Nets Notes: Wilson, Sharpe, Watford
Nets forward Jalen Wilson has been making the most of his opportunity as a starter while Cameron Johnson rehabs a right ankle injury. His play in an expanded role suggests he could be a real piece for Brooklyn moving forward, opines Andrew Crane of The New York Post.
“What he does is something that every team can utilize,” veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell raved. “I mean, he’s a young player, but you ask the majority of the teams in the league would they want him, I’m sure they would… He’s just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of doing.”
As Crane notes, Wilson’s recent tenure as a starter could become a longer-term gig, depending on Johnson’s fate after the February 6 trade deadline.
In his three games as a starter, the Kansas product is averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals a night.
There’s more out of Brooklyn:
- Following a two-month injury absence at the start of the 2024/25 season, Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe is staying healthy and contributing in a big way, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. He’s averaging 7.8 points and 6.3 boards across his 25 healthy games so far this season. This past month, those numbers have improved to 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, in line with his elevated bench minutes. “I feel like when I first got back, I was in a hurry,” Sharpe said. “Just trying to go too fast. Not paying attention. Not really focused. I was just trying to play hard so I could play the right way. But I feel like the month of January I’ve been getting my rhythm back. So, just pacing myself and perimeter [defense]. Being able to slide, switch. I feel like I’ve been working on that a lot. I’ve got a ways to go though.” Sharpe will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
- Another young Nets frontcourt piece, forward Trendon Watford, is preparing to return to the hardwood for the first time since December 16. He has been recovering from a hamstring injury. Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez spoke on Wednesday about Watford’s anticipated comeback, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). “He’ll be on some sort of minute restriction, but it’s great to have him back,” Fernandez said. “It’s like new energy. He’s done a great job getting himself back… It’s good. I’m happy for him and he deserves it and he’ll play tonight.”
- In case you missed it, the Nets are considered a potential suitor for Kings All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, but also continue to hope for a chance to acquire Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is considered their “white whale.”
Trade Rumors: Nets, Fox, Butler, Bucks, LaVine, Lakers, Turner
The Nets have interest in Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and view him as a potential trade target, but they haven’t given up on the idea of eventually landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who describes the Bucks star as Brooklyn’s “white whale.”
A desire to preserve their most valuable trade assets for Antetokounmpo if there’s even the slightest chance that he’ll become available would complicate the Nets’ efforts to make a deal for Fox, Lewis notes. It’s also unclear whether the 2023 All-Star would have interest in signing a long-term contract in Brooklyn, though the presence of head coach Jordi Fernandez – a former Kings assistant – would presumably work in the Nets’ favor.
Brooklyn is one of many teams around the NBA with interest in Fox — Shams Charania of ESPN said during a late-night appearance on SportsCenter on Tuesday (YouTube link) that the Kings had already gotten “dozens” of calls on the star guard.
The one team consistently linked to Fox is San Antonio. Charania confirmed during his SportsCenter appearance that the Spurs are “atop (Fox’s) list of preferred destinations.”
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Checking on the Jimmy Butler situation, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) says his sources remain skeptical about the possibility of the Grizzlies acquiring the Heat forward, who reportedly doesn’t want to end up in Memphis.
- On the other hand, Stein continues to hear whispers about Milwaukee as a possible Butler suitor, noting that Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis are the kinds of win-now players on short-term deals who may appeal to Miami. Whether or not they make a play for Butler, the Bucks are considered “as determined as any team” to make a pre-deadline deal in the hopes of beefing up the supporting cast around stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Stein adds.
- K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (YouTube link; hat tip to BrewHoop) confirms that the Bucks have interest in Bulls star Zach LaVine, which was speculated last week. However, with Phoenix guard Bradley Beal said to be uninterested in waiving his no-trade clause to go to Chicago, that likely eliminates one potential multi-team scenario in which LaVine could end up in Milwaukee.
- With the Bulls seeking a first-round pick for Nikola Vucevic and the Wizards asking for a protected first-rounder for Jonas Valanciunas, the Lakers are exploring other center options and have discussed internally whether it makes sense to put both of their tradable first-round picks (2029 and 2031) on the table for Pacers big man Myles Turner, sources tell Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. It’s unclear if Indiana would actually move its starting center, but there has reportedly been some chatter around the league about whether the Pacers will be comfortable meeting Turner’s asking price when he reaches unrestricted free agency in July.
Kings Expected To Entertain Trading De’Aaron Fox
3:29pm: Fox’s preferred landing spot is believed to be San Antonio, reports James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).
However, agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports remains open about where his client might land and is expected to talk to interested teams ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, according to Amick, who says Paul told the Kings it might be in their best interests to move Fox sooner rather than later.
2:41pm: The Kings are expected to open up discussions about the possibility of moving De’Aaron Fox ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Charania, there will likely be many teams with interest in Fox, though there’s a belief that the star guard – who can become a free agent in 2026 – is targeting a specific destination.
Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) confirms that piece of intel, adding that Fox has “continued to signal a lack of interest” in signing a contract extension with Sacramento. NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) also hears that the 27-year-old is “zeroed in” on a specific team and says other potential suitors will be discouraged from acquiring him.
The timing of the news is interesting, given that the Kings have played their best basketball of the season over the past month, following the dismissal of head coach Mike Brown. Sacramento had a 13-19 record as of December 30, but has since climbed to 24-22 by winning 11 of its past 14 games under new coach Doug Christie.
Still, Fox’s contract situation in Sacramento is tenuous. He turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension offer during the 2024 offseason, ostensibly because he’d have the opportunity to earn a more lucrative deal during the summer of 2025 — at that time, he’d be eligible for a four-year max deal or, if he earns All-NBA honors this season, a five-year super-max extension.
Fox subsequently spoke in both October and December about not wanting to commit long-term to Sacramento unless he was sure the team was able to “compete at a high level” and wasn’t just “fighting for a playoff spot.” Even after their recent surge, the Kings fall into that latter category. They currently hold the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.
Reports in recent weeks have indicated that the Kings continue to seek out upgrades for their roster in the hopes of improving their playoff chances. Players like Brooklyn forward Cameron Johnson and Utah big man John Collins have been most frequently mentioned as potential targets.
However, the Kings may be reluctant to give up future assets for supplemental pieces if they’re not confident about their ability to retain Fox beyond his current contract and uncertain whether those potential additions would help convince him to stay.
A report last month indicated that the Spurs were positioning themselves to pursue Fox if he were made available.
The Rockets, who reportedly had interest in Donovan Mitchell last year, are also viewed as a logical suitor, with Fred VanVleet‘s maximum-salary contract only guaranteed through this season, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). However, NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) hears that Houston remains reluctant to make a major in-season move.
Sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) that the Nets are among the teams with Fox on their radar and are monitoring the situation. Amick said earlier this month that the Heat and Lakers are frequently discussed by people around the league as possible Fox suitors, with the Magic also believed to be considering the idea of going after him.
Of course, we don’t yet know the identity of the team Fox reportedly has his eye on, which figures to have a substantial impact on how the Kings’ trade talks play out.
For what it’s worth, opposing executives who have spoken to Begley (Twitter link) believe San Antonio is among the teams Fox would like to play for. During an NBA Today appearance on Tuesday afternoon (Twitter video link), Charania said the Lakers aren’t Fox’s destination of choice.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), if Fox’s preferred destination has cap room in 2026, that team could sign him outright at that point. But if Fox gets dealt to that team – along with his Bird rights – prior to 2026, he could sign a far more lucrative contract, worth up to a projected $296MM over five years instead of $219MM over four.
Because Fox is under contract for one more season beyond this one, the Kings aren’t necessarily under the gun to make a decision on his future by February 6. If he remains in Sacramento through the trade deadline, the team could revisit its trade options during the 2025 offseason.
Cameron Johnson Expected To Be Reevaluated Next Week
Nets forward Cameron Johnson will likely miss the team’s two-game road trip in Charlotte on Wednesday and Houston on Saturday, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez, who told reporters on Monday that Johnson continues to battle a right ankle sprain that has already cost him 10 games this month.
“He’ll be reevaluated, I think, next week. He’s out right now,” Fernandez said prior to Monday’s game vs. Sacramento, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. “Obviously we want him to get that ankle right.”
Johnson was originally sidelined for five games due to a right ankle sprain he sustained on January 2. He returned on Jan. 14, but missed the Nets’ next two contests after that. After playing again on Jan. 19 and 21, he went back on the inactive list for Brooklyn’s past three games. Fernandez suggested on Monday that when Johnson returns, the Nets want it to be for good.
“He was good when he came back, it’s just like he tweaked it again twice. And again, it’s unlucky, but we just want to make sure that now it’s strong enough that he’ll be able to play through things and he’s 100 percent,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, we want him back. We love having Cam Johnson, because you guys know his leadership and also the impact he has for us, but right now this is the situation that we have to deal with.”
A week-to-week injury for a player on a 14-33 team clearly headed for the draft lottery isn’t typically the sort of story we’d monitor too closely, but Johnson is considered one of the NBA’s top trade candidates ahead of next Thursday’s deadline. After this week, the Nets only have two more games before that Feb. 6 deadline arrives — next Tuesday vs. Houston and Wednesday vs. Washington.
While it’s possible Johnson will make it back for one or both of those games, it also wouldn’t be a shock if Brooklyn plays it safe and holds its second-leading scorer out a little longer so as not to risk another setback while the club is discussing potential trades.
The Nets’ asking price for Johnson – who is under contract through 2026/27 – is said to be high, with the front office reportedly seeking multiple first-round picks. If potential trade partners aren’t fully confident about Johnson’s health, it would compromise Brooklyn’s ability to try to extract that sort of return.
In other Nets injury news, big man Noah Clowney exited Monday’s loss in the second quarter due to what appeared to be a left ankle injury and didn’t return, Reilly notes. Clowney had to be helped off the floor by the training staff.
Additionally, Brooklyn’s top scorer Cam Thomas, who has been out since January 2 with a left hamstring strain, will undergo scans on Wednesday, with the team expected to provide an update following those tests, Reilly writes.
And-Ones: Carter, Bryant, Free, Katz
Vince Carter joined six other Nets legends when his number was retired Saturday night at Barclays Center, writes Pat Pickens of The Associated Press. Three members of that club, Julius Erving, Bill Melchionni and Buck Williams, showed up for the celebration along with Carter’s family, team president Rod Thorn and many of his former Nets teammates.
“This is truly something my family and I will cherish forever,” Carter said during the ceremony. “To be the seventh number to go up is insane. It is an honor to be up there with you gentlemen. No. 15 Carter is going up there, but we’re going up there together.”
Carter spent four and a half years with the Nets after being acquired from Toronto midway through the 2004/05 season. He credits the trade and the partnership he formed with Jason Kidd for reviving his career.
“There was new life,” Carter said. “My role in Toronto was just give me the ball, and I’ll get you a (basket). But when I got here, they had a guy … he made the game easier for me.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- On the fifth anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash, Sam Amick of The Athletic looks at the impact the Lakers star still has on the game and the culture in Los Angeles. NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement (via Twitter) to mark the occasion, saying, “Kobe Bryant continues to serve as an inspiration to aspiring and current NBA and WNBA players, young athletes playing at all levels and those who are motivated by his relentless pursuit of excellence. Our thoughts today are with Vanessa and the Bryant family as we remember Kobe and their daughter, Gianna, with whom he shared a special bond around a profound love of the game of basketball.”
- World B. Free would consider it “a tear-dropping moment” if he were to be elected to the Hall of Fame, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Free, who retired in 1988 after a 13-year NBA career, admitted that he had given up on the honor until the veterans committee nominated him for the first time last month. The finalists will be announced February 14. “The way I played the game, I know people didn’t think it was the right way. But it was the way I grew up, and it was something — it was always good for me. I enjoyed playing the game,” Free said. “That was the knock on me — ‘He’s going to shoot. He’s shooting before he gets into the building. And he’s taking these long shots.’ Well, yeah, I was taking those shots. But those shots are going in.”
- Former Sixers owner Harold Katz died Friday at 87, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Nutrisystem founder owned the franchise for 15 years before selling to Comcast Spectacor. “It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Harold Katz, who owned the Philadelphia 76ers from 1981-96,” the Sixers wrote in a Twitter post. “He was a successful businessman and entrepreneur who helped deliver an NBA title to our city and fans in 1983. We send our condolences to Harold’s family and friends.”
Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Celtics, Tatum, Barnes
The back surgery Nets forward Ben Simmons underwent last spring caused him to question whether he’d be able to continue playing in the NBA, as Julia Stumbaugh of Bleacher Report relays.
“There were times, last summer, when I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I might have to stop playing,” Simmons said on The Young Man and The Three podcast in discussing the challenges of recovering from multiple procedures on his back (YouTube link). “I had to bring that up in conversation, and think about it, just because physically it’s tough, but mentally it’s just so hard to return from an injury like that, and go through the process of rehabbing a second summer in a row.”
Simmons is playing well this season from a facilitation standpoint, averaging his most assists per game (7.1) since 2019/20. While his shot attempts and overall scoring are still down from his Philadelphia years, it’s been somewhat of a comeback year for Simmons, who has started 24 of his 30 appearances and appeared in 30 of Brooklyn’s 45 games so far. His pace of 55 games played would be his best since his last All-Star season.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Consistency and scoring depth continue to be issues for the Celtics during their recent poor offensive stretch, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes (subscriber link). Boston has scored under 100 points five times this month; on Thursday, Jaden Springer was the only player to score in double figures off the bench. The Celtics are still only one of three teams to reach at least 30 wins entering Saturday and boast the third-best record in the league. As Chris Mannix of SI opines, it isn’t time to panic yet, but efficiency among their key players needs to be higher to regain championship form.
- The Lakers passing on Jayson Tatum in the 2017 draft is one factor that has helped fuel the ongoing rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics in the 2020s, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes. “It doesn’t feel like it’s at a peak or anything, but it’s always a fun game and it’s always great,” Boston assistant GM Austin Ainge said of matchups between the two storied franchises. “… And it’s 18 championships to 12 championships. You don’t think the citizens of L.A. care about Minneapolis, do you?“
- Fresh off his first All-Star appearance last season and the trade of Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes is the face of the Raptors in his fourth season in the league. In an interview with Alex Wong of Toronto Life, Barnes opened up on what that means to him, his upbringing, and what it takes a leader takes. “One thing I tell people often is that, in the NBA, you mature pretty quick,” Barnes said. “A lot of people who know me and hang around me, they can see how much I’ve grown in just the first three years. With everything that’s thrown at you, you really have no choice.“
Nets Notes: Durant, Johnson, Clowney, Watford, Williams
Ahead of the Suns‘ game in Brooklyn on Wednesday, former Nets star Kevin Durant reflected on his time with the organization. According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Durant said the two biggest factors for why the Nets build with Kyrie Irving and James Harden didn’t work out was the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries that kept the trio from playing together often.
“That first year when James got here halfway through the season was some of the most incredible basketball that I’ve seen, I played in,” Durant said. “But more so than anything — in the locker room, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotels — that was the culture we were building. A lot of people didn’t get to see it, but I wish they could have. It was special.”
“You see so many fans who still remember those times and appreciate it — even though we went through a lot of dysfunction, I guess you could call it, for lack of a better term. But regardless of that, a lot of people still supported and still came out, cheered loud as hell for the game of basketball and for the Nets,” Durant said. “It was here in this borough of Brooklyn, the little brother. It was always fun being a little brother and representing the little brother in the city.”
Durant eventually requested a trade from the Nets and was moved to Phoenix at the 2023 deadline in exchange for Mikal Bridges (whom they later flipped to New York), Cameron Johnson (who is on the trade block), and several draft picks. Durant expressed positive feelings for the franchise, Lewis writes in another story.
“Definitely, I want to see this franchise do well,” Durant said. “What is it, 12 or 13 picks that they’ve got? Assets, that’s the most important thing with a rebuilding group is the assets. The product on the floor, it might be inconsistent some games. They beat us early in the season and looked great, and then you lose to the Clippers by 40 or 50 and that might not look great.
“But when you look at the big picture, you’ve got young guys that are getting experience and playing time. You’re building assets and getting future picks. And hopefully you can draft well, put the team together well. So I think they’re walking in the right direction. I think the fans definitely want to see some great basketball on the floor, and I think it’s coming for this team.”
We have more from the Nets:
- One could make the case that Johnson could fit in on any of the NBA’s 30 teams, making him one of the most coveted players on the trade block ahead of the deadline, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. Johnson is averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 41.9% from three this season. As we’ve written, the Nets are thought to maintain a high asking price for Johnson.
- After enjoying a hot streak from beyond the arc in late December, Noah Clowney has been misfiring on his shot in recent weeks, Lewis observes. Clowney has knocked down just 33.3% of his shots, including 30.8% of his three-point tries, in January. “The shots I was getting [lately] were not as easy as I had been getting. The shots I was getting before were a lot easier,” Clowney said. “The shots I’m getting now are still easy, though. I’ve got to go out and make some of them. It ain’t much to it.” How the second-year big man handles this adversity will be telling, Lewis opines.
- Trendon Watford has missed the last 19 games for the Nets due to a hamstring injury, but it sounds like he’s inching closer to a return. According to Lewis (Twitter link), Watford is progressing well and has been cleared for contact. Meanwhile, Ziaire Williams is day-to-day with an ankle injury. A starter for 16 games, Williams missed Brooklyn’s past two contests.
Atlantic Notes: Springer, Brown, Raptors Trade Prospects, Johnson
Celtics guard Jaden Springer is considered a prime trade candidate for a team looking to reduce its luxury tax bill. Springer may have enhanced his value with a rare chance to play extended minutes against the Clippers on Wednesday. He had six points and tied a career-high with four steals in a season-high 20 minutes, Brian Robb of Masslive.com notes.
“He’s just got an innate skill to impact the game with his physicality, his defense, and I thought that’s what the game needed at the time,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I think it’s one of the best things you can do in this league is to just deliver when your name is called, regardless of when it is. So it’s a credit to him and the work ethic that he has. I thought it was his defense, his physicality, his presence changed the game for us.”
Springer, who is making $4MM, will be eligible for restricted free agency after this season, though at this point he seems unlikely to earn a qualifying offer.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics wing Jaylen Brown is battling through an ankle injury, among other ailments, Robb writes. “Just pushing through,” Brown said. “I think this is definitely the rougher part, physically, during the season. I got some injuries and things like that. But I try to make myself available every night. I’ll make no excuses. But it is what it is. I’m a little beat up. But I’ll be ready tomorrow.” Boston is in the midst of a stretch in which it plays 10 games in 17 days.
- The Raptors are well positioned to garner some assets prior to the trade deadline, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. They are $10MM below the luxury tax line and haven’t used their mid-level exception. They have made it known they’re willing to facilitate trades and there doesn’t appear to be any players beyond Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick that they consider untouchable. We passed along a few more Raptors-related notes and rumors earlier today.
- Cameron Johnson is trying to tune out all the trade chatter surrounding him, as he told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Keep my head down. I just try to emotionally disconnect from that,” the Nets forward said. “I have to, for the sake of myself, and invest all that energy into the present and to the team that we have. No matter what happens, the Nets have invested a lot of resources in trying to make me a better player. So my job is to compete for the city, for this team, for this organization, for my teammates.” Johnson has missed eight of the last 11 games due to an ankle injury.
No Recent Talks Between Nets, Kings About Cameron Johnson
The Kings are considered to be among the top suitors for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, but the teams haven’t engaged in trade talks for several weeks, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).
A source tells Stein that Sacramento officials currently don’t see a way to complete a deal for Johnson before the February 6 trade deadline. The Kings are pursuing deals with other teams instead of focusing on Johnson, Stein adds.
A weekend report from Jake Fischer at the Stein Line confirmed that the Nets haven’t lowered their price for Johnson, as they continue to ask for two first-round picks and a young player. Earlier this month, Stein stated that Sacramento wasn’t willing to part with rookie guard Devin Carter, and it appears that stance hasn’t changed.
Fischer added that the Cavaliers have called about Johnson, but their interest seems to just be exploratory. He points out that Cleveland doesn’t have a first-round pick that it can trade until 2031, so it’s nearly impossible to meet Brooklyn’s demands.
Stein brings up the Pacers as another team to watch in the Johnson pursuit. However, Indiana has risen to fifth in the East after a recent hot streak, and Stein questions whether the front office would want to break up the current roster in light of its success.
It’s possible that the Nets will hang on to Johnson past the trade deadline and see if better offers arise this summer. He’s in the midst of a career-best season, averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc.
Atlantic Notes: Drummond, Thomas, Hart, Raptors
Sixers center Andre Drummond cashed in with Detroit when he became a free agent in 2016, signing a five-year, maximum-salary contract worth in excess of $127MM. However, the veteran big man has had to settle for deals worth the minimum or a little above it in recent years — his current two-year, $10MM pact with Philadelphia is his most lucrative contract since that max deal ended.
Appearing this week on Podcast P with Paul George (YouTube link), Drummond told his Sixers teammate that he regrets how he responded after earning that max deal with the Pistons.
“Once I got that max contract, I was like, ‘Oh s–t, my work is done. I did it. I made it here. Now I get to play however I want to play. I’m the best guy on my team, making the highest amount of money, so I get to have this leadership role,'” Drummond said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “I don’t think I did it the right way, because not only did I not understand that that could’ve been $100 million two or three or four or five times — I only got it once because I didn’t maximize that time of being the max guy.
“If I could go back, I would’ve done it completely differently. I would’ve been a lot more attentive to working on my game and becoming more than just the best rebounder in the league. I would’ve tried to add more different pieces to my game so that when the league changed, it wouldn’t have been so difficult for me to make the adjustment with the league too.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Nets guard Cam Thomas, who has been out since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, has resumed on-court activities but isn’t taking contact yet, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez. Bridget Reilly of The New York Post has the story.
- Josh Hart believes his comments earlier this month about the Knicks needing to put aside “egos” and “agendas” were blown out of proportion and made it clear he wasn’t referring to any specific teammates, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “Y’all look too much into everything,” Hart said on Tuesday. “… I said something about egos and y’all took that and ran with it. To win, you have to have a team that don’t have egos. That’s why Boston won. They have a team that doesn’t have egos. You got Jrue Holiday that’s been an All-Star, All-Defense, All-NBA, max player. He don’t give a damn about scoring. So that’s the ego-less attitude that we have to have. There was no pinpointing somebody. But that’s what you have to have to win.”
- Tuesday’s 16-point victory over Orlando served as a glimpse at what the first half of the Raptors‘ season could’ve looked like if the team hadn’t had to deal with so many injuries, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. As Grange observes, reliable second-unit veterans like Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown – both of whom didn’t make their season debuts until December – played key roles in the win. Olynyk, who was an incredible +39 in 22 minutes, and Brown are both considered candidates to be moved at the trade deadline.