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Fischer’s Latest: Gafford, Pacers, CP3, Clippers, Turner, Warriors

December 9th, 2025 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, Shams Charania of ESPN passed along several rumors related to the NBA’s trade market, including the fact that the Pacers are on the lookout for a long-term answer at center and that Daniel Gafford is among the players the Mavericks are willing to discuss in trade talks.

In his own look at the trade market on Tuesday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) links those two items, reporting that the Pacers are believed to have interest in Gafford, who could make sense as a pick-and-roll partner for Tyrese Haliburton once the star point guard returns from his Achilles tear.

As we noted earlier in the day, Gafford signed a three-year extension during the offseason that will run through 2028/29, but he remains trade-eligible because that three-year, $54MM+ deal didn’t exceed the NBA’s extend-and-trade restrictions.

It’s unclear exactly what sort of return the Mavs would be seeking for the veteran center, but Obi Toppin ($14MM) or a package of Bennedict Mathurin ($9.2MM) and Tony Bradley ($2.9MM) are a couple examples of potential matches for Gafford ($14.4MM) from a salary perspective. Indiana also controls all of its own future first-round picks and most of its second-rounders.

Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

According to Fischer, the Clippers fully intend to work with Chris Paul and his representatives at CAA to find a new home for the veteran point guard, who may be the top candidate to be dealt on December 15 when dozens of players become newly trade-eligible. Playing close to his home in Los Angeles was Paul’s top priority in the offseason, but Fischer wonders if playing time will be a more important factor for the future Hall of Famer this time around, pointing out that CP3’s dissatisfaction grew as his minutes decreased in L.A.
Outside of Paul, the Clippers aren’t considered likely to pursue any significant deals right away when trade season unofficially opens next Monday, says Fischer, adding that he views Ivica Zubac, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard as unlikely candidates to be moved — at least for now. Sam Amick of The Athletic made a similar point during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Tuesday (Twitter video link), pointing out half-jokingly that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has an “inexplicable, borderline insane addiction to this group.”
Maintaining cap flexibility beginning in 2027 remains a top priority for the Clippers, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the team never offered Norman Powell a contract extension before trading him to the Heat over the summer. The Clippers’ front office expected Powell to seek a new deal in the neighborhood of $30MM, per Fischer.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo would obviously be of greater interest if the Bucks become sellers, Fischer suggests that Milwaukee center Myles Turner could be a target worth watching for the Warriors as they explore the market for potential deals involving Jonathan Kuminga. Golden State has had interest in Turner in the past, having discussed scenarios involving Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and Andrew Wiggins back when the big man was still in Indiana, Fischer writes.

Timberwolves Notes: McDaniels, Edwards, Shannon, Beringer, Conley

December 8th, 2025 at 1:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward Jaden McDaniels scored 27 points as the Timberwolves notched their fifth straight victory on Saturday, a 109-106 win over the Clippers. He is averaging a career-high 16 points per game while shooting 48.5% from three-point distance.

McDaniels has been primarily viewed as a top-notch perimeter defender during his career but now his offensive game is coming along, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details. McDaniels is applying some of the lessons he learned from Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard when they worked out together in the offseason.

“Just not letting the defense speed you up, play at your pace at all times,” McDaniels said. “And that’s something I took from him and just staying at your own pace. I don’t want to give out too much because, you know.”

His teammates are appreciative of his all-around contributions.

“What he’s bringing to us is huge,” guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “Throughout the game, sometimes we’re all looking for a spark and he delivers. Sometimes we’re looking to put our foot on the neck and he delivers. And sometimes we’re looking for just some steadiness throughout the game. He’s been doing everything we’ve asked him to do and what’s expected of him.”

We have more on the Timberwolves:

Star guard Anthony Edwards and Terrence Shannon Jr. are listed as questionable to play against the Suns on Monday due to illness, Krawczynski tweets. Neither player attending the team’s shootaround this morning.
Adjusting to the NBA game is just one of the things first-round pick Joan Beringer is learning this season. The French-born center is also trying to get comfortable with the English language while taking driving lessons. The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine talked to Beringer and some of the team’s coaching staff about the challenges the 19-year-old rookie has faced. Beringer has appeared in nine games off the bench.
Veteran point guard Mike Conley has been coming off the bench for Minnesota this season, but he has been on the floor during crunch time in four of the past five games that were within five points in the last five minutes, John Schuhmann of NBA.com notes. Conley made two free throws to tie Saturday’s game with the Clippers in the final minute, then set up Naz Reid’s game-winning three-pointer by attacking a close-out and getting into the paint.

Clippers Notes: Paul, Bogdanovic, Leonard, More

December 6th, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul is away from the Clippers after the team announced on Wednesday that it would be “parting ways” with the 40-year-old point guard. The surprising news came less than two weeks after the 11-time All-NBA selection confirmed that 2025/26 would be his final season as an NBA player.

Appearing on Amazon Prime Video on Friday (Twitter video link), NBA insider Chris Haynes discussed Paul’s acrimonious exit from Los Angeles.

“The Clippers maintain that there were a series of events and conversations between the front office and Chris Paul over the last few months that ultimately led to his departure,” Haynes said. “The front office believed they had intel that Chris Paul was criticizing the coaching staff, front office and players. And this was something that they felt they’d been hearing for the past couple of months.

“And there was a meeting about a month ago between (president of basketball operations) Lawrence Frank and Chris Paul where Frank addressed this issue again. Chris Paul vehemently denied those accusations. But ultimately Chris Paul elected to apologize to his teammates a few days later if his words or actions were misconstrued.

“(Paul) asked Frank, I was told, to set up a meeting between (Paul) and (head coach) Tyronn Lue — those two haven’t spoken in weeks,” Haynes continued. “Frank said he would get to that — it never happened. Sources said Lue refused to meet with Chris Paul.”

Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported on Thursday that Paul wanted to keep playing this season, and Paul essentially confirmed as much in a text to Haynes (Twitter link).

“I’m just staying ready,” Paul wrote. “I’m hooping right now. I don’t (know) what’s next. I’m still scarred by it all. Still processing everything. But I’m staying ready.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic could return to action on Saturday in Minnesota after missing the past eight games with a left hip contusion. He’s probable to suit up against the Wolves, the team announced today. The slumping Clips badly need Bogdanovic’s shot-creation skills, particularly with Bradley Beal out for the year with a fractured hip.
Kawhi Leonard is not on L.A.’s injury report today and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears the star forward is expected to play both ends of back-to-backs going forward, assuming he’s healthy. In 13 appearances this season, Leonard has averaged 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, with a shooting line of .494/.385/.971.
The Clippers are now 2-9 over their past 11 games after dropping Friday’s contest in Memphis. As The Orange County Register relays, the team only managed to score two points over the final six-plus of the fourth quarter and gave up a 9-0 run to conclude the game, which the Clips lost by nine points.

Clippers Notes: Next Steps, Leonard, Harden, LaVine

December 5th, 2025 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

What’s the best path forward for the 6-16 Clippers? Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN spoke to executives and scouts about that topic, with one of those execs pointing out that it’s in the best interest of 29 teams to come up with an answer that question, since L.A. owes the defending champion Thunder an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.

“We might need to get everyone in the league on a Zoom and brainstorm some ideas,” that executive joked. “Invite everybody except (Thunder general manager) Sam (Presti).”

As Bontemps and Windhorst outline, there was no consensus among their sources about what the ideal next step for the Clippers is. While several scouts and executives believe it would be in the team’s best interests to make in-season moves on the trade market, some think L.A. should be a buyer and other view the club as a seller.

Other sources who spoke to ESPN suggested the Clippers would be better off standing pat, suggesting that their roster – headlined by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac – isn’t as bad as the record suggests.

“There are going to be several teams ahead of them in the standings that are eventually going to tank and (the Clippers) will be able to pass them,” one veteran executive told Windhorst. “They won’t admit it now, but there are stealth tankers already at play. You’ll be coming to me asking about the tanking epidemic in the spring.”

“It’s got to be better than this,” a Western Conference scout told Bontemps. “Ty Lue is a great coach. With Zubac, Harden and Kawhi, you’re just too talented to be this bad all season. You have to hold. We’ve only seen (22) games of it. Yes, it’s been terrible, but what can you do?”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Among the scouts and executives who told ESPN the Clippers should be in-season buyers, the general feeling was that their cap situation – which includes several expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts – puts them in a good position to go shopping for a “blue light special” before February’s deadline. “There will be teams who will be willing to dump players in two months,” one exec told Windhorst. “Guys who might be able to help them.”
One scout who spoke to Bontemps specifically pointed to Kings guard Zach LaVine as a player who may appeal to the Clippers. LaVine would bring athleticism and give L.A. another scorer on the wing, and the cost would be modest — if the Clippers were to send out only expiring contracts, they might even be able to extract a draft pick from the Kings along with LaVine, who has a $49MM player option for next season, Bontemps writes. To clarify, there has been no reporting indiating that the Clips have interest in LaVine, so this is just speculation.
Although Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has deep pockets and has never gone into rebuilding mode since buying the team in 2014, some rival executives are wondering whether the team will consider it in this case, especially since its cap situation is relatively favorable.“There are a lot of ways to use cap space, and if they don’t believe in this core they could really turn their team over in a year if they got flexibility,” an assistant GM told Windhorst. “You look at what they figured out in Phoenix. They had a team that was too old and turned over that roster and it changed their entire outlook.”
One potential complication in a rebuilding scenario would be maximizing the return for veteran stars like Leonard and Harden on the trade market. The cap circumvention investigation into Leonard and his apparent no-show endorsement deal with Aspiration would limit the forward’s appeal, Bontemps writes. “James has maybe neutral value,” one Eastern Conference scout speculated. “Kawhi has negative value.”
Asked this week whether the Clippers’ unexpected split with future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul will diminish their reputation among players and agents, affecting their ability to recruit veteran stars in the future, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said it’s important the Clippers “own it,” per Law Murray of The Athletic. “You give context to everything. I don’t think you hide from it,” Frank said. “… With that being said, you still have to do what’s right for the team and organization, and we still feel that we have a terrific organization. … We’ve had a really, really successful run during the regular season with different iterations of the team. Chris was a large part of it, and then we were able to get into the conference finals on the next iteration of team, and now we’re on the next iteration of the team. And I do think we have to earn our way every time. But I’m also very, very, very confident that this will always be a destination franchise as long as Steve is owning the team.”

Harden, Leonard ‘Shocked’ By Clippers’ Split With CP3

December 4th, 2025 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard learned of the team’s split with Chris Paul via social media and told reporters on Wednesday that the news came as a surprise, according to reports from Joe Vardon of The Athletic and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“I’m just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world,” Harden said after the Clippers’ win over Atlanta. “Definitely surprised me. But not just Chris, it’s a lot that we were dealing with. But that is out of my hands. I got to focus on what I got to focus on and what I can control. I guess the front office felt that was the best decision for the organization.”

“It was shocking to me,” Leonard said, adding that he had to re-read the news. “I guess they had a conversation, and front office made a decision.”

Reporting on Wednesday indicated that tension between Paul and head coach Tyronn Lue was one of the factors that contributed to the team’s decision to part ways with the veteran point guard. Lue addressed the situation prior to the Clippers’ game vs. Atlanta, telling reporters that this isn’t the outcome he was hoping for when L.A. signed Paul over the summer.

“Do I want to see CP go out like this? No, I have a lot of respect for him,” Lue said. “He’s been a friend of mine over the years, and you don’t want to see a great go out like this. I’m pretty sure he will find something because he’s a great player. [But] I didn’t want to see it end like this.

“… I don’t like it. It just didn’t work out like we thought it would. I don’t like it for CP. It just wasn’t a good fit, and we understood that. It was an organization (decision), they made the choice and so moving forward, we got to see what we do.”

Vardon, Sam Amick, and Law Murray of The Athletic shared more details on how the relationship between the Clippers and Paul deteriorated to the point that a divorce was necessary. Here are a few highlights from their report:

Paul’s “constant criticism” of the team was felt in “every corner” of the organization during the first several weeks of the season as the Clippers got off to a disappointing start. League sources tell The Athletic that members of the organization – including some teammates, as well as Lue and his coaching staff – took exception to the “acerbic” and “disparaging” nature of Paul’s perspective.
While Paul has been known to be an effective mentor to young players in the past, there weren’t many young players on the Clippers’ roster for him to take that role with, and his criticisms frequently came off as a “grating” and unhelpful among a group heavy on veteran players and coaches, league sources tell The Athletic.
Paul had multiple meetings with Clippers officials in recent weeks, with one source telling The Athletic that the club wanted him to stop “locker room lawyering.” League sources also told The Athletic that CP3 was “openly critical” of the team during a film session on Tuesday, though by that point the front officed had already made the decision to part ways with him.
When the Clippers signed Paul over the summer, they went to great lengths to manage his expectations for his role – which would be a modest one – in the hopes of avoiding a situation like this. Because he signed as a free agent, he’s not trade-eligible until December 15, so it remains to be seen whether the team will wait until then to try to work out a deal or if he’ll be waived earlier than that. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said during a media session on Wednesday that the club will work with Paul’s representatives to determine next steps.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Doncic, Allen, Kuminga, Payton

November 29th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

The reeling Clippers lost at home for the sixth consecutive time, falling to the Grizzlies, 112-107, on Friday. They’ve dropped 12 of their last 14 overall. The Clippers were up 16 in the first half but couldn’t sustain that momentum.

“Every second half, we don’t come out right,” center Ivica Zubac said, per Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “We’re not playing the right way. It feels a little bit mental. The second half we got to string some wins, man. We got to string some wins.”

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points, but it wasn’t enough to turn around their fortunes.

“That’s a challenge you got to face and I’m up for it and we just got to go out there and tuck in our jerseys and get ready to scrap if we really want to win,” Leonard said. “It can’t be two players, can’t be three. It has to be the whole 15, the unit, even guys on the bench that’s not playing.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Luka Doncic haunted his former team in the Lakers‘ 129-119 win over the Mavericks. Doncic piled up 35 points and 11 assists. “I think he’s done a good job throughout the year of finding balance, whether he’s on or off-ball, of hunting 3s and touching the paint,” coach JJ Redick said, per Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “When he’s in that mode, he’s just really hard to guard. He’s really been in a groove with that balance, particularly late in games.”
Suns guard Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) didn’t play against the Thunder on Friday but head coach Jordan Ott is optimistic Allen will return soon, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “Trending in the right way. Yesterday played full court. We’re just continuing to see how he reacts after that. Everything is moving in a good direction,” Ott said. Allen hasn’t played since Nov. 13.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who last suited up on Nov. 12, is listed as questionable to play tonight against the Pelicans, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points tweets. Kuminga is dealing with soreness in both knees. Gary Payton II (ankle) is probable, while Stephen Curry (quad), Al Horford (sciatica) and De’Anthony Melton (knee) remain out.

Kawhi Leonard Expected To Return On Sunday

November 22nd, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is expected to return to action on Sunday vs. Cleveland, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Leonard has been sidelined since November 3 while dealing with right ankle and foot sprains. He has missed nine games during that time and has been ruled out of a 10th on Saturday vs. Charlotte. Based on Haynes’ reporting, it sounds like the 34-year-old will suit up for the second game of the Clippers’ weekend back-to-back set, barring a setback.

Leonard got off to a strong start this season, averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per night on .505/.400/.963 shooting through six games. The Clippers, who were 3-3 in those games, have struggled mightily without Leonard, losing eight of nine contests since he went down.

As disappointing as L.A.’s start has been, the team certainly isn’t out of the playoff race in the Western Conference. The 5-10 Jazz currently hold the 10th spot in the standings, so it wouldn’t take much for the 4-11 Clippers to get back among the play-in teams.

Defensive ace Kris Dunn initially started in Leonard’s place. Following injuries to Bradley Beal and Derrick Jones Jr., the Clippers have also inserted John Collins and Kobe Sanders into their starting five, so one of them – likely Sanders – figures to move back to the bench when Leonard returns.

Injury Notes: Leonard, Jerome, Murray-Boyles, Heat, Cavs

November 20th, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard went through portions of Wednesday’s practice, though he didn’t do any contact drills, head coach Tyronn Lue told Law Murray of The Athletic and other media members (Twitter video link).

“He did a few things,” Lue said. ” … He’s definitely gotten better. I mean, I don’t know how long it’s gonna be (until he returns). But he’s definitely gotten better. Just seeing him on the floor yesterday was really good to see.”

Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP, was off to a strong start this fall prior to suffering right ankle and foot sprains on November 3. The Clips were 3-3 in the six games Leonard played but have gone just 1-7 without their highest-paid player. The 34-year-old missed his ninth straight game on Thursday in Orlando.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Free agent addition Ty Jerome has yet to play for the Grizzlies in 2025/26 after suffering a high-grade right calf strain during the preseason. The seventh-year guard will be reevaluated on Friday, with a return timeline expected to come in the days after that examination, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Collin Murray-Boyles, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 draft, will miss his second straight game on Friday due to an MCL sprain in his right knee, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (via Twitter). The Raptors forward/center has averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game through 11 appearances as a rookie, with a shooting line of .500/.500/.762.
Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has been diagnosed with a left hip flexor strain and will be sidelined for his first game of the season on Friday in Chicago, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Fourth-year forward Nikola Jovic was ruled out of Wednesday’s game with a right hip impingement and will miss at least two more, as he didn’t travel with the team on its two-game road trip, Jackson reports.
While Cavaliers sharpshooter Sam Merrill will be out for the second straight contest on Friday with a right hand sprain, it’s possible point guard Darius Garland could return to action. The two-time All-Star is questionable against Indiana, per the NBA’s injury report, as are Jarrett Allen (right third finger strain) and Jaylon Tyson (concussion). Garland has missed the past five games after re-injuring his surgically repaired left great toe last week, but head coach Kenny Atkinson recently said the 25-year-old was “really close” to suiting up.

Derrick Jones Jr. Out At Least Six Weeks With MCL Sprain

November 17th, 2025 at 4:45pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee during Sunday’s loss in Boston and will miss at least six weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).

According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Clippers were “relieved” that Jones’ injury wasn’t more serious.

The injury occurred late in the second quarter when Jaylen Brown lost his dribble and dove to retrieve the ball just as Jones was reaching for it (YouTube link). The incidental contact resulted in Jones’ knee bending inward at an odd angle, with Jones immediately grabbing at his knee in pain. The high-flying swingman had to be helped off the court and was unable to put any weight on his right leg.

Whiles Jones’ stats are fairly modest — he was averaging 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on .540/.341/.786 shooting in the 12 games (26.0 minutes per contest) leading up to the injury — his absence will certainly be felt by the Clippers. The former dunk contest winner is an offensive lob and transition threat and one of the team’s best defenders.

Third-year wing Jordan Miller also exited Sunday’s game with an injury — he aggravated the left hamstring strain that caused him to miss the first three weeks of the season, Murray notes (Twitter links). It’s an unfortunate setback for the 25-year-old, who scored a career-high 22 points in his season debut on Wednesday.

Miller, who is on a two-way deal with Los Angeles, has been ruled out of Monday’s back-to-back in Philadelphia with left hamstring soreness, but isn’t expected to miss extended time, according to the team (Twitter link via Murray).

Rookie guard/forward Kobe Sanders, another two-way player, will get his first career start on Monday, tweets Murray.

Star forward Kawhi Leonard, who is dealing with right ankle and foot sprains, has resumed on-court work and is nearing his return, though it’s unclear if he’ll resume playing during L.A.’s ongoing road trip, which wraps up next Tuesday at the Lakers, Murray adds.

Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Davis, Magic, Clippers, LeBron

November 14th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

With the Mavericks off to a 3-9 start, there’s a feeling around the league that trading Anthony Davis — and possibly Kyrie Irving as well — might be their best strategy, according to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Dallas fired general manager Nico Harrison this week amid continued fan uproar over February’s Luka Doncic trade, and now personnel moves may be necessary to carve out a brighter future.

Trade speculation has already focused on Davis, who is currently sidelined with a left calf strain and has appeared in just five games this season. He’s under contract for $58.5MM in 2026/27 and has a $62.8MM player option for the following season. He’ll become eligible for an extension next summer and could earn up to $218.5MM by picking up the option and extending for three more years.

Considering Davis’ contract situation and his long injury history, Windhorst states that the Mavs may have trouble getting the return they would want in a potential trade.

“I just looked it up so I could say this to my owner if he asks me about it, AD is turning 33 in March and he’s going to be in position next summer where he’ll probably want a contract extension that would cost $70MM per year when he’d be 37,” a rival general manager said. “He’s a great player, full stop. But when you consider a player at his age with his injury history, you’d also be trading for the stress of that extension. That plays into it.”

Executives around the league tell Bontemps that while the Mavericks could still be formidable with a fully healthy roster, moving the two stars and replenishing their draft assets while building around Cooper Flagg is probably their best strategy. After the 2026 draft, Dallas doesn’t control any of its first-round picks for the rest of the decade.

Parting with Davis and Irving would also help the Mavs escape the luxury tax, Bontemps adds. The team is projected to have a tax bill around $32MM this season, and the current roster is about $16MM over the tax threshold.

Bontemps and Windhorst share more inside information from around the NBA:

The Magic have won five of their last seven games, but their offense is still just 18th in the league and the offseason trade for Desmond Bane hasn’t provided the spark that was hoped for. According to Windhorst, head coach Jamahl Mosley has turned over most of the play calling to assistant Joe Prunty, who was hired during the offseason. However, some observers are skeptical that the current roster is capable of producing an efficient offense. “It’s got to get a little better, but the pieces aren’t changing,” a West executive said. “Bane will settle in eventually. But you still have a ball-dominant, iso star in Paolo (Banchero) that doesn’t scream ball movement, player movement and getting open shots. It hasn’t been pretty at all.”
With an old roster and growing injury concerns, the Clippers may be “cooked” after a 3-8 start. Bradley Beal has been lost for the season with a hip fracture, and Kawhi Leonard has been diagnosed with a sprained foot as well as a sprained ankle. It appears the decision to invest heavily in veteran talent is backfiring, as Windhorst notes that Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Bogdan Bogdanovic haven’t been productive early in the season, while Chris Paul is completely out of the rotation. “They move so slowly, they can’t recover when they turn the ball over or give up a quick transition,” one advance scout said.
The Spurs and Lakers are both off to impressive starts, but there are mixed opinions on whether they can finish in the top four in the West. A West scout doesn’t believe Victor Wembanyama can hold up for 82 games, while an East executive isn’t convinced that L.A. will get better when LeBron James returns from his injury. “Don’t ask me about the Lakers until I can see LeBron play and see him move and how he looks,” the executive said. “He isn’t just dealing with the sciatica, he hurt his knee at the end of last season, and it surely affected his training routine. He’s never started a season coming off injuries like this before.”