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Pacific Notes: Durant, Edwards, James, Harden

February 16th, 2025 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns got off to an 8-1 start but it’s been a rocky ride since that point. They entered the All-Star break with a 26-28 record, 11th in the Western Conference. At All-Star media day on Saturday, Kevin Durant gave his take on why they’ve faltered, as The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin relays.

“We started well,” he said. “I feel like we definitely could be playing better. I feel like there’s a couple factors. We had some guys in and out of the lineup. We’re not rebounding well, turning the ball over. I think just fundamental stuff I think we’ll be better. If we fix that coming out of the break, I think we’ll have a better chance to win some basketball games.”

Durant believes the club will finish strong, citing the recent additions of Nick Richards and Bol Bol to the starting five.

“We made a couple lineup changes, too, that will help us out, adding more size to our starting lineup, so that may help, as well,” Durant said. “Our last few games, we’ve just been playing a better brand of ball. Even though we lost two, I feel like we’re just playing a better brand of ball, a more sustainable brand with the lineup switches like that.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Timberwolves reportedly made a last-ditch attempt prior to the trade deadline to engage in talks with the Suns regarding Durant. Fellow Western Conference All-Star Anthony Edwards couldn’t believe the Suns even entertained offers for Durant, according to Rankin. “Yeah, I was super surprised,” Edwards said. “Didn’t think Phoenix would be trying to trade him.”
LeBron James will become the third player in NBA history to appear in an All-Star Game after turning 40. James will also be making his 21st appearance in the game and he’s humbled by the opportunity. “Special thanks to my fans that voted me in their portion,” the Lakers forward said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “The coaches, the players who had anything to do with me being a part of it. It’s always special and very humbling and I don’t take it for granted being an All-Star. It’s something that, when I was a kid, I always watched the All-Star Game and had the opportunity to do and I always wanted to be on that floor. But it’s always special. I’m pretty happy about it.”
James Harden is making his first All-Star appearance since 2022. The Clippers guard was confident he could reach that level again, he told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “I never doubted it,” Harden said. “It was me just, you know, finally being healthy and getting back to my zone. Getting back to who I am and here I am.” Harden is averaging 21.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game this season.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Iguodala, Oakland Arena, Green

February 16th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With the Warriors slated to retire the No. 9 jersey of former four-time champ Andre Iguodala next weekend, All-Star point Stephen Curry recently looked back on the role his former teammate played on those four title squads, writes Grant Afseth of RG.org.

Iguodala spent eight seasons with Golden State, earning NBA Finals MVP in 2015 thanks to his clampdown defense of then-Cleveland forward LeBron James. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 boards, and 3.4 assists in his 452 regular season games for the Warriors.

“I speak for both of us [Draymond Green and himself] when we talk about honor. It’s going to be fantastic for the entire organization to welcome my brother back,” Curry told Afseth. “He helped us win a lot of championships.”

Iguodala’s jersey retirement ceremony will take place on February 23, the day of a matinee tilt against Dallas. That means longtime Warriors champ Klay Thompson, who signed with the Mavericks as a free agent last summer, will also be on hand for the big moment.

“His IQ, his impact on the game,” Curry said. “We obviously don’t win those without him.”

There’s more out of Golden State:

Curry was back at the site of many of those titles, Oakland Arena (formerly Oracle Arena), for his All-Star media obligations on Saturday. Curry suggested that he’d be open to returning to Oakland Arena for an encore appearance in the future, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “I absolutely love the idea of coming back to play a game here,” Curry said. “It should be a regular season game.”
Green, another core member of the Warriors’ championship teams, offered up some harsh criticism of the league at large this week, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more threes, it’s no substance,” Green said. “I think it’s very boring.”
In case you missed it, the Warriors plan to sign former lottery pick forward Kevin Knox to a 10-day deal.

Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Jokic, Welts, Armstrong

February 16th, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

By all accounts, now-Lakers star Luka Doncic was blindsided by his trade away from the Mavericks earlier this month. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a longtime friend of Doncic’s, spoke about the five-time All-NBA First Teamer’s reaction to the surprising deal during his Saturday presser at All-Star media day.

“He was building something there,” Jokic said. “I think he was hurt… I think as a trade, it’s not such a big thing, but if you trade someone like that, I think it kind of becomes a little bit of a big thing, and maybe players become a little bit serious about it.”

There’s more out of Dallas:

New Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, seen across the league as a financial wizard, is stewarding this new post-Doncic era on the business side, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who wonders if Welts’ decision-making can help Dallas fans eventually move beyond the front office’s bold recent transactions. “I thought I’d seen everything in my 47 years in the NBA, but clearly this was different,” Welts said. “I probably underestimated the reaction. I think we’ve done the best we can, basically, with the staff and trying to do the right thing with everybody who touches the Mavericks.” Welts had previously led business operations for the Steve Nash-era Suns from 2002-11 and the peak Stephen Curry-era Warriors from 2011-21. As we outlined on Saturday, he played a big part in building out the modern format of the All-Star weekend during his 17-year tenure as an NBA executive.
Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning for alleged aggravated assault with a weapon, reports Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Afseth adds that Dallas has placed Armstrong on administrative leave following the booking. “The preliminary investigation determined the suspect and victim were in an argument when the suspect hit the victim with a gun and threatened to shoot them,” the Dallas police department told Afseth. “The suspect and victim are known to one another. This remains an ongoing investigation.”
In case you missed it, All-Star Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving appears to have found peace in Dallas following rocky stints in Boston and Brooklyn.

Knicks Notes: Towns, Brunson, 3-Point Contest

February 16th, 2025 at 1:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is in the midst of perhaps his best season yet. The sharpshooting big man spoke with Stefan Bondy of The New York Post about how he’s adjusted over the past few months after being dealt from Minnesota to New York.

“Of course, you always want better,” Towns said. “But I’m just happy that I was able to implement myself into the team and that it resulted in winning. You guys were telling me the stats of having the best record going into the All-Star break since [the Knicks’ last championship season in 1973]. Hopefully, history coincides with that and brings a ring with it.”

The team is currently 36-18 on the year, just 2.5 games behind the No. 2-seeded Celtics.

Towns has meshed well with fellow All-Star Jalen Brunson, and is happy to serve as the Knicks’ second option behind Brunson, who was named the team’s captain in August. Of course, Towns is still averaging 24.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per night, so the Kentucky alum is doing just fine.

“I didn’t come over to be a distraction or disrupt the flow or be on an ego trip or anything,” Towns said. “And I came to amplify them and amplify Cap’. You can’t win a championship by yourself. You need everybody. And I’m just happy we have a team full of guys who are willing to sacrifice and look at the big picture and do what it takes to bring the city wins every single night, and hopefully it results in a chip.”

There’s more out of New York:

Brunson remains that rarest of things: a humble All-Star. According to Steve Popper of Newsday, Brunson credits his humility to his immediate friends and family. “I have a decent circle who keeps me humble,” Brunson told Popper. “So no. I think my mindset stays the same where I just want to get better. I know there’s a lot more for me to achieve. I want to win. “All the individual stuff is great. I’m really thankful. It’s goals of mine, of course, but the main thing is for me to win. That’s what I focus on. When I focus on that, the individual stuff comes. But my main focus is just winning. It’s always been that way.”
Despite a hot start, Brunson faded at the end of the first round of All-Star weekend’s three-point contest on Saturday and ultimately didn’t advance. Still looking for his first win in the event, Brunson is open to potentially returning for a third appearance in a future seasons, writes Bondy in another article. The 6’2″ vet is nailing 39.7% of his 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season. He was looking to become the first Knicks player – and the first southpaw – to win the contest. “I’ll leave that door open,” Brunson said of returning for future shootouts.
In case you missed it, we recently took a closer look at New York’s hard cap situation, detailing when the team will be able to add a 15th man.

Heat Notes: Herro, Highsmith, Durant

February 16th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat guard Tyler Herro earned his first All-Star nod in 2024/25. He also won his first three-point contest on Saturday night, defeating Buddy Hield and Darius Garland in the final round.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Herro has displayed a different level of maturity this season after dealing with trade rumors for much of his career. He credits an improved mental approach for his excellent season.

“I think it comes with being OK with everything, trying to be at peace,” Herro said. “I try to work on myself off the court just as much as I was working on the court. So just being at peace, having my kids, my girl, I’ve got everything I need. So just being able to stay present.”

The 25-year-old sharpshooter said becoming an All-Star has long been a goal of his, so he was thrilled to be selected for the first time, Winderman adds.

“I’ve always wanted to be an All-Star,” he said. “I think I said that from the very beginning, not selfishly, but just trying to be ambitious in my own way. I’m a hard worker, so I feel when I’m able to put my mind on something, I usually go get what I want. So that’s usually how I try to do it. And All-Star was one of my goals coming into the league.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Herro brought his family and friends with him to All-Star weekend, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, who takes a look at the former lottery pick’s journey to achieve his goal. “Just spending it with my family, getting a break,” Herro said when asked what he’s looking forward to the most this weekend. “Just seeing all my people there and being able to experience it with them.”
Haywood Highsmith‘s playing time has dwindled of late. Is there still room for him in the rotation after the trade additions of Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson? Winderman examines that question in a subscriber-only mailbag.
Is it inevitable that Kevin Durant will once again be linked to the Heat when the summer rolls around? Winderman weighs in on that topic for The Sun Sentinel, noting that while there still seems to be mutual interest between the two sides, Miami also wasn’t willing to part with the young players and draft capital the Suns were seeking before the trade deadline.

Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player

February 16th, 2025 at 11:07am CST by Rory Maher

According to the latest betting odds (link via Kevin Rogers of VegasInsider), there are two clear frontrunners to be named 2024/25’s Most Improved Player: Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Clippers wing Norman Powell.

Cunningham is the current favorite for the award, but Powell is a close second. Tyler Herro, Amen Thompson, Trey Murphy, Christian Braun, Evan Mobley, Jalen Williams, Dyson Daniels, Victor Wembanyama and Max Christie are among the other players in consideration, but it would be genuinely shocking if anyone from that group wins, given the current odds.

Griffin Wong of DraftKings recently weighed in on what is seemingly a two-man race, making the case both for and against Powell and Cunningham. While Wong believes that Powell has “clearly” shown more individual improvement, he thinks voters — 100 members of the media — will ultimately choose Cunningham, given the recent history of selecting rising young players and Detroit’s dramatic turnaround from a season ago.

A 10-year veteran, Powell is posting career-best numbers in virtually every major statistic in 2024/25, including points (24.2), rebounds (3.6), assists (2.2), steals (1.3) and minutes (33.6) per game. In 45 appearances, he has posted an extremely efficient shooting slash line of .496/.428/.819, good for a career-high true shooting percentage of .633. He is the leading scorer on the West’s No. 6 seed (the Clippers are 31-23).

At 31, Powell would be the oldest player to ever win MIP. That distinction currently belongs to former Magic guard Darrell Armstrong, who was 30 when he won the award in ’98/99.

Cunningham, 23, is also posting career-best numbers in several statistics in ’24/25, averaging 25.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 9.3 APG on .455/.351/.850 shooting (.551 TS) in 50 games (35.5 MPG). After finishing with the NBA’s worst record (14-68) last season, the Pistons have already more than doubled that meager win total and currently hold a 29-26 record, good for the No. 6 seed in the East.

Obviously, Cunningham has far more impressive rebounding and assist totals, and he’s Detroit’s best player. But as Wong writes, the first-time All-Star has been a far less efficient scorer than Powell, who also has better on/off numbers. According to Wong, Cunningham’s improvement was more or less expected — he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 — whereas Powell’s has been much more surprising and arguably more impactful to winning. Neither player is great defensively, so Wong views that as essentially a wash.

We want to know what you think. Should Cunningham, Powell or another player be selected as this season’s Most Improved Player? Head to the comments section to share your thoughts.

And-Ones: Hayes, Micic, Baker, Bates-Diop, Europe

February 16th, 2025 at 9:24am CST by Rory Maher

Killian Hayes, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2020 draft, has been out of the NBA after being cut by the Pistons last February. The French point guard signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets in the offseason, but he sustained a hip injury which caused him to miss all of Brooklyn’s preseason games and was subsequently waived prior to the 2024/25 campaign.

Hayes has been playing for the G League’s Long Island Nets in the hopes of landing another NBA contract. The 23-year-old tells Scott Mitchell of NetsDaily he’s determined to make it back to the league.

“That’s my only goal is to get back to the NBA,” Hayes said. “There’s been talks for sure, but I guess we’ll see in the future what happens.”

As Mitchell writes, shooting has long been Hayes’ primary weakness as a player, as he was a solid play-maker and defender during his time in the NBA. He got off to a slow start during the Tip-Off Tournament this fall, averaging 13.1 points on .432/.290/.588 shooting splits in 15 games, but has caught fire of late during the NBAGL regular season, averaging 23.3 PPG on .570/.500/.890 shooting over his past seven contests.

“Putting in the work,” Hayes told Mitchell about how his shot has been developing. “Just being confident at the end of the day. I like how my shot is feeling. I like my chances when I shoot the ball. That’s one of the reasons I started going in, just to have that intent whenever I shoot.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic is now on his third team in two NBA seasons, having failed to make a significant impact with Oklahoma City and Charlotte prior to being dealt to Phoenix ahead of the trade deadline. While he recently downplayed rumors of a potential return to Europe in the offseason, speculation continues to swirl that the 31-year-old Serbian will receive lucrative contract offers if he becomes a free agent this summer. According to Sotiris Vetakis of SDNA (Twitter link), Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv is prepared to offer the veteran guard a contract in the range of 4.5-5 million euros per season if he hits the open market (hat tip to Sportando). The Suns hold a $8.11MM team option on Micic’s contract for ’25/26.
G League forward Robert Baker (Osceola Magic) has replaced former NBA veteran Keita Bates-Diop on USA Basketball’s roster for the AmeriCup qualifying games this month, USAB announced in a press release. Bates-Diop also withdrew from the November qualifying window for unspecified reasons.
Speaking to Michael Long of SportsPro (subscription required), EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas said it “doesn’t make sense” for the NBA to potentially create another league in the continent. “To read comments about another league in Europe, for me personally, doesn’t make any sense,” Motiejunas said, per Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops.“We already have four different leagues. We, as EuroLeague, have the best product possible. I don’t think it’s something that should not be valued and understood and appreciated, because what the clubs and the league have achieved in 25 years, it’s amazing. I understand the NBA’s approach and I appreciate how big they are, it’s the number one basketball league in the world. But I don’t like the mentality that, ‘oh, we’ll come and we’ll teach everybody how it’s done’. Obviously, everybody wants to listen to the NBA or wants to see what they can offer. But to have five leagues, we’re forgetting the fans. You turn on the TV and you don’t know what team is playing what competition.”

Three-Peat For Mac McClung In Dunk Contest

February 15th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mac McClung ensured his place alongside the other legends in NBA dunk contest history by winning the event for the third straight time Saturday night.

McClung got perfect scores on all four of his dunks and was a clear favorite of the Chase Center crowd. His final-round victory came over Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who registered a 99.6 score with two impressive slams of his own. Andre Jackson Jr. and Matas Buzelis were eliminated in the first round.

McClung brought some excitement to the event on his first dunk when he leaped over a car and threw the ball down behind his head. He followed that by jumping over his dunk coach for a twisting slam, then dunked two balls at once — one held by a friend on a spinning hoverboard and another by a man on a ladder — and finished off the night by jumping over 6’11” Evan Mobley (who was standing on a small platform) and touching the ball against the rim before slamming it home (video collection via YouTube).

At a press conference following the event, McClung deflected a question on whether the three-peat means he should be considered the greatest dunker of all time (Twitter video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

“I definitely don’t think that’s something for me to say,” McClung responded. “… I was just extremely honored to be part of this weekend. The biggest thing is I genuinely love this contest, and I’m very honored to be here and just very appreciative.”

McClung is on a two-way contract with the Magic and has only made one brief appearance in an NBA game this season. He plays for Osceola in the G League and has never been able to break through at the NBA level, getting into five total games with four teams since 2021.

McClung’s performance got the attention of other players around the league, including a couple of stars who hinted that they may consider participating in future dunk contests. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant tweeted, “Mac might make me decide to dunk,” and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo responded, “If you do it. I’ll do it with you,” later adding, “I just gotta to warm up for three weeks prior to the contest.”

Damian Lillard missed the chance for another three-peat on Saturday, being eliminated in the first round of the Three-Point Contest after winning the event the past two years. Tyler Herro claimed this year’s crown by a point over Buddy Hield, with Darius Garland finishing third.

“I was definitely nervous going into the first round. But I thought I shot it pretty well in the second round, and then Buddy had the chance to tie it at the end,” Herro told reporters, including Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Obviously a great competition, a bunch of great shooters. … Also, it felt cold in the arena the first time I went. For the second time, I felt more loose going right away.”

Mobley teamed with fellow Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell to capture the Skills Challenge in the night’s first event.

Adam Silver Discusses Doncic Trade, Other Topics In All-Star Press Conference

February 15th, 2025 at 9:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was as surprised as anyone when news broke that Luka Doncic had been traded to the Lakers two weeks ago, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. At his annual All-Star Weekend press conference, Silver said he wasn’t given advance notice from anyone about the deal.

He also refused to second guess the Mavericks, who have received an enormous amount of criticism for parting with Doncic, especially from their own fans.

“I can say one thing for sure: Whether or not history will ultimately judge this as a smart trade, they did what they thought was in the best interest of their organization,” Silver said. “I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives, no doubt in my mind that the Dumont-Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they’re committed to the long-term success of that franchise.”

Silver added that he’s “empathetic” toward Dallas fans who are upset about the deal, which looks even worse since Anthony Davis was injured in his first game with the team.

“Time will tell whether it was a smart trade,” Silver said. “But they should believe in their organization.”

Silver addressed several other topics during his meeting with reporters, according to Reynolds:

The Hornets contacted the league office after the Lakers rescinded their trade for Mark Williams, but Charlotte hasn’t filed a formal appeal. “Let’s see what Charlotte decides to do here,” Silver said. “But I think either way, it’s gotten our attention. We understand that in the back and forth of teams and trades that the extent we can reduce uncertainty, that’s a positive thing.”
The league is waiting for a response from Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor after an arbitration panel ruled in favor of Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez this week. Silver said he doesn’t see any reason why the sale of the team wouldn’t be approved, but he doesn’t want to speak for the Board of Governors. “I mean, that’s Glen’s decision to make,” Silver said. “I haven’t talked to him directly about that. I think, though, that A-Rod, certainly Marc Lore, are well-known to the league at this point. They’ve already been vetted and approved as minority owners. I think they understood that the league had no role in this arbitration. That was something they had agreed to as part of their purchase agreement.”
The league decided against a repeat of last year’s All-Star Weekend shooting contest between Stephen Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, with Silver explaining, “Last year was so magical, that competition, that it started to feel forced. And I think there was concern from all of us that we just weren’t feeling it.”
Silver cited progress in the NBA’s television ratings, although he admitted that he’d like to see them higher. He added that the league measures its audience in several ways and is enjoying “record popularity” on social media.

Southwest Notes: Jackson, Thompson, Sheppard, Sengun, Wembanyama

February 15th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Making his second All-Star appearance in three years, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is living out a childhood dream, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Jackson, a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year honors, used to imagine himself in the All-Star spotlight when he was learning the game as a child.

“When I went in my yard, I liked to pretend I was KD (Kevin Durant), T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) or Kobe (Bryant),” Jackson said. “I just imagined being one of those superheroes on the court. I think this feeling is way better than how I imagined it, honestly. It’s more meaningful. It’s way more impactful. Especially when you have your family with you. You don’t think about all those other things and how many other people are going to be happy about this with you.”

The new All-Star format could give Jackson a chance to face two of his Grizzlies teammates Sunday night, Cole adds. Rookies Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey were both on the team that won Friday’s Rising Stars event. They’re not paired up with Jackson’s team in the semifinals, but they could meet in the final round if they both advance.

“I want to dunk on both of them,” Jackson said. “I can’t wait.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard were also in the Rising Stars tournament as the latest representatives of the Rockets, who’ve had at least one player involved every year since 2022, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. They were on opposite sides in one of Friday’s semifinals, as Thompson got the satisfaction of dunking on his teammate, but Sheppard’s squad came away with the victory. “The Rockets do a good job of getting young guys and making them better,” Sheppard said. “And Amen is an unbelievable talent, unbelievable guy. So being able to be out there with him today was a lot fun.”
Rockets center Alperen Sengun, a first-time All-Star, credits coach Ime Udoka for pushing him and the team in the right direction, Lerner adds in a separate story. Udoka sped up the rebuilding process in Houston by leading the Rockets to a .500 finish last season, and he currently has them fourth in the West. “We were just going over there and just playing,” Sengun said at his All-Star press conference. “Then Ime just came and changed everything for us, and he teach us to how to win.”
A lack of competitiveness has been a problem in recent All-Star Games, but that won’t be an issue for the Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama has become known for his desire to win at everything he does, and he’ll take that attitude into Sunday night. “I guess it’s maybe innate,” he said. “But it was definitely encouraged in our family’s culture around sport, of course. But I don’t know. I just feel lucky to have that will to stay true to myself.” Wembanyama and Chris Paul were disqualified from tonight’s Skills Challenge for flouting the rules (Twitter video link).

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