Basketball

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly sticking with their stars despite a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season.

Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum are set to remain in New Orleans past Thursday's trade deadline, according to NBA insider Marc J. Spears.

The 12-win Pelicans currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. With McCollum and Williamson both signed for at least once more campaign, the Pels could be hoping to retool around them this offseason.

The news comes after ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans had traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk alongside a first-round pick and second-round selection.

Williamson, who was forced to miss more than half of the first five seasons of his NBA career due to injury, has again been limited so far this season.

He sat out two months between December and January with a left hamstring strain, and has been playing on a minutes restriction since his return.

After making his comeback, Williamson was suspended for one game after reportedly arriving late for a flight and missing multiple practices.

Since then, reports coming from inside the Pelicans' organization have been more positive. The Athletic's William Guillory wrote Thursday that "several of the Pelicans higher-ups have been very happy with Williamson's work behind the scenes to improve his conditioning and performance on the court," a week after Williamson told NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer he felt speedier and more agile since his return.

Although he missed part of the 2024-25 season with a shoulder injury, McCollum has arguably been the Pelicans' most consistent player through an injury-plagued start to the season. When available he has averaged 22 points in 33.4 minutes per night.

The Pelicans have been receiving interest in McCollum since at least December, according to Charania. Given Williamson's limited minutes, Ingram's departure and Dejounte Murray's season-ending injury, the Pels have apparently decided to keep leaning on McCollum rather than further stocking up on draft assets by moving him this winter.

The Phoenix Suns are receiving more interest in Kevin Durant after trade talks with the Golden State Warriors reportedly fell through on Wednesday.

"From what I'm told, there are multiple teams making really aggressive calls to the Suns on Kevin Durant," Charania said Thursday on NBA Today.

Charania noted that Durant has not requested to be traded from the Suns.

"It's my understanding that most of all these conversations this week have been somewhat blindsiding," Charania said.

Bob Myers also reported on NBA Today (h/t RealGM) that the Memphis Grizzlies were among the teams that reached out to the Suns about acquiring Durant.

A potential trade that would have sent Durant to the Warriors previously fell through after Durant "informed the team he did not want to return to Golden State," per Charania and Brian Windhorst.

Charania's latest report comes about two hours before Thursday's trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET.

Windhorst additionally reported Thursday on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective that "there was a window for Kevin Durant to be traded to the Miami Heat" after the Warriors bowed out.

Talks fell short because the Suns were looking for a return of more than just Jimmy Butler in exchange for Durant, according to Windhorst. The Heat ended up sending Butler to the Warriors instead.

"I think the Suns were willing to negotiate. I don't think they were anxious to trade Durant," Windhorst said.

These reports indicating the Suns are listening to offers for Durant could potentially have drawn additional clubs to the negotiating table ahead of the deadline.

Durant is signed through next season with annual cap hits of more than $50 million, limiting the number of teams that could conceivably add him.

The Athletic's Sam Amick, David Aldridge and Anthony Slater reported prior to the Butler trade that the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets could be interested in adding Durant.

The Mavericks could be looking for another star after sending out Luka Dončić to pair Anthony Davis with Kyrie Irving.

However, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Tuesday that there was "no tangible expectation percolating in Dallas" that the franchise would attempt to trade for Durant.

The Rockets meanwhile could contemplate adding a veteran player like Durant because their rebuild is progressing faster than expected, Amick, Aldrige and Slater noted.

Making room for Durant on the roster could require sending out Fred VanVleet, who is making $42 million this season. But the trade could reunite Durant with Ime Udoka, who worked with him during his tenure as a Brooklyn Net, while potentially further pushing up the timeline of when Houston can expect to contend for a title.

Durant sat out Wednesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Whether he is in the lineup for Friday night's home game against the Utah Jazz could depend on what happens by 3 p.m. ET.

The NBA unveiled Thursday the court design and uniforms for the 2025 All-Star Game at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The court plays off the Golden State Warriors' blue and yellow color scheme, and it includes a silhouette to evoke images of the Golden Gate and San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridges:

The jerseys offer other references to the region. The red All-Star uniform set features a cable car along the waistband of the shorts, with an oak tree included on the waistband of the navy and light blue uniforms.

Three, rather than two, All-Star jersey designs were required thanks to the format change for this year's installment.

The 2025 All-Star Game won't be a standalone game and will instead be a four-team tournament. The 24 All-Stars will be evenly divided into three squads, and the fourth will be made up of Rising Stars honorees.

TNT Sports' Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith will be the honorary general managers for the three All-Star teams and pick their rosters Thursday night. The Rising Stars representatives will be the winners of the Rising Stars Challenge.

That's the headliner from the first night of All-Star festivities on Feb. 14. The Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest follow on Feb. 15, and the weekend culminates with the All-Star tournament semifinals and championship on Feb. 16.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green isn't sweating the fact his name was floated in rumors prior to the team reportedly agreeing to a trade for Jimmy Butler.

"Ninety-five percent of the things you worry about never come true," he told The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "If (I did get traded), then it just is what it is. My worries ain't stopping it. So I wasn't worried at all. I've been in a place of uncertainty overall. But what's going to be is going to be. To sit and worry about it, this life is hard enough to worry about what you can't control."

The four-time All-Star also downplayed any concerns over how he and Butler, two stars with big personalities, will mesh on the same team.

"He win? I win? That's the fit. Winners win," Green said. "He's a winner. Perennial All-Star. Tough as nails. Just f--king get the job done however it needs to be done."

If if were that simple, the Warriors' roster and on-court fortunes might look a lot different right now.

The shared goal of winning a title wasn't enough to keep Green and Kevin Durant on the same page. Their relationship became strained as Durant's tenure in Golden State unfolded, and their 2018 argument created wider problems within the organization.

There was also the physical altercation with Green and Jordan Poole during a practice in 2022, another moment that lingered long after it happened.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk wrote in January how Green gained a different perspective while he served an indefinite suspension last season. Attending therapy sessions and having regular meetings with NBA officials were part of his punishment, and the 34-year-old said those were invaluable toward bettering himself.

NBA fans might soon discover whether all of that work stuck.

Warriors big man Kevon Looney, for his part, pointed out to Slater the four-time All-Star has successfully coexisted with other teammates who were equally self-assured and determined.

"Guys like that who are dogs, alpha males, they respect other people like that," Looney said. "They kind of stay out of each other's way. Draymond is a great connector. He's a great leader. He makes things happen on the floor and off the court."

Golden State better hope this works because general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. may not have many remaining avenues to improve the roster to a significant degree.

In tandem with the trade, the Warriors also agreed to an extension with Butler that keeps him under contract through 2026-27. They're banking on the six-time All-Star to be the piece that guides them to another championship.

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly feeling positive about Zion Williamson's conditioning following his return from a hamstring injury.

According to The Athletic's William Guillory, "several of the Pelicans higher-ups have been very happy with Williamson's work behind the scenes to improve his conditioning and performance on the court."

Guillory's report comes after Williamson said last week he felt that he felt faster and more agile since returning from the left hamstring strain that sidelined him for most of November and December, per NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer.

"I feel like I don't have to exert as much energy to get to a certain speed," Williamson said Jan. 30, per Eichenhofer. "I feel like my movements are swifter. I definitely see the difference.

Williamson returned from his 27-game absence on Jan. 7 but continued sitting out periodically, missing time due to an illness and a suspension while sitting out half of back-to-back sets.

He recently indicated he would be playing on consecutive days if he could, but had been instructed to limit his playing time by the Pelicans, per Eichenhofer.

Williamson has been productive when available for the Pelicans, averaging 23. 7 points since his return despite being held to under 27 minutes per game.

The final three seasons of Williamson's contract are not currently guaranteed. Locking in the money remaining on his contract depends on him hitting both weigh-in checkpoints and games played minimums, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

Williamson's NBA career has so far been shaped by injuries. He headed into the 2024-25 campaign having played just 184 games in his five seasons since being selected out of Duke with the No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft.

Maintaining conditioning will be key to the Pelicans' hopes of turning the franchise around after what will likely be a missed postseason this spring.

Rival teams reportedly weren't eager to do a solid for the Golden State Warriors ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II wrote that other franchises were not "eager to trade one of their superstars to Golden State," citing the Warriors' inability to land Paul George or Lauri Markkanen in the offseason.

Thompson reflected that Jimmy Butler was in a similar bind as opportunities outside of the Miami Heat quickly dried up. As a result, he and the Warriors "looked around at their options and saw they were the only lonely ones in the club."

Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Golden State is acquiring the six-time All-Star in a four-team swap that will see Andrew Wiggins head to Miami.

It's no secret that Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. hoped to land Kevin Durant before setting his sights on Butler. Windhorst reported the Warriors, Heat and Phoenix Suns were in discussions on a trade that would've seen Durant in the Bay Area and Butler in Phoenix.

Warriors team governor Joe Lacob has received plenty of mockery over the years for his 2016 comments that the organization was "light years ahead of probably every other team." The Butler trade further brings into focus the folly of assuming the good times would keep rolling in perpetuity for Golden State.

As with every dynasty throughout sports history, the Warriors weren't immune from a decline and they have been left scrambling to account for the decline of the stars responsible for their success. As Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson aged, it became harder and harder to contend for a championship.

It's a sign of the front office's desperation that it's not only trading for Butler but also reportedly giving him a two-year, $111 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2026-27.

This might be Dunleavy's last roll of the dice to get Curry and Green one more title.

NBA insider Jovan Buha says the Los Angeles Lakers' trade for Mark Williams has received "mixed reactions" around the league.

The Lakers traded Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, alongside a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-rounder, to acquire Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

"I've already seen some reactions saying that they overpaid," Buha said Wednesday night on his Buha's Block podcast (4:45 mark of the video below). "I know talking to some other people around the league, people have kind of mixed reactions about the price tag.

"They're high on the fit of Mark Williams, but just kind of wondering if Dalton Knecht, plus a first, was a little bit too much."

The trade looks particularly costly when compared to the blockbuster deal the Lakers recently made for former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić, which required the franchise to send out just one of their tradable first-round picks. Keeping the 2031 selection allowed the Lakers to later put together the package for Williams.

Fred Katz, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported after the Dončić trade that the Lakers did not want to use the pick to bring in "a patch-up role player" or commit to "long-term money." The team apparently did not see Williams, who is in the third year of his rookie deal, as fitting into either of those categories.

Williams, who was held to playing 62 total games through his first two NBA campaigns, was again limited by injury as he sat out the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season.

He has been effective when healthy, however, putting up a career-high 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks through 23 appearances.

Williams also just turned 23 in December, raising the possibility the Lakers could extend him and use him as a building block as the team looks to construct a contender around Dončić going forward.

The Lakers needed a frontcourt addition after sending out Anthony Davis as part of the trade for Dončić. Given Christian Wood's long-term injury absence and the lack of other veteran center options outside of Jaxson Hayes, Williams staying healthy will be key to the Lakers' frontcourt depth down the stretch.

The Golden State Warriors set their sights on Kevin Durant before pivoting to a deal with the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania reported on SportsCenter the Phoenix Suns "had discussions with the Warriors about [Durant], and that's who the Warriors wanted," only to be rebuffed.

"Sources told me that Kevin Durant made clear in league circles he had no desire to go back to the Warriors," Charania said.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN added Thursday on Get Up a general trade framework was in place between Golden State, Phoenix and Miami:

NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Monday the Warriors were worried about the 14-time All-Star's "true willingness to return to the Bay Area for a second engagement after no shortage of tumult during his highly successful first stint."

A day later, Stein and Fischer followed up to write, "It is believed that Durant has some serious reservations about a second Warriors stint if he were to be shipped there."

In general, the narrative remained the same as Golden State's pursuit for a marquee star intensified.

Durant had a prolific run with the Warriors. He won a pair of championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in each of those title triumphs.

For as much grief as the 36-year-old got for joining a 73-win team in 2016, it became clear over time he was far more than a luxury for Golden State. The franchise needed him to stay on top in the Western Conference and maintain its edge on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the East.

But Durant ultimately left the Warriors for multiple reasons. His relationship with Draymond Green had become strained, and their argument in 2018 opened up some wider fissures. He was never as beloved by fans as Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were, either.

A lot has changed since Durant's departure during the summer of 2019, so the general dynamic with him in the Bay Area probably might've been different this time around.

But nobody should be too shocked he steered clear of a return.

Kevin Durant, who was tied to both the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat ahead of the Thursday trade deadline, had no desire to leave the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

"He was committed to this team," Charania said on ESPN's SportsCenter. "There was no trade requests ever made by Kevin Durant."

Durant ultimately stayed put amid the multi-team trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors and Andrew Wiggins to the Heat, as reported by Charania and Brian Windhorst.

Charania went on to detail his thoughts on Durant and the trade on SportsCenter:

This really started in the early part, mid-part of December, when it was known that the Heat were open to listening to trade offers for Jimmy Butler and Butler himself was ready to move on to a win-now destination. And so, the Heat talked to several teams over the last couple of months, but they've really been specifically tied to the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. And in a lot of these conversations, it was about the asking price. They were able to get Andrew Wiggins in this deal, picks. There were parts of this deal that made it very appealing, but how did we get here yesterday? A lot of that was because over the last week or so, the Suns had discussions with the Warriors about Kevin Durant. and that's who the Warriors wanted. They had conversations about it once it was made known that Kevin Durant had no parts, wanted no parts of being back with the Warriors, that's when they moved on and got a deal with Jimmy Butler done quickly.

The Suns, because of where they're placing is in the standings right now, they've been getting aggressive calls on Kevin Durant. And one of those teams that has been pursuing Kevin Durant, or had been pursuing Kevin Durant over the last week or so aggressively, was his old team, the Golden State Warriors. Sources told me that Kevin Durant made clear in league circles he had no desire to go back to the Warriors. And so, the Warriors had to move on, but now the Suns are left with this question. And really the interesting part of now going into today, the final day before trades are done with for the season, second half of the season, how do you have these conversations, revive the situation between the Suns and Kevin Durant? It's always interesting when a player's name is out there because going into this week, from my understanding, Kevin Durant did not want his name in any type of trade conversation. He was committed to this team. There was no trade requests ever made by Kevin Durant."

Charania and Windhorst originally reported that the Warriors, Heat and Suns "had been nearing agreement" on a three-team trade that would have sent Durant to the Warriors, but that the deal fell apart when Durant "informed the team he did not want to return to Golden State."

According to Windhorst, the Heat were also interested in acquiring Durant, but were unable to match the Suns' asking price without the Warriors involved to bolster the deal.

"I think the Suns were willing to negotiate," Windhorst said Thursday on his Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast. "I don't think they were anxious to trade Durant. What you're going to hear going forward is that the Suns never wanted to trade Durant... but there was a window there for there to be a trade."

Durant, who turned 36 in September, is currently signed for one more season before he is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026. When asked about retiring with the Suns last February, Durant told ESPN's Malika Andrews he couldn't confirm he would finish out his career with the franchise but loved playing in Phoenix and "one day would like to receive the franchise's Ring of Honor."

The Suns now find themselves in a difficult position after reportedly shopping both Durant and Bradley Beal amid their reported bid to acquire Butler. If Beal and Durant stick around past the 3 p.m. ET deadline, the Suns may need to mend fences with both players as the team continues its bid to find a way into the Western Conference playoff picture.

The status quo for Bradley Beal is the same after the Phoenix Suns were unable to land Jimmy Butler ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported the Miami Heat are sending Butler to the Golden State Warriors. The Suns tried and failed to get the six-time All-Star after Kevin Durant signaled he didn't want a reunion with Golden State.

Phoenix had to pivot more broadly thanks to Beal's no-trade clause, which he was happy to exercise.

Following Wednesday's 140-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he said his mindset is the same now as it was before the Butler swap was completed. Beal told the assembled media in the locker room that "you guys care about the rumors more than me" when asked whether he's happy the matter is now resolved.

The Suns are in a somewhat awkward position since it was abundantly clear they coveted Butler and felt reinforcements were needed.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Phoenix was "always prepared to venture into second half of season with the core roster in place" and is now counting on "improved play" with the key stars being assured of their short-term futures.

But losing to the Thunder by 31 points, albeit without Durant, is a sign of why the front office felt some urgency to act. Beal and Devin Booker combined for 44 points, yet the team was blown out anyway.

The Suns were arguably the most intriguing team leading up to the trade deadline due to how desperate their current position is.

Under the financial rules in the new collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified two months before they got Beal in June 2023, a team in the second apron is severely limited in what they can do.

This leaves Phoenix in a precarious spot as it steadily became increasingly clear their three-star experiment with Beal, Durant and Booker isn't working as the franchise hoped.

Beal in particular has been a disappointment. He's averaging 17.4 points on 49.5 percent shooting, including 40.1 percent from beyond the arc, through 37 appearances in 2024-25.

That's not necessarily bad production from your third scoring option, but he's not being paid like a third star. His $50.2 million salary is the fifth-highest in the NBA this year.

Not to mention, head coach Frank Vogel moved the 31-year-old to the bench in early January. This isn't the role Phoenix envisioned for him when it acquired him from the Washington Wizards.

Beal is in the unique position that he can feel pretty comfortable about his present situation regardless of his performance and whatever rumors are swirling around him. He summed it up perfectly in January when he said, "I hold the cards," because of the no-trade clause.

Even this summer, when the three-time All-Star will probably be the subject of speculation again, he'll know full well he can dictate his own future.