Atlantic Notes: Alvarado, Clarkson, Celtics, Nets, Barnes
Jose Alvarado‘s first game with the Knicks came in Boston rather than at Madison Square Garden, but the New York City native said that representing his hometown team felt “like it was meant to be,” according to Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required).
“This is a blessing,” Alvarado said. “I’m from here. My family never left the city. To be in that atmosphere, I mean, they’ve been Knicks fans since before me. To be with a team that’s trying to contend for something and me be a part of it is pretty special. … To be part of the city, it’s just a surreal feeling.”
After being traded from New Orleans to New York on Thursday, Alvarado played 25 minutes on his Sunday in his Knicks debut, a 111-89 win over Boston.
The newest Knick immediately supplanted Jordan Clarkson in the team’s backcourt rotation — even with Miles McBride on the shelf following surgery for a sports hernia, Clarkson logged just eight minutes. The veteran guard, who has had four DNP-CDs in the past two-plus weeks, said that besides getting accustomed to inconsistent playing time, he’s also had to fit into a new role.
“Offensively and defensively,” Clarkson told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). “They’re asking me to do things defensively as well. And then offensively, I got to figure it out and make stuff out of what comes in the offense in terms of opportunities. It’s not like I’m featured in the offense or anything. I’m playing hard, I’m crashing the glass, figuring out different things — little things to be effective on that end. So it’s a whole new thing for me. But I’ll continue to be a pro and stay in the gym and working on my craft and keep it going.”
We have more from across the Atlantic:
- Jaylen Brown acknowledged after Sunday’s blowout loss to New York that there will be an adjustment period for the Celtics while they get used to their new-look roster, per Jay King of The Athletic. New center Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench against the Knicks, but the team was outscored by 24 points in his 23 minutes on the court. “We got to figure out the chemistry a little bit, the flow a little bit,” Brown said. “We want Vuc to be a little bit more aggressive, looking for him to get going and make him feel confident in taking those shots and where he can catch the ball. I think he’s still learning, but we need him to be aggressive. So we’ll make adjustments, we’ll communicate, we’ll watch film, and we’ll be better for it.”
- The trades that sent Josh Minott and Ochai Agbaji to Brooklyn were essentially salary dumps for Boston and Toronto, respectively. However, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, the Nets will give both Minott and Agbaji an opportunity to earn spots in their rotation — and maybe even spots in the club’s plans beyond this season. “We know they’re very good players. That’s why they’re here,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Show me what you can bring to the group, and if you can be part of this group, you can be a future Net.”
- Scottie Barnes is headed to his second All-Star game this season, but Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic sees an even higher ceiling for the star forward. “Scottie is Defensive Player of the Year. He’s an All-Star. He’s gonna be a Finals MVP. He’s going to be an MVP one day,” Rajakovic said after Barnes racked up 25 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks in Sunday’s win over Indiana (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca). “Write down the date I said that.”
NBA Announces Competitors For Slam Dunk, Shooting Stars All-Star Events
The Spurs‘ Carter Bryant, the Lakers‘ Jaxson Hayes, the Heat‘s Keshad Johnson and the Magic‘s Jase Richardson have been named the participants in the All-Star Slam Dunk competition, the league announced in a press release. It will be held next Saturday at the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome.
All four players will be making their event debuts. Richardson, a rookie guard, does have a familial connection with the contest. He is the son of two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003).
The league also announced the teams for the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday. Four teams of three – each featuring two NBA players and one NBA legend – will compete in the event.
- Team All-Star: Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren will be joined by three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton.
- Team Cameron: Three Duke University alums will team up, with Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson and Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel being joined by former 14-year NBA veteran Corey Maggette.
- Team Harper: Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. pairs up with his sons, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Celtics swingman Ron Harper Jr.
- Team Knicks: Knicks teammates and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will team up with Allan Houston, who made two NBA All-Star teams and is now a member of New York’s front office.
The Shooting Stars will feature a two-round format, with all four teams competing in the first round and the top two advancing to the final round.
Teams will compete one at a time and have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order. The team with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the champion.
Knicks Notes: Deadline, Alvarado, Robinson, Kolek, McBride
President Leon Rose deserves kudos for making the Knicks better at the trade deadline, contends Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).
While Rose made a mistake by signing Guerschon Yabusele in free agency last summer, he corrected his error by essentially flipping the French forward/center and a pair of second-round picks to acquire Jose Alvarado. The backup point guard fills a position of need, and his smaller salary also gives the Knicks enough breathing room beneath their second-apron hard cap that they should be players on the buyout market, Bondy writes.
The fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a Buck benefited the Knicks as well, Bondy notes, since the star forward wasn’t sent to an Eastern Conference rival. New York will have the option of revisiting trade talks for the two-time MVP in the offseason, when the team will have a pair of first-round picks to offer.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Prior to Friday’s game, head coach Mike Brown said he was excited about what Alvarado will bring to the Knicks, according to Bondy (Twitter link). “He just brings a level of toughness to the team, his energy is unmatched. What he can do defensively in the full court and even in the frontcourt on the ball especially on pick-and-rolls and stuff like that, is at a pretty high level,” Brown said. “He shoots it better than most people think. We want to play fast and we believe he’s a guy who will come in and push the pace. Get us into our offense and all that other stuff. Because he is quick, he’s got a low center of gravity. Been around for a while, he’ll touch the paint and make others better. We’re a big spray team and he should be good in that area too. So excited to have him.”
- The Knicks love Mitchell Robinson. Will they extend him or re-sign him in free agency this summer? “As one team put it to me a couple days ago, they may value him more than (any other team) in the league,” Ian Begley of SNY.tv said (Twitter video link). ” … Because of that, and because of the signals some Knick people have given out to other teams, I assume they’re going to do what they can — do what they have to do — to re-sign him.”
- Second-year guard Tyler Kolek said he’s looking forward to competing with Alvarado for minutes in the wake of Miles McBride‘s sports hernia surgery, Bondy writes for The New York Post. “There’s always competition in this league. Obviously Deuce is out for a little bit. We’re trying to be a championship-level team so you bring in as much talent as you can,” Kolek said Friday. “I’m going to compete every single day. He’s going to compete. Everybody on this team is going to compete for minutes. So it’s no slight to anybody.” Citing league sources, Begley hears McBride is expected to return to action in six-to-eight weeks after he undergoes the procedure (Twitter link).
- New York’s eight-game winning streak was snapped on Friday when the team was blown out by the top-seeded Pistons in Detroit. Karl-Anthony Towns (right eye laceration) and OG Anunoby (right toe soreness) were out for the Knicks, while Jalen Duren (right knee soreness) was sidelined for Detroit.
Post-Deadline Notes: 2027 Draft, Tanking, Pacers, More
Two teams near the bottom of the NBA’s standings, the Wizards and Jazz, raised eyebrows this week by making blockbuster deals for veterans stars Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr., respectively.
According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Washington’s and Utah’s willingness to push their rebuilds forward by sacrificing 2026 cap room and attempting to contend next season reflects not just the lack of top-level free agents expected to be available this summer but a league-wide lack of enthusiasm about the 2027 draft class.
While the 2026 draft is viewed as especially strong, the same can’t be said for ’27 or ’28 — sources tell Bontemps that neither year rates nearly as high as the ’26 class. In other words, after this year, there will be less incentive for teams like the Wizards and the Jazz to remain deep in lottery territory, pursuing high draft picks.
Still, the key caveat there is “after this year.” As Sam Vecenie of The Athletic writes, the NBA’s race to the bottom might get ugly in the next couple months, with the Wizards and Jazz still extremely motivated to hang onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-rounders while other sub-.500 clubs like the Kings, Pacers, Nets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Bulls also have incentive to lose as much as possible.
The NBA is reportedly considering rule changes to discourage tanking and already has the ability to penalize teams for resting certain healthy players and/or mischaracterizing injuries. But teams will likely be willing to push the boundaries of the current rules and risk facing fines if it helps them secure a top 2026 pick, Vecenie writes.
“The value of confirming a top-five pick or improving your chances at a top-two pick in this draft class is very large,” one executive told The Athletic. “Is it worth $5 million if you keep getting fined by the PPP (player participation policy) and the price tag rises? Is it worth $10 million if you’re successful? We haven’t done modeling on that, but it wouldn’t surprise me if a team has and comes to the conclusion that getting access to one of the top players in this draft is worth a certain amount in fines.”
Here are a few more notes related to this year’s trade deadline and what’s to follow:
- In another story for ESPN.com, Bontemps spoke to scouts and executives about their impressions of the trade deadline, which included lottery teams emerging as buyers and many of the top contenders standing pat or making minimal roster adjustments. “These aprons are tough to build around,” one Western Conference scout told ESPN. “It means teams are going to have to negotiate harder moving forward.”
- Bontemps adds that people around the league are debating whether the Pacers will tank the rest of the way in the hopes of keeping their top-four protected 2026 first-round pick or go all-out in an effort to move up the standings in the hopes of pushing the pick to its other protected range (10-30). “If it was me, I would tank and get the best possible odds at the high pick,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “But if they choose to get to 10, I think they could.” The Clippers pushed for that 10-30 protection, according to Tony East of Circle City Spin, since they’d rather take their chances on an unprotected 2031 first-rounder if it doesn’t land between No. 5 and No. 9.
- The trades that didn’t get done at this season’s deadline could set the stage for a “wild” summer, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a TV appearance on Thursday. “There’s a lot of unfinished business that didn’t get done,” Windhorst said, per RealGM, pointing to the Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Cavaliers as some candidates to shake up their rosters if their postseason runs don’t go as planned. “… You will see a revisiting of the Giannis (Antetokounmpo) situation in the summer. “We know that the Clippers are now in the middle of a controlled tear-down. I don’t want to use the word ‘rebuild.’ What about Kawhi Leonard? And then you look at Domantas Sabonis — he was being floated and they couldn’t do a deal for him. None of that mentions Ja Morant.”
- This year’s “weird” trade deadline was characterized by “too-late” trades, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger explains, players like Davis, Trae Young, Jonathan Kuminga, and a handful of Bulls would’ve been warranted stronger packages if they had been moved earlier, but those teams instead settled for modest returns.
Southwest Notes: Sochan, Spurs, Mavs, Pelicans
The Spurs were widely expected to make a move this week involving fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan, who had “hoped to find a new home” at Thursday’s trade deadline, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Instead, Sochan remains in San Antonio, as the Spurs were one of just three teams around the NBA not to make a single deal during the days leading up to the deadline.
According to Weiss, the Spurs talked to the Knicks about Guerschon Yabusele and Pacome Dadiet, the Bulls about Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips, and the Suns about Nick Richards, but they didn’t find a deal they liked and didn’t feel compelled to move Sochan without getting value in return.
Although Sochan may not be part of the Spurs’ plans beyond this season, he has no plans to negotiate a buyout and should finish the season in San Antonio, a source tells Weiss. The Spurs may have another chance this summer to recoup some value for the former No. 9 overall pick in a sign-and-trade scenario.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Count star big man Victor Wembanyama among those who are pleased that the Spurs didn’t make any roster changes at the trade deadline. “What I love is that the front office trusts these guys just like I do,” Wembanyama said, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We’re on the same page.” Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Harrison Barnes were among the other Spurs who voiced support for the front office’s approach. “When you’re in a situation where you’re winning games, you don’t feel like you have to make a lot of moves,” Barnes said. “We’re happy to live with that and continue to build with that.”
- The Mavericks and Wizards originally had exploratory Anthony Davis trade talks in early November before eventually reaching an agreement this week, reports Christian Clark of The Athletic. As Clark details, the Mavs were happy that word of those talks didn’t leak and that they were able to inform Davis of the deal face-to-face before word broke publicly. Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), meanwhile, writes that the team accomplished its goals of creating cap flexibility, adding draft assets, and addressing the point guard spot (by looping Tyus Jones into the deal).
- Reacting to the Pelicans‘ relatively quiet trade deadline, Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required) says it wasn’t a surprise that the team moved on from Jose Alvarado, who can become a free agent this summer, but acknowledged that fans may be frustrated to lose a key spark plug while the front office was inactive on other fronts. Besides Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III, who had seemed off-limits for weeks, rumored trade candidates Jordan Poole, Jordan Hawkins, Yves Missi, Saddiq Bey, and Dejounte Murray also didn’t go anywhere.
- The Pelicans are taking steps toward relocating their G League team – which currently plays in Birmingham, Alabama – to Louisiana, writes Patrick Magee of NOLA.com (subscription required). According to Magee, the Kenner City Council gave its unanimous approval on Thursday to a proposal that would bring the Squadron to the city’s Pontchartrain Center. The tentative plan is for the Pelicans’ G League team to begin playing in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans, in 2026/27.
Injury Notes: Poeltl, Murray-Boyles, White, Wagner, McBride, Duren
The back issues that have limited Jakob Poeltl to just 21 games this season were a major reason why his trade value was so low at the deadline, preventing the Raptors from gaining traction in their talks for Domantas Sabonis. However, Poeltl – who last played on December 21 – may not be out much longer, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
As Murphy relays, Poeltl is said to be ramping up and reacting “really well” as he works his way back. Toronto has just two more games between now and the All-Star break – Sunday vs. Indiana and next Wednesday vs. Detroit – but the team thinks there’s a chance he could return during that time.
Meanwhile, Raptors rookie big man Collin Murray-Boyles remains active after missing four games in late January due to a left thumb ailment, but that injury is still bothering him, according to Murphy, who notes (via Twitter) that he’ll have to wear a protector on the thumb for five more weeks. Still, Murray-Boyles powered through in Thursday’s win over Chicago, scoring 17 points on 8-of-9 shots from the field in 37 minutes of action.
“I give him a lot of credit,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca). “… He’s having trouble dribbling the ball, catching the ball, (but) he’s playing through that.”
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Newly acquired Hornets guard Coby White had played in 11 of Chicago’s last 12 games before being traded to Charlotte, but president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said White is dealing with some calf issues, which the Hornets will tread carefully with. According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), the 25-year-old may not play for his new team until after the All-Star break.
- Magic forward Franz Wagner is “very close” to returning from the left ankle injury that has sidelined him since January 18 and caused him to miss 24 of the team’s past 26 games, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said on Thursday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Orlando plays three more times before the All-Star break.
- A pair of doctors who spoke to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post suggest that the full recovery period for a sports hernia procedure like the one Miles McBride is undergoing is usually close to 12 weeks. Reports on Thursday indicated there’s optimism the Knicks guard will be back for the postseason, which will begin in about 10 weeks.
- Pistons center Jalen Duren didn’t play in the second half of Thursday’s loss to Washington due to right knee soreness, per the team (Twitter link). According to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, that knee soreness has been an issue for Duren for “a little bit,” but there’s no indication yet whether it will cost him any additional time (Twitter link via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic).
Pelicans Trade Jose Alvarado To Knicks
9:02 pm: The trade is official, according to the Knicks (Twitter link). New York also acquired the draft rights to Latavious Williams, a 36-year-old forward who is currently playing in Saudi Arabia, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
11:33 am: New York native Jose Alvarado is heading home, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Pelicans have agreed to a deal that will send the fifth-year guard to the Knicks.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), New York will send a pair of second-round picks along with Dalen Terry to New Orleans in exchange for Alvarado. The Pelicans will also receive cash, per Charania (Twitter link).
The two second-rounders headed to New Orleans are 2026 and 2027 selections, adds James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link) has the full details on those selections — the 2026 pick figures to be Detroit’s second-rounder, while the 2027 pick will be the second-most favorable of four teams’ picks.
Alvarado had been connected to the Knicks in rumors for much of the season leading up to the trade deadline. New York was in the market for backcourt help and the 27-year-old was viewed as a logical fit due in part to his affordable $4.5MM cap hit, which the Knicks could accommodate by sending out Guerschon Yabusele ($5.5MM).
The Pelicans reportedly weren’t interested in taking back Yabusele, whose contract includes a 2026/27 player option, so the Knicks found another taker, making a deal with Chicago for Terry, and will flip the newly acquired forward to New Orleans in this deal — it’s also possible the two moves will be officially completed as a single transaction.
Considered a tenacious defender who brings energy off the bench, Alvarado has averaged 7.9 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game across 41 appearances for the Pelicans this season. His shooting line is .418/.363/.833.
Alvarado’s contract features a $4.5MM player option for next season. If he opts out of his deal, the Knicks would have the ability to re-sign him using his Bird rights, but they may prefer for him to opt in and negotiate an extension that begins the following season, since it would help keep the team’s payroll in check for 2026/27.
The Knicks’ need for backcourt depth was heightened on Thursday as the team got word that Miles McBride will require core muscle surgery that could sideline him until the postseason, so Alvarado is well positioned to take on a significant role upon joining his new team.
New York will now have enough breathing room below its second-apron hard cap to sign a 15th man to a minimum-salary contract rather than having to wait until late in the season to do so.
As for the Pelicans, while they were widely viewed as one of the biggest potential sellers at this year’s deadline, they’ve been quiet to this point, having reportedly told teams they wouldn’t be moving prime trade chips like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones. While potential suitors believed that stance might change if the offers were strong enough, New Orleans hasn’t been convinced to move anyone besides Alvarado so far.
Bulls’ Yabusele Declines 2026/27 Player Option
Before he was officially traded to the Bulls, veteran big man Guerschon Yabusele worked with the Knicks to adjust his contract, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).
Yabusele’s deal included a $5.78MM player option for the 2026/27 season that was reducing his trade value, since potential trade partners had no interest in taking on that salary with the Frenchman having a down year in ’25/26. However, he declined that player option as part of his move to Chicago, Johnson reports, and is now on track for unrestricted free agency this summer.
According to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link), there’s a very real chance that Yabusele, a former EuroLeague star, will head back overseas next season.
It’s worth noting that Yabusele was recently linked to Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel and several European teams are reportedly monitoring his situation. But he’s expected to remain with Chicago for the rest of the season.
As Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes (via Twitter), Yabusele declining his player option helped grease the wheels not only on the deal that sent him to Chicago but also helped the Knicks acquire Jose Alvarado from New Orleans. Begley hears Yabusele, who has received limited run this season, will be given an opportunity to play for the Bulls.
The Bulls will benefit from Yabusele’s decision financially, as they’ll have extra cap room in 2026. The player they traded away — former first-round pick Dalen Terry — would have been eligible for restricted free agency.
Knicks Trade Guerschon Yabusele, Cash To Bulls
February 5: The trade is official, according to the Bulls, who say they also received cash from the Knicks in the deal (Twitter link). New York sent $500K to Chicago, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Knicks will flip Terry to New Orleans in order to acquire Jose Alvarado, as we detail in a separate story.
February 4: The Bulls will acquire Guerschon Yabusele from the Knicks in exchange for Dalen Terry, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
New York had reportedly been looking to unload Yabusele for several weeks, but couldn’t find a taker because of his $5.7MM player option for next season. Chicago decided to take the risk on a player who was effective last season in Philadelphia but has struggled since joining the Knicks.
Rumors had emerged that the 30-year-old Yabusele was considering going back to Europe, where he was a star for five seasons, but this trade will likely quash that speculation. The Bulls intend to hang onto the Frenchman, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Yabusele was only averaging 8.9 minutes per night in 41 games with New York, but he figures to see a larger role in the Bulls’ revamped frontcourt. Chicago has been in need of additional size all season and agreed to trade starting center Nikola Vucevic to Boston earlier this week.
The Knicks get a small amount of savings by swapping Yabusele’s $5.5M salary for Terry, who’s making $5.4MM in the final season of his rookie contract and is on a path for restricted free agency this summer. The 23-year-old shooting guard was selected with the 18th pick in the 2022 draft, but he hasn’t been able to earn a consistent rotation spot during his four years in Chicago.
The deal increases the Knicks’ space below the second apron from $148,359 to $249,241, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link), allowing them to sign a 15th player on March 26 instead of waiting until April 2.
New York can still ship Terry to another team before Thursday’s deadline, and Gozlan believes they’ll likely get more interest in his expiring deal than they did in Yabusele.
Miles McBride To Undergo Surgery, May Be Sidelined Until Playoffs
Knicks guard Miles McBride will have surgery on Friday to fix a core muscle injury, also known as a sports hernia, and may be out of action until the playoffs, sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).
McBride has missed the past five games, but the reason was listed as left ankle injury management. The 25-year-old suffered a high ankle sprain in early December that sidelined him for eight games.
McBride is putting up career-best numbers off New York’s bench in his first season under head coach Mike Brown. He’s averaging 12.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.0 minutes per night while shooting 43.4% from the field and a career-high 42% from three-point range.
The Knicks upgraded their backcourt today by agreeing to acquire Jose Alvarado from New Orleans, so he should inherit a lot of McBride’s playing time for the rest of the regular season.