Southeast Notes: Butler, Banchero, Coulibaly, Sarr, Wong, Miller
Jimmy Butler was in the spotlight quite a bit on Thursday, but he won’t be on the court tonight when the Heat play in Orlando. He’s listed as out due to return to competition reconditioning, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Butler is expected to rejoin the team on Friday when it prepares for Saturday’s road game against the Hawks.
Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley issued a statement on Thursday declaring that he won’t trade Butler. There has been heavy speculation regarding the future of Butler, who holds a $52.4MM option on his contract for the 2025/26 season.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Magic star Paolo Banchero continues to ramp up his on-court work, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Banchero has been sidelined eight weeks since he was diagnosed with a torn right abdominal muscle. However, he still hasn’t gone through a contact practice, so his timeline to return remains unclear.
- Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr are available to play for the Wizards tonight against Charlotte, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post tweets. Both players sat out Monday’s loss to the Thunder.
- 2023 second-rounder Isaiah Wong is averaging 7.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in seven December games. Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer explores whether the Hornets may have found a diamond in the rough in Wong, who was signed to a two-way deal earlier this month.
- Hornets forward Brandon Miller is back in action tonight after missing the last three games due to an ankle injury, Boone tweets.
Pacific Notes: Carter, Davis, Reaves, Schröder
Lottery pick Devin Carter appears to be nearing his season debut for the Kings.
Sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento that Carter, who underwent surgery in July to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, has been cleared for “unrestricted basketball activity.” The team confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).
The former Providence star is expected to be assigned soon to Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton to participate in live play, Cunningham reports.
The Kings announced in November that Carter had been cleared for unrestricted shooting. When he underwent surgery, Carter was given a return timeline of six months, and he seems to be right on track in his recovery process.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Anthony Davis tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN he’s confident the left ankle sprain he experienced on Wednesday won’t keep him out for the Lakers‘ next matchup (Twitter link). “I’ll be OK. I am playing against SAC on Saturday,” Davis said. The star big man missed most of yesterday’s game with the injury.
- Austin Reaves says he’s “not really an emotional person” but he nearly teared up after notching a 26-point triple-double and making a game-winning layup in the Lakers‘ Christmas victory over Golden State, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “I know all my people back home are locked in and sitting around with family watching the game and that means a lot to me. I say it all the time, I’m not necessarily supposed to be in this position,” said Reaves, who went undrafted in 2021 and wasn’t heavily recruited coming out of high school. “I got lucky, got my foot in the door and took advantage of an opportunity. And now I’m sitting here … on Christmas with a game-winner and a triple-double, and really the win that matters the most to me.”
- Veteran guard Dennis Schröder is still adjusting to his new role after being traded to the Warriors less than two weeks ago, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. An impending free agent, Schröder has struggled in his first four games with Golden State after putting up some of the best numbers of his career this season with Brooklyn. He says he doesn’t mind switching teams so many times over the past several years. “Twelve years in, I don’t really care no more,” Schröder said. “As long as I’m somewhere where I’m wanted and people appreciate me, and that is what I’ve had so far from the coaches. Steve Kerr is one of the best coaches. For him to believe in me like that, everybody in the organization telling me, ‘You kicked our ass the last couple of years.’ Of course, that is great. If I can stick here, cool. But if not, then I will move on to next city and organization. I don’t really mind. There are 400 people out of eight billion who play in the NBA. I don’t take those moments for granted. I can play 25, 30, 35 minutes every night. I don’t care what nobody has to say. You played on eight teams. That’s fine. I’m really blessed. I have more money to spend and help my family.”
Northwest Notes: Billups, Randle, Gordon, Murray, Caruso
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups will miss the next two games — on Thursday and Saturday against Utah and Dallas, respectively — due to the recent passing of his grandmother, Portland announced in a press release (via Twitter).
According to the team, assistant Nate Bjorkgren will serve as acting head coach in Billups’ stead. Bjorkgren has previous head coaching experience with Indiana, though his stint was short-lived.
Our condolences go out to Billups’ family and friends.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- Following the Timberwolves‘ victory over Dallas on Wednesday, power forward Julius Randle said he’s still getting used to acting as more of a facilitator after spending several years in New York being “wired to score,” according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “That’s really been the biggest change. You’re somewhere for five years, playing a certain way and I come here and it’s a little bit different,” said Randle, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his $30.94MM player option for 2025/26. “I love my role here. I love playing with my teammates, but finding what helps the team and what the team needs the most on a night-to-night basis has been the harder part, but everybody has been great with me, coaches included, helping me adjust and figuring things out.”
- The Nuggets are dealing with lingering injuries to Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. In the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss in Phoenix, Gordon aggravated a calf strain which already caused him to miss 10 games in 2024/25. “Thats the unfortunate thing — and the Suns have gone through this themselves — with those soft tissue injuries, is they linger. They hang around. They hang around,” Malone said of Gordon. “And you make one explosive move and you feel it. And I could tell in that third quarter, he goes, ‘I feel like it’s about to, like, really have a bad strain.’ So that was the decision at that point in time. Take him out, get him checked and shut him down for the night to hopefully avoid something a lot more sinister and severe.” Murray, meanwhile, revealed a couple weeks ago that he’s been dealing with plantar fasciitis for “years” and has also battled hamstring and ankle injuries this season, the latter causing him to miss Monday’s game. Denver’s starting point guard suggested he wasn’t fully healthy during yesterday’s game, per Durando.
- Thunder defensive stalwart Alex Caruso has been ruled out of Thursday’s game vs. Indiana due to a left hip strain, as Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated relays. According to Stiles, Caruso exited Monday’s contest early when he dove for a loose ball and appeared to land on his hip. Caruso, who recently signed a four-year, $81.1MM extension, will miss his ninth game of the season Thursday, largely due to issues with his left hip, Stiles notes.
Pat Riley Announces Heat Aren’t Trading Jimmy Butler
In an unusual move, Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley has made a public statement saying Miami isn’t trading Jimmy Butler (Twitter link).
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Riley said.
Riley’s statement comes on the heels of ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting on Wednesday that Butler preferred a trade out of Miami, though he has not formally requested to be dealt, which was confirmed by multiple local reporters.
Neither Butler nor the Heat have denied that the star forward is unhappy with his contract situation, however, and Riley did not address that in his statement. That may be a moot point, since there’s no indication Butler has caused any friction behind the scenes, and he still has at least this season left on his contract, with a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26. But Butler did force his way out of Minnesota six years ago.
Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald followed up on Charania’s report by adding additional details, including that Butler would play out the season with Miami if that’s what the team decides, but would be fine with a change of scenery as well. Time will tell if Butler changes his mind on that stance.
Responding to the rumors prior to Riley’s announcement, head coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear the Heat want to keep Butler around.
“We want Jimmy here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Spoelstra said as part of a larger quote. “And it’s just unfortunate that you have to control or deal with a lot of the noise on the outside.”
Reporting in the wake of Miami’s elimination from the 2024 playoffs indicated that Butler would be seeking a maximum-salary extension during the offseason. Asked about that possibility during his end-of-season press conference in the spring, Riley expressed reluctance to make that sort of financial investment in a player “unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” a reference to Butler’s injury issues in recent seasons.
Butler subsequently decided to remain with the Heat without an extension rather than pushing for an offseason trade. However, he has been unhappy about not being extended, according to The Miami Herald, which reported that Butler’s relationship with the Heat has become “somewhat strained.”
Marc Stein and others have reported that the Heat believe they’d be in a good position with Butler next summer, since the rebuilding Nets are the only team projected to have maximum-salary cap room. Jackson reiterated that point yesterday and again this morning, suggesting that Miami would be perfectly fine with — and even prefers — parting with Butler in a possible sign-and-trade in the offseason, even if it doesn’t return much value (Twitter links). That would only be possible if Butler declines his player option, which he still intends to do, according to Jackson.
Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals in two of his first five seasons in Miami, and was a missed three-pointer away from making a third trip. The Heat lost on each occasion (to the Lakers and Nuggets, respectively).
A five-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defensive team member, Butler has been a highly effective two-way star for Miami when healthy. However, he will be 36 before the start of next season, and he has dealt with injuries throughout his 14-year career, only twice exceeding 70 games played in a regular season.
Of course, it’s always possible that the Heat could be trying to put a public rest to the recent drama while still listening to offers for Butler ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. We’ll see what happens over the next six weeks.
Heat Notes: Butler, Spoelstra, Johnson, Stevens, Rozier
Although his contract situation is the leading factor (he wanted an extension and the Heat haven’t offered one), another part of the reason Jimmy Butler prefers a trade out of Miami is that he’s been hoping the team would be able to acquire more impact players, but it has been unable to do so, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link).
“Over the last three years, Jimmy Butler has wanted the Heat to go get him some help in that roster,” Charania said. “They just have not been able to land players. They’ve gone after Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving. They have not been able to land that next big fish with Jimmy Butler.
“The writing, in a lot of ways, is on the wall, for the Heat and for Jimmy Butler.”
Charania, who first reported that the Heat were willing to entertain offers for the star forward earlier this season, reiterated that Miami doesn’t feel any urgency to move Butler, which has been confirmed by multiple local reporters, including Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Head coach Erik Spoelstra responded to the latest reports on Thursday, as Chiang and Jackson relay.
“That’s just the deal,” Spoelstra said. “You have to compartmentalize in this business. We want Jimmy here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. And it’s just unfortunate that you have to control or deal with a lot of the noise on the outside. In terms of this morning, this was a pretty focused group coming off of the last game that we came [to Orlando, when the Heat blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead].”
ESPN and The Miami Herald have reported that Butler hasn’t formally requested a trade, but he’s not happy with his situation and is prepared to leave while still being professional. When asked directly if Butler has asked him to be moved, Spoelstra declined to answer.
“That’s all I’m going to talk about it,” Spoelstra said. “The more any of us talk about it, the more fuel it gets. It’s just really unfortunate that it just continues to build momentum outside of our building.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- All-Star center and team captain Bam Adebayo also addressed the Butler rumors, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “You go out there and you win games,” Adebayo said. “That’s how you keep the distractions out. You go out there and win games, do it together. Like I said, they’ll handle everything behind closed doors. Obviously, you have the business side of it. So at the end of the day, we’re all a family, we’re all in a brotherhood. So we’ll worry about the basketball games that we have to play.”
- Dru Smith, who is on a two-way contract, was on track to be promoted to a standard deal before sustaining a torn left Achilles tendon, which will sideline him for the remainder of the season. In the wake of the devastating news, the Heat instead converted rookie forward Keshad Johnson‘s two-way contract into a standard deal. Johnson’s two-way spot was filled by Isaiah Stevens, with both signings officially completed today. “It’s well earned, we’re really happy for them,” Spoelstra said of Johnson and Stevens, per The Herald. “We congratulate them on that.”
- Will Terry Rozier be able to step up in Smith’s absence? Winderman ponders that question in a subscriber-only mailbag.
Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Tatum, Porzingis, Springer
The Celtics still may have the best roster in the league, but they haven’t looked like the defending champions for the past two weeks, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boston is 3-4 in its last seven games, including losses against the sub-.500 Bulls and the short-handed Magic. Coach Joe Mazzulla was candid about his team’s recent play after falling to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“We’re playing inconsistent basketball, so we’ve got to be better at both ends of the floor,” he said. “Got to be more consistent at both ends of the floor.”
The Celtics are second in the East and third in the NBA with a 22-8 record, but Robb notes that their schedule is about to get much more challenging. There are limited off days and a few back-to-backs coming up over the next three weeks, which could be taxing for a veteran roster and provides little opportunity for practice time.
“We’ve got to be better,” Jayson Tatum said. “It’s still a long season. Nobody’s panicking. We’ve got to navigate the emotional roller coaster of the NBA season. It feels a lot worse than it actually is. We’re not panicking or anything. We’ve just got to man up and look in the mirror and figure out some things that we’ve got to do better at. Everybody’s fully capable, and we’ve always done a really good job of responding, and I have no doubt that we will. So I’m not panicking, but we’ve got to be better, and we will.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Tatum provided an explanation of the illness that made him a late scratch for Monday’s game against Orlando, Robb adds in a separate story. He described it as a “a 24-hour, 48-hour bug” that began to affect him after warmups. He was still feeling some effects from the virus on Wednesday, even though he managed to post 32 points and 15 rebounds in 41 minutes. “Maybe a little fatigued, I guess, from being sick the last few days, but I’m just trying to push through it, catch my second wind, things like that,” Tatum said.
- The Celtics weren’t able to provide much information on a left ankle injury that sidelined Kristaps Porzingis for the second half of Wednesday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis seemed to tweak the ankle early in the contest, but he was able to keep playing before having his status downgraded at halftime. “I noticed that he played through it,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “I asked him how he was. He said he was okay and then he got re-evaluated at halftime. But I haven’t heard anything.” Porzingis didn’t talk to reporters, but Terada observed that he didn’t seem to have much protection on the ankle in the locker room.
- Jaden Springer hasn’t played much since the Celtics acquired him in a February trade, but the fourth-year shooting guard tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that being in Boston has been a good learning experience. “I’ve grown a lot,” Springer said. “Coming to a different organization you get to see a different way of basketball. Everyone plays a different style, so coming here you learn new things, pick up on new styles of play, and playing behind another great group of guys. (Jaylen Brown), (Tatum), Jrue (Holiday), Derrick White, (Porzingis), Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, a bunch of guys. So being able to learn from them and watch them every night, it’s been pretty big for me.”
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Maxey, Martin, Yabusele
The Sixers didn’t panic after a disastrous start to the season, and they’re starting to look like the team everyone expected when they revamped their roster over the summer, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Philadelphia continued its turnaround on Wednesday with a victory at Boston, winning for the eighth time in its past 11 games.
The team has weathered a long string of early-season injuries, with the Christmas showdown marking just the sixth game when Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have all been available. Embiid had a minor pre-game scare when he twisted his ankle while stepping on a security guard’s foot, but he was able to put up 27 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes.
“We got a high ceiling,” Embiid said. “It’s all about us putting it together. I don’t think that was close to our best basketball, but we got a pretty good chance. So it’s all about looking for some luck and staying healthy.”
Maxey also had a huge night with 33 points and 12 assists, and Bontemps notes that the Sixers did the little things well, such as beating the Celtics 13-6 in the turnover battle and making all 19 of their free throws. Philadelphia is now just one game away from the play-in tournament and 3.5 games behind Miami for sixth place and a guaranteed playoff spot.
“I think the biggest thing that we’ve really done is we’ve come together a lot more,” Maxey said. “I feel like we had a lot of new guys. I don’t know how many new people we have, like seven or something like that, and it’s difficult. You don’t know how you want to play. You don’t know what combinations go with each other. I think we’re finally figuring that out.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Caleb Martin has experienced shoulder, back and neck injuries since the season began, but this week marks the first time he’s been able to play without pain, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Martin enjoyed one of his best games of the season on Wednesday, scoring 23 points while going 7-of-9 from three-point range. “He’s much healthier now than he was two weeks ago,” coach Nick Nurse said. “The first thing he said to me was … ‘Coach I feel so much better physically.'”
- Philadelphia had success with a small-ball lineup as Guerschon Yabusele was plus-18 in 21 minutes of action, Pompey adds. Kyle Lowry (plus-20) and Reggie Jackson (plus-11) frequently played together while Maxey was resting, and the Sixers were able to frustrate Boston with a zone defense.
- The Christmas Day matchup with the Celtics was significant for Yabusele, who started his NBA career in Boston before being waived in 2019, notes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He spent five years overseas and eventually became a star with Real Madrid before an outstanding Olympics performance opened the door for another NBA opportunity. “I’ve got to be the hungriest on the court,” Yabusele said. “So just try to help the team and play with a lot of energy and a lot of force. … I understand, also, that it’s rare to have a second chance in the NBA, so when I’m out here, I just try to compete the best that I can.”
Isaiah Stevens Signs Two-Way Contract With Heat
9:49am: Stevens’ two-way deal is official, the Heat confirmed in a press release.
8:43am: The Heat will fill a two-way opening by signing Isaiah Stevens from their Sioux Falls affiliate in the G League, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The move, which had been expected along with the promotion of Keshad Johnson to the 15-man roster, was confirmed to Charania by Stevens’ agent, Matt Bollero of ProMondo Sports.
Stevens, a 24-year-old point guard, was in training camp with Miami, but was waived before the start of the season. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract in July after going undrafted following four years at Colorado State.
He will be eligible to appear in 31 games with the Heat for the remainder the season, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). That’s a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit.
Stevens is averaging 13.3 points and 10.9 assists in 17 games for the Skyforce, with a shooting line of .500/.317/.931. A three-time All-Mountain West selection, he was outstanding during Summer League as the Heat captured the championship in Las Vegas.
Miami has a December 29 deadline to add a 14th player to its roster — two weeks after trading Thomas Bryant to Indiana — so the moves with Johnson and Stevens will have to be finalized soon. Two-way player Dru Smith appeared to be in line for a promotion, but he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Monday.
Heat Promote Keshad Johnson To Standard Roster
DECEMBER 26: Johnson’s promotion is official, the Heat announced in a press release.
DECEMBER 24, 3:20pm: Johnson’s salary for the rest of the 2024/25 season will be fully guaranteed, according to Chiang, who reports (via Twitter) that the signing is expected to become official on Thursday. Stevens is expected to fill the newly opened two-way slot, Chiang confirms.
Assuming Johnson signs a minimum-salary contract, he’ll earn a rest-of-season salary of $724,883, which will also be Miami’s cap hit. However, because Johnson joined the team as a free agent, for the purposes of tax and apron calculations, the deal would count for $1,307,699 (the same as a veteran minimum contract).
DECEMBER 24, 2:57pm: The Heat intend to promote Keshad Johnson to their standard 15-man roster, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Johnson, who is currently on a two-way contract, will be converted to a two-year standard deal, according to Charania. The second year will be a team option, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Johnson signed a two-way contract with Miami after going undrafted out of Arizona this summer. He has only logged 14 total minutes across three appearances for the Heat, but has been a standout for the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
In 13 games with the Skyforce, the 6’7″ forward has averaged 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 34.9 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .549/.396/.795.
The Heat dropped to 13 players on standard contracts when they traded Thomas Bryant to the Pacers on December 15. Since teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard deals for up to two weeks at a time, the club needs to re-add a 14th man by Dec. 29.
The expectation had been that another two-way player, Dru Smith, would fill that spot, but he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Monday, scuttling that plan. Another two-way player will get the promotion instead.
The fact that Johnson is getting a two-year contract suggests the team likely isn’t adding him to the roster as a placeholder, but it’s worth noting that the Heat could give him a non-guaranteed deal and then waive him before the league-wide guarantee date of January 7 if they want to take advantage of their full-season allotment of 28 days below 14 players for financial reasons. Miami’s team salary is currently about $3.7MM below the second tax apron.
While I’d expect Johnson to get a minimum-salary contract, Miami could use the taxpayer mid-level exception to give him more than the rookie minimum. If it’s a prorated minimum contract, his cap hit will depend on when the deal is officially completed.
Johnson’s promotion will open up a two-way slot for the Heat. G League standout Isaiah Stevens is among the top candidates for that opening, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Slump, Payton, Kerr, Wiggins
The Warriors had a player-led meeting prior to their Christmas Day game with the Lakers, according to Trayce Jackson-Davis, who said that Stephen Curry was especially vocal during that meeting, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry’s message was that the Warriors’ season – which opened with 12 wins in 15 games, then saw the team drop 10 of next 13 heading into Wednesday – “can go one way or the other,” Jackson-Davis relayed.
“It’s been tough trying to find any type of momentum or consistency,” Curry explained. “You just can’t lose spirit, belief that we’re a good enough team to figure it out. Because this league is ruthless … You dig yourself a hole, like, it can be hard to pull out of. Right now we’re right in that window where we can still gain some momentum. The next however many weeks before the (All-Star) break are pivotal. Or else we’re in a situation where we’re chasing down the stretch, and nobody wants to be there.”
While Curry backed up his message with a season-high 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting, it wasn’t enough to get Golden State by Los Angeles. The Warriors tied the game in the final seconds on a Curry three-pointer, but surrendered a game-winning Austin Reaves layup on the next possession. The club is now 15-14 and just a half-game ahead of the No. 11 Spurs.
“We’re down,” head coach Steve Kerr said of his team’s morale, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Everybody’s disappointed. We’ve lost some confidence. You can feel it. We had a great vibe early in the season, and we’re going through it right now. But I love our guys, high-character guys. They care. They care about each other. I believe in them. I believe we’re going to get this thing turned around, so this is all part of the season, part of life.”
We have more on the Warriors:
- Golden State is back in action on Friday vs. the Clippers and Saturday vs. Phoenix. Curry – who has battled bilateral knee tendinitis – may sit one of the two games in that back-to-back set after playing a “hard” 36 minutes on Wednesday, Kerr told reporters after the loss. “When the knee popped up, (selective rest) was part of the conversation,” Curry said. “Still dealing with it to some (degree).” According to Slater, if Curry does miss one of this weekend’s games, it will likely be Friday’s contest in L.A.
- Warriors guard Gary Payton II exited Wednesday’s game in the third quarter with a left calf issue and headed to the locker room for the remainder of the contest. The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but Payton limped out of the arena at the end of the night, Slater reports.
- Kerr took his share of the blame for the Warriors’ struggles in recent weeks, noting that his unpredictable lineups and rotations haven’t made things any easier on his players, as Slater relays. “I’ve had a million different starting lineups. Guys are in and out of rotations. I’m well aware of that, and it’s hard as a player to not know how many minutes you’re going to get, what minutes you’re going to get,” Kerr said. “The reality is we’re searching. We’ve lost 11 of 14 games. I don’t feel like this is a roster where you say, ‘Here are our top eight guys, top nine guys.’ Our roster is really deep. We have a lot of guys who can play. Every game calls for something different. That’s the issue.”
- In a feature story for The Athletic, Marcus Thompson II and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic take an in-depth look at how Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is attempting to rediscover his joy after dealing in recent years with his father’s deteriorating health and eventual passing.