Knicks Notes: Yabusele, Brunson, Shamet, McBride
The Knicks are hoping to trade Guerschon Yabusele for a more productive bench player, but teams are reluctant to take on his contract, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Sources tell Siegel that New York recently reached out to the Spurs and Pelicans, but wasn’t able to make any progress toward a deal. The main sticking point is Yabusele’s $5.7MM player option for next season, which he’s almost certain to exercise after a disappointing campaign where he’s fallen out of the Knicks’ rotation.
Sport5 in Israel reported that Hapoel Tel Aviv is involved in negotiations with Yabusele in case he leaves the NBA, relays Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. Yabusele is considered a “high-profile target” with several European teams monitoring him, Maggi adds. However, he can only head overseas if he’s bought out and waived, which may be tricky due to the player option.
Yabusele addressed that rumor after Tuesday’s game, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
“I ain’t closing no door on nothing. I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Yabusele said. “I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to be. So right now I can tell you nothing has been discussed or signed or anything like that. I’m a Knicks player at the end of the day. There’s nothing with that. But there’s been teams calling, so yeah, I feel like the report was just them saying they want me and then everybody thought that I signed something already. No, nothing like that. But there’s some teams out there that we heard are getting ready to sign me if I go back that way. We’ll see what happens.”
There’s more from New York:
- Jalen Brunson claims his actions after a 17-point loss to Dallas on January 19 were mischaracterized as a players’ meeting, Bondy writes in a full story. Brunson explains that he simply made some comments to his teammates before coach Mike Brown entered the locker room. “It was just me voicing my opinion after the game against Dallas,” Brunson said. “It wasn’t me calling a team meeting. We meet after games. I said something before coach walked in. That’s it.”
- Landry Shamet is rewarding Brown’s faith in him, Bondy states in a separate story. Brown was a strong supporter of Shamet, who was among three players brought into training camp on non-guaranteed contracts to compete for a roster spot. And when Shamet suffered a shoulder injury in November, Brown told reporters that he would be willing to give up his salary to keep him on the team. Brown talked about using Shamet in a larger role when he interviewed for the head coaching job, states James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- The Knicks have conducted tests on Miles McBride, who’s missing his fifth straight game tonight due to left ankle issues, Bondy adds in another piece. McBride suffered a high ankle sprain in early December that sidelined him for eight games. He returned for 15 games before being held out recently due to left ankle injury management.
- Bondy examines the most and least likely players to be moved by the deadline, with Yabusele topping his list, followed by Pacome Dadiet and Ariel Hukporti.
Trade Rumors: Bulls, Dosunmu, Allen, Missi, Rockets, Pelicans, More
There have been some “tangible” discussions this week between the Bulls and Pacers about a possible trade involving Ayo Dosunmu and Bennedict Mathurin, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, after Chicago agreed to trades for guards Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons on Tuesday, it’s unclear whether the team still has interest in Mathurin, who is also on the Pelicans‘ radar.
According to Fischer, the Bulls also explored multiple trade scenarios involving Nikola Vucevic before agreeing to a Simons trade with Boston, including offering Vucevic and a future first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Jarrett Allen. That’s a deal Cleveland wouldn’t have been able to make without ducking the second tax apron, since Vucevic’s $21.5MM cap hit comes in a little above Allen’s $20MM figure.
Whether due to the apron restrictions or simply a lack of interest, Cleveland turned down the offer, per Fischer, who adds that the Pacers are another team that has registered interest in Allen.
While the Bulls may not have a viable path to acquiring Allen, they remain very much in the mix for Pelicans center Yves Missi, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. According to Siegel, New Orleans has continued to seek a first-round pick in exchange for Missi, but no team has been willing to meet that asking price so far.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Speaking of the Bulls, it’s worth keeping an eye on whether they end up flipping Mike Conley in a separate trade after acquiring him from Minnesota on Tuesday, Fischer writes. There have been rumblings that if Conley is traded again and then waived, the Timberwolves would have interest in bringing him back on a minimum-salary deal. That wouldn’t be possible if Chicago waives Conley directly due to NBA rules about a traded player rejoining his previous team.
- The Rockets have been connected to Bulls guard Coby White, among other targets, with forward Dorian Finney-Smith viewed as a possible trade candidate, but Siegel hears that Houston likes its roster and would be content to stand pat at the trade deadline — or to make a smaller move or two involving minimum-salary or near-minimum players. Forward Tari Eason, who will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, has drawn significant interest, but the Rockets aren’t interested in moving him, Siegel adds.
- Sources tell ClutchPoints that the Pelicans have received offers that include multiple first-round picks for both Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones, but they still haven’t seriously entertained the idea of trading either player. It remains very possible that New Orleans maintains its high asking prices for Murphy and Jones and keeps both players through the deadline, despite significant league-wide interest in them, Siegel writes.
- The Clippers continue to seek potential takers for Chris Paul and Kobe Brown, Siegel reports, since moving those players would help create breathing room under the hard cap – and room on the roster – to promote Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders from their two-way deals to standard contracts.
- Recognizing that whether or not he’s traded this week is “something that’s out of my control,” Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. says he’s at peace with whatever happens, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. For what it’s worth though, Lewis writes in a separate subscriber-only story that more and more league sources believe Porter will ultimately end up remaining in Brooklyn through this Thursday’s deadline.
Lakers Rumors: Wing Targets, DiVincenzo, Knecht, Sharpe
Although the Lakers remain active on the trade market, their limited assets and their desire to retain as much 2026 cap room as possible are complicating factors as they look to upgrade their roster, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Some rival executives believe the Lakers are willing to trade their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick for the right wing, Woike writes, but the sort of player they’d be targeting with that pick either isn’t available at that price or isn’t available at all — that group includes Pelicans forwards Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III.
A league source tells Woike that the Lakers have been linked to practically every defensive-minded wing on the market, including Isaac Okoro of the Bulls and Derrick Jones Jr. of the Clippers. But it seems unlikely Los Angeles would give up its lone tradable first-round pick for a player of that caliber, especially since guys like Okoro and Jones are owed guaranteed money for 2026/27 and would eat into the club’s projected cap space.
As previously reported, the Lakers could emerge as a viable Giannis Antetokounmpo suitor this summer if the Bucks don’t move him at the deadline, but for now, any potential L.A. involvement in a Giannis deal would likely be as a facilitator.
Woike identifies Timberwolves wing Donte DiVincenzo and Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen as a couple players from potential Antetokounmpo suitors who might appeal to the Lakers, and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints hears that L.A. has expressed interest in DiVincenzo.
Those talks haven’t gained traction though, Siegel writes, and Minnesota would likely only move DiVincenzo if it was necessary to land Giannis. Even in that scenario, it’s unclear whether the Lakers would be the Wolves’ most obvious trade partner or if there’s another team more likely to give up valuable draft capital for DiVincenzo.
Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick, hasn’t requested a trade, but wouldn’t object to a change of scenery, Woike writes, so he’s a player to keep an eye on if the team does make a deal.
The Lakers are also considering potential non-wing trade targets — sources tell The Athletic that Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe has fans within the organization.
Still, Woike believes that any meaningful changes to the Lakers’ roster are probably more likely to happen this summer than this week.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Once Again Named Rookies Of Month
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Hornets wing Kon Knueppel have once again been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Flagg and Knueppel, who were Duke teammates last season, have monopolized the award this season, gaining those monthly honors three consecutive times. No one else has won it this season, as the months of October and November were combined.
Flagg, the top overall pick, averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last month. He capped off the month with a 49-point eruption against Charlotte and 34 points against Houston.
Knueppel averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night in January. He scored a season-high 34 points in the same game Flagg scored 49.
Ace Bailey (Jazz), Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), Caleb Love (Trail Blazers) and Derik Queen (Pelicans) were the other Western Conference nominees. Egor Demin (Nets), VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Tre Johnson (Wizards) and Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) were also nominated in the East.
Latest On Clippers, James Harden
The Clippers were “stunned” to learn that James Harden wanted out of Los Angeles, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who reports (via Twitter) that Harden and his camp expressed his desire to be traded.
However, Harden must have informed the team some time ago, as Siegel and his ClutchPoints colleague Tomer Azarly hear Harden and the Clippers have been discussing the possibility of parting ways for “weeks” (Twitter link). L.A. has strong interest in Darius Garland, per Siegel and Azarly.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier that the Clippers and Harden were working together to try and find a suitable deal by Thursday’s deadline. The Cavaliers appear to be the frontrunner to land the 11-time All-Star, but other teams appear to be in the mix as well.
According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, rival teams have speculated that Harden’s contract may be at the center of the trade request. The 36-year-old has a player option for 2026/27 worth $42.32MM, but only $13.32MM of that figure is guaranteed.
The Cavs are seeking draft compensation, particularly a first-round pick or swap, to trade Garland for Harden, sources tell Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). The Clippers have balked at that idea, says Mannix.
Appearing on SportsCenter (Twitter video link), Charania reports that Harden has expressed reservations about his future with the Clippers. The eight-time All-NBA is hoping to land with a championship contender, according to Charania, who confirms the Cavaliers are one of the main suitors for Harden.
Sources tell Azarly and Siegel that Harden was hoping to sign a two-year, $80MM (guaranteed) deal to remain with the Clippers this summer, but the team is unwilling to go beyond one year. There’s still a chance Harden remains with the Clippers past the deadline, Azarly and Siegel add.
The Cavaliers are believed to have asked about the Clippers’ 2030 first-round pick, sources tell ClutchPoints.
The Timberwolves are among the teams with interest in Harden, but they didn’t have traction on a potential trade as of Monday night, per ClutchPoints. The Raptors and Pelicans also inquired about Harden, but the 17-year veteran has “no interest” in being traded to either team, according to Azarly and Siegel.
After Monday’s loss to Philadelphia, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was asked about the situation. While he declined to talk specifics, he made it clear how he feels about Harden, saying the star guard “means a lot” to the organization, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link).
Warriors Making Strongest Pitch For Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Warriors have been the most aggressive team in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, league sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Siegel states that owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. agree that no player other than Stephen Curry is off limits in a potential trade for the Bucks star. Siegel adds that Antetokounmpo is the Warriors’ sole focus in their search for a roster upgrade before the trade deadline. If a deal can’t be reached by Thursday, they plan to keep their most valuable assets and try again to land Antetokounmpo this summer.
Sources also tell Siegel that the Bucks haven’t turned down the Warriors’ latest offer. He describes general manager Jon Horst and Milwaukee’s front office as “fascinated” with the chance to acquire a large parcel of Golden State’s future assets. However, the Bucks’ leadership is taking its time in reaching a decision, which isn’t expected until the final 24 hours before the deadline.
Siegel adds that if Antetokounmpo finishes out the season with the Bucks, it becomes far less likely that Jonathan Kuminga will be dealt before the deadline. Golden State holds a $24.3MM option on Kuminga for 2026/27 and he could be a valuable asset to keep for the offseason.
Siegel hears that the Warriors also have some level of interest in Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. and Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but they aren’t considered likely to trade for either player this week. Despite a slew of trade rumors, Siegel is skeptical that either player will be dealt prior to the deadline.
There’s an increasing chance that Draymond Green rather than Jimmy Butler might be part of an Antetokounmpo deal, Siegel writes, echoing recent reporting. He checked with sources close to trade talks over the weekend and states that he didn’t get an “emphatic no” about Green’s possible inclusion. A rival executive suggested Green could be agreeable to that scenario while planning to turn down his $27.6MM player option for next season and return to a much stronger Warriors team in free agency.
“Look, without Jimmy, the Warriors aren’t getting to the NBA Finals, even if they added Giannis right now,” the executive told Siegel. “If you leverage Draymond and get more assets, you can pull off the biggest blockbuster and leave these other teams wanting Giannis scrambling for answers. There is no doubt in my mind there are those who would immediately offer a first-round pick for Draymond to make a title push right now. I 100 percent believe there are teams who would essentially help the Warriors get Giannis if it meant they got Green for the next three or four months to pursue a title.”
Bulls Notes: White, Dosunmu, Jones, Essengue, Terry, Giddey
The two future second-round picks the Bulls received for helping to facilitate Sunday’s Cleveland-Sacramento trade could be useful in other deals this week, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes in a subscriber-only story. Cowley reported in December that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was being very aggressive in trade talks, and a source tells him that approach hasn’t changed as the deadline nears.
Chicago has eight potential free agents this summer, including guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Cowley hears that Karnisovas is trying to find a taker for White, who’s expected to seek a substantial raise on the open market, but he’s receiving greater interest in Dosunmu and Tre Jones because they’re viewed as more affordable. Jones signed a three-year, $24MM contract last summer. Cowley states that White has been discussed with the Timberwolves and Rockets, and “the door wasn’t completely shut with either team.”
Cowley adds that Karnisovas has contacted the Pelicans in hopes of landing Zion Williamson and/or Yves Missi and has called about Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin as well.
There’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls are focused on building their roster around Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Essengue, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, only played two games before being lost for the season with a shoulder injury, but Lorenzi states that the front office still views him as a multi-positional defender and a strong transition threat. He’s seen as the eventual starter at power forward, with Buzelis moving into a wing role. Lorenzi also mentions Missi as a potential trade target, noting that Giddey has never played alongside that type of rim-running center, and he states that the Bulls have indicated to rival teams that they’re willing to help facilitate more trades in exchange for assets.
- Dalen Terry hasn’t been able to establish himself as a rotation player during his four seasons in Chicago and didn’t receive a rookie scale extension before the October deadline. His NBA future might be elsewhere, Cowley relays in a separate story, but that doesn’t mean he’s hoping to be traded by Thursday. “I wouldn’t say that,” Terry said. “I don’t put too much into it. The trade deadline is what it is. You get traded, you get traded. Hopefully it’s to a good place if you do, or hopefully if you don’t, they make a trade, and a good player comes in.”
- Giddey missed his third straight game on Sunday for left hamstring injury management, but he’s not expected to be out of the lineup much longer, Cowley adds. “I think he’s feeling better, but I think it’s going to be, at least in talking to the medical guys, they’re not going to put him out there until they see the tightness is gone,” Donovan said.
Southwest Notes: Poole, Hawkins, Flagg, Durant
Jordan Poole has been benched for the last four games for the Pelicans in favor of a starting lineup of Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson, and Derik Queen. This move sent rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears to the bench and Poole out of the rotation altogether, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
“Obviously, Poole will stay ready and he’ll be ready to go,” head coach James Borrego said when asked about the veteran guard’s diminished playing time. “(He was) back at it today in practice and so we expect him to stay ready. You never know when your number is going to get called. Everybody who has stepped in for us this year has made an impact. I expect him to do the same.”
Poole has been rumored to be a trade candidate for New Orleans, given his up-and-down play and role with the team since being brought over in a trade with the Wizards in the offseason.
He’s averaging his fewest minutes (25.4), points (14.5), and assists (3.1) per game since 2020/21, his second season in the league. He has started only six games, the fewest of any season of his career.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Jordan Hawkins is probably the Pelicans player most likely to be traded at this year’s deadline, Walker writes. Hawkins, like Poole, has been excised from the rotation of late, having not seen the floor in the last six games. After a promising sophomore campaign in which he averaged 10.8 points in 23.6 minutes per game, the third-year guard has struggled to find a rhythm this season, averaging just 4.3 PPG on .320/.301/.778 shooting splits. Billed as a shooting specialist coming out of UConn, Hawkins has hit just 34.2% of his career threes, but he’s still just 23 years old and could be viewed as a player in need of a change of scenery.
- The Mavericks believe that Cooper Flagg doesn’t get a fair whistle on his drive, and the numbers might back that up, writes Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. Curtis notes that Flagg drives to the rim 11.9 times per game, an equivalent rate as the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards, but gets only 1.8 free throw attempts on those drives, compared to Edwards’ 3.3. “You just gotta play through it,” Flagg said. “It’s not the first time in my life that I probably haven’t gotten calls and it probably won’t be the last.” Coach Jason Kidd had a slightly more less serene take on the matter after Saturday’s loss to the Rockets, lambasting the referees over what he perceived as a missed call on Amen Thompson, as did former owner Mark Cuban. “He’s going to continue to keep going until he hears the whistle,” Kidd said. “There were a lot of fouls missed with this young man. Maybe they just don’t know his game yet, but that’s who he is. He’s going to continue. He’s not going to get discouraged.” The no-call was ultimately upheld by the league in the NBA’s last two-minute report (Twitter video link).
- Kevin Durant will miss the Rockets‘ game on Monday in Indiana with a left ankle sprain, Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter). Durant played 38 minutes in the win over the Mavericks, going 6-of-17 from the field for 13 points. Will Guillory of the Athletic writes that this will be Durant’s first game missed due to injury this season (Twitter link).
Cavs Rumors: Giannis, Hunter, Ball, Lakers, Ellis, More
While there have been no indications to this point that the Cavaliers are considering making an offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the possibility can’t be ruled out, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).
“It’s Giannis,” a rival NBA executive told Fedor. “Nothing more needs to be said.”
As Fedor writes, the Cleveland’s pathway to a potential deal for the Bucks superstar would be very complicated and would require a significant reduction in payroll — as a second-apron team, the Cavaliers can’t currently aggregate salaries for matching purposes and can’t take in more money than they send out. So in that sense, a Giannis trade is a long shot.
On the other hand, sources tell Fedor that the Cavs have been aggressively looking for roster upgrades ahead of the deadline, and they also have one of the top players who could theoretically be dangled in talks for Antetokounmpo — Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. On the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also pointed to Mobley as a centerpiece to a potential Cavs offer.
The Cavaliers, who have dealt with several injuries in 2025/26, have underachieved this season and are facing pressure to contend for championships. No individual player they could theoretically acquire would be remotely as impactful as Antetokounmpo, who has finished top four in MVP voting each of the past seven years.
Still, Cleveland is on the upswing, Fedor notes, having won five straight games and seven of the past eight. The front office has also yet to show any desire to make that sort of drastic mid-season overhaul, with blockbuster moves viewed as more likely to occur in the offseason, depending on what happens in the playoffs.
Here are a few more highlights from Fedor’s report:
- Fedor continues to hear De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball are the most likely Cavs to be headed out of Cleveland in the coming days. Confirming reporting from Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Fedor says the Cavaliers have discussed a trade framework with the Lakers that would send Hunter to Los Angeles in exchange for Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht. Sources tell Fedor the Lakers have also countered by offering the expiring contracts of Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. Those talks have involved a third team as well — Fedor doesn’t specify which club it is, but Siegel said it was the Nets.
- Before they reportedly started listening to offers for Giannis, the Bucks explored the possibility of acquiring Hunter using a package built around Bobby Portis. The Cavs declined that proposal, sources tell Fedor.
- Fedor confirms the Cavs are one of many suitors for Kings guard Keon Ellis, noting that Malik Monk could be included as well if Hunter is sent to Sacramento.
- Reiterating a point he previously made, Fedor says the Cavs are eyeing Mavericks forward Naji Marshall. The framework would involve Ball and unspecified draft assets being sent to Dallas, though Fedor points out that Marshall has drawn interest from multiple teams. It’s also unclear if the Cavs would be willing to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (either 2031 or 2032) for a role player, even a quality one like Marshall.
- Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Wizards forward Justin Champagnie are among the other players who might interest the Cavs, Fedor writes.
Knicks Rumors: KAT, Giannis, Yabusele, Targets, Bridges
The Knicks reportedly spoke to the Bucks about a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade last offseason after the two-time MVP identified New York as a preferred landing spot, but those talks didn’t go anywhere. That could be partly because Karl-Anthony Towns was rumored to be the Knicks’ outgoing salary, and some people around the league don’t highly value the former No. 1 overall pick.
“I don’t think there is a [trade] market for KAT,” an NBA executive told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link). “Not that he is a bad player, but he’s not a winning player. … It’s too much money to spend on him.”
Knicks sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that the offseason trade talks involving the two big men created “hard feelings” between Towns and the front office that “remain to this day.”
For his part, Towns downplayed his name being involved in recent trade chatter, Bondy writes in another story. The five-time All-Star has known Leon Rose for years, as the Knicks’ president was Towns’ former agent at CAA, but they haven’t spoken about any of the speculation.
“I feel like I’ve been in trade rumors a lot for a lot of times, for a year damn near. That don’t matter to me,” said Towns, who was traded from the Timberwolves to the Knicks before last season. “I don’t look at social media or none of that stuff. I focus on the job on hand which is trying to get wins every single night. As long as I do that, I do my job, I go home happy and I feel accomplished. I’m not worried about what anybody got to say or people write or anything like that.”
Here are a few more rumors and notes from New York:
- According to Bondy, the Knicks remain highly interested in Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee is reportedly looking for “blue-chip young talent” and several draft picks in any deal involving the nine-time All-NBA forward, and New York simply lacks the necessary assets to have a competitive bid compared to other teams, which control their future first-round picks. Unless Antetokounmpo specifically requests to be traded to the Knicks, they’re a “long shot” to land him, says Bondy. Of course, even if Giannis does prefer to play in New York, the Bucks aren’t obligated to fulfill the request. New York’s odds of landing Antetokounmpo would theoretically improve in the offseason, Bondy notes, when the team will have two first-round picks to trade, as opposed to the top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick the Knicks currently control from the Wizards that will likely turn into two second-rounders.
- The Knicks are still actively looking to unload Guerschon Yabusele‘s contract and have been talking to multiple teams about possible trades, Bondy reports (subscription required). Bondy continues to hear Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado is on the team’s radar, and confirms Yves Missi is as well. Kings guard Keon Ellis is another player who has fans in the Knicks organization, a source tells Bondy.
- Yabusele, a french forward/center, holds a $5.8MM player option for next season. When asked about the possibility of returning to the EuroLeague at some point, Yabusele didn’t rule it out but said his focus is on the NBA, per Toni Canyameras of Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (Twitter video link). “I feel like that’s a good question,” Yabusele said. “I definitely don’t know what tomorrow is going to be like or anything like that. But I never close my door on anything. Obviously it was so [difficult to make it back] to the NBA [that I’m focused on staying] in the NBA, but we will see what opportunities present themselves. There’s definitely going to be a conversation to have, and [we’ll] see what the [European options are]. We will see. I will never say never [to a potential return].”
- Veteran wing Mikal Bridges has been in a slump for most of the past month, but he torched the Raptors in Wednesday’s win at Toronto, finishing with 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting in 36 minutes. Bridges, a Philadelphia native who played college ball at Villanova, struggled in Saturday’s loss in Philly, scoring just nine points on 3-of-16 shooting. He said that game served as something of a wake-up call (Twitter video link via Knicks on MSG). “I think a lot of it comes from not just shooting the ball, I think I just wasn’t playing how I was supposed to be playing. I think I wasn’t coachable enough,” Bridges said. “I don’t know what it was. Maybe I felt too much entitlement. Just kinda had to talk to myself a little bit about it and just be coachable and be the best teammate I can be and let the basketball speak for itself.”