Month: July 2023

The Knicks had a very solid 2022-23 campaign, earning the 5-seed in the East and then comfortably taking down the Cavs in the first round before falling to the eventual Eastern Conference champs in Miami in the conference semis. Last season’s moves paid big dividends, as Jalen Brunson cemented himself as a star-caliber starting point guard in the league — and one who shines when the bright lights of the playoffs turn on — and Josh Hart, their big trade deadline acquisition, likewise became an integral part of their playoff run.

This summer the Knicks had few major decisions to make with free agents of their own, particularly after Josh Hart picked up his player option to return for another year. While they mostly remained patient, they did make a few moves to shuffle the roster around and bolster their chances of being back above the Play-In fray in the East next year.

Here we’ll hand out grades for their work this offseason in the Draft, free agency and contract extensions, and on the trade market.

Draft: INC

Despite holding a number of future picks, the Knicks entered the 2023 Draft without a single pick and chose not to make a trade to get one. Next year they have four first rounders, though, so they’ll make up for a lack of action this year with plenty of moves to come.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: A-

The only free agent the Knicks had on the main roster (not a two-way) this summer was Derrick Rose, who wasn’t part of the rotation last year and is now headed to Memphis. In his place, the Knicks signed their latest Villanova product, as Donte DiVincenzo joins Hart and Brunson on a 4-year, $50 million deal to bring them another 3-and-D guard. DiVincenzo is coming off of a very solid season with the Warriors, shooting 39.5 percent from three and averaging 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 26 minutes per game. For a Knicks team that was dreadful shooting the ball in the playoffs — RJ Barrett’s 32.8 percent mark from distance was the team’s best in the postseason — adding a legit knockdown threat is huge. On top of that, being able to plug in a quality shooter without giving up much defensively is vital to a team that has built its identity on that end. For a team that wasn’t in a position to take any huge swings in free agency given how full their roster was and having just the mid-level at their disposal, DiVincenzo was a terrific get.

Trades: C

The Knicks also made just one trade this summer, flipping Obi Toppin to the Pacers for a pair of second round picks. With Toppin set to be a free agent next summer, it was clear they’d already made the decision they were not going to want to bring him back at what he would cost, and flipped him for at least something in return. Toppin never really fit what the Knicks needed, as he isn’t a knockdown shooter (although he did improve to be 34.4 percent from three last year) and isn’t a high-caliber defender. He’s at his best running the floor, cutting and slashing, but the Knicks had enough players cramping spacing as is. While there were times where he popped for New York that made you think maybe he could be a good rotation player, he clearly wasn’t a favorite of Tom Thibodeau and didn’t fit his ideal vision for the roster, fair or not. It’s always a bit disappointing to trade a former lottery pick for not much of anything while they’re still on their rookie deal, and you can wonder if they made this move too early considering they aren’t exactly bursting with frontcourt depth. The biggest issue this trade is going to run into is that the Pacers seem like a legitimately great fit for Toppin, and he’ll have a chance to shine there in a way he never did in New York. If that happens, the Knicks are going to get buried for it, but the truth is, that opportunity was never going to be there for him with the Knicks if they kept him.

Doechii has proven to be one of the most promising new musical acts (like with her breakout Coachella performance, for example). Although she incorporates inspiration from several genres, her love for hip-hop always shines through the brightest. The musician’s latest partnership with Google Pixel, Doechii, was able to showcase that admiration on a new single, “Universal Swamp Anthem.”

With the genre’s 50th anniversary among us, the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess was sure to honor one of rap’s most impactful duos, UGK (comprised of Bun B and Pimp C). As a Florida native, Doechii didn’t leave the southern region for inspiration as she reimagined the group’s 2007 “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You).” Just like she did on her freestyle to Beyoncé’s “America Has A Problem,” Doechii flexed her lyrical ability. As fans wait for the release of Doechii’s Pix Tape EP, due out next month, the record allows the recording artist to cut loose creatively.

The track is the latest of Google’s Pixel RePresents series of songs with Mass Appeal. Other artists — such as Flo Milli, Bia, and Lola Brooke — have all dropped a remake of their favorite hip-hop songs, including Too Short’s “Blow The Whistle,” Clipse’s “Grindin’,” and Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up.”

Listen to “Universal Swamp Anthem” above.

Despite reaching their fifth Eastern Conference Finals in seven years, the Boston Celtics entered this offseason feeling disappointed at the way things played out against the Miami Heat. Falling behind 3-0 with a particularly listless performance in Game 3 left them no margin for error going forward, and they eventually ran out of gas in Game 7 to see their season come to an end.

There was an expectation that changes were coming in Boston after such a performance, and they did just that with a blockbuster three-team trade to bring in Kristaps Porzingis and send out Marcus Smart. It’s a big swing but one with high upside as the Celtics try to figure out what they need to do to finally breakthrough for a championship.

Here we’ll look at that trade and the rest of their offseason moves and hand out grades for the Draft, free agency and contract extensions, and work on the trade market.

Draft: C

The Celtics made just one pick in this year’s draft, as they came in with just the 35th overall pick and actually moved back in the second round, taking Jordan Walsh out of Arkansas at No. 38 overall. Walsh is a strong athlete and defender, with a ways to go on offense if he’s going to be a genuine rotation player. There is some real upside here given his defensive abilities and physical tools, but there’s some serious development needed with his shooting to make a significant impact.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: B

How you feel about the Celtics summer really depends on two things. One is what you think of Jaylen Brown getting a 5-year, $304 million extension, as he is now in possession of the largest contract in NBA history (albeit one that will soon be dwarfed by other supermax deals to come). Brown is coming off of the most productive season of his career, scoring 26.6 points per game to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals each night. He posted a career-best 57.6 shooting percentage from two-point range (and a career worst 33.5 percent from three). He’s a plus-defender on top of that scoring ability, and he and Jayson Tatum make up the best wing tandem in the NBA. That said, they do have a lot of overlapping skills and aren’t perfectly complementary in the sense that they can’t mask each other’s weaknesses. There are times where the Celtics late-game offense feels very “your turn, my turn” as they try to create on the ball — a problem that’s been apparent for a few years. Brown is turnover prone, particularly in the playoffs, with a particularly loose handle opposing defenses have been able to pick apart in key moments — he had nine games with 4+ turnovers in Boston’s 20 playoff games a year ago, including eight in the Game 7 loss to Miami.

Brown is unquestionably a star-caliber player, and the fact that Boston has made five conference finals (and one Finals) in seven years with him is a testament to how good he is and how well he and Tatum can work together. At the same time, their inability to crest that final hurdle raises questions about whether they can get the job done, and the more times you come up short, the louder those concerns become. I land somewhere in the middle of the debate, where I think the deal is fine for Brown’s abilities but do understand how it could inhibit the Celtics in the future. There’s plenty of reason for the Celtics to believe they can win with Tatum and Brown as their leading stars, especially noting they’re still approaching their primes, and they took a swing this summer to change their roster structure to try and alleviate some of the scoring imbalance they’ve had. If that doesn’t work, even at a $60 million annual value, Brown would probably be movable in the future once the cap increases again with the new TV deal. As such, I don’t think the Celtics got some incredible value here but also don’t view it as an outrageous overpay like some others do.

Beyond the Brown extension, the Celtics made two other signings by bringing in Oshae Brissett and Dalano Banton on minimum deals. They’ll hope Brissett can bounce back from a down year in Indiana to provide them some back end rotation minutes at the forward spots. Banton, meanwhile, is a big guard to add to the roster and while he likely won’t be part of the main rotation he’s emergency depth with NBA experience. Boston was never going to be a primary destination for vet minimum guys given most of their rotation minutes are set, so I can’t knock them for not landing a real impact guy with a minimum deal.

Trades: B+

The aforementioned swing taken by the Celtics was making a blockbuster deal to send Marcus Smart to Memphis for a pair of first round picks and acquire Kristaps Porzingis from Washington for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala in a reworked three-team deal after one sending Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers fell apart. From a value standpoint, the Celtics did very well, which is why I’m more than comfortable giving this a solid B+ grade. Porzingis was terrific for the Wizards a year ago, averaging 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while knocking down 38.5 percent of his threes. Adding another legitimate scoring threat to this offense should be huge in taking some of the pressure off Tatum and Brown to create everything, and the Celtics hope that will help their offense run more smoothly in crunch time. Given Joe Mazzulla’s philosophy is to hoist as many threes as possible, adding an elite shooting big makes a ton of sense.

At the same time, I also understand why Celtics fans were blindsided and upset by the sudden trade of Smart, who has been the emotional core of this Boston team since he arrived. Defensively, he was a tone-setter at the point of attack and they don’t have an immediate replacement for that — although Derrick White’s presence certainly made him more expendable as White was an All-Defensive guard a year ago. Whenever a team makes a trade that sends a player like Smart out whose impact goes so far beyond just what he produces in the box score, we can never fully judge what that will do to a team. Jaylen Brown even noted that without Smart the challenge is on them not to lose their defensive edge, which is easier said than done. Porzingis will certainly not be filling that void, and there is a real chance Boston takes a step back defensively even with Porzingis adding some more rim protection alongside Robert Williams.

On top of all of that, there is the ever-present concern about whether Porzingis can stay healthy. He did so last year, playing in 65 games last year in Washington. However, that’s the most games he’s played in a season since 2016-17, when he played in 66 games as a sophomore for the Knicks. If healthy, he represents a legitimate upgrade, but if he’s sidelined and they’ve given up such an important piece to their defense and culture as a whole in Smart, that won’t be easily overcome. Still, for a team that hasn’t been able to get over the hump relying on a defensive identity yet, it’s understandable why they’d take this swing to hope that a revitalized offense would make up for any slid on the defensive end. Adding a couple first round picks that can be ammunition to further bolster the roster in the future doesn’t hurt.

The Porzingis trade also made Grant Williams expendable in the eyes of the Celtics, as he got moved to the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade for some future second round picks. Williams’ versatility as a defender will be missed, but by adding Porzingis, the Celtics are hoping they can move Al Horford into a bench role and be able to navigate their frontcourt rotation without needing Williams, particularly once they shorten their rotation for the playoffs. Again, that only works out if Porzingis stays healthy, but given the price tag on Williams, it’s understandable why they’d move him rather than keeping him as a fourth big.

Overall, the Celtics had a perfectly fine offseason and, maybe most importantly, they didn’t see a bunch of teams in the East make a huge leap forward around them. The Heat landing Damian Lillard would obviously place them back in the favorites tier, but otherwise the Bucks are running it back (with a couple small departures) and the Sixers are dealing with the James Harden trade request. The Cavs and Knicks made solid additions but still appear to be in the tier below, and all that makes this a pretty good offseason for Boston as they took the biggest swing among contenders outside of Miami (which is still TBD).

The dominant conversation about the NBA seemingly every summer since 2010 has been about superteams and star trade requests. There is a very defined difference in how players from the past and current players view a star’s relationship with a team and city, as many of the stars of yesteryear feel loyalty is something of a lost trait in this generation.

There’s also the reality that in today’s NBA there is far more money on the line for everyone, and the conversation about players has shifted further and further towards only caring about championships. As such, players think much earlier about their legacy and know winning a title sits above all else, and are less willing to be patient with a team that’s struggling to build a contender around them. The truth is there’s lots of nuance that tends to get lost in these conversations, but it is fascinating to see the disgust some of the game’s all-time greats have for players pushing their way out. The latest to voice those opinions is Julius Erving, who said the trend has “not helped the game.”

In a recent conversation with Joy De’Angela, Dr. J made clear that he isn’t a fan of the trend of star players asking out at the first sign of trouble. Erving noted he understands Damian Lillard’s request after being in Portland for years, but takes more of an issue with guys like Kevin Durant “hopping around” throughout his career.

Durant in particular tends to be a lightning rod for these conversations, as his move to Golden State in particular irked many. He’s gone back-and-forth with Charles Barkley about this for years over Chuck’s “bus rider” comments about his championships in the Bay, and now he’s got Dr. J calling out his constant movement from team to team. Durant has remained defiant about his choices, making clear he doesn’t feel the need to explain his decisions to anyone. As for the generational divide among NBA stars past and present, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to ever really get resolved when it comes to the issue of trade requests and stars teaming up in a constant pursuit of a title.

Every time a new Mission: Impossible movie comes out, director and writer Christopher McQuarrie sits down for a lengthy chat with Empire. The first episode in the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One episode (all 3.5 hours of it) just dropped, and there’s a lot of good stuff, including how the cast risked their lives for a scene that was ultimately cut from the film.

“It was supposed to be something we did with a resettable rig where everything could be very predictable, and nothing we did worked, and ultimately the actors had to risk their lives and do it practically,” McQuarrie said. He didn’t reveal what the stunt entailed, other than it was going to be during the thrilling third-act train sequence:

“With the train, I kept thinking, ‘Is this the shot?’ And we kept pulling and we kept getting the note, and eventually we identified what it was… The work that went into what was holding back the sequence was extraordinary – it was days, and it was a struggle, and it was very, very risky. We took it out, and the scene just sang.”

Tom Cruise would have fought for the scene to be kept in, but it was only “very, very risky,” not “very, very, very risky.” That’s more his style.

You can listen to the podcast (which requires a subscription) here.

(Via Empire)

As director Justin Simien started to promote Haunted Mansion, based on the popular Disney World theme park attraction, he was inevitably asked about the status of Lando. Simien was attached to develop the Disney+ series, which would see the return of Donald Glover‘s take on the character from Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Unfortunately, Simien didn’t have much to offer in the way of an update for Lando. He cited the widespread industry delays caused by the COVID pandemic as an understandable reason.

“I certainly poured my heart and spent a lot of time working with them to put together a really great show,” Simien told The Direct earlier in the month. “It feels like everybody loves it. And, you know, I was told we had to put a pause on it because of scheduling, and the next update I got [was in 2020], some years ago. So I don’t know, I have no idea what’s going on with it.”

Simien also made similar remarks to Uproxx, but a new report paints a different picture of what’s been happening behind the scenes. According to Above the Line (via Hollywood Reporter), Simien left Lando last summer, which prompted Lucasfilm to reach out to Glover and his brother Stephen, who have both taken over writing duties for the show:

The siblings agreed to board the project together, and their take is said to have Lucasfilm brass excited.

It’s worth noting that the Glovers’ involvement has been top-secret for months, as they signed on well before the WGA strike and haven’t performed any work on the project since writers took to the picket lines on May 2.

Above the Line writes that Simien’s diplomatic answers about the status of Lando was “likely” the director “not wanting to make waves on the eve of his new film’s premiere in theaters.”

(Via The Direct, Above The Line)

Late in the fourth quarter of Game 2 between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Isaiah Hartenstein whipped into a screen for Jalen Brunson near the right wing. Hartenstein’s well-rooted pick isolated Gabe Vincent out of the play and left Caleb Martin scrambling to recover on Brunson, who saw vacant space, jump-stopped to collect himself and rattled home a 25-foot long ball over Martin’s desperate, flailing right arm.

The bucket gave the Knicks a 99-96 advantage, one they’d never relinquish after a 44-minute seesaw affair and enabled them to knot the second-round duel at 1-1. Despite Miami eventually dispatching New York 4-2, Brunson was the series’ best player. As the Knicks saw their season end in Game 6, Brunson was otherworldly with 41 points on 79 percent true shooting. Across those six outings, he averaged 31 points (63.2 percent true shooting), 6.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals. Four times, he scored at least 30 points, including 111 (37 per game) over the final three contests.

A metronome of consistency all regular season for his fifth-seeded club, Brunson remained as much in the playoffs and entrenched himself as a full-fledged star. In 11 postseason appearances, he never scored fewer than 20 points, dipped below 25 just four times and scored 27 or more six times. Not only did he establish a lofty ceiling with 30-point explosions, his basement provided a bankable floor as well, wrapping up his first playoff experience as the primary option with averages of 27.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.

During the regular season, the Villanova product generated 33.9 points per 100 possessions on 59.7 percent true shooting (plus-1.6 relative true shooting). During the playoffs, he generated 36.1 points per 100 possessions on 58.9 percent true shooting (plus-2.3 relative true shooting). At 6’1, he’s proven himself among the rare crop of small guards who don’t see their flame dampened come the playoffs, notching considerable jumps in scoring output from his regular season numbers each of the past two seasons.

The keystone of Brunson’s scoring profile is his midrange comfort and effectiveness. His blend of strength, herky-jerky guile, and balance enable him to maneuver as he intends through the intermediate regions of the court. Star playoff guards must see the midrange as a viable area to operate. They don’t necessarily have to convert or attempt tons of shots there, but they must impose themselves as a threat to the defense and ride a gear between 60 and zero.

Jamal Murray thrived en route to a title partly because of this in the spring. Stephen Curry’s diversified himself the past half-decade by becoming a midrange maven. Damian Lillard, James Harden, and Trae Young’s playoff numbers have been a bit sporadic in part because they don’t necessarily consider themselves at home there. Brunson certainly is, however, adept with floaters, turnarounds, backdowns, and swift pull-ups. It’s a major component of his sustained postseason potency. He’s stable, sturdy, and multifaceted.

This year, he knocked down 58 percent of his midrange jumpers in the playoffs (81st percentile), and was especially prolific with his runner and other looks below the free-throw line (58 percent between 4 and 14 feet, 81st percentile). With the likes of Bam Adebayo, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen employing drop coverage or lurking off of Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein in the dunker spot, Brunson’s propensity to thrive in the paint beyond layups was a vital counter that mitigated a bit of New York’s spacing woes.

Contrast that to his teammate Julius Randle, who’s struggled in two playoff cameos with the Knicks, and their disparity in navigating crowds amid the paint is jarring. Brunson’s a master at playing slowly without coming to a full stop. Where he extinguishes his dribble is not where he must shoot from, hop-scotching and pivoting into openings around defenders for field goals within his wheelhouse. That trait treats him well.

Miami, though, sought to close down his space there, bringing aggressive nail help, toggling different assignments on him who could either approximate his muscle and/or overwhelm him with length and range. Whereas 57.3 percent of his field goals were from midrange in round one, only 47.2 percent were in round two.

Brunson’s response to that strategy indicates he has another caliber to reach in the coming seasons as he continues his prime, set to turn 27 at the end of next month. He absorbed the Heat’s decision in stride and still carved up their cohesive, malleable, boogeyman defense. Against Miami, 38.6 percent of his shots were threes (26.2 percent against the Cleveland Cavaliers) and he buried 34.7 percent of them, including 36.4 percent (12 of 33) off the bounce.

As the Heat shrunk his room to dance in the midrange, stationed help inside to clog driving lanes and ducked under or sagged off high ball screens, he increasingly pursued quick trigger triples, stepback bombs, and decisive moves, a contrast to his deliberate, interior-inclined ethos. While he didn’t yield quite the same long range volume against Cleveland, he nonetheless utilized similar counters and his midrange gravity to hunt quality shots that didn’t always necessitate peeking through the maze of swarming limbs.

Some of the stuff he tried was not regularly on display as recently as a year ago. The audacity for a guy who had more than 80 percent of his threes assisted his first four seasons is mesmerizing. This is real time adaptation and development.

Over his final two games of the playoffs, he hoisted 10 threes both times, a feat he only logged twice in the regular season, which happened to be his two highest-scoring games of the year (48 and 44 points). Prior to that, he’d done it once in his career, scoring 41 against the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of the first round while Luka Doncic was sidelined a year ago. So, Brunson has launched at least 10 threes in a game five times throughout his career and is averaging 42.4 points when he does. The 50 percent clip (26 of 52) is clearly an outlier propping up the scoring, but Brunson embracing the long ball surely seems like a beneficial shift.

Nearly 25 percent of his shots in the playoffs were pull-up threes and he buried 33 percent of them. During the regular season, 16.1 percent of his shots were pull-up threes and he buried 38 percent of them. Those are the two highest marks of his NBA career among five regular seasons and three postseason runs.

Prior to that, he’d never eclipsed 12.1 percent and that happened when he was logging 7.7 shots per game as a rookie. There feels like a pathway to quite the efficient scoring campaign, even better than 2022-23 (plus-1.6 percent relative true shooting, 26 percent of field goals assisted), if Brunson maintains his growth from deep and finds a middle ground between the efficiency of the regular season and the volume of the playoffs.

I also wonder if other well-suited defenses try to emulate Miami’s tactic. Bombard his midrange touches to exploit New York’s middling floor-spacing and Brunson’s undersized frame prohibiting him from populating specific passing windows that taller initiators can, namely lobs and cross-court skips. If that occurs, Brunson might have to again entertain expanding his three-point rate. It could be a moment when preparation meets opportunity.

The relationship of these roster limitations was evident in the second round. The Heat ignored various spot-up release valves, both because they didn’t invoke steady fear as shooters and because Brunson wasn’t always able to deliver reads at his size. This isn’t a criticism of his playoff showing so much as it’s something New York should price into its team building around him.

He is a very, very good player, but he is not perfect. And that is OK. Prioritizing a high-level passer as his co-star is a prudent, necessary complement. Brunson can assume the foremost scoring load, though his passing should not be relied upon as a primary option. Ensuring it won’t be moving forward as the Knicks aim to take further steps forward is vital.

There are a mere handful of point guards better molded for the playoffs than Brunson. He’s loudly declared that the past two years and his statement was particularly emphatic this season. His 2022-23 performance doesn’t have to be the precipice, though. There’s another level for him to ascend, a sentiment borne precisely from his radiant playoff exhibition. Those 11 games are his roadmap to the next level, one that could see a near-All-Star berth replaced by All-NBA nods and a rise further up the ranks of the league.

In a video shared not long before her death, Sinéad O’Connor said she was writing new music. It turns out she had been writing music, to the point where she had an album almost ready to go.

Kathryn Ferguson, who directed the 2022 O’Connor documentary Nothing Compares, spoke about O’Connor with Variety and said, “For me, what’s really sad is that she did have an album that was nearly finished with Northern Irish composer and musician David Holmes. A few people I know who’ve heard it said it was astounding, and I was so looking forward to that being released and people responding to her music again. I really hope that that will come out at some point.”

O’Connor indicated this herself in a tweet from July 8, writing, “Hi All, recently moved back to London after 23 years absence. Very happy to be home : ) Soon finishing my album. Release early next year : ) Hopefully Touring Australia and New Zealand toward end 2024. Europe, USA and other territories beginning early 2025 : ) #TheB*tchIsBack.”

As for whether this album will see the light of day, that remains uncertain. However, in a 2021 interview with People, O’Connor spoke about her music and making sure her family was taken care of in the event of her death, saying, “See, when the artists are dead, they’re much more valuable than when they’re alive. Tupac has released way more albums since he died than he ever did alive, so it’s kind of gross what record companies do. That’s why I’ve always instructed my children since they were very small, ‘If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don’t start releasing my records and not telling you where the money is.’”

Quavo has been open about his grief for his nephew and fellow Migos member Takeoff who tragically died last year. He mourned Takeoff on his moving song “Letter To Takeoff” in January. He shared a tribute to Takeoff last month on what would’ve been his 29th birthday.

On his YouTube channel, Quavo has made himself more vulnerable with a new video talking with Jamie Crawford-Walker. It’s titled “A Conversation For The Fans. #RocketPower,” the hashtag referencing his forthcoming album of the same title. In the video, he said that he plans to preserve unreleased music from Takeoff for a posthumous album, which amounts to 1,000 verses.

“I just feel my boy’s energy. He got his chair over there, he just be kickin’ it,” he said about Takeoff. “I always kick it with him. People don’t understand, but I be there. I be there in the house making sure all his stuff is straight, all his jewelry is clean. Still taking care of all his cars and all of that.”

“Just being fueled by my brother, Take,” he said about the album title Rocket Power, “and bottling in all these emotions — all the pain, all the hard times, all the times I cried and all the times I just made music to pull up and try to play songs and he’s not there. I’m just trying to get this fuel from above and this fuel from the sky and call it ‘rocket power.’”

Watch the video above.

Sam Smith might not be here to make friends, or so they proclaimed in the title of their previously released single. But Smith is down to strengthen their relationship with their existing compadres. As a result, fans are treated to the reunion of Calvin Harris and Smith. On their latest joint single, “Desire,” the musicians cooked up another classic for the dance floor.

As Smith sensually sings, “I want you to hold me / Don’t let me go / Be the one and only / Take all control / Stay with me forever / At least for the night / Even when you leave me / Lead me to the light,” Harris’ Grammy-nominated production skills take it the next level. Usually, desperation isn’t a beautiful accessory, but when soundtracked by Harris, it can be.

“Desire” is yet another irresistible record by the pair suited for every summer party playlist. Harris and Smith’s last collaboration brought forth “Promises” in 2018. The platinum-certified song stuck around for several steamy summers after, and “Desire” is gearing up to do the same.

First, Harris reconnected with former collaborator Ellie Goulding on “Miracle.” Now, he’s linked with Smith for “Desire.” Harris is clearly on the road to collecting all the pop music infinity stones for his next album.

Listen to “Desire” above.