM in June 2017.

"Jon is one of the more aggressive executives because he realizes the goal is to continue putting a championship roster around a once-in-a-lifetime player in Giannis," a team executive told Marks. "But like any championship team that continues to push their chips to the middle of the table, you eventually run out of options in how you improve from the outside."

We'll see soon enough if the Bucks get anything done. For now, Milwaukee is in a tough stretch with seven of eight games on the road. A visit to Portland against Lillard's old team, the Trail Blazers, is up next Tuesday.

De'Aaron Fox has never played for an NBA team outside of the Sacramento Kings, but that could change in the coming days.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Sacramento is "expected to open up talks to potentially deal" the guard before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Charania noted that "there will be plenty of suitors, but it's believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency."

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Rich Paul, Fox's agent, recently told the Kings it'd be "wise" to move the star:

Source: De'Aaron Fox's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, recently sent word that it would be wise for the Kings to move him now.

Even with Fox's preferred destination - widely believed to be San Antonio - Fox's side will remain open to all destinations.

More here, at…

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 28, 2025

NBA insider Chris Haynes added that Fox "is zeroed in on" a particular landing spot:

Sources: Kings star De’Aaron Fox is zeroed in on landing spot as franchise looks to possibly move him. Interested teams will likely be discouraged from trading for him being he’s set to become UFA in 2026. Fox’s unwillingness to sign extension has positioned the situation here.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 28, 2025

Kings insider James Ham later reported Fox's preferred destination is the San Antonio Spurs.

While much of the discussion leading up to the trade deadline at this point has centered around 35-year-old Jimmy Butler and 31-year-old Bradley Beal, Fox being available gives potential contenders a chance to add a star player near his peak with more than just the rest of this season remaining on his contract.

After all, the University of Kentucky product is signed through the 2025-26 campaign.

Don't expect the team to land Fox to be the Los Angeles Lakers even though there is a connection with the Purple and Gold's stars.

"One thing I can say, with Rich Paul, we know he's got LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers," Charania said on NBA Today. "I'm told the Lakers are not part of that destination of choice for De'Aaron Fox potentially."

Reporting for NBA Today -- the Kings' franchise cornerstone, All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox, could be moved ahead of next week's NBA trade deadline: pic.twitter.com/JzcJMsyHF0

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025

That is welcome news for the rest of the Western Conference, as pairing Fox with James and Davis would put opposing defenses in situations where they had to choose their poison. They could not double all three players, and Fox has the quickness to take advantage of even the smallest sliver of space that would be created.

Another Western Conference contender may also be out of the running, as NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Houston Rockets prefer to "let this current group see how far it can go."

The 27-year-old is averaging 25.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from deep. While the perimeter shooting could stand to be improved, he is still one of the best playmakers in the league and would provide a significant boost to whichever team trades for him.

He would also require a significant return, which could help the 24-22 Kings facilitate a quick reshuffling instead of a full-on rebuild in the coming year or two.

The former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator who helped lead the team to three Super Bowl appearances during their recent dynasty is reportedly back on the radar of NFL teams.

Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported Tuesday that Eric Bieniemy spoke with "multiple NFL teams" regarding openings on their staff. Some of those talks remain "ongoing," although the New England Patriots decided to hire Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator after interviewing Bieniemy.

McDaniels is clearly a familiar name for the Patriots, as he was the organization's OC from 2006-08 and again from 2012-21. New England won three Lombardi Trophies and reached five Super Bowls during his two tenures.

Bieniemy is no stranger to Super Bowls from his time on the Chiefs. He was the running backs coach for the team for five seasons from 2013 to 2017 before he was promoted to O.C. for the next five years.

Kansas City went to the playoffs nine times in that 10-year stretch and won two Super Bowls while reaching another.

Bieniemy's experience also includes college stops with Colorado and UCLA and time as the running backs coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-10 before he joined the Chiefs. Yet he has not found as much success since leaving Kansas City.

He was the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders in 2023 but was fired after a 4-13 season. He then became the offensive coordinator at UCLA but was fired after a 5-7 campaign in 2024.

Teams may be wary of how much of the success with the Chiefs can be attributed to Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, but it is still difficult to ignore Bieniemy's resume from his time with the organization.

And that has at least landed him interviews with multiple teams during this coaching cycle.

Baker Mayfield couldn't beat Jayden Daniels in the NFC Wild Card Round, but he is replacing the Washington Commanders quarterback in the Pro Bowl.

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reported Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller was named as a Pro Bowl replacement for Daniels after the latter decided to pull out of the event after leading his team to Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

Mayfield will join Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings as the three quarterbacks representing the NFC.

This marks two Pro Bowl appearances in two years with the Buccaneers for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft. It is a testament to his ability to stabilize his career after inconsistency in Cleveland and bouncing around to the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams that he will be in Orlando, Florida, for the event.

The Oklahoma product led the Buccaneers to the NFC South crown, which marked their second division title with Mayfield under center and fourth straight overall.

He did so by completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. While the interception number was something of a concern as the highest in the league, he also set career-best marks in completion percentage, yards and touchdown throws.

BAKER MAYFIELD ON 3RD AND 14.

📺: #NOvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ZyN6ZRTpX1

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

While the Buccaneers fell short in a 23-20 loss to Daniels' Commanders in the postseason, Mayfield threw for two touchdowns without an interception and looks like the long-term answer for the club.

Mayfield will be part of a Pro Bowl that doesn't exactly look like the Pro Bowl of old.

Instead, there will be a Pro Bowl Skills Show with events such as a passing competition, dodgeball and a relay race. There is also a 7-on-7 flag football game that is designed to minimize injuries while ensuring there is still an actual game-like competition included.

The Skills Show is Thursday, while the flag football game is Sunday.

The San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama and Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson headlined the pool of NBA sophomores, rookies and G League players named to the 2025 Rising Stars tournament.

The 2025 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/X1zpomdES8

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 28, 2025

The rookie Rising Stars class is led by the Spurs' Stephon Castle, Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Edey, Philadelphia 76ers' Jared McCain and Washington Wizards' Alex Sarr.

The four-team, three-game Rising Stars tournament will take place on Friday, Feb. 14 starting at 9 p.m. ET.

The first two games of tournament will be decided by which team is first to 40 points, while the championship will go to the first team to reach 25 points in the final game.

The winning team will then go on to play in the 2025 NBA All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

The upcoming tournament will mark the second straight even to which the Spurs have sent multiple players. Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan, who was added as an injury replacement, competed in the 2024 edition of the Rising Stars tournament.

The Grizzlies are sending a pair of Rising Stars to the tournament in Edey and Jaylen Wells. Thompson and Reed Sheppard will rep the Rockets, while Tristan da Silva and Mac McClung are representing the Orlando Magic.

The Wizards are heavily represented, with Sarr, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly all in the pool. This marks the first time Washington has sent three players to the event, per Monumental Sports Network's Chase Hughes.

The Thunder, who sent three players to the event last year, are represented in 2025 by Cason Wallace in his second straight appearance in the event.

McCann earned a spot on the team despite being held to just 23 games before suffering a knee injury that ended his rookie season. He has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will presumably receive an injury replacement.

The NBA rookies and sophomores, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted into three separate teams. The fourth team will be comprised of the seven G League players selected by the NBA office.

The three remaining seven-player teams will be determined when the 2025 Rising Stars Draft takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. ET.

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry told three beat reporters at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama that the team won't be trading superstar edge-rusher Myles Garrett, even if an offer includes two first-round picks.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com was among those who relayed Berry's comments. In addition, Berry said that the team wants him to be a Brown for life, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic.

"We always have a really good and direct two-way communication with our players (and) we feel really good about Myles, obviously, as a big piece of our future," Berry said. "We're looking forward to him being on the field. Like I said in my (early January) press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over."

Garrett's current five-year, $125 million deal expires after the 2026 season.

It's easy to see why the Browns want Garrett, a surefire future Pro Football Hall of Famer, around before he makes his way to Canton.

In eight seasons, Garrett has amassed 102.5 sacks. He's remained on fire in 2024, finishing with a league-high 22 tackles for a loss. He also had 14 sacks and has reached that mark each season from 2021-2024.

The four-time First Team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler has met the hype and then some for the Browns, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

The big problem is whether Garrett would want to stick around Cleveland. The 3-14 Browns look far away from competing for a championship, especially with major question marks at the quarterback position given Deshaun Watson's ineffectiveness coupled with a torn Achilles injury.

And nearing the end of 2024, Garrett made it clear that he wants to be competing and playing in the postseason.

Myles Garrett wants to be a Brown his entire career. He also wants to see a plan for the future of the #Browns to know if that is in his best interest.

"I want to be able to compete and play at a high level, play meaningful games and be playing past January." pic.twitter.com/3i4QXgD9mf

— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) December 20, 2024

That might be hard to do in Cleveland unless the Browns hit big on their next quarterback and finally get some stability at the position. Playing in the difficult AFC North doesn't help matters either.

At any rate, it's clear the Browns want him back, and Jackson reported that Garrett "probably is headed for a mega-extension to make him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history." It's well-deserved given his consistency and production, but it's also on Cleveland to finally build a consistent winner around him too.

The details for this year's NBA draft are set.

The first round of the draft will take place on Wednesday, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center. The second round will commence at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, also from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The first round will air on ABC and ESPN while the second round will air just on ESPN.

The NBA announced today that the NBA Draft 2025 presented by State Farm will take place on Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. pic.twitter.com/wMjnflFuZX

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 28, 2025

This year marks the second time the NBA has used a two-day format for the draft, with the league debuting that model last year. It roughly follows the model of the NFL and other leagues, which traditionally hold their drafts over the course of a few days.

In 2023, there was a clear favorite for the No. 1 pick in Victor Wembanyama, who has since turned into an All-NBA caliber player for the San Antonio Spurs. Last year was different, however, as there was no cut-and-dry top pick. The Atlanta Hawks ultimately selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick.

This year's draft is shaping up to be somewhat predictable, with Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg making an enticing case to be the No. 1 pick this summer. Flagg, who just turned 18, is averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Blue Devils and had a 42-point outing just a few weeks ago.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects Flagg to go to the Washington Wizards with the No. 1 pick.

After Flagg, there are a handful of exciting players from the collegiate level, including Rutgers stars Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. College players dominating the top of draft boards is a bit of a change from the last few years, which saw European prospects taken with early picks.

With the draft date now set, all eyes turn to the draft order as bottom-tier teams hope to win the coveted No. 1 pick. Right now, the Wizards are doing a tremendous job at increasing their lottery odds as they've won just six games, but teams like the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets are all just a few wins ahead of them.