Sam Vecenie

has become one of the basketball public’s greatest fascinations over the last several years. Bronny, the son of all-time leading scorer , was a four-star recruit who was invited to the McDonald’s All-American game and Nike Hoop Summit. There was building excitement for his pro future and speculation he might even share the court with his father in the near future. While no 2024 NBA mock draft from The Athletic ever considered Bronny James a first-rounder, other reputable prognostications placed…

, , will transfer to West Virginia, his father Darian DeVries announced Thursday at an event introducing him as the Mountaineers’ head coach. The 6-7, 210-pound wing averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season for Drake, which won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and lost to State as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tucker DeVries won MVC Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons, and his father won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons…

, which means it’s worth updating The Athletic ’s 2024 NBA Mock Draft so fans of pro teams can identify some of the players to watch as they tune into the sports event of the year. This isn’t exactly the strongest college class. As you’ll see, only four of the top 10 players listed below are college players, and a number of those listed below them played on teams that did not make the NCAA Tournament this season. Unsurprisingly given those factors, teams’ opinions are all over the map on this c…

The 2024 NBA Draft cycle is officially here now that the trade deadline has passed. High-level evaluators are traveling worldwide to get eyes on elite prospects and shifting their attention a bit more toward shaping their draft boards. There remains a lot of variance team by team in those boards. The 2024 draft is not considered an overly strong one. In fact, at the top, it’s seen as clearly the weakest in the past decade. Many team evaluators are comparing it to the 2013 draft, in which Anthony…

The to try to shift themselves from the middle of the Western Conference into a contention window, bringing in P.J. Washington from Charlotte and from Washington in separate deals. The Mavericks are undeniably better than they were before deadline day started. coming in for is an upgrade, and Gafford entering the fold for the team’s backup center minutes will be critical. But how much better are they? Was Washington worth the price? What about Gafford? Let’s dive in and scout the two new Ma…

By Shams Charania, Mark Puleo and Sam Vecenie The Charlotte Hornets are nearing a deal to send forward Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to league sources. The are expected to acquire and , league sources said. Mann, a 2021 first-round pick, has upside as a talented young guard. Hayward leaves Charlotte after agreeing to a four-year, $120 million deal with the Hornets in 2020. The one-time All-Star has dealt with nagging injuries in each of the past five seasons, dating ba…

The and continued the early run of trades this season, with It’s an interesting deal worth breaking down in a few capacities. Rozier, Wednesday against , is a complicated player, the pick traded is a fascinating asset and the Hornets are now in an interesting position moving forward before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Why Rozier helps Miami Miami’s offense needed a boost. The are tied for 21st in offensive rating, averaging 113 points per 100 possessions. They rank in the bottom half of the i…

Editor’s Note: , originally the No. 1 player on this list, . Terry Rozier, initially the No. 18 player on this list, . We’ve passed Jan. 15 on the calendar, which opens up a large number of players to be traded who re-signed with their previous team last offseason. It’s a more important group of players than you’d think, as it includes the likes of , , , , and others. Some of those players will feature on our updated trade board below, and others won’t. Advertisement The upshot is every player…

We’re about halfway into the season, which means it’s time for the second 2023-24 edition of. To refresh: We rank the league’s top 15 rookies to this point, based on how they have performed as players. These are not based on how they are doing at the time of the rankings or a projection of the players they will become. They are full-season assessments of how they have played to this point. What do I look for when I rank players? Minutes and role matter. What is each rookie getting asked to do?…

in what amounted to a three-team transaction with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Indiana Pacers finally made their move and completed what is likely to be the biggest deal of the . The got the two-time All-Star, along with a second-round pick from the , in exchange for Bruce Brown Jr., and three first-round picks, with New Orleans’ also going to the for cash considerations as a means of getting the Pelicans nearly $3 million under the luxury tax. Advertisement The trade marks the end of an er…

In the surprise of all surprises going into the new year, the and the , two franchises currently disputing an alleged theft of proprietary information in federal court, . The Knicks acquired , a player long pursued by contenders, along with and for , R.J. Barrett and the 2024 second round pick. This has to be the first time in league history that two teams locked in litigation against one another have made a deal. There is good reason for such an occasion. This trade is a fascinating move f…

We’re about a month into the season, which means it’s time for the first 2023-24 edition of The Athletic ’s Rookie Rankings. To refresh: We rank the league’s top 15 rookies to this point, solely based on how they have performed as NBA players. These are not power rankings based on how they are doing at the time of the rankings, but rather full-season assessments of how they have played to this point. Advertisement What do I look for when I rank players? Minutes and role matter. What is each roo…

Entering this season, other front offices were closely watching the as a candidate to blow up their roster if things didn’t start well. And things haven’t started well. After 12 games the Bulls sit at 4-8, with a minus-3.8 net rating. Their only wins have come against the struggling and , the and against the in what may go down as the ugliest game of the NBA season. Advertisement Because things haven’t started well, it looks like the Bulls are considering their options. , teams are “probing…

Every year, the Champions Classic ushers in the college basketball season to fans, as its four participants — , , Kansas and — are often loaded with NBA Draft prospects worth evaluating on the same night in the same location. It is often the first big collegiate scouting event of the season, featuring a number of NBA general managers. Advertisement This year is no different in some respects, but very different in others. NBA personnel flocked to Chicago for the event, and five players I projec…

The men’s college basketball season is upon us, which means it’s time to update my . So far, we’ve already received quite a bit of information on college players, as well as a lot of tape on prospects playing overseas. What does that intel say? That this class is as wide open for players to emerge into as any iteration I’ve come across since I began covering the over the last decade. While this mock draft is supposed to provide a snapshot of where league and team sources generally stand on the…

The pulled off a miraculous last-minute comeback over the , winning 115-114 Tuesday night. Here’s what you need to know: As the Suns led 114-111 with 22 seconds to play, guard missed a 3-point attempt but outworked to grab the offensive rebound and slam home the putback. Then with three seconds remaining, San Antonio forward stole the ball from Durant and quickly scored, putting the up 115-114. Durant missed a final-second 10-foot field goal attempt, giving the Spurs the win. San Antonio…

first NBA game is finally upon us. Tonight, he and the San Antonio Spurs will take on the Dallas Mavericks in what is undeniably one of the most anticipated games of the season. People want to see Wembanyama. They want to know how all of his 7-foot-4 frame and 8-foot wingspan will translate into real, live NBA regular season games after a preseason filled with r. To prepare for the moment, the great folks here at The Athletic asked me to answer any and all questions our readers here had about e…

I’ll answer them in a mailbag and as part of our live coverage of Wembenyama’s regular-season debut next Wednesday.

As the salary cap rises in coming years due to projected revenue from the next national television deal, a number of contracts signed for dollar figures will provide real shock value. On Monday, the gave out one of those deals. San Antonio to a five-year contract extension that is guaranteed to pay him $135 million, with an additional $11 million in incentives. The deal has no options, meaning Vassell is locked in as a Spurs building block for the next six years along with Victor Wembanyama.…

The were rewarded for valuing as an asset in , as they subsequently for , Robert Williams III and two first-round picks. That rounds up the return for Lillard (along with and ) to , Brogdon, Williams, , three first-round picks and two pick swaps. That’s already a much better trade package than , Lillard’s preferred choice, appeared to be offering. Advertisement But the Blazers may have another potential move to make that could further improve the Lillard return. Brogdon, last season’s Sixth…