NBA Central

The Milwaukee Bucks haven't been told by representatives for Jimmy Butler that the Miami Heat star doesn't want to play there, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

NBA insider Chris Haynes originally reported on Jan. 7 that multiple teams had been told that Butler "has no interest in being traded there" amid his standoff with the Heat. Haynes cited the Memphis Grizzlies specifically, with Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor adding the Bucks to the group.

Intentionally limiting his pool of teams was a counterproductive approach from Butler, who told Heat president Pat Riley again last week he wants out, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

The six-time All-Star's trade value simply isn't that high for a player of his caliber, and moving him becomes even more difficult from Miami's perspective with fewer franchises incentivized to negotiate.

"Jimmy Butler isn't going to extend with any team. And so, because teams know that, they're offering the Heat right now the poo-poo platter. There's only one team that is ready to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants, and that's the Phoenix Suns."

—@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/q8LZLPOFOV

— First Take (@FirstTake) January 7, 2025

The Bucks are clearly in need of something to improve their supporting cast around Giannis Antetokounmpo. They're fifth in the Eastern Conference at 21-17, and their 140-106 hammering at the hands of the New York Knicks on Sunday dropped them to 0-8 against the East's three best teams.

After the Knicks game, Antetokounmpo reflected on how Milwaukee has "played horribly" when matched up with New York in addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

Maybe Butler gives the Bucks the shot in the arm they need to rise to the top of the conference again. But they possess a very narrow path to make this trade happen before even considering whether the 35-year-old is the star worth mortgaging what's left of their trade assets.

Swapping Damian Lillard or Khris Middleton for Butler would hurt Milwaukee's floor-spacing, and he'd be an imperfect fit alongside Antetokounmpo, who isn't much of a shooter.

Then there's the risk of acquiring a player who's eligible to become a free agent and who has turned things toxic at multiple stops in his career.

Giving Butler, who has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26, the kind of long-term extension he's seeking could prove to be a terrible long-term value play. Failing to give him that kind of contract, meanwhile, means he might bolt in a few months or worse, trigger his player option with an eye toward forcing another trade.

Sure, the Bucks might not be out of the running in terms of Butler's preferred destinations, but that may not make them a serious suitor for his services.

The surging Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly becoming a hot spot for players around the NBA.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Tuesday that he's heard from multiple agents whose players are interested in going to Cleveland.

"Something interesting has happened this year with the Cavs, I've had multiple agents tell me that their players want to play in Cleveland," Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. "Part of it is because they know that Dan Gilbert will spend money and that if they trade for their client, their client can get paid. Part of it is they like the way the Cavs are playing, stuff like that. That is an indication to me that they're being well-received. The way they're playing is being well-received."

"Something interesting has happened this year with the Cavs, I've had multiple agents tell me that their players want to play in Cleveland," - @WindhorstESPN 😯 pic.twitter.com/pVoyqjNVBr

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 14, 2025

The Cavs have been one of the most notable young teams on the rise in recent years. They made the playoffs for the first time in the post-LeBron James era two years ago and advanced to the conference semifinals last season.

Now, Cleveland has hit a new high. The Cavaliers started the year 15-0 and recently went on another 12-game winning streak before losing to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. They currently have the best record in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA at 33-5.

While still unproven, Cleveland has established a new culture of winning that hasn't been present in the Cavs organization since James led them to the NBA Finals year in and year out.

Given their recent success, it's no surprise that players are interested in taking their talents to the Cavaliers.

But as Windhorst mentioned, it's not just Cleveland's on-court success that has sparked interest from players around the league. The Cavaliers take care of their players financially, a feat proven to be true this offseason when Donovan Mitchell inked a three-year, $150.32 million extension.

With how well the Cavs have played this season, it seems things might just get better this offseason if free agents end up flocking to Cleveland. The Cavaliers will look to make their organization even more desirable by closing out the season strong and perhaps competing for a championship later this year.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered a withering assessment of his team's performance against the best teams in the Eastern Conference so far this season.

"We've gotta get our stuff together. It's as simple as that," he said, per ESPN's Chris Herring. "We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn't beat the Knicks. Those are the top three teams, and we've played horribly against them."

Those comments came after the Bucks were on the receiving end of a 140-106 shellacking by the New York Knicks. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson torched Milwaukee's backcourt to the tune of 44 points, while big man Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 18 rebounds.

With the loss, Milwaukee is sixth in the East at 20-17. To Antetokounmpo's point, the team is 9-10 against teams that are .500 or better and a combined 0-8 against the Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

Beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in the NBA Cup final looked like it might be a turning point for the Bucks, or a moment when they started to find their groove on the court. Instead, they've lost six of their last 12 games and are seemingly falling further and further from the standard required to reach the NBA Finals.

Looming in the background is the speculation over Antetokounmpo's long-term future with the franchise.

The three-year extension he signed with Milwaukee hasn't gone into effect yet, but that's not stopping rival teams from sensing a potential opportunity. NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Brooklyn Nets view the two-time MVP as their "dream target," though there's nothing to indicate he's pushing for an exit.

It's highly improbable he goes anywhere before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Because of that, head coach Doc Rivers and his staff have the rest of the season to get things right for the playoffs.

Should the general malaise in Milwaukee carry on for the remainder of the campaign, though, Antetokounmpo may start to think long and hard about whether his career is best served by staying with the Bucks.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton reflected on his inconsistency to open the 2024-25 season.

"I got too caught up in outside noise and allowing myself to think such negative thoughts about myself internally," Haliburton told Jared Weiss and Sam Amick of The Athletic. "It was the first time in my life that I had real self-doubt behind everything I was doing. … I feel like my personal struggles were leading to the team's struggles. A lot of our games early, that we were right there to win, I just wasn't playing my best basketball and I think that was taking away from us winning games."

The point guard also brought up criticism that the Pacers faced on social media after they started the year with a 9-14 record through 23 games.

"[Fans] can't wait for a team to be doing bad so people can dunk on you on Twitter, you know what I mean? The s--t is so stupid," Haliburton said, per Weiss and Amick. "It's just part of it. People want to see us not do well so they can talk s--t."

Expectations were high for the 24-year-old entering the regular season, as he made All-Star appearances in each of the prior two years and helped lead Indiana to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance to wrap up the team's 2023-24 campaign.

Haliburton struggled out of the gate, averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 assists per game while shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 28.4 percent from three-point territory through his first 15 appearances.

Hali's statline at MSG: pic.twitter.com/7zirUsMrAO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 26, 2024

Health may have played a role in his slow start, as Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor reported on Nov. 5 that the 24-year-old was dealing with back spasms that lingered from Indiana's prior postseason run.

Haliburton has looked more like his former self as of late, recording 19.5 points and 9.6 assists per game on 48.1/40.7/84.3 shooting splits over his past 15 starts. It's not a coincidence that the Pacers hold a record of 11-4 and own the third-best offensive rating in the association over that same span (via NBA.com).

HALIBURTON PUTS ON A SHOW 🤩

33 PTS
15 AST
6 3PM
0 TO@Pacers W pic.twitter.com/UUjdvOmblE

— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2025

Indiana still sits at No. 7 in the East with a 20-18 overall record, but the resurgence of Haliburton as well as the team's offense gives the Pacers a bright outlook for the remainder of the regular season.

The Detroit Pistons solid start to the NBA season may limit the trade flexibility of other teams in the league.

Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that the Pistons' significant cap space could have made them a major candidate to take on "unwanted salary" from other teams making bigger deals at the deadline in exchange for draft capital. However, Detroit's start to the season may make the team less likely to use that space carelessly.

Across the league, teams have been considering the Pistons' current $14 million in salary cap space and whopping $44 million cushion below the luxury tax as "for rent" at the trade deadline. With trades in the apron era more complex, the Pistons had indeed left that space open to use to possibly acquire draft assets in return for taking on unwanted salary to facilitate bigger deals elsewhere.But with their team achieving a significant turnaround under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff -- Detroit went 14-68 last season, including a record-tying 28 straight losses -- the Pistons may not be so loose with that space after all. After winning eight of their past nine games, team sources say the Pistons are adjusting their thinking and may be more judicious with their valuable cap space as they consider their own roster upgrades and flexibility for next season.

The Pistons are currently 19-19 and sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. This is already a five-win improvement from 2023-24 and the team could be pushing for a postseason berth for the first time since 2018-19.

This turnaround has come in head coach J.B. Bickerstaff's first season and 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham has been a major reason why. He has averaged 24.3 points, 9.3 assists and 6.6 rebounds in 34 games. Other strong performers have been Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris. Ivey, however, has been lost to a broken fibula and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Detroit has $44 million in cap space before the luxury tax but Cunningham will have his $224 million contract extension kick in after this season. While adding draft capital could be helpful, potentially limiting the team's spending power could be a detriment to the developing core.

The fan voting for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game continues to heat up, and the second returns were unveiled on Thursday.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antentokounmpo is still the leading vote-getter overall for the second straight week with more than 2,700,000 votes. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić still leads the Western Conference with more than 2,200,000 votes. Here are the rest of the results:

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić continue to lead their respective conferences in the second fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.

Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. Players and a media panel account for 25% each.

Next fan update:… pic.twitter.com/oQvm99AmE5

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 9, 2025

Despite missing Denver's last two games due to an illness, Jokić used back-to-back 40-point games over the weekend to take over as the NBA's leading scorer with an average of 31.5 points per game. He dropped 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and followed that up with 46 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in Saturday's bounce-back win over the Spurs.

Antetokounmpo now ranks second in the league with 31.3 points per game, but he's still performing at a level that could garner him his third career NBA MVP award. He recorded a triple-double in Monday's win over the Toronto Raptors and had 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in Wednesday's win over the Spurs. The 30-year-old is shooting 59.9 percent from the field, the second-highest mark of his career.

Fans have until Jan. 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET to submit their votes for the 2025 All-Star Game. The starters for the game will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 23 during TNT's NBA Tip-Off before a doubleheader featuring the Bucks vs. the Miami Heat and the Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.

This year's All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 16 and will look vastly different from past years, as it will be a four-team tournament featuring three teams of eight NBA All-Stars and the winning team from the Rising Stars Game. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith will draft the three teams of All-Stars on Feb. 6.

Milwaukee Bucks star point guard Damian Lillard got an up-close look at the impact San Antonio Spurs second-year phenom Victor Wembanyama can have on the court during Wednesday night's game between the two teams.

"He's always in range to block a shot, to change a shot. … It's more different when he's on the floor than any other player that I've played against," Lillard told reporters of Wembanyama after Milwaukee's 121-105 win, per The Athletic's Fred Katz.

Lillard led the Bucks with 26 points in the victory, but that doesn't mean he had an easy time against Wembanyama. Katz highlighted an instance where Wembanyama's presence under the basket deterred Lillard from taking the open lane to the rim and forced him to pass the ball back out instead.

Wembanyama had 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in one of his worst performances of the season. It was his first time scoring under 15 points since Nov. 7.

Still, the 2024 Rookie of the Year is a superstar in the making, and he will continue to garner respect from veterans like Lillard over the course of his development.

Lillard and the Bucks will be going for their third straight win when they face the Orlando Magic on Friday, while Wembanyama and the Spurs will be trying to end a three-game skid when they meet the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward Khris Middleton was moved to the bench for Wednesday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs, but he wasn't upset about the decision.

Following Milwaukee's 121-105 win, Middleton told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Bucks head coach Doc Rivers explained the reasons behind the move, and he understood.

"It was just brought that it's probably best that with my minute restriction that with the way rotations work to come off the bench to play more meaningful minutes," Middleton said of his conversation with Rivers.

The 33-year-old took the decision in stride, as he added that he doesn't believe coming off the bench will be a permanent situation.

"I mean, I know what type of player I am," he said. "Just for the time being I need to come off the bench. It is what it is. But I'm confident in this team, I'm confident in myself and this is the role I have to play for the time being."

Middleton played 21 minutes against the Spurs and had eight points, five rebounds and three assists. He missed the start of the season as he continued his recovery from ankle surgery, and he has since appeared in 13 games and is averaging 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists.

The Bucks (19-16) will be seeking their third straight win when they visit the Orlando Magic (22-16) on Friday.

LiAngelo Ball's viral hit song "Tweaker" received a stamp of approval from another basketball player-turned-rapper.

Milwaukee Bucks star point guard Damian Lillard, who has released four rap albums and is widely regarded as the best NBA player to try his hand at making music, praised Ball's new track during an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter following Wednesday night's 121-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

"I rock with it, man," Lillard said around the 2:00 mark. "I've been hearing it a lot, it gives me that 2003-2004 vibe. But I rock with it, like I said, it's a slapper."

Ball, who spent two seasons in the G League, became an overnight sensation when "Tweaker" hit the internet. It remains the No. 1 trending song on YouTube Music five days after its official release and has 5.5 million views as of this writing. Players across multiple sports leagues have been seen bumping the song during locker room celebrations.

"I MIGHT SWERVE BEND THAT CORNER WOAAHHHHH"

Lions turning up to LiAngelo Ball celebrating their first ever #1 playoff seed 💀

(via @StBrownPodcast)pic.twitter.com/YuhlgMlp08

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 6, 2025

The viral success of the song garnered Ball a spot on the lineup for the Rolling Loud concert festival in Los Angeles in March. Lillard added that he's happy to see Ball reach new heights through music.

"As an artist, you gotta respect other people's artistry, and when something is going, it's going. So, like I said, I rock with it, I respect it, and I'm always happy for other people's success. That's when you have your success, when you're happy with people," Lillard said. "So I'm happy for him, it's a big record, you're hearing it everywhere. Much love to him."

NBA fans might have gotten an early look at this year's Finals on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122 in one of the most exciting games of the season thus far. Heading into the contest, there had never been a team on a 15-game win streak face off against a team on a 10-game winning run. Ultimately, it was Cleveland that kept its sequence going as it made it 11 in a row.

The game was highlighted by a plethora of lead changes, but Cleveland had the edge heading down the stretch. But the Thunder got right back into the game, cutting the Cavs' lead to just two points with a minute and a half to play.

Cleveland, feeding off a rowdy home crowd, held strong on defense, though, while also getting the shots it needed on the offensive end to escape with the win.

It was a slow night for Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who had just 11 points, but Cleveland's frontcourt stepped up as Jarrett Allen had 25 points, 12 boards and six assists while Evan Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a big night with 31 points, but it wasn't enough to carry his team past the Cavs.

https://twitter.com/GB_Delayed_Draw/status/1877170431653794119

That’s right.

26 lead changes. pic.twitter.com/6UpzqGO77k

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 9, 2025

This is real ball right now. Cavs Thunder is cooking.

— Terence Fluellen (@FLU_2Cold) January 9, 2025

Cavs/Thunder game is everything I expected it to be

— 🥒Rick (@GrimReapGodSon) January 9, 2025

Cavs v Thunder 🔥

— fRaNkiE_jR. (@kofi_shinto) January 9, 2025

I wouldn’t even be mad at a Cavs-Thunder Finals

— . (@Wallabeees) January 9, 2025

28 lead changes and 7 ties in the Cavs vs Thunder game. These are the two best teams in the association currently

— Jahmeir D. ✭ (@JDCowboys2) January 9, 2025

Have the Cavs and Thunder been more than like 8 points apart this entire game? This game rocks.

— Henry Ettinger (@hedging_henry) January 9, 2025

Cavs Thunder rn is real hoops

— Irrelevant Legend (@juckshot_4) January 9, 2025

Cavs-Thunder is probably better than any NFL regular season game this year

— Shlomo Sprung (@SprungOnSports) January 9, 2025

This Thunder-Cavs game is BOX OFFICE. Looks like a Finals preview.

— Josh Rosen (@Joshimpressions) January 9, 2025

The Cavaliers now hold the best record in the NBA at 31-4 and have all the makings of a Finals team. While the Thunder dropped to 30-5 with the loss, they're still in the driver's seat in the Western Conference.

Cleveland and Oklahoma City will meet again in just over a week, and the second contest should be just as enthralling as the first.