NBA
NBA Trade Closing: What to Expect on Trade Closing Day
It’s the busiest day of phone calls, emails and text messages in the NBA. Today (9/2) is the close of trading in the world’s top league, with teams having until 22:00 Greek time to improve or… weaken through trades. Sportish presents all the facts and what can be heard in the USA.
The bombs went off early in the NBA when Kevin Durant was traded to the Suns, Russell Westbrook to the Jazz and Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks. But today (9/2) is a different story. Why; Because today is the end of trading, i.e. the last trading day. And the deadline ends at 22:00 Greek time.
NBA Draft Day and Trade Deadline are the days when team general managers are constantly on their phones, tablets, and computers. Trade dealine is the day everyone has to move, some have to improve and others are getting…worse in the hunt for the NBA draft.
Today teams come in two categories: buyers (those who “buy” and look for players to improve their chances of winning the title or entering the playoffs) and sellers (those who “sell” and get rid of players in exchange) some draft picks, although they sometimes send players to make room for the salary cap).
In the modern NBA, the line between buyers and sellers has become dangerously narrow in recent years due to the play-in tournament in East and West. No longer 8 or 10 teams claim the place in the playoffs, but 12 and often 13! Anyone who wants even a hope of making the playoffs — like the Lakers, who are 13th in the West — needs to move. Unless a group can be found that… lowers the reels.
Sportish presents the facts that currently apply in the NBA:
The goats are looking
Milwaukee has played the best basketball in the NBA for the past two weeks with an 8-game winning streak. However, with Bobby Portis injured and Serge Ibaka out of the team, they don’t even have a great rehearsal behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. That makes them… dangerous at the close of trade.
Milwaukee needs to add depth to their top line. Yes Crowder is interested. The shifting of the experienced to the nets as part of the Durant trade does not change that. Instead, the fact that Brooklyn is trying to give him more adds to that interest.
Grayson Allen will likely go under the hammer trying to get high from Milwaukee. Unless the Bucks find a team that appreciates Jordan Nuora to avoid revealing their – but elusive – starting shooting guard key.
Westbrook might be available
Russell Westbrook is now part of Jazz Force. But that probably won’t be the case for much longer. According to reports in the US, the Veteran Guard from Utah could be released and come back on the market. When that happens, it’s a given that he’ll be attacked by multiple teams, with the Clippers and Bulls among those interested.
The Raptors look like a supermarket and Anunoby is in the spotlight
Augie Anunoby was already considered a “hot” name before the close. After the move of Durant (Suns) and Irving (Mavericks) to the West, his stock continued to grow as many teams looked to strengthen and saw him as the ideal two-way peripheral. A player who marks the opponent’s best forward and adds something to the attack.
But Anunoby is just one of the Raptors’ players that…the entire league is watching. Toronto is 10th in the East and has been disappointing this year. Many see the Canadiens as…supermarket as they also consider the fall of Fred VanVleet (the Nets tried to take him on, sent Dinwiddie but they ate a door) as well as Pascal Siakam alongside Anunoby. Sophomore Scotty Barnes is the only player with a don’t touch tag on the team roster, with the Raptors muddying the waters by taking over the Spurs’ Jakob Peltl. The reason; This is a step by a group that is entering the category of buyers and not sellers.
The nets aren’t done with their moves yet
Irving and Durant swapped zip codes within 24 hours. Brooklyn is entering a new — without a clear star — era and a core made up of Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Nick Claxton, Cam Thomas and Dorian Feeney-Smith. However, they may not be finished with their moves yet.
Yes Crowder was acquired in the Durant trade but is unlikely to remain. Players like Joe Harris and Seth Curry could remain after Cam Thomas blast. And all that without mentioning the… elephant in the room: Ben Simmons, who the Nets would love to give away but are struggling to find a team to give him to.
The heat has pounded Lowry
Kyle Lowry has disappointed during his time with The Heat, and it’s not exactly a secret that Miami is looking for a team to grapple with. However, the 37-year-old point guard has a contract through 2024 with annual earnings of $29 million. Generally, in order for the Heat to grant it, they must “stick” a draft pick onto them.
Duncan Robinson also wants to get rid of Miami somehow, since Max Struss has already passed him in the rotation.
The Bulls… still don’t know what they want
Chicago has taken a step backwards this year as they currently sit 9th in the East. The situation is… awkward for the bulls who are still waiting to see Lonzo Ball on the floor and therefore don’t know what to do on the last day of trading. Tear everything apart and rebuild from scratch or support the trio DeRozan, Vucevic, LaVine?
If they choose their star trio, they will soon have to dig deep into their pockets. Vucevic’s contract expires this summer. DeRozan is in the summer of 2024. A change of one (or both) shouldn’t be ruled out. Some reports say that both… have power in the market. Chicago has big choices ahead of it.
The Sixers are looking for a player to give Embiid a break
Philadelphia wants to go far in the playoffs. Ideally, he doesn’t want to… juice Joel Embiid. Montrezl Harrell provides solutions, but is an undersized center and, above all, a poor defender. In the playoffs, that will cost. Philadelphia is in the market for another tall to deepen the team’s front line.
Players like Nerlens Noel (Pistons) and Andre Drummond (Bulls) are on the… list of Sixers who were also eyeing Jared Vanderbilt but… were passed by the Lakers.
Veterans beware
There is a separate category of players in Trade Deadline. That of veteran players who are either… redundant, no longer in the rotation, or have market value and can bring back something good in return. They are also the most likely to move.
Players like Eric Gordon (Rockets), Andre Drummond (Bulls), Ja Crowder (Nets), Serge Ibaka (Bucks), Kevin Love (Cavaliers), Kyle Lowry (Heat), Miles Plaley (Hornets), Bojan Bogdanovic (Pistons). Bones Hyland (Nuggets), John Wall (Clippers), Kelly Olynyk (Jazz) are sure to be involved in multiple scenarios. Some of them are probably already moving.
Source: sport 24
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to a left knee injury.
Star center was diagnosed with left knee hyperextension. At the same time, tests confirmed that the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments remained intact.
Jokic was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the 123-147 loss to the Miami Heat and limped heavily on his way to the locker room. He did not return to the site after a long time.
Before his injury, Nikola managed to produce 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes on the field.
Losing Jokic could be a big blow for Denver, as starters Christian Braun (ankle injury), Aaron Gordon (hip issue) and Cam Johnson (knee injury) remain sidelined.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić suffered a Hyperextension injury in his Left Knee in last night’s match against Miami Heat. Nikola will be re-evaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/NIDmlKAN81
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 30, 2025
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
11 games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 29-30.
Miami hosted Denver and earned a landslide victory.
The home team was ahead by 12 points with 41:29 to play in the first quarter, but the Nuggets were able to slowly win back in the second quarter. The teams entered a long break with the score tied at 63:63. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter, when the Heat made an 11:0 move and led by 15 points at 84:69. After that the home team completely controlled the course of the game and only increased their advantage, achieving a crushing victory – 147:123.
The most productive player of the match was Powell, who brought 25 points to Miami, while Jaques (20 points + 11 assists) and Adebayo had double-doubles with 13 points + 10 rebounds.
San Antonio hosted Cleveland and suffered a sensational defeat.
Three-quarters of the meeting was fought evenly, with the teams responding to each other’s pushes with their own pushes and often staying within a shot or two of each other. That changed in the fourth quarter, as the Cavaliers went on a 15-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 94-84. They then maintained their advantage and won with a score of 113:101.
Cleveland’s main hero in this game was Allen, who had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Garland can achieve the same success with 15 points and 11 assists.
Toronto beat Orlando at home.
Magic started the match better and made a 14:2 move at the start. Afterwards, they took control of the course of the game and increased the advantage completely to +21 – 51:30 in the second 12 minutes. After that, the home team slowly started to close the gap and entered the long break with a score of 11-11 at 54:65. The third quarter was tied, so Orlando still had a double-digit advantage ahead of the final: 94:84. At the beginning of the match the play followed the same scenario but in the middle Toronto made a move with 15:0 and not only won it back but also took the lead with 105:102. The fate of the game was decided by Barnes’ free throws, which set the score at 107:106 with 1 minute and 27 seconds left in the quarter.
Barnes could not make a triple-double this time, but he did a double-double and got 13 points and 11 rebounds, while the most productive name in the victory was Shead with 19 points.
NBA. Regular season, December 30
Miami – Denver – 147:123 (41:29, 22:34, 47:36, 37:24)
Miami: Powell (25), Weir (19 + 9 rebounds), Wiggins (19 + 6 assists), Adebayo (13 + 10 rebounds), Mitchell (10 + 9 assists) – start; Jovic (22), Jaques (20 + 11 assists), Smith (11), Larsson (3), Fontecchio (3), Johnson (2), Yakucionis (0), Gardner (0).
Denver: Jokic (21 + 8 assists), J. Murray (20 + 11 assists), Hardaway (16), Jones (16), Watson (11) – start; B. Brown (15), Valanciunas (6), Holmes (4), Strother (4), Nnaji (4), Pickett (2), Jones (2), Tyson (2).
San Antonio – Cleveland – 101:113 (26:25, 29:24, 23:27, 23:37)
San Antonio: Vembanyama (26 + 14 rebounds), Castle (15 + 8 assists + 5 losses), Fox (14), Vassell (7), Barnes (3) – start; Harper (11), Cornet (10 + 9 rebounds), K. Johnson (8), Shempeni (7), Brian (0).
cleveland: Allen (27 + 10 rebounds), E. Mobley (16 + 7 rebounds), Garland (15 + 11 assists), Mitchell (10 + 7 assists), Wade (10) – start; Hunter (11 + 9 rebounds), Tyson (11), Tomlin (6), Merrill (5), Porter (2).
Toronto – Orlando – 107:106 (18:29, 36:36, 30:29, 23:12)
toronto: Ingram (17 + 9 rebounds), Barnes (13 + 11 rebounds), Mamukelashvili (13), Agbadzhi (10), Quickley (4) – start; Shed (19), Dick (15), Walter (10 + 7 rebounds), Murray-Boyles (4 + 12 rebounds), Bettle (2), Bamba (0).
Orlando’s: Black (27), Banchero (23 + 15 rebounds + 10 assists), Bane (18), Jones (10), Carter (9) – start; Richardson (7), da Silva (6), Kane (3), Bitadze (2), Penda (1), Isaac (0).
Washington – Phoenix – 101:115 (23:22, 31:39, 25:26, 22:28)
washington: Johnson (24), McCollum (17), Coulibaly (13 + 7 rebounds), Watkins (3), Sarr (2) – start; Shempeny (11), Carrington (10), Riley (10), Bagley (7+7 rebounds), Brenham (4), Johnson (0), Hill (0).
Phoenix: Brooks (26), Gillespie (25 + 6 assists), Booker (22), O’Neal (15), Igodaro (6 + 10 rebounds) – starter; Goodwin (14 + 7 rebounds), Livers (3), Buey (2), Richards (2 + 9 rebounds), Hayes-Davis (0), Fleming (0), Maluach (0).
Charlotte-Milwaukee-113:123 (26:25, 40:38, 23:32, 24:28)
Charlotte: Miller (31 + 8 rebounds), Ball (26 + 7 assists + 6 losses), Diabate (14 + 9 rebounds), Bridges (3), James (0) – start; Sexton (16 + 8 assists), Green (10), McNeely (7), Hall (3), Hall (3 + 11 rebounds), Mann (0).
Milwaukee: Y. Antetokounmpo (24 + 7 assists), Turner (23 + 4 blocked shots), Porter (15 + 11 assists), Rollins (13), Green (5) – start; Portis (25), Trent (9), Kuzma (6), G. Harris (3), Sims (0).
Brooklyn – Golden State – 107:120 (30:28, 27:31, 28:30, 22:31)
Brooklyn: Porter (27 + 9 rebounds), Demin (23), Claxton (15 + 9 rebounds), Clowney (11), Mann (4) – start; Thomas (13), Traore (9), Sharpe (3), Powell (2), Wolfe (0).
Golden State: Curry (27), Butler (21), Dr. Green (7), Moody (4), Post (3) – start; Jackson-Davis (11), Payton II (10), Melton (10 + 8 rebounds), Richard (10), Podziemski (7), Hield (6), Spencer (4), Santos (0).
New Orleans – New York – 125:130 (41:37, 34:35, 28:24, 22:34)
New Orleans: Williamson (32), Bay (26 + 6 assists), Murphy (21), Quinn (7 + 9 rebounds + 6 assists), Fiers (4) – start; Poole (26), Peavey (3), Hawkins (2), Missy (2), Looney (2 + 9 rebounds).
new York: Brunson (28 + 10 assists), Anunoby (23 + 11 rebounds), Diawara (18), Towns (12 + 12 rebounds), Bridges (6 + 10 assists) – start; McBride (14), Yabusele (9), Clarkson (9), Kolek (7), McCullar (2), Jamison (2), Hookporty (0).
Oklahoma – Atlanta – 140:129 (35:38, 35:36, 43:29, 27:26)
Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (39 + 6 assists), Holmgren (24 + 9 rebounds), Jaylen Williams (20 + 9 rebounds + 7 assists), Wallace (17 + 7 rebounds), Dort (6) – start; Caruso (16 + 9 rebounds), Mitchell (10), Carlson (6), Wiggins (2), Joe (0), K. Williams (0).
of Atlanta: Alexander-Walker (30), Okongwu (26 + 14 rebounds + 6 assists), Krejci (18), Daniels (13 + 7 assists), Risache (12) – start; Kennard (12), Wallace (9), Newell (9), Gueye (0).
Houston – Indiana – 126:119 (30:25, 36:23, 39:30, 21:41)
Houston: Durant (30), Smith (21 + 10 rebounds), Thompson (20 + 8 rebounds + 7 assists), Eason (13 + 8 rebounds), Adams (8) – start; Sheppard (13), Finney-Smith (6), Capela (6+7 rebounds), Okogie (3), Davison (2), Tate (2), Green (2), A. Holiday (0).
indiana: Siakam (23), Maturin (14), Nembhard (11), Furphy (9), Huff (8) – start; Nesmith (14), Walker (12), Jackson (7), McConnell (6), Peter (6), Jones (4), Potter (3 + 6 assists), Thompson (2), Bradley (0).
Chicago – Minnesota – 101:136 (23:21, 27:34, 28:40, 23:41)
Chicago: Vucevic (23), Buzelis (13), Giddy (11), Okoro (4), White (0) – start; Smith (12), Jones (11), Dosunmu (10 + 7 assists), Herter (8), Williams (7), Phillips (2), Carter (0), Terry (0).
Minnesota: Edwards (23), Randle (17 + 14 assists), DiVincenzo (12), Gobert (9 + 10 rebounds + 4 blocks), McDaniels (7) – start; Reed (33 + 7 rebounds), Hyland (12), Clark (11), Dillingham (5), Miller (3), Juzeng (2), Conley (2), Beranger (0).
Portland – Dallas – 125:122 (42:29, 33:34, 22:30, 28:29)
Portland: Avdija (27 + 9 rebounds + 11 assists + 8 losses), Sharpe (24), Klingin (18 + 11 rebounds), Kamara (9), Sissoko (6) – start; Love (24), Ruper (9), R. Williams (8 + 8 rebounds), Yang Hansen (0).
dallas: Christie (25), Gafford (17 + 10 rebounds), Flagg (15 + 7 assists + 5 turnovers), Washington (8), Nembhard (0 + 6 assists) – start; Williams (22), Marshall (17), Thompson (14), Powell (2), Caleb Martin (2).
tournament tables
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo He gave a harsh response to the question about a possible trade to another NBA club:
“I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. It’s disrespectful to me and my teammates. I wear this jersey every day.
To say I don’t want to be here is disrespectful to the organization, the coaching staff, myself and everyone who worked hard to get me on the field. Don’t ask me this question. I am her. I’m going out in this uniform. And as long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all until the last second of the match.”
On the night of December 27-28, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player of the game with the Chicago Bulls – 112:103.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
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