NBA Editorials Articles - Page 5

As the trade deadline looms, it feels like the Dallas Mavericks are still trying to find their space in the timeline spectrum: Do they try to win now or build for the future? With the string of unfortunate events since trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, fans are eager for any positive development, […]

The Washington Wizards keep hitting two birds with one stone: having competitive performances that foster player development while staying on pace to keep their top-eight protected draft pick. They continued that trend with Saturday’s 119-115 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets, as sharpshooting rookie Tre Johnson notched a career-high 26 points (8-22 FG, 6-15 3-point) […]

As the NBA All-Star break inches closer, time is running out for anyone to catch Oklahoma City Thunder star and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP rankings. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama suffered setbacks due to injury, and Nikola Jokic may not qualify for the award either. However, one dark-horse candidate is making […]

Tyronn Lue Los Angeles Clippers are facing an interesting couple of weeks ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The organization is right under the first apron line, and will need to stay under that line for the remainder of the season to avoid any apron penalties. Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders, however, have made themselves […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves on the wrong end of two consecutive losses decided by a final play that didn’t end with the ball in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands. After scoring 47 points in a 117-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Gilgeous-Alexander shrugged off Sunday’s 103-101 loss […]

Cleveland Cavaliers second-year swingman Jaylon Tyson has made so many strides this season. Whether it’s been his three-point shot to a current top-five level to becoming a defensive stalwart, he’s been essential to the team. Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has been preaching Tyson’s Most Improved Player case and believed in him from the moment […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently seventh in the Western Conference and after reaching the Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons. Officially reaching superstar status with one of his more efficient seasons, Anthony Edwards will look to bring Minnesota their first franchise NBA championship. However, as they know best, the road is long and everything can change […]

As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to fight their way to another NBA Playoffs, Donovan Mitchell is having one of the best seasons of his career at 29.1 PPG, ranking sixth in the league. He’s also continuing his story with longtime sponsor Adidas as the two sides prepare to release Mitchell’s eighth signature name-bearing sneaker, the […]

Despite the impressive season the Detroit Pistons have put together to this point and the Boston Celtics battling injury adversity without Jayson Tatum, the biggest surprise in the Eastern Conference so far has been the Toronto Raptors. Not only have the Raptors flown up the latest NBA power rankings, but they have done so with […]

Rumor has it that the San Antonio Spurs aren’t going to make a splashy move at the NBA trade deadline. They made a blockbuster at last year’s deadline when they traded for De’Aaron Fox, and the rebuild is already ahead of schedule with the young core of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Dylan Harper. […]

Teams must remember that sometimes, fixes feel worse than the problem. The most dangerous deadline moves are the ones that initially feel productive. The Cleveland Cavaliers are learning that lesson the hard way in 2025-26. A year removed from a historic 64-win campaign, Cleveland is still good. They are, however, no longer special. As frustration […]

As the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5 nears, the New York Knicks have actively been discussing several options on the trade market involving French forward Guerschon Yabusele, league sources told ClutchPoints. The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans are two teams with which the Knicks have recently held extensive dialogue, among others. Since […]

PHOENIX– In what was almost perceived as a sophomore slump, Phoenix Suns big man Oso Ighodaro has been the team’s biggest rising star. The occasional poster dunk or emphatic rejection might make people interested, but his impact goes well beyond what basic metrics can say. He is third in the team with a total plus/minus […]

Since Darius Garland sprained his right toe 11 days ago, Donovan Mitchell has put a lot of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ burden on his shoulders. Opponents, however, are taking their chances with anyone else handling the ball, constantly double-teaming him when he has it and denying him touches without it. Over the weekend, ClutchPoints asked Cavs […]

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Boston Celtics won 130-126 in double overtime versus the Brooklyn Nets and lost 114-111 to the Chicago Bulls. Will there be changes? The Celtics’ second-best record — 28-17 — in the Eastern Conference is a testament to a resilient, top-ranked defensive team that’s overachieved amid mediocre expectations while missing its best player, […]

Geatness has arrived in Oklahoma City, but greatness can tempt excess. The hardest part of building a champion is knowing what not to touch once you’re there. The Thunder are operating at a historic level. They have dismantled opponents with a precision that suggests inevitability rather than possibility. As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, […]

Not every great season needs to end with a blockbuster. Sometimes, the most dangerous threat to momentum is impatience. The Toronto Raptors are living through one of the league’s most enjoyable stories of the 2025-26 season. They have blended elite defense, selfless offense, and genuine locker-room chemistry into a product that fans didn’t dare expect […]

Success has an interesting way of tempting overreaction. The most dangerous moment for a rising contender isn’t when things go wrong but when everything goes right. The Detroit Pistons have reached that inflection point. With wins piling up and the league recalibrating its expectations, Detroit now faces a subtle but critical threat as the 2026 […]

Urgency can become dangerous. Boldness brought the Houston Rockets back into relevance. Impatience could knock them right back out. After years of rebuilding, asset-hoarding, and internal development, Houston finally pushed its chips into the center of the table. It seems to be working. The Rockets are winning, respected, and dangerous. As the February 5 trade […]

Patience should always matter more than temptation. The most dangerous moment for a rising contender is premature confidence. The San Antonio Spurs have arrived ahead of schedule. They have morphed from a patient rebuild into a legitimate title threat almost overnight. That success, however, brings noise. Big names. Bigger rumors. As the 2026 NBA trade […]

Behind a monster night from Ivica Zubac, the LA Clippers were able to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this season and take a 2-1 lead in the season series. Zubac finished the night with 18 points and 19 rebounds, helping the Clippers to a 112-104 victory inside Intuit Dome. Before even […]

Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers fended off a late run by Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night to come out victorious. It was the 14th win in the last 17 games for the Clippers, but head coach Tyronn Lue entered the postgame press conference room fuming. “It’s the same f*cking […]

The LA Clippers have worked tirelessly to make their new arena — the Intuit Dome — a fun home for Clippers fans to come in and cheer their team. More than a year after their opening, it appears that some Lakers fans still need to be reminded about it. When Intuit Dome opened up in […]

LeBron James, Marcus Smart, and the Los Angeles Lakers have had an up-and-down couple of weeks as they navigate injury woes and a tougher schedule. After starting the season 23-11, the Lakers have lost six of their last nine games. For whatever reason, the struggles have coincided with the NBA trade deadline fast approaching. As […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s one thing for the Washington Wizards‘ young building blocks to have a good game, and it’s another to do so the same day Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger announced that the front office will evaluate which players it will keep over the next six to 18 months as the team progresses in […]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell was on pace to eclipse his career-high 28 points in a 122-102 blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks, before an injury derailed a career night, as he was 11 points away heading into halftime. His 18 points kept the Bucks at bay in the first half before Thunder’s Mitchell […]

One perk of dominance is that it invites imagination. At a certain level of greatness, improvement becomes optional, but obsession makes it inevitable. The Oklahoma City Thunder are already operating at a historic altitude. They are overwhelming opponents with a blend of youth, precision, and ruthless efficiency rarely seen in the modern NBA. Yet as […]

Jose Alvarado insists the wait is nearly over. As the New Orleans Pelicans navigate an uneven season and the uncertainty of the NBA Trade Deadline, the reserve guard says a return from injury is imminent. The undrafted dynamo from Georgia Tech, sidelined with an oblique injury, spoke candidly about his recovery, the mental strain of […]

Sometimes, the right move is to let ambition meet restraint at the deadline. In New York, of course, dreams are always oversized. Every trade deadline brings whispers of superstars, seismic swings, and franchise-altering gambles. That said, championship teams are rarely built on impulse alone. As the 2026 NBA trade deadline approaches, the Knicks find themselves […]

It’s time for the Detroit Pistons to think like champions. There’s a difference between leading the standings and owning the moment. The Pistons have already done the former. Now, as the 2026 NBA trade deadline approaches, the league’s most unexpected powerhouse can either stay the course, or strike while the window is wide open. History […]

The funny thing with surprise seasons is that they demand bold thinking. At some point, exceeding expectations stops being enough. The Toronto Raptors have reached that inflection point in the 2025–26 NBA season. What began as a year many expected to be transitional has evolved into one of the league’s most compelling success stories. With […]

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have won four championships together, but they are in the waning years of their NBA careers. The Golden State Warriors would love to contend for one more championship before the dynasty officially ends, and because of that, many assumed that the team would be trade deadline buyers. Adding to the […]

A dispiriting loss to a shorthanded Detroit Pistons squad has forced a stark reckoning for the New Orleans Pelicans. The current starting lineup continues to dig early holes that prove too deep for Zion Williamson to escape, and James Borrego knows change is overdue. Developing rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen is and should be […]

Defensive transformations do not happen overnight in sports, nor should a team’s success hinge on just one player. So, sure, Herb Jones has been out. Schematic overhauls or complex adjustments were not in the cards even as Zion Williamson’s New Orleans Pelicans continue to languish in the Western Conference basement. Interim head coach James Borrego […]

It’s well past the halfway point of the season, yet the last-placed New Orleans Pelicans are playing hardball with Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III. Herb Jones, Jeremiah Fears, and Derik Queen are also reportedly untouchable in any NBA Trade Deadline discussions. However, Joe Dumars has not-so-quietly explored the market for second-year center Yves Missi. […]

Ever since the Washington Wizards traded veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks for star guard Trae Young on Jan. 7, their young core has been tasked with leading the team on the floor. However, the organization also must learn how Young (knee, quadriceps) will mesh with the “Wiz Kids” when he […]

There are exactly two weeks until the 2026 NBA trade deadline. At this point last season, five different trades had been made. So far this year, the Trae Young deal with the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards has been the only trade to occur. What is the holdup around the NBA right now as the […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the most active teams in the trade market in recent years. They have made blockbuster deals for Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby in recent years. The latter of those players was added just before the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Now, the 2026 trade deadline is […]

Everything is looking bleak for the Golden State Warriors. This past Monday, the Warriors suffered the devastating blow that is Jimmy Butler’s torn ACL. While a torn ACL is far from a career death sentence, especially considering the advances in modern medicine, Butler is about to be out of action for over a year, and […]