Category: News

When the Lakers shocked the NBA world on Saturday night by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Mavs for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and their 2029 first round pick, one of the first basketball questions people had after the initial shock wore off was what would the Lakers do to fill a major hole at center after trading away Davis.

In Doncic’s introductory presser, Rob Pelinka said he didn’t expect to make an all-in move with the rest of the Lakers draft assets, and most anticipated a stop-gap veteran center to end up in L.A. Steven Adams and others were connected to Lakers interest, but late Wednesday night the Lakers pulled off another surprising trade to bring Mark Williams in as their center of the future from the Hornets for most all of their remaining tradable assets, per Shams Charania.

Lakers get: Mark Williams
Hornets get: Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, LAL 2031 unprotected first round pick, LAL 2030 first round pick swap rights

It is pretty wild that, even factoring how good Anthony Davis is, the Lakers gave up more in the way of draft assets in a deal for Mark Williams than they did for Luka Doncic. The Lakers desperation for a center likely played a role in them getting squeezed a bit, but it was surprising to see how much they gave up for Williams. To be clear, Williams could be a phenomenal fit with Doncic and LeBron James, as he is a terrific defender at the rim and a very good pick-and-roll lob threat. I imagine the Lakers envision him serving in a similar role to Dereck Lively II in Dallas, who immediately became one of Doncic’s favorite teammates upon being drafted.

The problem with Williams is not what he can do when he’s on the court, it’s how little he’s been able to stay on it. He has played in just 84 games in his 2.5 seasons in the league. This season he has only appeared in 22 games for the Hornets due to a foot injury, but when he’s been on the court of late he has been very impactful. On the season he is averaging 16.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and if he can stay on the floor, it’s easy to see how this could work well. The Lakers are banking a lot on his health, trading most of their best assets to Charlotte in this deal.

For the Hornets, this is good asset management as they certainly liked and believed in Williams, but the aforementioned injury concerns meant they had to be willing to listen to an offer of this magnitude. Getting an unprotected pick, even if highly unlikely to be a high one, is good work (same with the pick swap) but they also get a young wing in Knecht who will give them a pretty potent offensive trio alongside Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball next season. With Miller out for the year, Knecht should get plenty of reps as a leading option to end this season in Charlotte which should be good for his development.

With Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox, and Zach LaVine all getting traded early on deadline week, as Thursday approached, one of the last remaining known stars looking for a trade was Brandon Ingram. The former All-Star wing hasn’t played since December 7 due to an ankle injury, but has been on the trade block for more than a year as he is seeking a long-term extension at or near max money, which the Pelicans have not been willing to give him.

Entering Wednesday, there were two teams creating buzz with talks on Ingram, as the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks had both discussed deals with the Pelicans. Late Wednesday night, Chris Haynes reported the Raptors were in “advanced discussions” on an Ingram trade, with Bruce Brown assuredly part of the deal as a large expiring contract. Just before midnight, Shams Charania broke the news of the full trade having been agreed upon, with Brown and Kelly Olynyk going to New Orleans along with draft compensation (with the pick details coming from Jake Fischer).

Raptors get: Brandon Ingram
Pelicans get: Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, 2026 first round pick via IND, and a second round pick

Unlike what LaVine did in Chicago, Ingram was not able to boost his trade value with a strong first half of the season, but the Pelicans still managed to get some draft assets and didn’t have to take on any long-term money in return. Opting for expiring deals allowed them to get some picks and will give them a chance to reset some this summer as they figure to do some serious evaluation of who is going to be part of their foundation going forward. They also will probably explore options to move Brown and Olynyk in separate moves (or adding other teams to this deal) to try and add more assets.

For the Raptors, they add a scoring wing alongside Scottie Barnes and make it clear that they do not plan on going through a full-scale rebuild in Toronto. Ingram is eligible to be extended immediately for up to three years and 120% of his current salary (just over $36 million), and if the Raptors are giving up real draft assets in the deal, one figures they plan on signing him to a new deal.

A titan of the hip-hop community and one of the genre’s greatest pioneers, Irv Gotti, has died at age 54, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death has not yet been announced, but THR noted that the music impresario had suffered a stroke last year.

Born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., Irv Gotti is most widely known for founding Murder Inc. Records, which fostered the careers of artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti. Lesser known, but just as important, was his role in stumping for rap legends like Jay-Z and DMX early in their careers (the label took its name from an unrealized group project featuring DMX, Ja Rule, and Jay-Z). He brought all three rappers to Def Jam Records, leading to the pioneering label’s resurgence in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Gotti was a hit producer who contributed to platinum songs like “Always On Time,” “I’m Real,” and “Ain’t It Funny” by Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez, and “Foolish,” “Rain on Me” and “Mesmerize” by Ashanti. At the height of Murder Inc.’s dominance, the label’s success was derailed by an FBI investigation into Gotti’s connection with Queens drug lord Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff.

More recently, he produced television series like BET’s Tales, an anthology show in which each episode was inspired by a hit hip-hop song (examples include Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” and The Roots’ “You Got Me”). He was also working on a DMX biopic. In a statement, former Def Jam CEO and Global Head of Music at YouTube Lyor Cohen, who presided over Gotti’s time at the label, said, Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop. When we were on bended knee, he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv, you will be missed.”

While the NBA world is buzzing from three blockbuster trades happening this week — with Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, and Jimmy Butler all changing teams — there are still games going on every night, which is part of what makes NBA deadline week so fascinating.

In Detroit, the Cavaliers were facing the Pistons in a game without any major trade buzz around either team in a matchup of the East’s best team and the East’s biggest surprise playoff contender. The game was tight throughout and looked to be heading for overtime when Cade Cunningham knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game with five seconds to play and the Cavs without any timeouts. Darius Garland, however, had other ideas.

The in-and-out dribble at midcourt to create the space to even get a shot off is filthy, and Garland rises up from the Pistons logo and buried a game-winner at the buzzer. Garland finished the night with 25 points and five assists in a game where he and Evan Mobley (30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists) carried the load with Donovan Mitchell sitting out with a shoulder contusion. On the other side, Cunningham was spectacular with 38 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but the Pistons came up just short of a win against the league-leading Cavs.

The Chicago Bulls were known to be sellers coming into the 2025 NBA trade deadline and began that work over the weekend by trading Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings as part of the three-team trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs.

The question that remained for the Bulls was who else they’d look to move off of in an effort to continue gathering future assets. Nikola Vucevic is their best remaining veteran and figures to be on the move before Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, but they also have some younger players that could command a first rounder in return and also had a decision to make on Lonzo Ball, who can be a free agent this summer.

After listening to offers on the veteran guard, the Bulls chose a different option and signed Ball to a two-year, $20 million extension, per Shams Charania. The second year of the deal is a team option, per K.C. Johnson of CHSN. Ball has had a solid 2024-25 campaign to this point, averaging 7.2 points, 3.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in 30 appearances for the Bulls. In a vacuum, those numbers don’t stand out, but given Ball missed more than two full seasons with a knee injury that created genuine concern he may never play again, they are fairly remarkable as he knocks off rust.

The extension makes plenty of sense on both sides. Given his injury history, Ball seeking out some financial stability is more than understandable. For the Bulls, they keep a respected veteran on the roster as they shift their attention towards a youth movement, and no matter his play on the court, the Bulls clearly value what Ball brings to their locker room. If Ball continues to work his way back into his previous form, that contract will be quite a value and anything you’d get for him now (and probably more) would be available in a year or two.

Jimmy Butler is now a member of the Golden State Warriors, and he will not just be half-year rental. As part of the 5-team trade that saw the Jazz, Pistons, and Raptors all got involved to make the financials work between the Warriors and Heat, the Warriors got Butler to put pen to paper on a 2-year, $121 million extension, per Shams Charania, that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2026-27 season.

Butler will decline his player option for next year as part of the new agreement, meaning his new money will kick in next season. It’s a substantial amount of money for Butler, who will make just north of $60 million per season, but the Warriors avoid some risk by not extending him for the long-term deal he was initially seeking with the Heat. It is a fascinating contract but certainly signals the Warriors are going to commit their resources to one more run with Stephen Curry.

What will be more interesting is what Golden State does this summer after making this move and committing that much money to Butler. They’ve signaled more of a willingness to move some of their youngsters — particularly in their failed pursuit of Kevin Durant — but the formerly untouchable Jonathan Kuminga is going to be a restricted free agent this summer and the Warriors will have to figure out how, exactly, to navigate negotiations with him. They traded away this year’s draft pick in the Butler deal, so any additions to the roster will need to come via trades and free agency, and they’ll see how Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green work together over the next few months before figuring out exactly what they need to maximize the two years to come.

Jimmy Butler‘s time as a member of the Miami Heat has come to an end. Butler, the veteran wing whose relationship with the team had turned sour over recent months, received the move that he’s coveted ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday afternoon, as the Heat decided to send him to the Golden State Warriors.

According to Shams Charania, Golden State will send Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, and Kyle Anderson to the Heat along with a first round pick — after pivoting from a pursuit of Kevin Durant earlier in the week. The Pistons joined the deal as a third team to take on salary, per Charania, as they entered Wednesday as the only team in the NBA below the salary cap number. They were not alone, though, as the deal got expanded to five teams, including the Utah Jazz, per Charania, Jake Fischer, and Chris Haynes.

The Raptors’ initial inclusion in the deal fell apart and, for the moment, no one is quite sure exactly where Kyle Anderson is going, per Fischer and Charania.

Warriors get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Andrew Wiggins, PJ Tucker, and a 2025 top-10 protected first round pick via GSW
Pistons get: Lindy Waters and Josh Richardson
Jazz get: Dennis Schroder
Someone gets: Kyle Anderson

Butler joined the Heat via a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, and has had some of the most productive and successful years of his career in Miami. He led the team to a pair of NBA Finals berths, although the team has not been able to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy with Butler at the helm.

That last thing was brought up by Pat Riley at his end of season press conference last year, which laid the groundwork for the ongoing tension between the franchise and Butler, who is eligible for a contract extension this summer but never seemed like he was going to get one from his current employer. It has led to a prolonged trade saga, one in which Butler has made clear that he wants a change in scenery and the Heat have suspended him on multiple occasion.

Now, he’ll head to the Warriors who have been desperately searching for a second star to pair with Stephen Curry. Butler initially said he would likely to decline his player option this summer and hit the free agent market, but with few teams capable of paying him without it being a sign-and-trade, the Warriors were also able to negotiate a two-year, $121 million extension with Butler, per Charania. That extension will kick in next season as Butler is declining his player option for the new deal.

The Heat wanted to avoid taking on any long-term salary in the trade, which is why the Warriors couldn’t really get involved until Wednesday when Dennis Schroder became eligible to be aggregated with other players in a trade. Wiggins has one more year on his deal before a player option and Tucker is on an expiring (and is familiar with the Heat). They also move off of Richardson’s contract by sending him to Detroit, which negates some of the incoming money as well. The Heat also got a real first round pick, as the Warriors right now are expected to land outside the top 10 of the lottery, for this year to continue injecting some youth into their roster.

Over the past few years, K-pop has emerged as a force in music, with the genre’s artists taking over the Billboard charts and forming timely collaborations with established stars Stateside. The East-meets-West fusion will deepen with the premiere of Apple TV’s new series KPOPPED, a song battle show which pairs stars from both continents to remix their fan-favorite hits.

Executive produced by Lionel Richie and Miky Lee, the show will be hosted by Megan Thee Stallion and “Gangnam Style” rapper Psy. Set in Seoul, each episode will pair a different Western recording artist with a K-pop idol to remix, then perform tracks before a live audience in a competition to see whose “K-popped” song comes out on top.

Megan Thee Stallion is an excellent choice to co-host, as her experience with K-pop is more extensive than most. She was one of the first American rappers to acknowledge the genre, teaming up with BTS in 2021 to remix their hit “Butter.” More recently, she reconnected with BTS rapper RM for “Neva Play” from Megan: Volume 2, and followed up with the TWICE collaboration, “Strategy.”

Meanwhile, Psy also makes for a compelling pick, as his 2012 hit “Gangnam Style” was one of the first-ever K-pop hits to cross over in the US. Its viral success led to the opening of a new market in North America, becoming the most viewed video on YouTube for a time and sparking a number of parodies, remixes, and reaction videos.

The premiere date and performers for KPOPPED will be announced soon.

Melissa Roxburgh’s time with NBC thus far included a controversial cancellation of Manifest, which was a bonkers, nonsensical series but nonetheless wildly appealing, to the point where viewers campaigned for resurrection. That prayer came true at Netflix, ever so briefly, so clearly, there’s an appetite for leaning into objectively not-great shows that qualify as escapism. NBC knows that specific type well in the sci-fi genre, as evidenced also by La Brea, among other shows that could be a discussion for another day.

Roxburgh’s latest show (although not sci-fi but a crime procedural) qualifies in that category, at least after the season premiere. The show currently holds a 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and the late Roger Ebert’s website labelled it as “one of the most insulting network shows in years.” Some of the user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, however, indicate differently, so people are certainly tuning in for more. Or trying to do so.

When Will The Next Episode Of NBC’s The Hunting Party Air?

Monday, February 10. The absence of an episode this week was due to NBC pushing up the series premiere to January 19. As a result, it only feels like the second episode is on a multi-week delay, but The Hunting Party is simply reverting back to its original schedule. If you haven’t yet caught the series and are looking for a The Manifest-level of “wtf,” NBC provided a synopsis:

The Hunting Party is a high-concept crime procedural about a small team of investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers our country has ever seen, all of whom have just escaped from a top-secret prison that’s not supposed to exist, only known as “The Pit.”

The Hunting Party also streams new episodes on Peacock.

It’s not often that a trade happens in the NBA that everyone has thoughts on and everyone is talking about. Even when stars get traded, if it’s as part of a request or has a lot of smoke around it, other stars around the league aren’t asked about it constantly and they definitely don’t bring it up on their own.

The Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis was one of those rare deals, and we’ve seen stars, coaches, and executives from all over speak on the move that has sent shockwaves across the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards all spoke at length about their reaction to the deal and what it means that a 25-year-old superstar still yet to enter his prime could get traded away suddenly in the middle of the night with no notice.

Edwards, in particular, was stunned and was thinking about it so much that he posted some extended thoughts to his Instagram page on Wednesday. The Wolves’ All-Star guard still is in disbelief, particularly having just lost to Luka and the Mavs in the Western Conference Finals and seeing how he led that team, and also thinks the Mavs just created an even bigger problem for the rest of the league with the spin they’ve put on it talking about his conditioning. The best part is at the end when Edwards says he wants to buy courtside seats to watch Doncic’s first game back in Dallas,

“Man it’s crazy. He just took them to the Finals,” Edwards said. “He beat me and took his team to the Finals. I’d just feel so tried, that like, if they say I couldn’t do this I’d go [do it]. You know what I’m sayin? Whatever they sayin about me, I’ma change the whole storyline. The whole campaign, it’s gonna be my campaign. He just took y’all to the Finals. Hell yeah [the created a monster]. If the respect that I got for him is where I think it is, yeah they created a monster. Hell yeah. And I’m excited to play the Lakers now, cause they created a monster, boy. Man, what? He was gettin 35 like it ain’t nothin. Now like, they finna make him drop to 240 and all type of sh*t. Like he gon’ be in shape. Dunkin sh*t.

“I’m excited to see the first time the Lakers play Dallas the first time they play in Dallas. I’m super excited to see that. Oh my god. It’s in a few weeks? If we not playin I’m buyin front row tickets to that b*tch. Hey, for real.”

Edwards is one of the funniest personalities in the NBA and I really hope he actually makes it to Dallas on April 9 when the Lakers make the trip and is sitting courtside with a bucket of popcorn. The Timberwolves travel schedule makes this a very real possibility, as they’re in Milwaukee on April 8 and Memphis (which is a very short flight from Dallas) on April 10.