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On this date in 1970, the Chicago Bulls’ Tom Boerwinkle pulled down 37 rebounds and scored 22 points in a blowout victory over the Phoenix Suns. Why do I mention this? Because I saw that anniversary on Basketball Reference, clicked on his profile and discovered that Boerwinkle had four nicknames: “Big Daddy, “The Building,” “Bo,” and “Wink.” A guy looking like this having the nicknames Big Daddy and The Building is information everybody needs.
Take my star, please!
Young to Wizards; no picks to Atlanta?
The Hawks traded Trae Young to the Wizards last night. They received CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in return — and didn’t get a single draft pick, protected or otherwise. The deal was gaining a lot of momentum over the last couple of days as the two sides talked. More importantly, word around the league was that most teams weren’t even interested in a discussion about acquiring the four-time All-Star point guard.
Remember, Young has the 13th-highest scoring average and the third-highest assist average in league history. And only the Wizards seemed to want him. Young made Washington his preferred destination on Wednesday. Was it because he loves the situation or because it was the only team making a push for him? Hard to say! It’s a done deal, though.
I’m not the biggest Young fan. He is obviously so talented, but I don’t like his shot selection, I don’t like his shooting percentages, I don’t like his turnover rate and the highest compliment you could pay his defense would be calling it “mild at its peak.” Still, I’m flabbergasted that there was zero draft compensation sent to Atlanta for a 27-year-old with career averages of 25 points and nine assists. They done gasted my flabber!
Let’s go to the time-honored tradition of me reacting to something by asking myself questions.
What does this mean for Washington? The Wizards get to try to develop their young core on the offensive end. It’s been 10 years since Washington had a top-10 offense (eighth in the 2016-17 season). For the past eight years, the Wizards have been in the bottom half of offense every season and in the bottom 10 for most of that time. They were 30th last year and are 27th this year. But they have young guys who can develop into really good players.
Alex Sarr has taken a leap in his second season, but they can’t get him the ball regularly in good spots. Kyshawn George and rookie Tre Johnson could be really dangerous off the ball. Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington can make things happen on the move. Having someone like Young create shots for them with his passing could help them a lot. If they can get Young to take better shots and turn the ball over less, this ends up being a really good influence on the young guys.
What does this mean for Atlanta? It’s all about the Hawks believing in what they saw without Young on the floor. They are 16-13 this season without him. McCollum (expiring deal) can help them now. He’s a good scoring guard and a solid playmaker. His history post-Portland doesn’t include a lot of winning, but he’s an upgrade over everything the Hawks tried on offense without Young available. Kispert is a good shooter on a good contract, with $27 million owed over the next two seasons.
However, not getting a draft pick (a heavily protected first, a second-rounder, even a heavily protected second-rounder) is baffling for someone of Young’s talent level and production.
Was addition by subtraction the right move for the Hawks? Time will tell. It’s easy to spin it that way if they have a spirited run and are competitive in the first round of the playoffs, regardless of the outcome. The Hawks have a good, young player with Jalen Johnson on a great contract. They have a lot of good young role players. Now they have some cap flexibility moving forward and the unprotected first-round draft pick from New Orleans this June. But they have to find a guard of the future at some point.
Are the Wizards going to invest in Young long-term? Great question! We don’t know yet. Young has a player option for just under $50 million next season. The Wizards could give him a new contract now or this summer. Young could also decide to decline his option and move on in free agency. Regardless, this is a trial period for both sides.
Did you grade the trade? I’m so glad you asked! Yes, I did react instantly to the trade, and you can find those grades right here. Spoiler alert: The Wizards did well; the Hawks did not.
Isn’t it funny that Young and Luka Dončić were traded for each other and then both of their franchises gave up on them, shockingly so, before they turned 30? Yes! It’s bizarre how this league works sometimes. The Mavericks wanted a culture change because of poor defense and did not want to give Luka a super max extension. They sent him for a head-scratchingly low return and never created a bidding war. The Hawks wanted a culture change because of poor defense and did not want to give Trae a big extension. They sent him for a head-scratchingly low return and couldn’t create a bidding war. The second apron does not allow you to make mistakes on massive contracts.
John Hollinger analyzes why the return was so low and what’s next for Atlanta. The Wizards are making a bet on Young leading their young core, David Aldridge writes.
The last 24
🗣 Giannis unplugged. The Athletic’s Sam Amick got an exclusive interview with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who said he’ll never ask for a trade from the Bucks. “That’s not my nature.“
🗽 Help needed? Can the Knicks fix their defensive issues? Or will that only happen via a trade?
🚀 Back to form. Rockets bruiser Steven Adams feels more like his old self after battling through injuries.
👬 Buddy system. Buddy Hield doesn’t play much for the Warriors. But he’s mastered the art of being a beloved teammate.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
About last night
Buzzer-beaters spice up Wednesday
It was a chaotic night in the NBA, to say the least. We nearly had three games decided at the buzzer, and we had another one get sent into overtime at the buzzer. First, let’s get to the two game-winners that actually happened. The Raptors (23-15) went into Charlotte to face the surprisingly hot Hornets (13-24). A LaMelo Ball layup gave Charlotte a two-point lead with 1.6 seconds left. But that left just enough time for Immanuel Quickley to get free for a 3-point shot.
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Toronto won, 97-96, and Quickley finished with 21 points. The other buzzer-beater happened between the Magic and the Nets. Rookie Egor Demin knocked down a clutch 3 in regulation to help send it to overtime when Paolo Banchero missed the game-winner. Then Demin knocked down another clutch 3 with 5.6 seconds left in OT to put the Nets up two. But Brooklyn left the door open for some Banchero redemption.
That was his only 3 of the game, and he finished with 30 in the 104-103 victory.
Spurs 107, Lakers 91: Dončić had 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It wasn’t close to enough as the Spurs (26-11) took advantage of a Lakers team missing LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Keldon Johnson had 27 off the bench, and Victor Wembanyama added 16 points, 14 boards and four blocks off the bench.
Nuggets 114, Celtics 110: No Nikola Jokić, no problem. Jamal Murray had 22 points and 17 assists as Denver (25-12) went into Boston (23-13) and overcame 33 points from Jaylen Brown. Peyton Watson dropped 30 for the Nuggets.
Knicks 123, Clippers 111: Jalen Brunson had 26, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 20-11-7 as the Knicks (24-13) dominated the second half 72-55.
Thunder 129, Jazz 125 (OT): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hanging jumper sent the game into overtime, and the Thunder (31-7) were able to avoid a home loss to Utah (12-24). SGA finished with 46 points, six rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers.
Hawks 117, Pelicans 100: With Young on the bench when news of the aforementioned trade broke, Risacher led Atlanta with 25 points.
Warriors 120, Bucks 113: The Bucks (16-21) couldn’t quite erase a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit, and De’Anthony Melton’s 22 off the bench helped Steph Curry (31) lift Golden State (20-18) to victory.
Pistons 108, Bulls 93: Dannis Jenkins had 15 assists off the bench, and Isaiah Stewart led with 31 points as the Pistons (28-9) dominated without Cade Cunningham (wrist). Detroit had 35 assisted baskets. Chicago (17-20) had 37 baskets total.
Blazers 103, Rockets 102: We almost had a third buzzer-beater for the win. Tari Eason’s tip-in of Kevin Durant’s miss as time expired was overturned on review. Deni Avdija’s 41 outdueled KD’s 37.
76ers 131, Wizards 110: Joel Embiid (28), Paul George (23) and Tyrese Maxey (22) combined for 73 points as the Sixers (20-15) rolled. VJ Edgecombe was very close to the dunk of the year.
Suns 117, Grizzlies 98: Seven players finished in double figures for Phoenix (22-15). Memphis (16-21) started Cam Spencer, GG Jackson and Jock Landale with no Ja Morant. You do the math.
