August 2025

There were 1,614 posts published in August 2025 (this is page 105 of 162).

The Danny Ainge System: Which NBA shot-callers should be avoided in the trade market?

When .)

Trades: .500 OBP • .000 SLG • .500 OPS

  • BB: Lonzo Ball (2021) • DeMar DeRozan (2021) • Josh Giddey (2024) • Zach LaVine (2025)

  • K: Nikola Vučević (2021) • Daniel Gafford (2021) • Lauri Markkanen (2021) • DeMar DeRozan (2024)

At what point are you no longer an outlier? Maybe eight moves over five years into the job.

Karnišovas could get on base and even hit for some power if he can get Josh Giddey under contract, and if the Australian plays anything like he did in his late-season pursuit of that contract. For now he’s a walk, since the deal cost them Alex Caruso, who just played a role in his second championship of the decade. 

Karnišovas is still trying to live down his trade for Nikola Vučević, which cost Chicago two lottery picks.

Trades: .542 OBP • .579 SLG • 1.121 OPS

  • 3B: Rasheed Wallace (2004)

  • 2B: Richard Hamilton (2002)

  • 1B: Eric Montross (2001) • Clifford Robinson (2001) • Mateen Cleaves (2001) • Rodney White (2002) • Lindsey Hunter (2003) • Darko Milicic (2006)

  • BB: Ben Wallace (2000) • Christian Laettner (2000) • Bob Sura (2003) • Derrick Coleman (2004) • Carlos Delfino (2007)

  • K: Lindsey Hunter (2000) • Cedric Ceballos (2000) • Fran Vazquez (2001) • Carlos Arroyo (2005) • Nazr Mohammed (2007) • Allen Iverson (2008) • Arron Afflalo (2009) • Corey Maggette (2012) • Tayshaun Prince (2013) • Brandon Jennings (2013) • Jordan Poole (2025)

(Dumars served as general manager of the Detroit Pistons from 2000-14.)

Following Dumars’ 11-year absence from front-office decision-making, the Pelicans decided it was a good idea to hand the keys to their organization to the Hall of Fame guard, despite this track record. Yes, he acquired Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton — two core members of the 2004 champion Pistons — but he did not make a single trade of any importance in 10 years after the title. It should come as little surprise, then, that his first order of business in New Orleans was the bizarre acquisition of Jordan Poole.

Trades: .545 OBP • .588 SLG • 1.133 OPS

  • 3B: Aaron Gordon (2021)

  • 2B: Jerami Grant (2019)

  • 1B: Will Barton (2015) • D.J. Augustin (2016) • Joffrey Lauvergne (2016) • Rudy Gobert (2022) • Mike Conley Jr. (2023)

  • BB: Kosta Koufos (2013) • Jameer Nelson (2015) • Ty Lawson (2015) • Monte Morris (2024) • Karl-Anthony Towns (2024)

  • K: Jan Veselý (2014) • Arron Afflalo (2014) • JaVale McGee (2015) • Donovan Mitchell (2017) • Jusuf Nurkic (2017) • Roy Hibbert (2017) • Devin Harris (2018) • Isaiah Whitehead (2018) • Malik Beasley (2020) • JaVale McGee (2021)

(Connelly served as general manager of the Denver Nuggets from 2013-2022.)

Connelly has done the bulk of his good work in the draft, where in Denver he selected Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., the foundation of a championship roster. Beyond adding Aaron Gordon to that mix in a brilliant trade for a perfect partner to Jokić, he has not enjoyed much success in the market.

This is where you can debate me on Rudy Gobert, who has helped the Timberwolves to consecutive Western Conference finals appearances. He also cost them a handful of draft picks, plus some talent, and if even one of those draft picks becomes a blue-chipper, that trade could be a strikeout in the end. As it is, I have him listed as a single. You might think he’s an extra-base hit. See how this gets interesting? 

Trades: .500 OBP • .636 SLG • 1.136 OPS

  • HR: Jrue Holiday (2020)

  • 1B: P.J. Tucker (2021) • Grayson Allen (2021) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2025)

  • BB: George Hill (2018) • Nikola Mirotić (2019) • Patrick Beverley (2024)

  • K: Eric Bledsoe (2017) • Tyler Zeller (2018) • Serge Ibaka (2022) • Jae Crowder (2023) • Damian Lillard (2023) • Kyle Kuzma (2025) • Pat Connaughton (2025)

Horst traded for Jrue Holiday, an All-Star and All-Defensive talent who was the final piece to Milwaukee’s championship puzzle in 2021. That makes the decision a home run. Other than that, the trade market has been an unfriendly place for Horst, whose singles are squibs. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the league have taken notice of what has happened to the Bucks as injuries and missteps have taken a toll.

Trades: .500 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.167 OPS

  • 3B: Nikola Vucevic (2021)

  • 1B: Evan Fournier (2021)

  • BB: Desmond Bane (2025)

  • K: Timofey Mozgov (2018) • Markelle Fultz (2019) • Aaron Gordon (2021)

Everything hinges on Weltman’s decision this summer to trade Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and the rights to four first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Desmond Bane. If Bane is the key to unlocking the Magic as a contender, he is an extra-base hit, but it is too early to tell now.

Trades: .500 OBP • 714 SLG • 1.214 OPS

  • 3B: Kyrie Irving (2023)

  • 1B: Christian Wood (2022) • P.J. Washington (2024)

  • BB: Tim Hardaway Jr. (2024)

  • K: Josh Richardson (2021) • Kristaps Porziņģis (2022) • Luka Dončić (2025) • Caleb Martin (2025)

The Luka Dončić trade counts for only one strikeout. It may be the equivalent of a strikeout swinging with two outs, the bases loaded and a playoff berth on the line, but it is a single strikeout nonetheless.

Trades: .513 OBP • .750 SLG • 1.263 OPS

  • HR: James Harden (2012)

  • 3B: Chris Paul (2017)

  • 2B: Luis Scola (2007) • Kyle Lowry (2009) • Kevin Martin (2010) • Goran Dragic (2011) • Trevor Ariza (2014)

  • 1B: Carl Landry (2007) • Metta World Peace (2008) • Courtney Lee (2010) • Derek Fisher (2012) • Thomas Robinson (2013) • Corey Brewer (2014) • Lou Williams (2017) • Seth Curry (2020) • Patrick Beverley (2024) • Quentin Grimes (2025)

  • BB: De’Anthony Melton (2022) • James Harden (2023) • Reggie Jackson (2025)

  • K: Terrence Williams (2010) • Shane Battier (2011) • Marcus Camby (2012) • Kyle Lowry (2012) • Patrick Patterson (2013) • Marcus Morris (2013) • Jeremy Lin (2014) • K.J. McDaniels (2015) • Ty Lawson (2015) • Ryan Anderson (2018) • Iman Shumpert (2019) • Russell Westbrook (2019) • Robert Covington (2020) • Al Horford (2020) • George Hill (2021) • James Harden (2022) • Matisse Thybulle (2023) • Buddy Hield (2024) • K.J. Martin (2025)

(Morey served as general manager of the Houston Rockets from 2007-2020.)

Man, Daryl Morey has made a lot of trades. They say fortune favors the bold, and it has, as Morey has remained a prominent front-office figure for 18 years. He has reached base more often than not, and he has hit for some power — constructing a team that went toe-to-toe with the mighty Golden State Warriors in the 2017-18 season — but it has been a while since he has connected for an extra-base hit.

Trades: .364 OBP • .900 SLG • 1.264 OPS

  • HR: Anthony Davis (2019) • Luka Dončić (2025)

  • 1B: Rui Hachimura (2023)

  • BB: Patrick Beverley (2022)

  • K: Dennis Schröder (2020) • JaVale McGee (2020) • Russell Westbrook (2021) • Marc Gasol (2021) • Rajon Rondo (2022) • D’Angelo Russell (2023) • Dorian Finney-Smith (2025)

What power. Pelinka has made a pair of home-run decisions, trading a ton of draft capital for Anthony Davis, winning the 2020 championship, and then turning Davis into Dončić this past February. It is time now for him to start raking on some of those smaller decisions, as he attempts to build around Dončić.

Trades: .600 OBP • .682 SLG • 1.282 OPS

  • 2B: D’Angelo Russell (2017) • Kevin Durant (2023) • Mikal Bridges (2024)

  • 1B: Thaddeus Young (2016) • Bojan Bogdanovic (2017) • DeMarre Carroll (2017) • Kenneth Faried (2018) • Jared Dudley (2018) • Greg Monroe (2019) • Bruce Brown (2019) • Landry Shamet (2021) • Royce O’Neale (2024)

  • BB: DeMarre Carroll (2019) • Dennis Schröder (2024) • Terance Mann (2025)

  • K: Allen Crabbe (2017) • Dwight Howard (2018) • Jeremy Lin (2018) • Taurean Prince (2019) • James Harden (2021) • DeAndre Jordan (2021) • James Harden (2022) • Royce O’Neale (2022) • Kyrie Irving (2023) • Joe Harris (2023)

Marks has been at the helm of Brooklyn’s front office for nearly a decade, and that has yielded a single playoff series victory. In between has been a wild ride, as he assembled a team worthy of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and subject to their whims. He is currently dealing with the aftermath, putting a ton of recent stock into the draft, and that should be the goal again next season. He sure could use a home run.

(This is where we should note that most sign-and-trade deals are listed as free-agent signings, not trades. So, while Durant was technically traded to the Nets, it was more of a free-agency signing than anything.)

Trades: .682 OBP • .647 SLG • 1.329 OPS

  • 2B: Desmond Bane (2025)

  • 1B: Mike Conley (2019) • Andre Iguodala (2019) • De’Anthony Melton (2019) • Marc Gasol (2021) • Kris Dunn (2021) • Steven Adams (2021) • Isaiah Todd (2023) • Xavier Tillman (2024) • David Roddy (2024)

  • BB: Chandler Parsons (2019) • Eric Bledsoe (2021) • Luke Kennard (2023) • Steven Adams (2024) • James Huff (2025)

  • K: Dwight Howard (2019) • Justise Winslow (2020) • Grayson Allen (2021) • De’Anthony Melton (2022) • Marcus Smart (2023) • Ziaire Williams (2024) • Marcus Smart (2025)

Kleiman is a smart general manager who does just about everything well. We keep waiting on him to take a big swing, reconfiguring his roster as a more serious title contender, but instead he went the opposite way — dealing Desmond Bane for a cache of draft picks, better positioning himself for that big swing.

Everything in Memphis hinges on Ja Morant’s superstardom, but that is a draft story for another day.

Trades: .667 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.333 OPS

  • 2B: Damian Lillard (2023)

  • 1B: Gary Payton II (2023) • Deni Avdija (2024)

  • B: CJ McCollum (2022) • Jerami Grant (2022) • Josh Hart (2023)

  • K: Norman Powell (2022) • Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2022) • Jrue Holiday (2025)

Quietly in Portland, Cronin has done some decent work, getting out of the Damian Lillard business at what was (unfortunately) just the right time, only to reinvest in the franchise favorite’s rehabilitation. He has deftly navigated them out of a difficult situation and into another that depends heavily on a young core — one that includes Deni Avdija — that performed admirably in the final months of last season.

Trades: .667 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.333 OPS

  • 2B: Kevin Durant (2025)

  • 1B: Christian Wood (2020) • P.J. Tucker (2021) • Derrick Favors (2022) • Justin Holiday (2023) • Steven Adams (2023) • Jaden Springer (2025)

  • BB: Russell Westbrook (2020) • Eric Gordon (2023) • 2025 R1, 2027 R1, 2029 R1 (2024)

  • K: James Harden (2021) • Victor Oladipo (2021) • Christian Wood (2022) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2023) • Cam Whitmore (2025)

We’ll see what becomes of the Kevin Durant deal. For now we will conservatively rate it as a double, as we know he will be a mainstay in Houston’s lineup going forward. How much the soon-to-be 37-year-old has left in the tank, and whether he can be the leader this young team needs him to be, is in question.

In advance of acquiring Durant, Stone built a No. 2-seeded upstart that was upset in the opening round of the playoffs by a more seasoned Warriors team. He has built well from every which way, including in the trade market, where Durant is in theory the final piece to a championship puzzle — a home run.

Trades: .800 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.467 OPS

  • 1B: Bradley Beal (2023) • Kyle Kuzma (2025) • Marcus Smart (2025) • Jordan Poole (2025)

  • BB: Marvin Bagley (2024) • Daniel Gafford (2024) • Deni Avdija (2024) • Reggie Jackson (2025)

  • K: Kristaps Porziņģis (2023) • Chris Paul (2023)

Winger’s performance in a short time will wow you when you see the overall rankings, as he has dug the Wizards from a hole that included Bradley Beal’s contract (in the aftermath of John Wall’s contract). This was a team going nowhere north of the second round of the playoffs, and he has turned it into a team reliant on nine recent first-round draft picks, some of whom he has acquired via trade. Some of them have a chance to be good, and more of them are coming, but something is brewing in Washington.

Trades: .643 OBP • .846 SLG • 1.489 OPS

  • 3B: Karl-Anthony Towns (2024)

  • 2B: OG Anunoby (2023)

  • 1B: Ed Davis (2020) • Derrick Rose (2021) • Austin Rivers (2021) • Ousmane Dieng (2022) • Josh Hart (2023) • Mikal Bridges (2024)

  • BB: Cam Reddish (2022)

  • K: Evan Fournier (2021) • Jalen Duren (2022) • Alec Burks (2022) • Obi Toppin (2023) • Bojan Bogdanovic (2023)

Leon Rose may never speak to the media, but he has quietly done a brilliant job in New York, turning the Knicks from relatively nothing into an Eastern Conference finalist. He did that with coach Tom Thibodeau at the helm, and now Rose is betting on Mike Brown. That is as hefty of a decision as any he has made, and that includes the acquisitions of Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Bravo.

Trades: .737 OPS • .875 SLG • 1.612 OPS

  • 3B: Donovan Mitchell (2022)

  • 2B: Jarrett Allen (2021)

  • 1B: Jordan Clarkson (2018) • George Hill (2018) • Kyle Korver (2018) • George Hill (2018) • Rodney Hood (2019) •Alec Burks (2019) • JaVale McGee (2020) • Isaiah Hartenstein (2021) • Lonzo Ball (2025)

  • BB: Jordan Clarkson (2019) • Rajon Rondo (2022) • De’Andre Hunter (2025)

  • K: Kyrie Irving (2017) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2019) • Andre Drummond (2020) • Ricky Rubio (2021) • Caris LeVert (2022)

Altman is hitting consistently well on most every decision, save for a Kyrie Irving deal over which he held little power. The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell turned what was a 44-win play-in tournament loser into a 64-win juggernaut (that also lost short of expectations in the postseason). Believe in Mitchell, though, and believe in Cleveland’s core, which includes Jarrett Allen, as rightful favorites in a shallow conference.

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti has the Thunder on top. (AP Photo/Cliff Brunt)
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Trades: .756 OBP • .906 SLG • 1.662 OPS

  • HR: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2019)

  • 3B: Chris Paul (2019)

  • 2B: Kurt Thomas (2007) • Kendrick Perkins (2011) • Victor Oladipo (2016)

  • 1B: Ray Allen (2007) • Thabo Sefolosha (2009) • Daequan Cook (2010) • Enes Kanter (2015) • Jerami Grant (2016) • Dennis Schröder (2018) • Danny Green (2020) • Kelly Oubre Jr. (2020) • Trevor Ariza (2020) • Al Horford (2020) • George Hill (2021) • Derrick Favors (2021) • Mike Muscala (2023) • Victor Oladipo (2023) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2023) • Alex Caruso (2024)

  • BB: Kurt Thomas (2008) • Delonte West (2008) • Chucky Atkins (2009) • Eric Maynor (2009) • Nazr Mohammed (2011) • Ryan Gomes (2014) • Taj Gibson (2017) • Jerami Grant (2019) • Trevor Ariza (2021) • Al Horford (2021) • JaMychal Green (2022) • KZ Okpala (2022) • Dario Saric (2023)

  • K: Lazar Hayward (2011) • James Harden (2012) • Dion Waiters (2015) • Jeremy Lamb (2015) • Randy Foye (2016) • Joffrey Lauvergne (2016) • Carmelo Anthony (2017) • Chris Paul (2020) • Steven Adams (2020) • Derrick Favors (2022) • Gordon Hayward (2023)

We are getting into the heavy hitters. Sam Presti is, by most accounts, the smartest shot-caller in the league, and he has twice built young budding dynasties, one of which ultimately failed to win a title and another that has only just begun after winning one. The acquisition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a grand slam, if only we could account for that somehow. Maybe someday we will add RBI to the System.

Presti is also an example of how every general manager, even the brightest one, has to take his lumps. Strikeouts are bound to happen. James Harden was a tough one to swallow. Ask Presti about any one of those whiffs, and he will surely explain it in better detail than I can, but take, for example, Derrick Favors.

In 2021, Presti traded a second-round pick to the Utah Jazz for Favors and a first-round draft pick — a single of a deal, if the protected selection the Jazz owe to them ever conveys. Presti did that trade knowing full well he would have to unload Favors’ contract in the future, which he did in a mess of a deal.

It is all very explainable if you are willing to dive into the detail, but that does not mean that even the best of general managers do not whiff on occasion over the course of an 18-year career. And he’s still, what, about my age? I can’t imagine what he thinks of The Danny Ainge System, but he’s surely too busy building championship teams to care where he ranks on some silly Sabermetrics view of his profession.

Trades: .842 OBP • .923 SLG • 1.765 OPS

  • 2B: Ivica Zubac (2019) • Norman Powell (2022)

  • 1B: Blake Griffin (2018) • Tobias Harris (2019) • Mo Harkless (2019) • Paul George (2019) • Luke Kennard (2020) • Eric Gordon (2023) • Kris Dunn (2024) • Bogdan Bogdanović (2025)

  • BB: JaMychal Green (2019) • Eric Bledsoe (2021) • Serge Ibaka (2022) • Mason Plumlee (2023) • James Harden (2023) • John Collins (2025)

  • K: Marcus Morris (2020) • Rajon Rondo (2021) • Bones Hyland (2023)

It is not Lawrence Frank’s fault that Paul George and Kawhi Leonard could never stay healthy. It might be his fault that they traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the deal for George, but who would not have taken that swing when the return also included Leonard? We deemed what could have been a homer a single, because, man, losing SGA is tough, but really only in retrospect. Nobody knew SGA would be this good.

Otherwise, Frank has built what might quietly be one of the Western Conference’s best teams. He has hit a bunch of singles, including recent additions Kris Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanović, and this summer’s acquisition of John Collins could be another one soon enough. He is a key to their success this season.

And let me explain why the James Harden trade is considered a walk at this point: Frank traded the rights to his first-round draft picks in 2027, 2028 and 2029 for Harden, who has not won a playoff series in two seasons in L.A. Did I mention the Clippers just gave Harden a two-year, $81.5 million extension? He is, ultimately, who this era of Clippers basketball hinges on, and that is a walk until proven otherwise.

Trades: .818 OBP • 1.000 SLG • 1.818 OPS

  • 2B: Dejounte Murray (2022) • De’Aaron Fox (2025)

  • 1B: Doug McDermott (2021) • Thaddeus Young (2022) • Harrison Barnes (2024)

  • BB: Devonte’ Graham (2023) • Reggie Bullock (2023) • Jakob Poeltl (2023) • Rob Dillingham (2024)

  • K: DeMar DeRozan (2021) • Derrick White (2022)

Brian Wright just does smart things. He has worked for the Spurs since 2016 and officially took over as GM from R.C. Buford in 2019. San Antonio at that time was in its post-Kawhi era. He has lucked into some incredible draft positions, to be sure, but he has also done well for himself on the trade market, flipping Dejounte Murray for a collection of picks from Atlanta in 2022 and acquiring De’Aaron Fox in February.

Wright might have been able to get more for DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White in retrospect, but even those whiffs are not egregious. He got value for both, including one first-round pick the Spurs used in the trade for Fox and a potential swap with the Boston Celtics in 2028. This is not an organization that makes poor decisions. Wright is the best GM no one talks about, and San Antonio must like it that way.

Trades: .679 OBP • 1.211 SLG • 1.890 OPS

  • HR: Alonzo Mourning (1995) • Shaquille O’Neal (2004)

  • 3B: Tim Hardaway (1996) • Goran Dragic (2015)

  • 2B: Eddie Jones (2000) • Antoine Walker (2005) • Norman Powell (2025)

  • 1B: Jamal Mashburn (1997) • Jermaine O’Neal (2009) • Jae Crowder (2020)

  • BB: Brian Grant (2000) • Cedric Ceballos (2000) • Shawn Marion (2007) • Dwyane Wade (2018) • Trevor Ariza (2021) • Nemanja Bjelica (2021) • Victor Oladipo (2021) • Kyle Lowry (2021) • KZ Okpala (2022)

  • K: Brent Barry (1998) • Ricky Davis (2001) • Mark Blount (2007) • Eric Bledsoe (2010) • Toney Douglas (2014) • Brian Roberts (2016) • Ryan Anderson (2019) • Terry Rozier (2024) • Jimmy Butler (2025)

Riley has built four separate contenders in Miami, and that means operating efficiently in every market. We will get to how he constructed the back-to-back champion Heatles through free agency in the early 2010s, but he built the first of his title teams by way of a trade for Shaquille O’Neal in 2004. Riley paired him with a draft pick, Dwyane Wade, who was instrumental in all three of Riley’s championships in Miami.

Before that, Riley acquired via trade both Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Together they peaked as a 61-win team in the 1997 Eastern Conference finals, only to lose to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. There have not been a ton of extra-base trades ever since the acquisition of O’Neal, but this summer’s addition of Norman Powell did remove some of the sting of losing Jimmy Butler for relatively little value in return.

Trades: .787 OBP • 1.125 SLG • 1.912

  • HR: Kevin Garnett (2007) • Kevin Garnett (2013)

  • 3B: Ray Allen (2007) • Isaiah Thomas (2015)

  • 2B: Gary Payton (2004) • Markelle Fultz (2017) • Rudy Gobert (2022) • Donovan Mitchell (2022)

  • 1B: Chucky Atkins (2004) • Jiří Welsch (2005) • Wally Szczerbiak (2006) • Nate Robinson (2010) • Keyon Dooling (2011) • Brandon Bass (2011) • Courtney Lee (2012) • Doc Rivers (2013) • Tyler Zeller (2014) • Dwight Powell (2014) • Rajon Rondo (2014) • Marcus Morris (2017) • Royce O’Neale (2022) • Kelly Olynyk (2024)

  • BB: Antoine Walker (2003) • Ricky Davis (2003) • Antoine Walker (2005) • Kendrick Perkins (2011) • Jordan Crawford (2013) • Jordan Crawford (2014) • Jeff Green (2015) • David Lee (2015) • Kyrie Irving (2017) • Daniel Theis (2021) • Joe Ingles (2022) • Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2023) • John Collins (2023) • Simone Fontecchio (2024) • Liam McNeeley (2025)

  • K: Jumaine Jones (2003) • Antoine Walker (2005) • Sebastian Telfair (2006) • Jerryd Bayless (2014) • Aron Baynes (2020) • Evan Fournier (2021) • Bojan Bogdanovic (2022) • Kris Dunn (2024) • Jusuf Nurkic (2025) • John Collins (2025)

(Ainge served as general manager of the Boston Celtics from 2003-2021.)

It should come as no surprise that Danny Ainge — the man for whom this System is named — scores highly in every aspect of being an NBA executive. He is, without a doubt, one of the best in the business.

Ainge’s experience with Kevin Garnett illustrates his bravado. He went all in on trading for Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007, instantly forming a championship roster around Paul Pierce. Once Boston had squeezed every ounce of value from Garnett, Ainge heartlessly traded both KG and Pierce, acquiring the draft picks that became Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — the foundation of yet another title team.

In between, he landed Isaiah Thomas, who for two-plus seasons served as a bridge between title contenders, even leading the Celtics to another Eastern Conference finals appearance in 2017. 

Ainge has had some swings and misses of late for the Jazz, but his trades of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell returned Lauri Markkanen, a cache of draft picks and more young talent that has presumably set up Utah for a bright future. Much of that depends on Ainge’s draft successes, which we will get to. 

Trades: OBP: .800 • SLG: 1.286 • OPS: 2.086

  • 3B: Derrick White (2022)

  • 2B: Al Horford (2021) • Kristaps Porziņģis (2023) • Jrue Holiday (2023)

  • BB: Josh Richardson (2021) • Juan Hernangomez (2021) • Bol Bol (2022) • Daniel Theis (2022) • Malcolm Brogdon (2022) • Grant Williams (2023) • Xavier Tillman (2024) • Anfernee Simons (2025)

  • K: Mike Muscala (2023) • Jaden Springer (2024) • Kristaps Porziņģis (2025)

Stevens has not been on the job for long, but he has slugged only extra-base hits, acquiring Al Horford, Derrick White, Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday — all key components to Boston’s 2024 title team.

What is interesting for Stevens: He had to take his licks this summer in order to duck the second apron. The Celtics faced an extraordinary luxury tax bill if they did not dump the salaries of both Holiday and Porziņģis. I thought Stevens did well to land Anfernee Simons, a 26-year-old 20-point scorer, in exchange for the 35-year-old Holiday. We’ll call that a walk until we are proven otherwise. As for Porziņģis, Stevens knew he was going to take a bath on that one, turning him into RJ Luis Jr. in a matter of two transactions.

The track record here is reason to believe in Boston’s process, which is obvious now: Bridge this gap year, as Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery, in order to reconfigure the roster again for contention in 2027. 

Trades: .900 OBP • 1.357 SLG • 2.257 OPS

  • HR: Tyrese Haliburton (2022)

  • 3B: Victor Oladipo (2017) • Pascal Siakam (2024)

  • 1B: Rudy Fernandez (2007) • Cory Joseph (2017) • T.J. Warren (2019) • Aaron Holiday (2021) • Caris LeVert (2022) • Aaron Nesmith (2022) • George Hill (2023) • Obi Toppin (2023) • Thomas Bryant (2024)

  • BB: Marcus Camby (2010) • Victor Oladipo (2021) • Jalen Smith (2022) • Chris Duarte (2023) • Buddy Hield (2024) • James Huff (2025)

  • K: Zach Randolph (2007) • Isaiah Todd (2021)

(Pritchard served as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2007-2010.)

In more than a decade as a lead shot-caller for NBA organizations, Pritchard has whiffed only twice on the trade market. Otherwise, he has regularly reached base, which is good reason not to trade with him.

The Sacramento Kings learned that the hard way, dealing Tyrese Haliburton in exchange for Domantas Sabonis in 2022. Sabonis is a fine player, an All-Star even, but as we learned this past season, Haliburton is a transformative figure, raising the collective level of a team Pritchard has steadily built piece by piece.

Pritchard landing at No. 1 on this list is a nice reminder that we are doing something right around here. His Pacers reached the NBA Finals on the backs of Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and a bounty of depth, and you do not luck into a roster like that. It takes making smart decisions over and over until they pay off. 

The Danny Ainge System: Which NBA shot-callers should be avoided in the trade market?

When .)

Trades: .500 OBP • .000 SLG • .500 OPS

  • BB: Lonzo Ball (2021) • DeMar DeRozan (2021) • Josh Giddey (2024) • Zach LaVine (2025)

  • K: Nikola Vučević (2021) • Daniel Gafford (2021) • Lauri Markkanen (2021) • DeMar DeRozan (2024)

At what point are you no longer an outlier? Maybe eight moves over five years into the job.

Karnišovas could get on base and even hit for some power if he can get Josh Giddey under contract, and if the Australian plays anything like he did in his late-season pursuit of that contract. For now he’s a walk, since the deal cost them Alex Caruso, who just played a role in his second championship of the decade. 

Karnišovas is still trying to live down his trade for Nikola Vučević, which cost Chicago two lottery picks.

Trades: .542 OBP • .579 SLG • 1.121 OPS

  • 3B: Rasheed Wallace (2004)

  • 2B: Richard Hamilton (2002)

  • 1B: Eric Montross (2001) • Clifford Robinson (2001) • Mateen Cleaves (2001) • Rodney White (2002) • Lindsey Hunter (2003) • Darko Milicic (2006)

  • BB: Ben Wallace (2000) • Christian Laettner (2000) • Bob Sura (2003) • Derrick Coleman (2004) • Carlos Delfino (2007)

  • K: Lindsey Hunter (2000) • Cedric Ceballos (2000) • Fran Vazquez (2001) • Carlos Arroyo (2005) • Nazr Mohammed (2007) • Allen Iverson (2008) • Arron Afflalo (2009) • Corey Maggette (2012) • Tayshaun Prince (2013) • Brandon Jennings (2013) • Jordan Poole (2025)

(Dumars served as general manager of the Detroit Pistons from 2000-14.)

Following Dumars’ 11-year absence from front-office decision-making, the Pelicans decided it was a good idea to hand the keys to their organization to the Hall of Fame guard, despite this track record. Yes, he acquired Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton — two core members of the 2004 champion Pistons — but he did not make a single trade of any importance in 10 years after the title. It should come as little surprise, then, that his first order of business in New Orleans was the bizarre acquisition of Jordan Poole.

Trades: .545 OBP • .588 SLG • 1.133 OPS

  • 3B: Aaron Gordon (2021)

  • 2B: Jerami Grant (2019)

  • 1B: Will Barton (2015) • D.J. Augustin (2016) • Joffrey Lauvergne (2016) • Rudy Gobert (2022) • Mike Conley Jr. (2023)

  • BB: Kosta Koufos (2013) • Jameer Nelson (2015) • Ty Lawson (2015) • Monte Morris (2024) • Karl-Anthony Towns (2024)

  • K: Jan Veselý (2014) • Arron Afflalo (2014) • JaVale McGee (2015) • Donovan Mitchell (2017) • Jusuf Nurkic (2017) • Roy Hibbert (2017) • Devin Harris (2018) • Isaiah Whitehead (2018) • Malik Beasley (2020) • JaVale McGee (2021)

(Connelly served as general manager of the Denver Nuggets from 2013-2022.)

Connelly has done the bulk of his good work in the draft, where in Denver he selected Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., the foundation of a championship roster. Beyond adding Aaron Gordon to that mix in a brilliant trade for a perfect partner to Jokić, he has not enjoyed much success in the market.

This is where you can debate me on Rudy Gobert, who has helped the Timberwolves to consecutive Western Conference finals appearances. He also cost them a handful of draft picks, plus some talent, and if even one of those draft picks becomes a blue-chipper, that trade could be a strikeout in the end. As it is, I have him listed as a single. You might think he’s an extra-base hit. See how this gets interesting? 

Trades: .500 OBP • .636 SLG • 1.136 OPS

  • HR: Jrue Holiday (2020)

  • 1B: P.J. Tucker (2021) • Grayson Allen (2021) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2025)

  • BB: George Hill (2018) • Nikola Mirotić (2019) • Patrick Beverley (2024)

  • K: Eric Bledsoe (2017) • Tyler Zeller (2018) • Serge Ibaka (2022) • Jae Crowder (2023) • Damian Lillard (2023) • Kyle Kuzma (2025) • Pat Connaughton (2025)

Horst traded for Jrue Holiday, an All-Star and All-Defensive talent who was the final piece to Milwaukee’s championship puzzle in 2021. That makes the decision a home run. Other than that, the trade market has been an unfriendly place for Horst, whose singles are squibs. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the league have taken notice of what has happened to the Bucks as injuries and missteps have taken a toll.

Trades: .500 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.167 OPS

  • 3B: Nikola Vucevic (2021)

  • 1B: Evan Fournier (2021)

  • BB: Desmond Bane (2025)

  • K: Timofey Mozgov (2018) • Markelle Fultz (2019) • Aaron Gordon (2021)

Everything hinges on Weltman’s decision this summer to trade Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and the rights to four first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Desmond Bane. If Bane is the key to unlocking the Magic as a contender, he is an extra-base hit, but it is too early to tell now.

Trades: .500 OBP • 714 SLG • 1.214 OPS

  • 3B: Kyrie Irving (2023)

  • 1B: Christian Wood (2022) • P.J. Washington (2024)

  • BB: Tim Hardaway Jr. (2024)

  • K: Josh Richardson (2021) • Kristaps Porziņģis (2022) • Luka Dončić (2025) • Caleb Martin (2025)

The Luka Dončić trade counts for only one strikeout. It may be the equivalent of a strikeout swinging with two outs, the bases loaded and a playoff berth on the line, but it is a single strikeout nonetheless.

Trades: .513 OBP • .750 SLG • 1.263 OPS

  • HR: James Harden (2012)

  • 3B: Chris Paul (2017)

  • 2B: Luis Scola (2007) • Kyle Lowry (2009) • Kevin Martin (2010) • Goran Dragic (2011) • Trevor Ariza (2014)

  • 1B: Carl Landry (2007) • Metta World Peace (2008) • Courtney Lee (2010) • Derek Fisher (2012) • Thomas Robinson (2013) • Corey Brewer (2014) • Lou Williams (2017) • Seth Curry (2020) • Patrick Beverley (2024) • Quentin Grimes (2025)

  • BB: De’Anthony Melton (2022) • James Harden (2023) • Reggie Jackson (2025)

  • K: Terrence Williams (2010) • Shane Battier (2011) • Marcus Camby (2012) • Kyle Lowry (2012) • Patrick Patterson (2013) • Marcus Morris (2013) • Jeremy Lin (2014) • K.J. McDaniels (2015) • Ty Lawson (2015) • Ryan Anderson (2018) • Iman Shumpert (2019) • Russell Westbrook (2019) • Robert Covington (2020) • Al Horford (2020) • George Hill (2021) • James Harden (2022) • Matisse Thybulle (2023) • Buddy Hield (2024) • K.J. Martin (2025)

(Morey served as general manager of the Houston Rockets from 2007-2020.)

Man, Daryl Morey has made a lot of trades. They say fortune favors the bold, and it has, as Morey has remained a prominent front-office figure for 18 years. He has reached base more often than not, and he has hit for some power — constructing a team that went toe-to-toe with the mighty Golden State Warriors in the 2017-18 season — but it has been a while since he has connected for an extra-base hit.

Trades: .364 OBP • .900 SLG • 1.264 OPS

  • HR: Anthony Davis (2019) • Luka Dončić (2025)

  • 1B: Rui Hachimura (2023)

  • BB: Patrick Beverley (2022)

  • K: Dennis Schröder (2020) • JaVale McGee (2020) • Russell Westbrook (2021) • Marc Gasol (2021) • Rajon Rondo (2022) • D’Angelo Russell (2023) • Dorian Finney-Smith (2025)

What power. Pelinka has made a pair of home-run decisions, trading a ton of draft capital for Anthony Davis, winning the 2020 championship, and then turning Davis into Dončić this past February. It is time now for him to start raking on some of those smaller decisions, as he attempts to build around Dončić.

Trades: .600 OBP • .682 SLG • 1.282 OPS

  • 2B: D’Angelo Russell (2017) • Kevin Durant (2023) • Mikal Bridges (2024)

  • 1B: Thaddeus Young (2016) • Bojan Bogdanovic (2017) • DeMarre Carroll (2017) • Kenneth Faried (2018) • Jared Dudley (2018) • Greg Monroe (2019) • Bruce Brown (2019) • Landry Shamet (2021) • Royce O’Neale (2024)

  • BB: DeMarre Carroll (2019) • Dennis Schröder (2024) • Terance Mann (2025)

  • K: Allen Crabbe (2017) • Dwight Howard (2018) • Jeremy Lin (2018) • Taurean Prince (2019) • James Harden (2021) • DeAndre Jordan (2021) • James Harden (2022) • Royce O’Neale (2022) • Kyrie Irving (2023) • Joe Harris (2023)

Marks has been at the helm of Brooklyn’s front office for nearly a decade, and that has yielded a single playoff series victory. In between has been a wild ride, as he assembled a team worthy of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and subject to their whims. He is currently dealing with the aftermath, putting a ton of recent stock into the draft, and that should be the goal again next season. He sure could use a home run.

(This is where we should note that most sign-and-trade deals are listed as free-agent signings, not trades. So, while Durant was technically traded to the Nets, it was more of a free-agency signing than anything.)

Trades: .682 OBP • .647 SLG • 1.329 OPS

  • 2B: Desmond Bane (2025)

  • 1B: Mike Conley (2019) • Andre Iguodala (2019) • De’Anthony Melton (2019) • Marc Gasol (2021) • Kris Dunn (2021) • Steven Adams (2021) • Isaiah Todd (2023) • Xavier Tillman (2024) • David Roddy (2024)

  • BB: Chandler Parsons (2019) • Eric Bledsoe (2021) • Luke Kennard (2023) • Steven Adams (2024) • James Huff (2025)

  • K: Dwight Howard (2019) • Justise Winslow (2020) • Grayson Allen (2021) • De’Anthony Melton (2022) • Marcus Smart (2023) • Ziaire Williams (2024) • Marcus Smart (2025)

Kleiman is a smart general manager who does just about everything well. We keep waiting on him to take a big swing, reconfiguring his roster as a more serious title contender, but instead he went the opposite way — dealing Desmond Bane for a cache of draft picks, better positioning himself for that big swing.

Everything in Memphis hinges on Ja Morant’s superstardom, but that is a draft story for another day.

Trades: .667 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.333 OPS

  • 2B: Damian Lillard (2023)

  • 1B: Gary Payton II (2023) • Deni Avdija (2024)

  • B: CJ McCollum (2022) • Jerami Grant (2022) • Josh Hart (2023)

  • K: Norman Powell (2022) • Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2022) • Jrue Holiday (2025)

Quietly in Portland, Cronin has done some decent work, getting out of the Damian Lillard business at what was (unfortunately) just the right time, only to reinvest in the franchise favorite’s rehabilitation. He has deftly navigated them out of a difficult situation and into another that depends heavily on a young core — one that includes Deni Avdija — that performed admirably in the final months of last season.

Trades: .667 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.333 OPS

  • 2B: Kevin Durant (2025)

  • 1B: Christian Wood (2020) • P.J. Tucker (2021) • Derrick Favors (2022) • Justin Holiday (2023) • Steven Adams (2023) • Jaden Springer (2025)

  • BB: Russell Westbrook (2020) • Eric Gordon (2023) • 2025 R1, 2027 R1, 2029 R1 (2024)

  • K: James Harden (2021) • Victor Oladipo (2021) • Christian Wood (2022) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2023) • Cam Whitmore (2025)

We’ll see what becomes of the Kevin Durant deal. For now we will conservatively rate it as a double, as we know he will be a mainstay in Houston’s lineup going forward. How much the soon-to-be 37-year-old has left in the tank, and whether he can be the leader this young team needs him to be, is in question.

In advance of acquiring Durant, Stone built a No. 2-seeded upstart that was upset in the opening round of the playoffs by a more seasoned Warriors team. He has built well from every which way, including in the trade market, where Durant is in theory the final piece to a championship puzzle — a home run.

Trades: .800 OBP • .667 SLG • 1.467 OPS

  • 1B: Bradley Beal (2023) • Kyle Kuzma (2025) • Marcus Smart (2025) • Jordan Poole (2025)

  • BB: Marvin Bagley (2024) • Daniel Gafford (2024) • Deni Avdija (2024) • Reggie Jackson (2025)

  • K: Kristaps Porziņģis (2023) • Chris Paul (2023)

Winger’s performance in a short time will wow you when you see the overall rankings, as he has dug the Wizards from a hole that included Bradley Beal’s contract (in the aftermath of John Wall’s contract). This was a team going nowhere north of the second round of the playoffs, and he has turned it into a team reliant on nine recent first-round draft picks, some of whom he has acquired via trade. Some of them have a chance to be good, and more of them are coming, but something is brewing in Washington.

Trades: .643 OBP • .846 SLG • 1.489 OPS

  • 3B: Karl-Anthony Towns (2024)

  • 2B: OG Anunoby (2023)

  • 1B: Ed Davis (2020) • Derrick Rose (2021) • Austin Rivers (2021) • Ousmane Dieng (2022) • Josh Hart (2023) • Mikal Bridges (2024)

  • BB: Cam Reddish (2022)

  • K: Evan Fournier (2021) • Jalen Duren (2022) • Alec Burks (2022) • Obi Toppin (2023) • Bojan Bogdanovic (2023)

Leon Rose may never speak to the media, but he has quietly done a brilliant job in New York, turning the Knicks from relatively nothing into an Eastern Conference finalist. He did that with coach Tom Thibodeau at the helm, and now Rose is betting on Mike Brown. That is as hefty of a decision as any he has made, and that includes the acquisitions of Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Bravo.

Trades: .737 OPS • .875 SLG • 1.612 OPS

  • 3B: Donovan Mitchell (2022)

  • 2B: Jarrett Allen (2021)

  • 1B: Jordan Clarkson (2018) • George Hill (2018) • Kyle Korver (2018) • George Hill (2018) • Rodney Hood (2019) •Alec Burks (2019) • JaVale McGee (2020) • Isaiah Hartenstein (2021) • Lonzo Ball (2025)

  • BB: Jordan Clarkson (2019) • Rajon Rondo (2022) • De’Andre Hunter (2025)

  • K: Kyrie Irving (2017) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2019) • Andre Drummond (2020) • Ricky Rubio (2021) • Caris LeVert (2022)

Altman is hitting consistently well on most every decision, save for a Kyrie Irving deal over which he held little power. The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell turned what was a 44-win play-in tournament loser into a 64-win juggernaut (that also lost short of expectations in the postseason). Believe in Mitchell, though, and believe in Cleveland’s core, which includes Jarrett Allen, as rightful favorites in a shallow conference.

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti has the Thunder on top. (AP Photo/Cliff Brunt)
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Trades: .756 OBP • .906 SLG • 1.662 OPS

  • HR: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2019)

  • 3B: Chris Paul (2019)

  • 2B: Kurt Thomas (2007) • Kendrick Perkins (2011) • Victor Oladipo (2016)

  • 1B: Ray Allen (2007) • Thabo Sefolosha (2009) • Daequan Cook (2010) • Enes Kanter (2015) • Jerami Grant (2016) • Dennis Schröder (2018) • Danny Green (2020) • Kelly Oubre Jr. (2020) • Trevor Ariza (2020) • Al Horford (2020) • George Hill (2021) • Derrick Favors (2021) • Mike Muscala (2023) • Victor Oladipo (2023) • Kevin Porter Jr. (2023) • Alex Caruso (2024)

  • BB: Kurt Thomas (2008) • Delonte West (2008) • Chucky Atkins (2009) • Eric Maynor (2009) • Nazr Mohammed (2011) • Ryan Gomes (2014) • Taj Gibson (2017) • Jerami Grant (2019) • Trevor Ariza (2021) • Al Horford (2021) • JaMychal Green (2022) • KZ Okpala (2022) • Dario Saric (2023)

  • K: Lazar Hayward (2011) • James Harden (2012) • Dion Waiters (2015) • Jeremy Lamb (2015) • Randy Foye (2016) • Joffrey Lauvergne (2016) • Carmelo Anthony (2017) • Chris Paul (2020) • Steven Adams (2020) • Derrick Favors (2022) • Gordon Hayward (2023)

We are getting into the heavy hitters. Sam Presti is, by most accounts, the smartest shot-caller in the league, and he has twice built young budding dynasties, one of which ultimately failed to win a title and another that has only just begun after winning one. The acquisition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a grand slam, if only we could account for that somehow. Maybe someday we will add RBI to the System.

Presti is also an example of how every general manager, even the brightest one, has to take his lumps. Strikeouts are bound to happen. James Harden was a tough one to swallow. Ask Presti about any one of those whiffs, and he will surely explain it in better detail than I can, but take, for example, Derrick Favors.

In 2021, Presti traded a second-round pick to the Utah Jazz for Favors and a first-round draft pick — a single of a deal, if the protected selection the Jazz owe to them ever conveys. Presti did that trade knowing full well he would have to unload Favors’ contract in the future, which he did in a mess of a deal.

It is all very explainable if you are willing to dive into the detail, but that does not mean that even the best of general managers do not whiff on occasion over the course of an 18-year career. And he’s still, what, about my age? I can’t imagine what he thinks of The Danny Ainge System, but he’s surely too busy building championship teams to care where he ranks on some silly Sabermetrics view of his profession.

Trades: .842 OBP • .923 SLG • 1.765 OPS

  • 2B: Ivica Zubac (2019) • Norman Powell (2022)

  • 1B: Blake Griffin (2018) • Tobias Harris (2019) • Mo Harkless (2019) • Paul George (2019) • Luke Kennard (2020) • Eric Gordon (2023) • Kris Dunn (2024) • Bogdan Bogdanović (2025)

  • BB: JaMychal Green (2019) • Eric Bledsoe (2021) • Serge Ibaka (2022) • Mason Plumlee (2023) • James Harden (2023) • John Collins (2025)

  • K: Marcus Morris (2020) • Rajon Rondo (2021) • Bones Hyland (2023)

It is not Lawrence Frank’s fault that Paul George and Kawhi Leonard could never stay healthy. It might be his fault that they traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the deal for George, but who would not have taken that swing when the return also included Leonard? We deemed what could have been a homer a single, because, man, losing SGA is tough, but really only in retrospect. Nobody knew SGA would be this good.

Otherwise, Frank has built what might quietly be one of the Western Conference’s best teams. He has hit a bunch of singles, including recent additions Kris Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanović, and this summer’s acquisition of John Collins could be another one soon enough. He is a key to their success this season.

And let me explain why the James Harden trade is considered a walk at this point: Frank traded the rights to his first-round draft picks in 2027, 2028 and 2029 for Harden, who has not won a playoff series in two seasons in L.A. Did I mention the Clippers just gave Harden a two-year, $81.5 million extension? He is, ultimately, who this era of Clippers basketball hinges on, and that is a walk until proven otherwise.

Trades: .818 OBP • 1.000 SLG • 1.818 OPS

  • 2B: Dejounte Murray (2022) • De’Aaron Fox (2025)

  • 1B: Doug McDermott (2021) • Thaddeus Young (2022) • Harrison Barnes (2024)

  • BB: Devonte’ Graham (2023) • Reggie Bullock (2023) • Jakob Poeltl (2023) • Rob Dillingham (2024)

  • K: DeMar DeRozan (2021) • Derrick White (2022)

Brian Wright just does smart things. He has worked for the Spurs since 2016 and officially took over as GM from R.C. Buford in 2019. San Antonio at that time was in its post-Kawhi era. He has lucked into some incredible draft positions, to be sure, but he has also done well for himself on the trade market, flipping Dejounte Murray for a collection of picks from Atlanta in 2022 and acquiring De’Aaron Fox in February.

Wright might have been able to get more for DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White in retrospect, but even those whiffs are not egregious. He got value for both, including one first-round pick the Spurs used in the trade for Fox and a potential swap with the Boston Celtics in 2028. This is not an organization that makes poor decisions. Wright is the best GM no one talks about, and San Antonio must like it that way.

Trades: .679 OBP • 1.211 SLG • 1.890 OPS

  • HR: Alonzo Mourning (1995) • Shaquille O’Neal (2004)

  • 3B: Tim Hardaway (1996) • Goran Dragic (2015)

  • 2B: Eddie Jones (2000) • Antoine Walker (2005) • Norman Powell (2025)

  • 1B: Jamal Mashburn (1997) • Jermaine O’Neal (2009) • Jae Crowder (2020)

  • BB: Brian Grant (2000) • Cedric Ceballos (2000) • Shawn Marion (2007) • Dwyane Wade (2018) • Trevor Ariza (2021) • Nemanja Bjelica (2021) • Victor Oladipo (2021) • Kyle Lowry (2021) • KZ Okpala (2022)

  • K: Brent Barry (1998) • Ricky Davis (2001) • Mark Blount (2007) • Eric Bledsoe (2010) • Toney Douglas (2014) • Brian Roberts (2016) • Ryan Anderson (2019) • Terry Rozier (2024) • Jimmy Butler (2025)

Riley has built four separate contenders in Miami, and that means operating efficiently in every market. We will get to how he constructed the back-to-back champion Heatles through free agency in the early 2010s, but he built the first of his title teams by way of a trade for Shaquille O’Neal in 2004. Riley paired him with a draft pick, Dwyane Wade, who was instrumental in all three of Riley’s championships in Miami.

Before that, Riley acquired via trade both Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Together they peaked as a 61-win team in the 1997 Eastern Conference finals, only to lose to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. There have not been a ton of extra-base trades ever since the acquisition of O’Neal, but this summer’s addition of Norman Powell did remove some of the sting of losing Jimmy Butler for relatively little value in return.

Trades: .787 OBP • 1.125 SLG • 1.912

  • HR: Kevin Garnett (2007) • Kevin Garnett (2013)

  • 3B: Ray Allen (2007) • Isaiah Thomas (2015)

  • 2B: Gary Payton (2004) • Markelle Fultz (2017) • Rudy Gobert (2022) • Donovan Mitchell (2022)

  • 1B: Chucky Atkins (2004) • Jiří Welsch (2005) • Wally Szczerbiak (2006) • Nate Robinson (2010) • Keyon Dooling (2011) • Brandon Bass (2011) • Courtney Lee (2012) • Doc Rivers (2013) • Tyler Zeller (2014) • Dwight Powell (2014) • Rajon Rondo (2014) • Marcus Morris (2017) • Royce O’Neale (2022) • Kelly Olynyk (2024)

  • BB: Antoine Walker (2003) • Ricky Davis (2003) • Antoine Walker (2005) • Kendrick Perkins (2011) • Jordan Crawford (2013) • Jordan Crawford (2014) • Jeff Green (2015) • David Lee (2015) • Kyrie Irving (2017) • Daniel Theis (2021) • Joe Ingles (2022) • Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2023) • John Collins (2023) • Simone Fontecchio (2024) • Liam McNeeley (2025)

  • K: Jumaine Jones (2003) • Antoine Walker (2005) • Sebastian Telfair (2006) • Jerryd Bayless (2014) • Aron Baynes (2020) • Evan Fournier (2021) • Bojan Bogdanovic (2022) • Kris Dunn (2024) • Jusuf Nurkic (2025) • John Collins (2025)

(Ainge served as general manager of the Boston Celtics from 2003-2021.)

It should come as no surprise that Danny Ainge — the man for whom this System is named — scores highly in every aspect of being an NBA executive. He is, without a doubt, one of the best in the business.

Ainge’s experience with Kevin Garnett illustrates his bravado. He went all in on trading for Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007, instantly forming a championship roster around Paul Pierce. Once Boston had squeezed every ounce of value from Garnett, Ainge heartlessly traded both KG and Pierce, acquiring the draft picks that became Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — the foundation of yet another title team.

In between, he landed Isaiah Thomas, who for two-plus seasons served as a bridge between title contenders, even leading the Celtics to another Eastern Conference finals appearance in 2017. 

Ainge has had some swings and misses of late for the Jazz, but his trades of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell returned Lauri Markkanen, a cache of draft picks and more young talent that has presumably set up Utah for a bright future. Much of that depends on Ainge’s draft successes, which we will get to. 

Trades: OBP: .800 • SLG: 1.286 • OPS: 2.086

  • 3B: Derrick White (2022)

  • 2B: Al Horford (2021) • Kristaps Porziņģis (2023) • Jrue Holiday (2023)

  • BB: Josh Richardson (2021) • Juan Hernangomez (2021) • Bol Bol (2022) • Daniel Theis (2022) • Malcolm Brogdon (2022) • Grant Williams (2023) • Xavier Tillman (2024) • Anfernee Simons (2025)

  • K: Mike Muscala (2023) • Jaden Springer (2024) • Kristaps Porziņģis (2025)

Stevens has not been on the job for long, but he has slugged only extra-base hits, acquiring Al Horford, Derrick White, Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday — all key components to Boston’s 2024 title team.

What is interesting for Stevens: He had to take his licks this summer in order to duck the second apron. The Celtics faced an extraordinary luxury tax bill if they did not dump the salaries of both Holiday and Porziņģis. I thought Stevens did well to land Anfernee Simons, a 26-year-old 20-point scorer, in exchange for the 35-year-old Holiday. We’ll call that a walk until we are proven otherwise. As for Porziņģis, Stevens knew he was going to take a bath on that one, turning him into RJ Luis Jr. in a matter of two transactions.

The track record here is reason to believe in Boston’s process, which is obvious now: Bridge this gap year, as Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery, in order to reconfigure the roster again for contention in 2027. 

Trades: .900 OBP • 1.357 SLG • 2.257 OPS

  • HR: Tyrese Haliburton (2022)

  • 3B: Victor Oladipo (2017) • Pascal Siakam (2024)

  • 1B: Rudy Fernandez (2007) • Cory Joseph (2017) • T.J. Warren (2019) • Aaron Holiday (2021) • Caris LeVert (2022) • Aaron Nesmith (2022) • George Hill (2023) • Obi Toppin (2023) • Thomas Bryant (2024)

  • BB: Marcus Camby (2010) • Victor Oladipo (2021) • Jalen Smith (2022) • Chris Duarte (2023) • Buddy Hield (2024) • James Huff (2025)

  • K: Zach Randolph (2007) • Isaiah Todd (2021)

(Pritchard served as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2007-2010.)

In more than a decade as a lead shot-caller for NBA organizations, Pritchard has whiffed only twice on the trade market. Otherwise, he has regularly reached base, which is good reason not to trade with him.

The Sacramento Kings learned that the hard way, dealing Tyrese Haliburton in exchange for Domantas Sabonis in 2022. Sabonis is a fine player, an All-Star even, but as we learned this past season, Haliburton is a transformative figure, raising the collective level of a team Pritchard has steadily built piece by piece.

Pritchard landing at No. 1 on this list is a nice reminder that we are doing something right around here. His Pacers reached the NBA Finals on the backs of Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and a bounty of depth, and you do not luck into a roster like that. It takes making smart decisions over and over until they pay off. 

Kevin Durant badly wanted Steph Curry to win 2018 NBA Finals MVP, per ex-player

Kevin Durant badly wanted Steph Curry to win 2018 NBA Finals MVP, per ex-player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Even after making five consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Warriors and winning three championships, Steph Curry never was crowned Finals MVP during those dynastic years from 2014 to 2019.

Curry and the Warriors won their first title of the bunch in the 2015 NBA Finals, and despite Curry averaging 26.2 points on 44.7-percent shooting from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range, Andre Iguodala earned the Finals MVP award after his clutch defensive efforts against LeBron James.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers got their revenge the following season as the two teams met again on the big stage, so Curry would have to wait at least another year to finally get his first Finals MVP.

But Golden State landed superstar Kevin Durant that offseason, who helped the Warriors make three more consecutive Finals appearances and win two more titles. Durant hoisted the Finals MVP trophy in both 2017 and 2018, although the second time appears to have been accidental.

Former NBA point guard Quinn Cook, who was a part of that 2017-18 Warriors championship team, recalled that Durant’s mindset was actually to make Curry win his first Finals MVP since Durant had just won the award the year prior.

“When we were in Houston and Toyota Center’s going crazy, and they just made a 9-0 run and we needed a bucket, we’re going to Kevin every single time,” Cook said on “The Player’s Choice” podcast. “And to be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to get that Finals MVP the next year so bad. That’s all he was talking about all season, like I can’t wait until Steph gets his Finals MVP so he can shut up everybody, the naysayers.

“But I think in Game 2 [of the Finals], that’s when Steph broke the record, he had nine 3s. And then Game 3, we were struggling, Steph was struggling, and Kevin just accidentally walked into 40 [points]. And then you just look at the numbers statistically, I think Kevin had a triple-double in Game 4. He wasn’t even as aggressive; that’s just how good he is. He just accidentally got the Finals MVP back-to-back.”

Curry had a 29-point Game 1 and then backed it up with a historic 33-point Game 2. But the sharpshooter struggled in Game 3, finishing with just 11 points on an uncharacteristic 3-of-16 shooting from the field and 1 of 10 from distance in nearly 40 minutes of action.

Durant’s 43 points kept the Warriors alive, though, as Golden State still came out on top with a narrow 8-point victory. And while the Warriors still won the game, Curry knew his shot at securing Finals MVP went out the door with his poor performance.

Curry bounced back in Game 4, knocking down seven 3s and finishing with 37 points. But Durant was awarded the Finals MVP for being the Warriors’ most consistent player.

That one stung Curry for years, but four seasons later, he led the Warriors back to the NBA Finals and finally got his Finals MVP trophy after Golden State defeated the Boston Celtics in 2022.

Now that he’s finally added Finals MVP to his résumé, he’d rather just compete and win another championship in his remaining NBA years, with less care for who is crowned Finals MVP.

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WNBA Preview: A story the league didn’t see coming; Rivals Week lookahead

The WNBA has endured two epidemics this season. The first, which I discussed two weeks ago, is a surge of injuries around the league. The second is something that almost no one saw coming and became a national headline.

Last week, we learned why lime green adult toys have been thrown onto the courts in over one-third of WNBA cities. A group of crypto traders launched a meme crypto coin that mirrored the toys. To garner attention for their coin, this group coordinated a plan to make sure these toys were thrown across the country.

While representatives from this group claimed that their intent wasn’t to demean women’s sports, that’s exactly what happened. That negative, demeaning attention reached many spheres, with the President of the United States’ son posting an AI-generated meme mocking the players and the league.

This latest prank is representative of how for so long women’s basketball and the WNBA were often treated every single day. The online bullying, the jokes across mainstream media that punched down.

It’s not funny and it never was. Just like most social progress, a step forward is often countered with at least one step back. The WNBA’s growth over the past two years and this prank in response is a case in point. Now that the dust has settled, and arrests and investigations are underway, it’s time to take another step forward instead of retreating.

Now onto the basketball. This week is the continuation of Rivals Week, a new league initiative where the WNBA is spotlighting a bunch of different matchups that feature the most established stars and most intriguing young stars in the league. The WNBA also wanted to be able to spotlight rivalries throughout league history in addition to the potential and bubbling ones of the present while also trying to create some more drama when it comes to playoff positioning.

While the idea is creative and thoughtful in theory, it hasn’t been working out so well in practice. The first 2024 WNBA finals rematch came at the end of July, and the final three matchups, two of which have been scheduled during rivals week, are going to be without both Liberty star Breanna Stewart and Lynx MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier.

“You never know what’s gonna happen with teams and the league didn’t know that [Collier]and I were both gonna be out,” Stewart told reporters on Sunday. “But you want to see everybody full throttle. That’s the first game of the season, or the second or the third. Not August.”

Is the league trying to do too much in this one week that began on Saturday August 9 and concludes on Sunday August 17? Build rivalries, showcase stars, create playoff seeding tension. It’s a lot to try to accomplish all under the singular umbrella of Rivals Week.

Also, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve expressed that while the league should be trying to build rivalries, it cannot prematurely assign them based on one highly exciting playoff series. It needs to be organic just like the iconic rivalry between the Lynx and the Sparks of the mid 2010s which gave fans a look into what would happen around a decade later.

“There’s a chance, I think by the end of 2025, [Lynx vs. Liberty] becomes a rivalry through what happens during the course of this regular season and then whatever happens in the playoffs,” Reeve said on Sunday. “I don’t think we’re there yet, but the league says we are.”

The Week Ahead

As noted above, this week is the continuation of Rivals Week, a new WNBA initiative sponsored by bank and prominent women’s sports sponsor Ally. The Liberty play two of their “rivals” over the week in the Minnesota Lynx yet again in addition to the Las Vegas Aces who New York faced in two straight years during the postseason. The Atlanta Dream play the Seattle Storm twice in a two-game mini series that concludes in Canada, which will be the WNBA’s first regular season game in Canada before the expansion team the Toronto Tempo launch in 2026.

Not all of the games played this week during the continuation of Rivals Week represent full fledged rivalries. As Reeve said on Sunday, there needs to be multiple matchups of consequence played between two teams for them to be considered a rivalry that can stand the test of time.

New York Liberty @ Las Vegas Aces

(Wednesday August 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

While the dynamics between these two teams have shifted ever since Kelsey Plum left the Aces for the Sparks, this is still a matchup between some of the best talent in the league. And this is still a matchup that both teams will get up for. A’ja Wilson will battle against Jonquel Jones as both players missed time during the second matchup on July 8. The Aces have been on a tear winning four out of their last five games while the Liberty have gone 3-2 in that same span of time without 2023 league MVP Breanna Stewart. Since the Liberty are coming off a back-to-back, the Aces should have the advantage, although the Aces have struggled with consistency in 2025. How will the Liberty handle an Aces team that has played better with Jewell Loyd coming off the bench? And how will Las Vegas handle a New York team with Emma Meesseman? It’s a look Wilson, Becky Hammon and company have yet to see.

Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream

(Friday August 15 at 10 p.m. ET on ION)

The hottest team in the Dream face off against the ice-cold Storm that have lost five straight games including two back-and-fourth offensive slogs against the Aces and the Sparks. Before these two teams face each other in Vancouver, Canada on Friday for the WNBA’s first regular season game in Canada prior to the Tempo’s launch, these two will also play each other in Seattle on Wednesday night. Will new acquisition Brittney Sykes help the Storm find a win to propel themselves out of 8th place in the standings? Without Brittney Griner and Rhyne Howard for most of the Dream’s five game winning streak, first year coach Karl Smesko and Atlanta are making a push to catch the New York Liberty and earn home court advantage.

Las Vegas Aces @ Phoenix Mercury

(Friday August 15 at 10:00 PM ET on ION)

Las Vegas has had Phoenix’s number so far this season, beating the Mercury twice during the first half of the season, although both games the Aces have won by a combined 4 points. Even when the Aces struggled with their consistency especially on the defensive end, A’ja Wilson led the way in both contests scoring 14 points in the first matchup and putting up a monster 26/18 double-double in the second. This will be Vegas’ first look at the Mercury with DeWanna Bonner who joined the team on July 8. Via multiple sources familiar with the situation, Bonner was very close to signing with the Aces but then chose the Mercury. I will be curious to see how the Aces play against Bonner for the first time after she passed on them. 

New York Liberty @ Minnesota Lynx

(Saturday August 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET on CBS)

The Liberty are put through the ringer this week. After suffering a tough loss to the Lynx on Sunday where Minnesota’s swarming defense created 22 points off 20 turnovers, New York heads west to play a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday before flying to Minneapolis to face the Lynx on Saturday.

While the Liberty might be exhausted, they’ll at least have a day to practice, something they haven’t had since Emma Meesseman made her debut on August 3. Presumably without Napheesa Collier for the third out of fourth 2024 WNBA Finals matchup, the Lynx will look to win the season series against the Liberty, and they’ll have five days without any games this week to be able to do so. It will come down to which team is most alert: the one in game rhythm or the one without a single game for five days. Will the Liberty learn from their mistakes in the first two games or will the Lynx continue rolling even without their best player?

Atlanta Dream @ Golden State Valkyries

(Sunday August 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV)

Both the Dream and Valkyries are looking to elevate their playoff standings. As of this writing, the Dream are tied by record for second place with the Liberty but New York has the tiebreaker having beat Atlanta twice out of three times that the two teams have played. What’s the difference between second and third place? A lot. First and second place in the standings guarantee home court advantage through at least the first two rounds, while third place most likely just means the first round unless a higher seed is knocked out early. The Valkyries are clinging to seventh, with the Storm and Sparks less than two games back in eighth and ninth respectively. The Sparks will play just hours before this matchup against the Mystics, yet another team that’s currently hanging around in the playoff picture amid the team’s most recent moves prior to the trade deadline. Although it seemed quite clear that those moves communicate the franchise’s lack of enthusiasm to try to make the playoffs in 2025.

USDA Career Federal Employees Awarded Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals for Innovative Solutions to Agricultural Challenges

WASHINGTON, August 12, 2025 – Five employees with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have been honored with Service to America medals for their groundbreaking research and dedication to solving agricultural challenges that affect the nation every day, from field to table.

NBA schedule release: League confirms opening night, 5-game Christmas slate and 4-game MLK Day matchups

The leaks were all true. The NBA officially announced its opening night and Christmas Day matchups Tuesday, and they won’t come as a surprise to those who have been paying attention.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off the 2025-26 NBA season on opening night in a matchup against Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets on Oct. 21. That game will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Later that night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors will square off to open their seasons.

In addition to the notable matchups and players involved in the opening-night festivities, history will also be made once the Lakers get underway. Once LeBron James takes the court, he’ll pass Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history. James, 40, is set to start his 23rd NBA season.

All four of those teams will also play on Christmas Day, which features a full, five-game slate. Here’s the complete league schedule for Dec. 25:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks at 12 p.m. ET

  • San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors at 5:00 p.m. ET

  • Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers at 8:00 p.m. ET

  • Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. ET

NBA fans paying close attention to the news shouldn’t be surprised by those matchups, which were leaked by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday. In addition to those games, however, the NBA also revealed a four-game slate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and confirmed a few more marquee early-season matchups.

The NBA has scheduled games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day since it became a holiday in 1986. The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will kick off a four-game slate on MLK Day this season. The contest will start at 1 p.m. ET.

They will be followed by the Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers at 2:30 p.m. ET, the Mavericks and Knicks at 5 p.m. ET and the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons at 8 p.m. ET.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg will kick off his NBA career with a historic matchup. His first game will come against the San Antonio Spurs, which held the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

It will mark just the second time in league history that the No. 1 overall pick will face the No. 2 overall pick to open the season. Flagg, who the Mavericks selected No. 1 overall, will take on Dylan Harper, who went No. 2 overall, on Oct. 22 on ESPN.

The Cavaliers and Knicks will also play on ESPN on Oct. 22. 

The following day, the Thunder and Indiana Pacers will square off on the network. They’ll be followed by the Nuggets and Warriors. 

Peacock will stream games on Mondays throughout the NBA regular season. The league announced the first set of those games Tuesday, which will start with the Cavaliers and Pistons on Oct. 27. That contest will begin at 7 p.m. ET.

The Nuggets and Timberwolves will meet at 9:30 p.m. ET later that evening.

NBA schedule release: League confirms opening night, 5-game Christmas slate and 4-game MLK Day matchups

The leaks were all true. The NBA officially announced its opening night and Christmas Day matchups Tuesday, and they won’t come as a surprise to those who have been paying attention.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off the 2025-26 NBA season on opening night in a matchup against Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets on Oct. 21. That game will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Later that night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors will square off to open their seasons.

In addition to the notable matchups and players involved in the opening-night festivities, history will also be made once the Lakers get underway. Once LeBron James takes the court, he’ll pass Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history. James, 40, is set to start his 23rd NBA season.

All four of those teams will also play on Christmas Day, which features a full, five-game slate. Here’s the complete league schedule for Dec. 25:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks at 12 p.m. ET

  • San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder at 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors at 5:00 p.m. ET

  • Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers at 8:00 p.m. ET

  • Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. ET

NBA fans paying close attention to the news shouldn’t be surprised by those matchups, which were leaked by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday. In addition to those games, however, the NBA also revealed a four-game slate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and confirmed a few more marquee early-season matchups.

The NBA has scheduled games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day since it became a holiday in 1986. The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will kick off a four-game slate on MLK Day this season. The contest will start at 1 p.m. ET.

They will be followed by the Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers at 2:30 p.m. ET, the Mavericks and Knicks at 5 p.m. ET and the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons at 8 p.m. ET.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg will kick off his NBA career with a historic matchup. His first game will come against the San Antonio Spurs, which held the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

It will mark just the second time in league history that the No. 1 overall pick will face the No. 2 overall pick to open the season. Flagg, who the Mavericks selected No. 1 overall, will take on Dylan Harper, who went No. 2 overall, on Oct. 22 on ESPN.

The Cavaliers and Knicks will also play on ESPN on Oct. 22. 

The following day, the Thunder and Indiana Pacers will square off on the network. They’ll be followed by the Nuggets and Warriors. 

Peacock will stream games on Mondays throughout the NBA regular season. The league announced the first set of those games Tuesday, which will start with the Cavaliers and Pistons on Oct. 27. That contest will begin at 7 p.m. ET.

The Nuggets and Timberwolves will meet at 9:30 p.m. ET later that evening.

NBA returns to NBC, debuts on Peacock opening night, Oct. 21, with Thunder vs. Rockets, Warriors vs. Lakers

The stars will be out on Oct. 21 as the NBA tips off its season and makes its long-awaited return to NBC — plus the games are now streaming on Peacock.

The NBA opens its season on that October Tuesday with tip-off doubleheader on NBC and Peacock: The Houston Rockets at the Oklahoma City Thunder on the night that OKC raises its championship banner; then, one of the NBA’s great rivalries resumes as Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors travel to Los Angeles to take on LeBron James and the Lakers. Those games were announced this morning by NBC Sports and the NBA on the TODAY show (another six games coming to Peacock and NBC also were announced).

In the season opener, starting at 7:30 ET, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates will get their championship rings from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the game, then watch the first championship banner in Oklahoma City get raised to the rafters. In a bit of dramatic irony, the Thunder will then start the defense of their title against the Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant — a player who was arguably the best player ever to put on a Thunder uniform, but someone unable to get OKC that final step to a title (he left the Thunder to win two rings with the Warriors). This game is also a showdown of the top two seeds in the Western Conference from a season ago.

In the second game of the evening, scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, Curry and LeBron renew their rivalry that includes four NBA Finals series (and 22 total Finals games). While those two aging stars remain some of the biggest draws in the league, a lot of attention will be on their team’s other powerhouses — the Lakers’ Luka Doncic and the Warriors’ Jimmy Butler. Doncic, in particular, will pique the interest of a lot of fans after his offseason conditioning and diet — photos of him looking much thinner and in better shape went viral.

Peacock NBA Monday

NBC Sports and the NBA also announced today the debut games for Peacock NBA Monday — weekly games exclusively streaming on Peacock — as well as the four games for a quadrupleheader on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026.

Peacock NBA Monday will debut Oct. 27 with an exclusive streaming doubleheader, starting with Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers taking on Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons from Detroit, starting at 7 p.m. ET. That will be followed by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves hosting Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets in Minneapolis at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Quadrupleheader

NBC Sports will present a quadrupleheader on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Jan. 19, 2026 — featuring some of the biggest names in the league, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Gilgeous-Alexander, Mitchell, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown and more. The games are:

• 1:00 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks (Peacock exclusive)
• 2:30 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers (NBC/Peacock)
• 5:00 p.m. ET: Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks (NBC/Peacock)
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons (NBC/Peacock)

All season long, every NBA game presented by NBC Sports will stream nationwide on Peacock. The complete schedule for the 2025-26 NBA on NBC and Peacock slate will be released this Thursday.

Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan out for year with another surgery, this time to repair nerve issue in tricep

Shane McClanahan won’t be making his return to the mound this season after all.

McClanahan underwent season-ending surgery to clean up the nerves in his left triceps on Monday, Rays manager Kevin Cash revealed. McClanahan has been working back from Tommy John surgery he had in August 2023, and he hasn’t pitched in the majors since.

The Rays will now officially be without one of their better starting pitchers for two full seasons.

“I know he’s frustrated,” Cash said, via MLB.com. “We’re all frustrated and disappointed by that, but hopefully there’s some relief to the nerve area.”

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McClanahan made his last appearance in the majors on Aug. 2, 2023, though he was healthy entering spring training earlier this year and appeared ready to make his return. That, though, never happened due to what the team later called a “freak” nerve issue in his triceps.

McClanahan appeared to be working his way through the injury in recent months, and he made a few minor league outings with the FCL Rays in July. But the latest setback is sending him into surgery again, and Cash said there isn’t any guarantee that this procedure will fix the nerve issue for good.

“This is one step, and we’ll see how it goes, and hopefully we get good results,” Cash said. “If we don’t, then we’ll let doctors decide what else is needed.”

McClanahan held a 3.29 ERA and an 11-2 record in 21 starts during the 2023 campaign. The lefty picked up his second All-Star nod that season.

Without McClanahan available, the Rays haven’t been great this season — especially lately. The team entered Monday night’s matchup with the Athletics with a 57-62 record, which has them fourth in the AL East standings. They’ve lost nine of their last 12 games and appear to be on pace to miss the playoffs for a second straight season. Their starters have held a 3.73 ERA, however, which is among the top third of the league.

Though McClanahan now has plenty of time to recover and build his arm back up before spring training next season, the extended break from the game and lingering injury in his pitching arm is far from a good sign for the Rays.