Layup Lines – Page 9 – Syndication Server

Chelsea Gray is having one of the most incredible playoff runs ever for the Aces

The Las Vegas star is doing things we’ve literally never seen.

Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.

In case you missed it, the Las Vegas Aces advanced to the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night with a Game 4 win over the Seattle Storm. They overcome a halftime deficit and 42(!) points by Breanna Stewart to earn the 3-1 series victory and put a bow on the legendary career of Sue Bird, who had her own awesome moment.

At the center of it all was point gawd Chelsea Gray, continuing what has truly been one of the greatest playoff runs in WNBA history. Reminiscent of her Game 3 overtime heroics, Gray hit clutch bucket after clutch bucket in the fourth quarter, including the 3-pointer that broke a tie with around one minute left and the next basket to push the lead to five with 30 seconds left.

Gray finished the game with 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting, six rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first player in WNBA history with 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. And that’s just the tip of what she’s doing this postseason.

Through six games and two series, Gray is averaging 24.0 points on 62.6% shooting from the field and 59.5% from three. She’s also averaging 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. No one has been that efficient while scoring that many points and averaging that many assists in the short history of the W. According to The Sporting News, her 74.7 effective field goal percentage would be the highest of any player to average 20 points in a postseason.

All this is coming from Vegas’ fourth-leading scorer during the regular season! Now, the Aces await the winner of Game 5 between the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun on Thursday. And with a large thanks to Gray, they look very much the part of the favorites they’re supposed to be.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

The WNBA playoffs aren’t the only hoops action happening right now. The group stage of EuroBasket 2022 is nearing a conclusion, and Luka Doncic put on an absolute show Wednesday against France to clinch the top spot in Group B for Slovenia.

His 47 points were the most in a EuroBasket game in 65 years. The 3-pointer that gave him 45 came over the outstretched arms of Rudy Gobert (who got him back later with this massive dunk). But the highlight of the game was an unbelievable one-handed three Doncic hit over Gobert in the first half.

And before you go calling it luck, my colleague Bryan Kalbrosky wrote that it’s not the first time the Mavericks star has pulled this off:

“Doncic, who scored 22 points in the first 14 minutes of the game against France, finished the first half with 27 points on 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.

None were more impressive than the one-handed, running fadeaway jumper that he hit as the shot clock expired. It’s almost too much to comprehend.

But one aspect that makes it easier: Doncic has made a similar shot before. During his final game for Real Madrid before declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft, he made a comparably unfathomable field goal.”

Hey man, Doncic was already a problem. But if he’s gonna start making one-handed, running threes, we can all just pack it up.

Shootaround

— Speaking of Slovenia, one of the team’s players was injured on a tip-off after landing on a ref.

— NBA 2K23 ratings are beginning to leak out, and Klay Thompson made it clear he’s NOT happy about his 3-point rating. Kevin Durant simply wants to know why he’s not a 99.

— Bronny James shared some pictures of himself in Ohio State’s uniform, and fans loved it.

— Check out this awesome story of why people wear those tie-dyed Lithuanian basketball shirts at Grateful Dead shows.

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John Wall opened up about his mental health during turmoil of recent years: ‘Darkest place I’ve ever been’

Some things are bigger than basketball.

John Wall has had a rough last few years.

In addition to the injuries and other circumstances that have sidelined him for 277 out of a possible 390 games since 2017, Wall lost his mom to breast cancer in December 2019 — just before the COVID-19 pandemic — and his grandmother also died in the time after.

He shared how all of the turmoil affected his mental health earlier this month during a garden dedication for his mother at the Salvation Army in his hometown Raleigh, NC.

“Darkest place I’ve ever been in,” Wall said in the interview. “At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide. I mean, just tearing my Achilles, my mom being sick, my mom passing, my grandma passed a year later, all this in the midst of COVID and at the same time, me going to chemotherapy, me sitting by my mom taking her last breaths wearing the same clothes for three days straight laying on the couch beside her.”

Wall said he found a therapist, and he encouraged people in a similar place to be true to themselves and get the help they need. The interview was incredibly eye-opening, and hopefully his testimony helps other people dealing with tough circumstances.

“I’m looking at all that and I’m like, ‘If I can get through this, I can get through anything in life,'” Wall said.

After being held out of the entire 2021-22 season by the Rockets, Wall joined the Clippers in the offseason and is ready to get back on the hardwood. He’s not the only person going through something, but it’ll be hard not to root for him to have a great season.

More importantly, it sounds like he’s in a much better place mentally, and that’s great to hear.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Good news hoops fans! The NBA is slashing the price for League Pass in 2022-23, meaning keeping up with your favorite teams just became more affordable. The standard package is going all the way down to $99 from $230. And the premium package is also seeing a significant drop.

But that’s not the only benefit of a cheaper League Pass. As my colleague Cole Huff wrote, this is a win for bettors as well.

“In addition to keeping up with the competition, I can’t help but think about this move from a sports betting angle.

Perhaps it wasn’t the NBA’s motive, but more affordable prices will only further grow the number of subscribers. More subscribers mean more engagement, which could mean more participation in gambling, something that the league has continued to push publicly in recent years.

I know I’ll be tuning in to track my NBA futures bets. But even if you’re not a gambling person, the service becoming more affordable is a huge win for fans everywhere.”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

WNBA Semifinals, Game 2: Seattle Storm (+200) at Las Vegas Aces (-5.5, -250), O/U 169.5, 10 PM ET

Seattle came out the gate in Game 1 and let Vegas know the Storm aren’t to be taken lightly. In Game 2, I think the Aces respond accordingly and cover the 5.5-point spread at home.

Shootaround

— The Houston Rockets’ new uniform is giving everyone Seattle Supersonics vibes, and it’s really confusing.

— Serge Ibaka makes music, and his latest single has streamed more than any active NBA player on Spotify.

— With Patrick Beverley now on the roster, the Lakers plan to play him alongside Russell Westbrook. What could go wrong?

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Chet Holmgren’s foot injury is awful, but don’t fault NBA players for playing in the Pro-Am circuit

The Thunder rookie is reportedly being examined for ligament damage in his foot.

Just when it looked like we’d get a quiet day in the Association following Tuesday’s news that Kevin Durant would remain in Brooklyn, awful injury news about Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren came from nowhere.

Exams show Holmgren potentially has ligament damage in his foot, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday. He’s undergoing further evaluations to determine a timeline.

This is potentially devastating news for Holmgren, who was the second overall pick in this year’s draft. As well as for the Thunder, who are finally putting some good pieces together after a long rebuild, and for all of us fans who were looking forward to seeing a unique talent in games that actually matter.

On that note, the injury is believed to have occurred in a game that didn’t matter — not as far as the NBA is concerned. It supposedly took place at Jamal Crawford’s CrawsOver Pro-Am in Seattle. A video showing Holmgren limping after defending LeBron James on a fast break had been making the rounds since Saturday, and that certainly looks like the moment it happened.

Now, I know that might lead you to conclude that NBA players should stop playing in these games during the offseason. But before you go down that road, allow me to make one amendment: Players shouldn’t play in games with unsafe court conditions. Pro-Am or not.

The CrawsOver had to be stopped reportedly because the court was too slippery. That’s absolutely not the surface Holmgren or anyone should have been playing on. But news flash for anyone who thinks NBA players shouldn’t be playing basketball at all in the summer: Basketball players play basketball. As long as the court is deemed safe, I have absolutely no problem with NBA players keeping their games sharp by doing just that.

We’ve seen dozens of NBA players in Pro-Am games this summer (and many more in past years), and Holmgren’s injury is the first potentially serious one to come up. It absolutely sucks, but let’s not overreact by calling for players to stop playing in games that matter to a lot of people.

Instead, put that energy towards hoping the injury is as minimal as possible and Holmgren is able to get back to doing the thing he loves sooner than later.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Back to that news about Kevin Durant staying in Brooklyn. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Nets struggled to find a suitable trade for one of the very best players in the league. But now that it’s settled, we can start picking up the pieces.

As my buddy Sykes wrote, there are several winners (including the Nets) and losers (KD) from how this thing played out. One of the losers I couldn’t agree more with is the entire Eastern Conference.

“The Bucks, Celtics, Heat, 76ers and everyone else vying for a championship in the East shouldn’t be happy about this news.

Durant nearly leaving the conference would’ve kept potentially the best player in the league out of their hair until the NBA Finals. But now? He could be a second-round matchup.

The Nets are beatable, obviously. But nobody wants to have to play this sort of talent — especially not early in the postseason. We’ll see how things shake out.”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

First Round, Game 3: Connecticut Sun (-270) at Dallas Wings (+6.5, +210), O/U 164.5, 9 PM ET

The first two games of this series couldn’t have been more different, with each team trading double-digit blowout wins. I think they play this one a little closer with elimination on the line, so I like Dallas to cover the spread — especially with leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale probable to make her return.

Shootaround

— Because it’s 8-24, Kobe Day, here’s a story about the time he made a reporter throw out his Adidas outfit before agreeing to an interview.

— And here’s Kevin Durant remembering from a still image the exact result of a play when Kobe was guarding him.

— With KD staying in Brooklyn, the Nets are becoming a popular bet to win next year’s NBA title.

— If Chet Holmgren’s injury is serious, the Thunder could end up tanking for Victor Wembanyama. OKC fans are excited about the possibility.

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Layup Lines: NBA smartly reduces travel even more in 2022-23

Travel reduction should help lighten the grind of an 82-game season.

The NBA revealed its schedule for the 2022-23 season on Wednesday, and it gave us plenty of things to talk about.

The social videos released by individual teams were great — well, some of them. Conspiracy theories about Utah’s only televised game ran amok, and basketball bettors finally had something to salivate over as the season nears.

But the funny thing to me about all of this is, unlike the NFL, every team in the NBA plays each other at least twice, every season. And there’s 82 games. Outside of maybe Opening Day and Christmas, there’s nothing particularly interesting about the schedule release. But I did find one thing to be noteworthy:

Per NBA.com’s Mark Medina, the estimated miles traveled for the upcoming season has been reduced to 41,000 miles per team, a record low in the era of 30 teams and 82 games. That marks an estimated reduction of nearly 2,000 miles per team and a total of more than 50,000 miles from last season. They also increased the instances of no travel between games by 66%.

As talks of reducing the length of the season constantly come up, I’m encouraged that the league is still finding ways to reduce travel. I personally like the 82-game schedule, so anything the NBA can do to make that marathon easier on the athletes, I’m all for. In turn, it should help keep the players fresher and make the product even better.

As schedule releases go, I’m not particularly interested. But this is good news.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

LeBron James signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers on Wednesday, putting an end to questions about his immediate future as he nears the end of his career.

Nobody really expected this deal to come now, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Our guy Sykes put together seven reasons why it was the right call by the King. Here’s one:

“Don’t get it twisted — this deal doesn’t mean James is a Laker for the rest of his career. Of course, he can be. But it’s not set in stone.

James has a player option in year two of his extension. It’s essentially the same sort of 1+1 deal James signed when he played for the Cavaliers. It’s a play for leverage and puts the Lakers right back in this situation they were in this summer next year with James’ future in the balance.

The ball is still in his court. That’s got big implications for something further down this list.”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

First Round, Game 1: Phoenix Mercury (+1000) at Las Vegas Aces (+16.5, -2500), O/U 167.5, 10 PM ET

Look, the Aces are my favorites to win the WNBA championship. And injuries have reduced the Mercury to a lot less of the team they were during the regular season. But this is the playoffs, and that spread is ridiculously large. So give me Phoenix to cover.

Shootaround

— The Celtics and Bucks lead updated NBA title odds after the schedule release.

— Looking for some NBA-NFL crossover content? Look no further than the dad of Lions star calling out Kevin Durant’s calves on Hard Knocks.

— HoopsHype has more on what’s next for LeBron after his extension with the Lakers.

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Layup Lines: Dejounte Murray is making a heel turn on the Pro-Am circuit

Murray is putting together quite the summer highlight reel.

One of the fun things about the NBA offseason every year is seeing clips of players participating in Pro-Am games. This year, there have been an abundance of those clips, from LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan at the Drew League in L.A. to a trio of Knicks playing in a ProCityNYC game in The Bronx to Kyle Kuzma dropping 67 points (67!) in the Utah Powder League.

But one player in particular I want to talk about is Dejounte Murray, because wow, he might be taking a heel turn in these games. First, let me say, I loved that he encouraged his fellow players to get out to these games so that people who can’t make it to actual NBA games get to see them play. And it was fun to see him, Trae Young and John Collins put together one of the best highlights of the summer. But everything since then has been head-scratching.

There was the trash-talk and ball-toss at Magic rookie Paolo Banchero, which I thought was a little extra, but hey that’s basketball. And they’re from the same city. Welcome to the league rook. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it if it didn’t come on the heels of him double-tapping a non-NBA player on the head with the basketball in another clip. Then, a couple days later Murray popped up in another clip hitting another player in the head with the ball while he was on the ground. What is that about?!

Prior to these games, Murray was mostly known as the new All-Star joining a new team. Now, people think he’s a jerk.

I have no clue whether that’s true or not. I’m not going to pretend to have watched a bunch of his games with the Spurs, because they just weren’t that good. But it’s almost like he’s new person since that trade to the Hawks. I hope he keeps that same energy when the season starts.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

These Kevin Durant trade rumors have led to absolutely nothing since the first report of him wanting to be moved by the Nets. He’s still reportedly discontent in Brooklyn and they’re still trying to find the right package. And so we wait.

One team that keeps coming up, however, is the Boston Celtics. They could offer an enticing trade package around Jaylen Brown, and as our Bryan Kalbrosky wrote, it sure sounds like Durant is trying to force his way there.

“The tea leaves suggest that KD wants to play for Ime Udoka, which could have happened in Brooklyn if they had hired him outright in 2016, 2020, or before he left for the Celtics in 2021. Instead, now KD’s potential desire to leave and play for Udoka in Boston may force the Nets to rebuild their entire roster once more.”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Minnesota Lynx (-175) at Phoenix Mercury (+3.5, +140), O/U 162.5, 10 PM ET

Two teams battling for the final two playoff spots, I expect this game to be a grind. For that reason and others, like the absence of Diana Taurasi, I think the total will fall under 162.5 points.

Shootaround

— Steph Curry filmed teammate Klay Thompson’s brother getting a hit at the Dodgers game. It was awesome.

— HoopsHype did a ranking of the top 25 small forwards for the 2022-23 season.

— Check out this cool comparison of how NBA stars looked their first time in 2K vs. now.

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Layup Lines: Would you rather chase rings or chase bags?

The truth behind chasing rings is not everyone can do it.

J.R. Smith was a guest on an episode of the No Chill with Gilbert Arenas podcast that aired this week. Arenas and fellow host Josiah Johnson sparked an interesting conversation with Smith about the money vs. rings debate.

Here’s what Smith had to say about Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal, who have remained loyal to the teams that drafted them — teams that could offer them more money — rather than forcing their way onto teams better suited to contend for championships.

“I love Dame. I love his game. I respect him for doing what he’s doing. But at the same time, it’s like, you’re just going to rot in Portland bro? Like, you are unbelievable. …

“Brad! You nice! I’m not about to rot in D.C. Like, it’s a nice place. The city is nice, but…my career. I’m trying to win bro.”

However, when Johnson chimed in with the $250 million price tag on Beal’s recent contract extension, Smith had to re-think what he was saying. And the truth is, all of us would.

It’s cute to think we’d all sacrifice a few tens of millions of dollars for the sake of winning, but none of us can definitively say we’d do that unless we were faced with that decision. Just because you team up with other star players doesn’t mean you automatically win a championship — just ask the former Nets trio from a year ago that’s now all but split.

The truth is, jumping teams to chase rings isn’t a real thing for max players in their primes who aren’t named LeBron James or Kevin Durant. Chasing rings is only something role players or players in decline do. Outside of them, only the elite of the elite can actually pull it off, because only those players swing the fortunes of a team so drastically to make it worth the risk. And if that’s what they want to do, good for them.

As for the others, you can’t blame them for not wanting to sacrifice the goodwill (and massive paydays) they’ve built in one city for something that isn’t guaranteed anyway. I’m not necessarily saying chasing bags is the way to go, but KD to Golden State was a sure thing. LeBron to Miami was a sure thing.

Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard bolting for teams that don’t already have one of those top five players only sounds good in theory. They wouldn’t be automatic champions. So the alternative is trying to build something where they are, which is kind of admirable. And if it doesn’t work out, they can still chase the ring somewhere else when their prime is over.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

I’m sure Jimmy Butler would have loved for Beal or Lillard to join him Miami next season, but since they’re both content with staying put, he’ll have to continue shouldering a giant load.

Preparing for that, Butler hit the gym with renowned skills coach Chris Brickley. And after the video hit the Twitter streets, all anyone could talk about was Butler’s hair because, well, let’s just say it’s a lot longer than when we last saw him. The internet had jokes about his new locs, as our guy Sykes wrote:

“No, you’re not tripping. Jimmy’s hair didn’t grow a whole 12 inches in the span of just a couple of months since we last saw him. That hair is, in fact, not his own hair.

He went and got some extensions. Why? Who knows. But he got them. There’s a whole video showing the process.

It’s like magic, y’all. This caught so many people off guard. But the jokes? The jokes were absolutely incredible.”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Seattle Storm (+135) at Connecticut Sun (-3.5, -108), O/U 158.5, 7 PM ET

I’m rolling with the Sun in this one against the spread. They’re riding a three-game winning streak and have a 2-0 record against the Storm this season, winning those games by an average of nine points.

Shootaround

— The Warriors owe it to Steph Curry and their core to prioritize the present.

— Former Wizards draftee Cassius Winston has signed a contract with FC Bayern Munich.

— Mark Jackson thinks the Knicks could have beaten MJ’s Bulls if they hadn’t traded him for Doc Rivers.

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The Warriors owe it to Steph Curry and their core to choose their present over their future

The Warriors need to do right by their core players and keep them around

What’s good, family. It’s Sykes, back from beaching, to deliver you another edition of Layup Lines. Today, we’re talking Warriors.

That latest championship run might’ve been the last of the golden years for Golden State. The band may be breaking up soon. A report from The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson surfaced Wednesday talking about the Warriors’ future and how they want to keep their championship team together beyond next season. But the reality is that’s not possible without footing a $500 million luxury tax bill.

The Warriors will have the choice to extend all of Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson over the next two seasons. To keep them all around, one or more of those players would have to take a haircut. It remains to be seen if any will.

Per the report, Green wants a max extension and is willing to go elsewhere if he can’t get one. Jordan Poole just saw Jalen Brunson’s massive payday. Andrew Wiggins was an All-Star starter and Thompson has $83.8 million guaranteed remaining on his deal.

The Warriors are probably going to have to choose between keeping their youth movement going or continuing to move forward with their core. If it comes down to that? To me, personally, the decision is a no-brainer.

Keep it rolling with the core and don’t look back.

You’d hate to see players like Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins leave. Or anyone else, really. They’ve found a really special mix of talent in Golden State that works extremely well together.

But having those auxiliary pieces without the engine that gets things rolling won’t get you anywhere. Even if the Warriors’ core isn’t what it used to be, they still know how to play together better than anyone else in the league. And they play unlike any other team we’ve ever seen before because of that.

Yes, they’re old. Steph Curry is 34 years old and will be 35 next year. Draymond is 32. Klay is 32 but is also coming off of two pretty serious injuries. You’ve only got two to three years left of this — max. Paying for them to stick around isn’t going to benefit your future at all.

But here’s the thing. The Warriors’ core has earned this. They’ve been to 6 NBA Finals in 8 years and won 4 of them. They’ve been Warriors for their entire careers. Fans will come to see them regardless of if they’re up, down or in the middle.

Traditionally in sports, we’ve seen organizations tell their all-time greats to take a hike. But, in rare cases, teams do reward their players for what they’ve done. Remember when the Lakers gave Kobe a massive extension to end his career? It’s because he’d earned that. These Warriors have, too.

We’ve seen what it looks like when teams don’t honor that. Jordan in a Wizards jersey. Olajuwon as a Raptor. Ewing with the Magic. It’s gross.

The Warriors owe it to their core and their fans to make sure that doesn’t happen. That all starts now.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Some of you might think the most unbelievable thing that happened in the NBA this offseason was Kevin Durant requesting a trade from the Nets. And, yes, that absolutely is wild. But something wilder happened today.

Longtime Spurs assistant and shot doctor Chip Engelland left the team for the Thunder.

It’s heartbreaking for the Spurs but a great get for the Thunder — particularly Josh Giddey, who might have a shot at becoming an All-Star now. Bryan Kalbrosky has more.

“The promise is there for the Australian-born standout, who is one of nine players in NBA history with career averages of at least 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Six of those players have won an MVP award.

But among that group, Giddey’s 3-point percentage is lower than each of those players except for Ben Simmons (the only player on that list other than Doncic not to win an MVP).

If he can become a more accurate shooter while working with Engelland, the future looks especially bright for Oklahoma City.”

OKC is going to be a force in a few years. Just you watch.

Shootaround

— Speaking of Steph Curry, he definitely shouldn’t try picking up baseball anytime soon.

— Please keep giving Kelsey Plum tiny trophies. This is hilarious. They need to downsize the MVP joint when they give it to her.

— Paul Pierce has thoughts on a potential Jaylen Brown-KD swap.

— The “Free Britney Griner” movement has momentum. But will it get the job done?

That’s all, folks! Thanks for rocking with us. Check back in tomorrow for more NBA goodness.

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Layup Lines: Joe Lacob might be on to something about the ‘unfair’ luxury tax penalty

There was some truth in what the Warriors governor had to said.

The ESPYs were last night, hosted by NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry. So you know all kinds of Warriors propaganda was spread throughout the award show.

Reaction was mixed, but there were a couple of funny moments like Curry soliciting Kevin Hart and Peyton Manning for jokes to tell. But one moment that got my attention was Andre Iguodala’s apology to Warriors owner Joe Lacob, who was fined for comments he made last week on Iguodala’s podcast with Evan Turner called Point Forward.

Lacob was reportedly fined $500,000 for disclosing his criticisms of the luxury tax penalty at the league’s labor meetings, which violated the NBA’s policy on publicly discussing collective bargaining talks. He called the system “unfair,” something I initially dismissed because, well, of course he would think that. According to Lacob, the club was $40 million over the threshold which equals $200 million with penalties included. But after hearing his whole quote, I’m actually in agreement with Lacob on one thing.

“Obviously, it’s self-serving for me to say this, but I think it’s a very unfair system because our team is built by … all top eight players are all drafted by this team.”

First, let’s dismiss him saying the Warriors drafted all eight of their top players. That part is untrue. They didn’t draft Andrew Wiggins. They didn’t draft Kevin Durant before that. And they didn’t draft Iguodala before him. But Lacob does raise an interesting question. What if they did?

A team that drafts incredibly well and decides it wants to keep all of its own home-grown talent shouldn’t be penalized for that. Those penalties lead to situations like we saw in Oklahoma City when a loaded Thunder team decided to part with James Harden. The tax is obviously in place to spread top talent through the league and prevent teams from loading up via free agency – which is a whole other conversation on the fairness of that. But as is, that penalty shouldn’t apply to teams that want to keep their own guys. The Warriors don’t quite fit the description, but Lacob does give the league something to think about.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Klay Thompson won the ESPY for Comeback Athlete of the Year and gave an emotional speech where he thanked the Bryant family. My colleague Andy Nesbitt rounded up some of the best reactions to Thompson’s speech, including Vanessa Bryant’s response:

“@klaythompson , you’re a class act. Thank you for your support and love for Kobe, my Gigi and our family. Thank you for always including my Gigi when you think of Kob. Congratulations.”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Indiana Fever (+1100) at Las Vegas Aces (+16.5, -3000), O/U 174.5, 10 PM ET

Bookmakers are giving Indiana absolutely no shot in this one, and for good reason. The worst team in the W, the Fever are on a 10-game losing streak. I’m staying away from this large spread and will instead take the over because I expect Vegas to run up the score.

Shootaround

— Was Wednesday’s game between the Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm a WNBA Finals preview?

— What does James Harden’s new Sixers deal mean for him and the team? HoopsHype has the answers.

— Longhorn wire wrote about Texas’ announcement of Kevin Durant into its 2022 Hall of Honor class.

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It’s the slowest sports day of the year, so here’s the funniest edited Stan Van Gundy dribbling video

LOL

Charles Curtis here. Welcome to the slowest sports day of the year. There’s no baseball, no summer league games, no NFL preseason. We had a single WNBA game that already took place! But … otherwise, slow. Even the NBA rumor mill has ground to a halt as we await Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell or maybe Russell Westbrook to get traded.

I have just the thing to pass the time.

You see, back in 2011, at a basketball camp, the great Stan Van Gundy was teaching something about dribbling. And suddenly, he had handles like Kyrie, showing a dazzling array of moves that not a lot of people expected out of Van Gundy.

Why is this relevant? Because, recently, it was brought to my attention that someone on Reddit put up an edited version of that famous video … but that person added some superstars getting their ankles broken by him.

Here. Enjoy:

That’s all I’ve got. On to the good stuff:

The Tip-Off

Want an update on the Durant trade situation or lack thereof? From Hoops Hype’s NBA trade rumor rankings:

The Rudy Gobert trade seems to have really hurt Durant’s chances of having his trade request fulfilled, as the massive haul Utah received for the limited offensive center means that a team is going to have to come through with a gargantuan offer to land Durant.

As such, talks for Durant have reportedly slowed to a trickle with the Nets no longer being aggressive in making outgoing calls on that front …

What’s more, Durant and his camp appear to have gone dark on Brooklyn once again. Could he come back and rescind his trade request? The Nets are certainly hoping that is the case.

Zzzzzz. Hopefully this picks up soon!

Shootaround

— We sent this to you yesterday, but it bears repeating: Here are Bryan Kalbrosky’s grades for all 30 teams’ offeasons.

— Steph Curry is hosting the ESPYs tonight, so I ranked some all-time great ESPYs hosts, and I bring this up because KD has gotten roasted a lot at the awards show.

— Speaking of which: Here’s Cole Huff on Aliyah Boston rightfully declining ESPN’s disingenuous invitation to the ESPYs.

— A look at how the Celtics’ offseason is being rated around the internets.

Layup Lines: What is the Suns’ end game with Deandre Ayton?

Phoenix reportedly matched Indiana’s offer sheet. Now what?

The Phoenix Suns had been playing hardball with star center Deandre Ayton since last summer when he first became eligible for the rookie max extension. They didn’t offer it to him then, and they didn’t offer it this summer either, instead allowing him to seek max money with another team as a restricted free agent.

Well, Ayton found that max deal Thursday in the form of the largest offer sheet in NBA history, a reported four-year, $133 million deal with the Indiana Pacers. And Phoenix obviously matched it, as it became evident they could lose the young center for nothing.

So now the Suns have a player on the roster who they’ve made clear they don’t value at the money he’s about to be making. Negotiations last summer left Ayton “disappointed” and feeling disrespected, and nothing about the way this summer has gone is likely to change that. But he also remains the second or third best player on a team built to win now. So what was really the point?

I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know Ayton’s new deal will pay him a reported $33 million annually. Had Phoenix offered him the rookie max last summer, he’d be on a contract that averaged about $34 million. So they potentially upset the 2018 No. 1 overall pick who will only be 24 at the start of next season and is improving each year over a difference of $1 million a year? It seems cheap and leaves no wonder why the Suns missed the playoffs 10 straight years before Chris Paul’s arrival.

Teams pay players more than they value them all the time because the market dictates how much players are worth. Ayton was always going to fetch a decent price tag, which means Phoenix should have traded him a long time ago if they didn’t want to pay him. Now a trade feels even more inevitable but will have to happen at a more inopportune time if and when it occurs.

After signing his extension, Ayton can’t be moved until Jan. 15. That means the Suns could potentially be in the middle of another incredible regular season — like last year’s first-place season — when they have to decide or be forced to get rid of a key piece of that. It’s not an enviable position, especially if there’s no obvious upgrade available. But it was all completely avoidable.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

When news first broke of Deandre Ayton’s offer sheet with the Pacers, the first thought on a lot of people’s minds was what it meant for a potential Kevin Durant trade to Phoenix, which was reportedly one of KD’s preferred destinations.

The answer to that was one of the three shocking facts about the record-setting offer outlined by my colleague Bryan Kalbrosky.

“It was pretty easy to connect the dots that a sign-and-trade centered around Ayton would make a lot of sense for both parties, even if Ayton were simply re-routed to a third team.

But restricted free agents who agree to an offer sheet are not allowed to be included in sign-and-trade transactions. So in turn, the biggest consequence of today’s news is that Ayton cannot be involved in a sign-and-trade for KD.

Phoenix could potentially still land KD in a trade centered around Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, but that feels less enticing for Brooklyn. So with the Suns potentially weakening their bid, does that mean Durant ends up staying with the Nets next season?”

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Connecticut Sun (-400) at Atlanta Dream (+7.5, +300), O/U 155.5, 7:30 PM ET

In their previous two meetings, the Sun beat the Dream by an average of 12 points. And the Dream are coming off consecutive losses of at least 15 points. This could be another long night for Atlanta. I’m taking the Sun to cover.

Shootaround

— The Pelicans Twitter account had a perfect response for a Lakers fan troll who tried to mock their team chemistry.

— HoopsHype had a chance to chop it up with Muggsy Bogues about his new book and a whole lot more.

— The NBA’s change to the transition take foul penalty is smart, if the refs allow it to be.

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