Story with Nick Friedell on the Warriors' devastating loss of Jimmy Butler, whose torn ACL is expected to cost him this entire season, and what it means, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

Weekly roundup of of our NBA trade buzz, at @theathletic.com, including my read on the Ja Morant situation and why what he wants (Miami) isn’t what matters most here. A boo-bird/Bucks watch on the Giannis front, Kuminga, AD, Timberwolves and more… www.nytimes.com/athletic/697...

It’s Jonathan Kuminga day - and he’s still on the Warriors. An inside look at this broken relationship and why, even with Jan. 15 finally arriving, a resolution still isn’t in sight, with @thompsonscribe.bsky.social and Nick Friedell, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/697...

From Sacramento to the Clippers, Wolves, Miami, Toronto, Brooklyn and beyond, the one and only @johnhollinger.bsky.social weighs in on the Ja Morant market in Memphis, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/695...

Well this is a hell of an interview that @samamick.bsky.social had with Giannis. Not gonna spoil it but Giannis made a lot of strong declarative statements about his present and future in Milwaukee www.nytimes.com/athletic/695...

A late-night discussion with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who tells me he’ll never ask for a trade out of Milwaukee. “It’s…not…in…my…nature, ok?” the Bucks big man said. Much more here on his superstar saga, from the loading dock, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/695...

The latest on Anthony Davis, why his camp wants him traded before the Feb. 5 deadline, and the difficult dynamics Dallas is dealing with among suitors, at @theathletic.com (w/ @christianclark3.bsky.social) www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

Talking NBA trade season, with @johnhollinger.bsky.social and @joshrobbins.bsky.social, at @theathletic.com Weighing in on Giannis, AD, Trae, LaMelo, Ja et al... www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

Jamal Murray’s choice to take a basketball break last summer sparked his start. We talked in camp about the welcome difference from his (Olympic) offseason. Little did he know he’d be doing this w/out Joker, AG, Cam, Christian or Jonas 🤦‍♂️ @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

On this brutal challenge facing the battered Nuggets and why Jamal Murray - whose All-Star drought should come to an end this year - is the key to surviving it, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

Under pressure: A deeper look at five teams that are front and center as the NBA trade deadline nears. Intel on the Hawks (Trae, AD/Risacher?), Clippers plans, Bucks buying, the Warriors’ dilemma, and Lakers’ pursuits, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

Nikola Jokic newser, at @theathletic.com In the midst of another MVP-caliber season, the Nuggets big man goes down with a left knee injury in Miami. More details here… www.nytimes.com/athletic/692...

On Giannis’ windmill that left the Bulls seeing red late Saturday night, at @theathletic.com Amid all of the messiness that surrounds him, and with the Bucks stubbornly signaling that he’s going nowhere, it was a refreshing reminder that he’s one of a kind. www.nytimes.com/athletic/692...

Talking all things NBA on “The Athletic Show,” where the intentional fouling debate was in full swing. Episode (on Amazon Fire and YouTube) features a strong Steve Kerr interview from @zenakeita.bsky.social @theathletic.com @robertmays.bsky.social and Jason Goff youtu.be/nKkjYi6jx1k?...

The Spurs lost the finale, but the message sent to the Thunder - and the league at large - was still the most meaningful NBA Cup moment of them all. On San Antonio’s emergence as a real threat and questions surrounding their ascent, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/689...

(Early) NBA trade talk: What I’m hearing about Giannis, Anthony Davis, the Timberwolves’ plans, all things Kings, and Jonathan Kuminga (with a Pelicans tie-in) as the key Dec. 15 date nears, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

The annual NBA front office rankings are back - with 36 execs weighing in - and one thing remains unchanged: OKC stands alone at the top. See how the top 10 unfolded, with a bonus question about front offices on the rise, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/686...

An urgent call for a meeting, change of travel plans, plane delay and a late-night hoops divorce that shocked the NBA world: Inside the stunning Chris Paul exit from the Clippers, with @lawmurraythenu.bsky.social and @joevardon.bsky.social , at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/686...

Can OKC - now 21-1 after beating Golden State - break the 73-win record? The resident experts, Steve Kerr and Draymond Green, weigh in. A deep (data) dive on how this Thunder team compares (so far) to the 2015-16 Warriors, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...

Embattled Grizzlies star Ja Morant has gone from "go ask the coaching staff" to...joining the coaching staff? Sort of. A look here at how he's using his voice during his absence, the trade rumors that persist, and more, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...

Kings GM Scott Perry addresses his team’s brutal start, the patience needed for a rebuild to come, the (longstanding) issue of autonomy under owner Vivek Ranadive, Doug Christie’s performance and much more, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

Sources: NBA asked teams, including Lakers, to hand over documents and property as part of investigation into illegal sports gambling. Two LeBron associates are among those cooperating. With @mikevorkunov.bsky.social and @joevardon.bsky.social, @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

If you need a break in Nico coverage…enjoy this chat with OKC coach Mark Daigneault. On the Thunder’s title defense strategy, coaching SGA, & whether or not he has a Ted Lasso side, at @theathletic.com “I just don’t want to f*** it up.” (10-1 so far) 😳 www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

What if Michael Finley never grabs Luka Doncic’s beer? On those 13 symbolic seconds after Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks won the West, and why Nico Harrison finally paid the price for his disastrous decision to trade a generational talent, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a revealing admission late last night: He wasn’t a fan of how his team won the title. On the MVP’s growth mindset, this scorching OKC start (w/out Jalen Williams), and why the rest of the NBA should worry, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/678...

My read of the Ja Morant situation in Memphis, where the prospect of moving him - which there are no signs of the Grizzlies wanting to do - isn’t as simple as it might seem, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...

Draymond Green unplugged, @theathletic.com: Behind the defensive goal that is his obsession, why he strongly disagrees with Kevin Durant’s recent comments about defense, a league-wide discussion about defense and much more (including his Warriors future) www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...

From @samamick.bsky.social’s story: Chauncey Billups’ new lawyer also represented Joe Sanberg, the co-founder of Aspiration, the company accused of helping the Clippers circumvent the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard. 😮‍💨 www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...

News: Chauncey Billups has hired renowned trial lawyer Marc Mukasey to defend him in the federal investigation into illegal gambling, @theathletic.com has learned. Much more here on Mukasey's background, including deep ties to President Trump... www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...

The Wemby (early season) takeover and what it means, the Lakers’ Austin Reaves dilemma, the Sixers’ (rookie) salvation, and more observations, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...

A deeper look at the NBA's memo about the FBI's gambling probe, and the issue of injury reporting, at @theathletic.com (including a look at the Luka Doncic example from last night) W/ @joevardon.bsky.social and @mikevorkunov.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...

Even with the Warriors and Nuggets shining, the gambling scandal was all anyone could talk about at Chase Center last night (until the end). On the travesty of another controversy overshadowing the NBA game, and chipping away at trust, @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/674...

Talked to Steve Kerr about his aging Warriors team last night, and how he plans to keep it intact until the end this time. On lessons learned from last season, the Jonathan Kuminga future, and more, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...

Inside the Denver Nuggets' culture reset in the summer and why - after a year of internal dysfunction and a glaring lack of depth - the fixes had everything to do with Nikola Jokic and his future, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/671...

Why not? My view on the Kings’ Russell Westbrook addition, their mishmash roster that’s in flux, a new coach with a daunting challenge, and the Clippers - amid all their controversy - offering a reminder of how dangerous they might be, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...

Story includes intel on why the Knicks - who are locked in on their title hopes with this current team - are known to have concerns about what it might take to land Giannis down the line. That and more here, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/670...

What I’m hearing on the Giannis Antetokounmpo front, and why this past week of waves in Milwaukee was a sign of things to come, at @theathletic.com The Knicks, and so many other teams, are still watching more closely than ever. www.nytimes.com/athletic/670...

Maverick Carter might be out of the international leagues that have been the talk of the NBA & WNBA recently, but the plans are still in full swing. With @mikevorkunov.bsky.social and @joevardon.bsky.social, including an interview with co-founder Grady Burnett www.nytimes.com/athletic/669...

New "Warriors Plus-Minus" episode with @thompsonscribe.bsky.social @samamick.bsky.social -- the Jonathan Kuminga Signs What's Next Emergency Episode. -Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/50XQ... -Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

From Giannis to Jokic, Luka, Kawhi, Kuminga and more, my look at the major storylines and, yes, revelations from the media day mayhem, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/667...

My view of LeBron James' 23rd (!) media day, and what his latest messaging - after a tumultuous offseason - might mean for his Lakers (and NBA) future, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/667...

Who is Uncle Dennis? A profile of Dennis Robertson — Kawhi Leonard's uncle and a man also in the middle of the Clippers/Kawhi/Aspiration investigation — and how he operates. From @danwoikesports.bsky.social @samamick.bsky.social and me www.nytimes.com/athletic/665...

After more than a month of no talks between the Warriors and Kings about a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade, sources tell @theathletic.com that they reconnected recently. Could a deal still go down here? One (hopefully last) look at the dynamics in play. www.nytimes.com/athletic/665...

On the continued Jonathan Kuminga-Warriors saga, the 2027 summer that is playing a pivotal part, and key factors to consider in the final stretch of this face-off, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/663...

My latest read on the Kawhi Leonard-Steve Ballmer-Clippers saga, with Adam Silver showing a brief glimpse of his...Stern side in today's BOG remarks. Intel on owners' reactions, the problematic evidence that keeps piling up and more, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...

My read on the Kawhi Leonard-Steve Ballmer-Clippers saga, with some early feedback from folks around the league on the severity of the situation, at @theathletic.com "This does not happen," one GM said. "I've never seen it," said another exec. www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...

Is this thing on?! A late summer NBA discussion with @fredkatz.bsky.social and @thompsonscribe.bsky.social, at @theathletic.com Talking Jonathan Kuminga (and the other RFAs), the revamped team we're most excited to see and the one that, well, we're not. www.nytimes.com/athletic/658...

A Jonathan Kuminga note: Anyone saying the 1st-rounder protections are the only obstacle to a Kings-Warriors S&T is wrong, as I'm told Golden State really doesn't want to move either Buddy Hield or Moses Moody (which would be required). Details - @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...

New for @theathletic.com - I was @samamick.bsky.social 's capology assistant while he did all the actual work on this update on the Kuminga-Warriors-Kings situation. www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...

On the Jonathan Kuminga stalemate with the Warriors, the details of the Kings' latest offer and why that deal hasn't gone down just yet, at @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...