December 2025

There were 1,494 posts published in December 2025 (this is page 2 of 150).

Fantasy Basketball: Our resolution is to be more active in the trade market — Here’s how you can too in the New Year

There’s something about the turn of the year that makes us all pause and think about how to make positive changes in our lives. It could be the calendar flip, but it translates to fantasy basketball, too. Or perhaps I’m just in way too many leagues. Either way, seeing “Week 11” in your fantasy basketball league and realizing, wait — we’re nearly halfway through this thing can be shocking. —

The New Year brings reflection with some sense of urgency. And after assessing my squads across multiple leagues, I’ve found a resolution worth committing to: being more active in the trade market.

If your fantasy team is stuck in neutral or sinking toward the bottom of the standings, the waiver wire alone won’t save you. It’s time to think bigger.

Assess the field. Which teams are overloaded in assists but weak in big-man stats like boards or blocks? Where do you have leverage? Roster imbalance across the league is inevitable — use it to your advantage.

And don’t guess. It’s not perfect, but utilize Yahoo’s trade market under the research tab to help formulate some trade ideas. The Yahoo Fantasy Trade Market provides a real-time snapshot of trade values and top movers. It’s a scouting report for deal-making, and it helps you gauge what it might take to pull off that swing trade. You have to sift through some noise, but it’s a decent baseline to get going.

There’s always that balance with trades — figuring out the right time to move on from a player who’s been playing well, or whether it’s worth taking a shot on someone who’s underperforming. Selling high can feel uncomfortable, but sometimes it’s what sets your team up for the long haul. And buying low? It could change your season, or not work out at all. 

That’s just part of the game and timing is everything. Shooters shoot!

Just don’t be that manager sending B.S. offers. No one wants to open a trade proposal full of bench guys for their best players. Keep it fair and reasonable. We’re all grown, we’re all busy. Respect people’s time and if you want to deal, make a competitive offer. Show the other manager you understand their needs, too.  

Remember, it’s a negotiation, not a heist. The back-and-forth should be part of the fun – not an instant dismissal.

The season is about 40% complete. The contenders are separating from the pretenders and we’re approaching the moment where every move counts. Got off to a slow start? There’s still time to fix it. Made a bad draft pick? Trade out of that business. This is the part of the season where you can still reshape your roster for a playoff push.

If you’re sitting eighth or ninth in your league — or even lower — one or two savvy trades could flip the script.

If you’re on top? Stay proactive. If you’ve built a comfortable margin, start thinking about how the playoff schedule will look. Depth, balance and planning ahead win championships.

This year, I’m resolving to trade more — and trade better. Use your resources. Know your leverage. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Oh, and have fun. Now go make a move!

Seven biggest NBA stories of 2025, starting with the Luka Doncic trade

2025 was filled with seismic NBA stories, many of which will play out into 2026 and beyond. True game-changers in the literal and figurative sense.

On New Year’s Eve, let’s take a look back at the 10 biggest NBA stories of 2025.

1. Luka Doncic trade

On Feb. 1, we all thought Shams Charania had been hacked. No way this was real.

Turns out it was very real — Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison had convinced a new ownership to trade a fan-favorite 25-year-old, top-five player in the world entering his prime to the most hated empire in the NBA. For pennies on the dollar. It was unfathomable.

It changed everything. Before the year was out Harrison had been fired. Dallas fell apart without Doncic, slid into the lottery, then got blessed by the basketball gods when its 1.8% chance ended up getting the Mavericks the top spot in the NBA Draft and Cooper Flagg. The Lakers instantly became a threat again, although they are still figuring out how to build a team around Doncic that works.

This trade out of nowhere will be one of the biggest NBA stories of the decade, maybe the first half of the century. It was seismic in the changes, and nothing in 2025 was as big.

2. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested, indicted

Federal authorities arrested and indicted current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups as part of two illegal gambling investigations. Also arrested was former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones (who was charged in both cases). One of those indictments alleged Rozier worked with illegal gambling consortiums to rig player prop bets by leaving a game early due to an “injury” (with the gamblers betting big on his unders). The other had Billups as the face of a rigged poker match, where being with the Hall of Famer and coach was the draw to bring in people who lost at the fixed games.

Both Rozier and Billups pled not guilty as their cases work their way through the court system. The NBA reopened its investigation, and both men are on unpaid leave from their teams. And through all of this, the NBA continues to have strong ties and promote legal gambling products and apps (in states where it’s allowed).

This is one story we will hear much more of in 2026.

3. Thunder win NBA Title

More than just a title, it felt like the start of a dynasty.

Oklahoma City was clearly the best team in the NBA last season, winning 68 games behind MVP Shai Gilgous-Alexander, and in the end, it was fitting that this crew brought home the first title in the city’s history. Jalen Williams played through incredible wrist pain, Chet Holmgren emerged as a star in the middle, and a deep team that could bring a stopper like Alex Caruso off the bench proved too much for everyone.

This is a young team — SGA is 27, Williams and Holmgren are on their rookie contracts (although that changes next season) — and while the tax aprons will hit them hard in the coming years, the club’s stockpile of quality draft picks (they could have three first-rounders this season) allows them to replenish the cupboards without too much expense. The NBA has worked hard to make dynasties nearly impossible (whether that is a wise strategy is another topic), but no team is better situated to beat those odds than the Thunder.

4. Tyrese Haliburton tears Achilles in Game 7

The greatest “what if” of 2025 — and one of the big ones in NBA history — is what if Haliburton had not torn his Achilles early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

The Pacers had improbably pushed the Thunder to a deciding game with their depth, pressure, pace and the play of Haliburton. In Game 7, Haliburton played through a sore calf but came out red-hot, hit 3-of-4 from deep, had a fast nine points, and then came the moment midway through the first quarter when he took a step back to explode forward, his Achilles tendon tore, and he went to the ground.

Would the Pacers have won Game 7 with him? We’ll never know. The injury also turned the Pacers into a lottery team for the 2025-26 season, but it sets up a great bounce-back story for 2026-27.

5. Jayson Tatum tears Achilles

Entering last season and even the playoffs, Boston was the team to beat. The defending champs had won 61 games with the second-best defense in the league and a top-10 offense. The Celtics had the talent, the experience, and a Finals showdown with the Thunder could have been epic.

Then, with about three minutes left in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Jayson Tatum dove to the floor in a scramble for a loose ball, tore his Achilles and could not get up. It ended his playoff run and Boston’s chances (though whether they would have beaten the Knicks in that series even with him is at best debatable and more likely doubtful).

Tatum missing time was the start of an offseason financial reset for the Celtics, who sent away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, and set up what was supposed to be a gap year for the Celtics. It may not be that at all. Boston sits third in the open East, and Tatum is expected to return in the first months of 2026, setting up a very interesting playoff run. Still, his injury was a massive story this year.

6. Dallas wins lottery, drafts Cooper Flagg

Don’t buy anyone telling you Nico Harrison had a plan — trading Luka Doncic to get a 1.8% chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery is not a plan. It’s a pipe dream.

Sometimes dreams come true. They did for Dallas, which landed a franchise cornerstone player for the next 10 years in Flagg. After a slow start because Jason Kidd played him out of position (or at least felt he had to because of how the now-fired Harrison built the roster), Flagg has come on strong and is averaging 19.4 points and 6.4 rebounds a game while playing strong defense. He looks like the next long-term, fan-favorite in Dallas, and the new ownership there is not going to make the same mistake twice.

7. Knicks make Eastern Conference Finals

There is nothing as much fun as Madison Square Garden rocking in the playoffs. It is one of the hallowed grounds in sport, and after too many years of watching their team wandering in the wilderness, Knicks fans have something worth cheering for again — not just a relevant team, but a contender.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season might have been the best game of the year, even if the ending is painful for those Knicks fans.

Honorable mention stories

• NBA changing of the guard with youth (like Oklahoma City, but also Victor Wembanyama and Tyrese Maxey) stepping up and taking over the league in a generational change.

• Jimmy Butler joins Stephen Curry in Golden State to chase one more ring in the Bay.

• Unending Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors.

• Chris Paul/Clippers break up.

• The Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration/Clippers story. Many people may think this should be higher on the list. Pablo Torre and his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast created a massive splash just before the NBA season tipped off with an investigative report about what was termed a “no-show” endorsement deal between Leonard and San Francisco-based environmental credits company Aspiration, with seven anonymous former employees of the company saying the deal was set up to help the Clippers circumvent the salary cap. The Clippers have vehemently denied any wrongdoing from the start, with owner Steve Ballmer saying he was one of the investors duped by Aspiration (whose CEO pled guilty to wire fraud). The NBA resumed its investigation.

So why is this so far down the list? Because the buzz out of league circles right now is that there is not nearly as much meat on the bone as implied in the initial reports, and that the Clippers are not going to face as stiff a punishment as some expected. This is something to watch in 2026.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Are $100 Off Right Now

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Open-ear design earbuds have been getting popular, likely because active noise-canceling tech has gotten so good that people have forgotten what nature sounds like. The Ultra Open Earbuds are Bose’s attempt at the trending tech, and they’re decent. But at their current price of $199.99 (originally $299.99), they are also a steal. This is the lowest price they’ve ever been, according to price-tracking tools. 

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Open-ear designs are not for everyone—especially audiophiles. They have the same downside as bone conduction headphones: They let noise pollution in, and the bass and some mids are weak. But you can hear if a cyclist is about to pass you as you’re running on the bike path.

The Bose Ultra Open are not waterproof, but they are water-resistant with an IPX4 rating, meaning they can take some splashes, but don’t put submerge them in water. There is a wireless charging case you can get separately if you don’t want to use the USB-C connection to charge it. You’ll get about 7.5 hours of juice if you have the Immersive Audio feature off, and about two charges with the case for a total of around 27 hours.

While these earbuds don’t have multipoint connection, they do have a feature to pair two devices simultaneously and switch between them by pressing a button on the earbud—a controlled multipoint connection of sorts. They are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 and work with the AAC, AptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs, so Android devices will get better audio than Apple users. Both users will be able to customize the EQ on the app and use features that you can read more about in CNET’s review.

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Lakers takeaways: Pistons dominate paint as Lakers close out a sub-.500 December

Lakers coach JJ Redick reacts after his team is called for a foul against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers started the day by singing “Happy Birthday” to LeBron James as the superstar forward turned 41 on Tuesday. They ended by singing another familiar, but more somber tune.

The Lakers got blown out again Tuesday, letting a close game devolve into a 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. James scored 17 points with four assists and five turnovers while the Lakers (20-11) lost by 20 points for the sixth time this season. They are tied for the third-most 20-point losses in the league, yet somehow are still clinging to fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

“The intent and the, like, effort was there for the most part tonight,” coach JJ Redick said. “… The turnovers and the fast-break points, they kill you.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

Read more:Lakers still searching for their identity after late implosion vs. Pistons

Detroit executes its plan 

The scouting report was clear. The Pistons (25-8) were second in the league in points in the paint. They were third in points off turnovers and third in turnovers forced.

The Lakers played directly into Detroit’s hands.

Detroit scored 74 points in the paint, the most given up by the Lakers all season, and capitalized on 21 Lakers turnovers for 30 points. Entering the game, the Pistons’ 58.1 points in the paint per game were only behind Oklahoma City’s league-leading 58.2.

“We’ve got to definitely match their physicality,” said Luka Doncic, who led the Lakers with 30 points and 11 assists, but had eight turnovers, which is tied for his second-most in a game this season. “That’s the whole point. We got to match how they play.”

Last week, the Lakers faced Phoenix and Houston, two teams with similar styles to Detroit. The Suns averaged 59 paint points in their two wins over the Lakers in December compared to 44 in the Lakers’ Dec. 14 win. The Rockets poured in 68 paint points on Christmas Day.

The Pistons made more shots in the paint (37) than the Lakers attempted (34) and kept their shooting percentage sky-high when three-pointers started to fall. Detroit, which had been shooting 34.7% from three this season, made 11 of 24 (45.8%) from beyond the arc Tuesday.

“We had a game plan,” James said as the Lakers allowed a season-high 63.2% shooting from the field by Detroit. “We understand that they’re probably No. 1 in points in the paint in the NBA. They get a lot of their points off fast breaks and in the paint. So we knew we’d try to make them miss from the outside and they made some tonight and that’s OK.”

Marcus Sasser made four of six from three, all in the second half, to finish with 19 points off the bench. Cade Cunningham starred for the Pistons with 27 points and 11 assists.

Jaxson Hayes’ return sparks bench

As the Lakers’ revolving door of injuries continued to turn, Jaxson Hayes returned to the lineup Tuesday while forward Rui Hachimura was sidelined. After missing two games because of an ankle injury, Hayes came off the bench for 13 points with two rebounds, two assists and one steal, giving the team a jolt of energy behind starting center Deandre Ayton.

Ayton finished with 10 points but only two rebounds, which equaled his fewest for a full game this season.

Read more:Lakers newsletter: It’s the Luka and LeBron show again

Ayton commended Hayes earlier this season, calling the high-flying Hayes “the best big man I’ve played alongside when it comes to holding your own.” Ayton pointed out how Hayes thrives when he’s throwing down thunderous dunks that amp up the crowd or making second-effort plays that magnify the athletic 7-footer’s true talents. Ayton’s strengths lie in his work in the pocket, but their complementary skill sets have been critical for the Lakers frontcourt.

“Both those guys, throughout the season, when there has been two on the ball with Luka, have done a really good job of making pocket decisions, and making the right play, whether that’s to the corner, the slot, cutter from the corner,” Redick said before the game. “… Both those guys have been really good for us.”

The Lakers got Hayes back, but Hachimura will be out for at least one week after he missed Tuesday’s game with left calf soreness. Jake LaRavia started in his place and had nine points with four rebounds and four steals.

Lakers could use a new year reset 

The Lakers can’t wait to turn the calendar on this month. They went 5-7 during December, endured their only losing streak of the season and got exposed by potential playoff teams such as San Antonio, Phoenix and Houston.

After decisive losses to other Western Conference contenders, the Lakers provided hope against the Pistons by keeping pace with the No. 1 team in the East for three quarters. The Lakers fought back from a 14-point second-quarter deficit to tie the score midway through the third.

Then they scored only eight points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter and emptied the bench down 26 with 4:09 left.

“I think we played good basketball for three quarters, physical basketball,” Doncic said. “We just kind of let go of the rope.”

Read more:Lakers takeaways: Nick Smith Jr. shines in win over Kings with Austin Reaves sidelined

The Lakers begin 2026 with home games against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and Sunday. Still without Austin Reaves (calf) for a month, the Lakers have eight of their next nine games against teams with losing records. The Lakers are 13-3 against teams below .500.

But even some seemingly lopsided matchups have gone awry for the Lakers. They lost to the Clippers on Dec. 20 in a game that ended with four starters on the bench because of injuries.

The Lakers’ defensive rating of 122.4 points allowed per 100 possessions is 29th in the NBA during December.

“We just got to dig deep down and everyone has got to bring effort every time, all the time,” Hayes said, “and that’s all we have to care about is defense.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Warriors showing signs of a surge entering new year after road win vs. Hornets

Warriors showing signs of a surge entering new year after road win vs. Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While many card-carrying members of Dub Nation now accept the Warriors with their obvious limitations, a few true believers keep waiting for the moment when it all clicks, when they transform into a team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.

Some of those true believers are on the payroll, spanning the organizational depth chart. They are predisposed to optimism.

All, however, could look at Golden State’s 132-125 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday and see at least a dim glow of momentum. The Warriors, for the first time this season, have won seven of 11 games.

Moreover, the Warriors have won five of their last six – also the first such stretch this season. That could mean something. Not that a 50-win season is in store but that maybe they’re figuring out some of the issues that baffled them through the first 28 games.

“We still need to play fast, but not as fast as we once did,” Draymond Green, still fighting his turnover habit, said in a radio interview with Tim Roye. “The possession battle matters a lot more. We seem to get better stuff in the half court when we’re slowed down, as opposed to rushing, turning the ball over. We’re really trying to do a better job taking care of the ball and then we’ve got to be a great defensive team.”

Coach Steve Kerr’s 15th starting lineup – Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler III, Quinten Post and Green – has been intact for seven games. Rotations are trending toward consistency.

“Coach has talked to us about rotations and trying to have consistency, even though we’re playing a lot of guys,” Curry told Bonta Hill, Chris Mullin and Festus Ezeli on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live” after the win. “The consistency is just organization on offense and understanding where shots are going to come from. And how we’re trying to create good looks using Jimmy when he’s out there with that second unit, and then me and Draymond creating offense, and we’re out there. 

“I think guys are starting to understand it a little bit more, see the pictures more and play with confidence. That only makes us better as a group.”

Three days after Kerr’s latest dip into masochism – “I feel like I let us down tonight” (in a loss at Toronto on Sunday) – he was sharing his big-picture strategy for a team whose 18-16 record has been marked by constant change in search of efficiency.

“Steph, Dray and Jimmy, they’re all in a good rotation pattern,” Kerr told reporters at Spectrum Center. “Everybody else just has to be ready to play when their name is called. The way the game is played, with the pace and all the 3-point shooting, we’re going to play a lot of people, and we’re going to play a lot of people in short bursts too. It’s a little different, but we have to get used to it.”

It seems Kerr has settled on a closing lineup, with Curry, Butler and Green joined by De’Anthony Melton and rookie Will Richard. It’s a solid defensive unit, as indicated by Charlotte scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter after averaging 33.3 through the first three. This came two nights after the Nets shot 6 of 19 in the fourth quarter in Brooklyn.

The bench, which has bounced between terrific and sub-ordinary, is trending toward reliability, with Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos thriving of late, along with Gary Payton II, Melton and Richard. It’s beneficial, it seems, when roles and rotations are clarified.

Though turnovers through reckless passing continues to hurt the Warriors, their improved offense is showing signs of offsetting their tendency for self-harm. They gave Brooklyn 19 points off turnovers on Monday but shot 55.3 percent from the field and made 28 free throws. They then gave the Hornets 28 points off 19 turnovers but shot 55.4 percent from the field, including 49 percent from deep, and 94.1 percent from the line.

“Our offense has dramatically improved; we’re scoring at a much higher clip now … Six games in a row, with 120 or more,” Kerr said. “We haven’t done that in a while. It just feels like we’ve got a better rhythm.”

These Warriors are built with the belief that the unique brilliance of Curry, the ingenuity of Butler and the tenacity of Green will be enough to contend for the NBA Finals. It’s not. Two months into the season, they seem to understand and accept that it’s not.

It has become abundantly clear that decisive wins will be rare for these Warriors; only three of their 18 wins were by more than 20 points.

There will be more clutch games. Many more. The roster, still in need of at least one impact player, looks more capable of being vastly superior to what was on display through the two months of this season.

Golden State’s next 11 games, 10 of which are at Chase Center, will tell us whether this is the new reality or yet another mirage.

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