Basketball Intelligence For 2/5/25
Brooklyn beats Houston as the Rockets continue to descend, the Bulls gore Heat in Chicago, Sixers stay in the mix with a defeat of AD-less Mavs, and more...
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
Mark Jones discusses importance of historic all-Black NBA game broadcast
Marc J. Spears, Andscape
LEAGUE NEWS
PODCAST: DALLAS DID WHAT NOW?!?!?! (ALL THINGS TRADE SPECIAL)
Aaron Bollwinkel/Evan Kuck, No Gimmes
The Kevin Durant Trade Latest
Marc Stein, The Stein Line
Terry Rozier Doesn’t Fit the Usual Profile of Sports Betting Scandals
Neil Paine, Neil’s Substack
However, if this does end up turning into another Jontay Porter-style situation, it would add a totally new dimension to the growing history of recent player betting scandals.
Porter was symbolic of a common theme that ran across almost all of the players who’d been suspended or otherwise implicated in gambling scandals since the Supreme Court paved the way for expanded legal sports betting in 2018: He was not very good. Through last season, Porter had a career Estimated RAPTOR of -1.2 and produced 0.3 career Wins Above Replacement in 37 career NBA games that were sandwiched around yearslong stints in the G-League. He’d only made $2.4 million in his career, a relatively paltry sum in a league where the average player makes roughly $12 million.
What to watch this week in the NBA: All eyes on Spurs, Lakers, Mavs and Kings after trades
Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic
NBA News and Rumor Roundup 2/5/2025
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops
PODCAST: HoS: Wosny Lambre on Luka Dončić Trade
Ethan Strauss, House Of Strauss
NBA trade deadline 2025: Four Butler deals to shake up the league
NBA Insiders, ESPN
Latest on Kevin Durant landscape as NBA trade deadline nears
Sam Amick/David Aldridge/Anthony Slater, The Athletic
NBA Trade Board: Kevin Durant No. 1; Julius Randle, Marcus Smart join the fray
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic
NBA Power Rankings: Grizzlies rise, Rockets fall and a trade candidate for every team
Law Murray, The Athletic
When is the NBA Trade Deadline? Day, time and rules for NBA teams
Quinn Everts, Fansided
Charles Barkley says he won’t join NBC or Amazon for NBA broadcasts, hopes to ‘stay with TNT and ESPN’
Jenna West, The Athletic
2025 NBA Trade Block Big Board: Ideal Landing Spots for Top 10 Targets
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
Vučević, though, is a different caliber of player. While he can step away from the basket and make a shot (1.9 threes per game on 40.1 percent shooting this season), he's a scoring threat from just about anywhere and a clever passer, to boot.
The 34-year-old wouldn't be the worst option to fill the second-scorer void alongside Stephen Curry, particularly if the Dubs are hesitant to part with their top trade chips to attack that issue.
PODCAST: The Basketball Feelings Podcast, Episode 55: Kerith Burke
Katie Hendl, Basketball Feelings
TEAM NEWS
ATL: A look at how Hawks can improve their roster at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BOS: Celtics take down first-place Cavaliers 112-105
Bird Rights, Celtics Blog
BKN: 3 Takeaways from the Brooklyn Nets’ Night of Thievery vs Houston
Collin Helwig, NetsDaily
BKN: Blame Rockets For Nets’ Tank Diversion
Steve Lichtenstein, Steve’s Newsletter
BKN: Nets Notebook: Brooklyn maintains high asking price for Cam Johnson ahead of NBA Trade deadline
C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News
CLE: Kenny Atkinson doesn’t get answer he wants, as Cavs lose to Boston Celtics for second time this season, 112-105
Chris Fedor, Cleveland.com
CLE: Cavs in pursuit of Hawks forward ahead of NBA trade deadline
Chris Fedor, Cleveland.com
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