In the early hours after Kevin Durant became a Brooklyn Net, I wrote that the Knicks were lucky to have missed out on a 30-year-old generational superstar:

For the first time, there will be expectations and the heat of the Gotham spotlight. Durant struggled with the press in Oklahoma City. Even with all his individual and team success as a Warrior, he argues with nobodies online. How’s it going to go when the New York media starts reporting whispers about his recovery taking too long? Or if he returns and doesn’t look like himself? That’d be natural, of course. But when’s the last time the NYC sports media backed off a headline because patience is natural?

Now, with less than a week till the trade deadline, the gossip girls known as “sports journalists” are all in heat, releasing fat juicy rumors about the suddenly available Giannis Antetokounmpo. A goodly sum of that gesticulating lists the Knicks as a leading candidate to trade away what little depth they have for a 31-year-old out 4-6 weeks with his second significant non-contact calf injury of the half-season, then pay him $59 million next season and $69 million per when he’s 34-37 years old.

I’ve been wrong about the NBA too many times to count. While watching the 1993 draft with a friend who rooted for the Lakers, I swore their second-round pick that year would never amount to anything, some guard from Cincinnati I’d never heard of; Nick Van Exel not only went on to become an All-Star, but one of my favorite players ever. Frank Williams? Earl Barron? Two Knicks I was as sure were Springfield-bound as Ewing and Melo. I’ve defended Derek Fisher, Kurt Rambis, Jose Calderon and Enes Freedom, all on the record.

There’s dumb, there’s dim, and there’s the village idiot, and I been one and two enough to know three is always a distinct possibility.

So when I say I don’t want the Knicks to trade for Giannis — particularly midseason — take it with a huge grain of salt. Speaking of yuuuuge, you saw the photo image for this article? Antetokounmpo’s shoulder is bigger than Josh Hart’s SKULL. Man’s the closest thing the league’s had to Shaq since Shaq. He’s finished top-4 in MVP voting the past seven seasons; the only players to do that since I started watching in 1990 are Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. The GOATS of GOATS, and Giannis. That’s it.

Antetokounmpo would pro’ly be a better fit alongside Jalen Brunson than any of his other New York co-stars. Brunson and Julius Randle never got going in the pick-and-roll, and since the opening months last season the Brunson/KAT model’s been less hot than not. Brunson’s an iso guard. KAT would fit best alongside a Luka, a Cade, a Trae Young, a pick-and-roll virtuoso. Antetokounmpo, more a soloist, would fit more naturally beside Brunson.

As for the defensive upgrade: I am 6 feet tall. When I played basketball long ago as a young person, I was renowned for my quick hands and defensive instincts. While I am still 6 feet tall, I am anything but young. I’m out of shape. I’d probably drop dead if I played halfcourt for 20 minutes, much less full-court. And yet I say to you, friend, the difference in defensive quality at the NBA level between myself and Karl-Anthony Towns is no greater than that between KAT and Giannis. KAT’s defense makes you smack your head in disbelief. Giannis, too, for altogether different reasons of disbelief.

Antetokounmpo’s a better offensive fit beside Brunson. He’d instantly make Mitch the Knicks’ second-best defensive player, which has never been true in Mitch’s career. Giannis has proven he’s great enough to lead a good team to a championship, and it’s not like he sounds any less hungry for a second; if anything, he’s kinda feening. The challenge of retuning the Knicks to the top is one he’d embrace. Forget “best Knick since Ewing”; Antetokounmpo would immediately have a case, as far as his current basketball powers, as the greatest Knick ever — full stop.

I don’t want him. Here’s why.

First, while it’s always exciting imagining all the ways a new lover will excite more than the last, what happens if moving on means the old lover leaving and taking with the bed, most of the furniture and the dog? Acquiring Antetokounmpo would either mean trading KAT straight-up for him — something the Bucks will never do — or multiple players. When you only go about as deep as CBS News, that’s a no-no.

Say adding Giannis “only” costs KAT and Bridges from the current rotation, and we’ll throw in Kyle Kuzma headed this way, too (whether you think that’s a plus or minus is up to you). That’d leave the Knicks with:

C – Mitch, Hukporti
PF – Giannis, Yabusele
SF – OG, Hart, Kuzma, Diawara, McCullar
SG – Deuce, Clarkson, Shamet, Dadiet
PG – Brunson, Kolek

Helluva starting five, eh? But start ranking the subs and it gets to be thin pickings fast. How many those subs you trust with 15-20 minutes a game come playoff time? That roster isn’t any closer to a ‘chip than the current one; the Knicks would have simply made another O. Henry trade, acquiring something precious at the cost of something equally precious, leaving them no better and less flexible (see: Anthony, Carmelo trade)

Two, we keep hearing how Giannis could mitigate a lotta difficulty for the Knicks by simply making it clear to the Bucks Gotham is the only place he’ll go. But — and I can say this from personal, shamed experience — it can be really difficult to extract yourself from a doomed relationship that you know isn’t sparking joy anymore. One of the most irritating things about Antetokounmpo in recent years has been his back-and-forth between “My righteous tzadik soul could never sully the Creator’s plan by asking for a trade” and “It’s medically critical that I am always competing for a title or else my blood cells will burst.”

What are the odds he pushes for a midseason deal to New York? If it required Milwaukee accepting what was obviously not the best offer possible, how will their fans react? I don’t think the Bucks want to be the first team to make a Luka-level trade since Luka and be explaining to their fans that the priority was doing right by Antetokounmpo while dooming the paying customers to a half-decade of long, cold Wisconsin winters.

Push a deal to the offseason and the Knicks could add a few extra first-round picks that aren’t currently trade-eligible. Push it to the offseason and a lotta teams can improve their offer, most to levels the Knicks just can’t reach. Unless the Bucks are interested in a post-Giannis future of winning 40ish games a year and drafting in the mid- to late teens.

A third reason I don’t want Antetokounmpo is where he differs 100% from Durant six years ago. KD is 7-feet tall and plays like his whole nine months in the womb God was whispering shooting tips to him. Even if Durant lost a step after his Achilles injury, he’s so tall, so long and so skilled that he could probably continue to dominate, even if he had to make adjustments due to injury.

You know when you like someone and you meet their parent of the same sex? And you check that parent out, wondering “Is that what my lover gonna look like in 20-30 years?” Someone with KD’s game is still holding it down in their late 50s, their 60s; the genes are immaculate. If Antetokounmpo loses a step due to injury/age, he could drop more than a just a little. He’s big and strong and athletic as all hell and can’t shoot a lick. Lose enough of them three formers and the latter could end up in tatters.

And four, finally: why would a man who gripes about being booed in Milwaukee be someone we trust with the pressure in New York? Antetokounmpo is the greatest player in Bucks history, and I’d guess the most popular. With allllll of the capital he’s built in a city not known for being hard on its athletes, his team was still booed (rightfully) for trailing by 31 at the half recently. And Antetokounmpo booed them back! If he comes to Madison Square Garden, the spotlight is on mostly on him, in front of fans he’s done nothing for besides costing a king’s ransom to acquire, and he’ll be expected to accomplish something no one from Bob McAdoo to Brunson ever has. No pressure.

If you want Antetokounmpo on the Knicks, pray it waits till the summer. The Knicks made a blockbuster deal last season right as training camp opened. Three days after their season ended, they stunningly fired their coach. There’s been a decent amount of turmoil and turnover at the highest levels of this team in, like, 15 months. Trading for Giannis midseason, whose game is 180-degrees different from KAT’s in every way, would force a team with less depth to completely alter their playing style on both ends more than halfway through the season. Please.

Also, a defense of Towns, who sometimes seems like he was brought in to be the perfect patsy to scapegoat outta town — KAT was a big reason the Knicks just made their first conference finals since 2000. This is no “Randle’s never come through in the postseason!” deal (another sophism I fought against); the Knicks don’t beat Detroit and Boston without KAT’s efforts. He’s still played fewer games as a Knick than Langston Galloway, Travis Knight and Michael Sweetney. Can we give an experiment that was entirely successful a year ago more than 50 games under a new coach before we blow it to hell? And that’s what it’d be: blowing things up.

What do you think? Do you want Giannis now? In the summer? ASAP? Never? Gab away in the comments, hon. Just be sure not to boo him, even in writing. Word is the man doesn’t like that.

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown is doubtful to play in Friday’s game between the Celtics and the Sacramento Kings, per the Celtics. Brown, who has only missed 3 games this season, is dealing with both left hamstring tightness and a right knee contusion.

Brown has been listed as dealing with hamstring tightness several times in the past week, and it’s something that he’s been playing through. The right knee contusion has not been previously listed on the injury report this season and thus appears to be a new injury.

Brown had one of his less productive games of the season in a 117-106 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday, but he still finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.

In addition to Brown, Neemias Queta is listed as probable to play as he continues to recover from illness. Queta missed Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks as he deals with an illness he’s been playing through since Friday. The Celtics struggled in Queta’s absence and mostly relied on Amari Williams and Luka Garza in the frontcourt.

Garza, who has also been dealing with illness, is not on the injury report. Garza was one of Boston’s steadiest players on Wednesday, tallying 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Celtics look to get back on track against the Sacramento Kings

The Celtics have been on a bit of a slump lately, having dropped 5 of their last 10 games. For the season, they currently hold a 29-18 record, good for the East’s third-best record. On Wednesday night, they dropped just their fourth game of the season by double-digits.

“We just didn’t have it tonight,” Jaylen Brown said. “It’s just as simple as that. We came up short, but we didn’t have that spark today.”

The Kings, meanwhile, have lost 6 straight games and have the second-worst record (12-36) in the West. They’ll be on the second night of a back-to-back when they face the Celtics, as they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

NBC will have some well-known names in its studio when it returns to covering Major League Baseball this year.

The network is finalizing deals with Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo to join its broadcasts for 2026 and beyond, according to Front Office Sports.

Collectively, the group brings playing experience that includes a combined 49 years in MLB with 20 All-Star nods, 6 Gold Gloves, 3 Cy Young Awards, 2 MVPs, 2 Roberto Clemente Awards and 4 World Series titles. All three were reportedly sought-after names in the broadcast world this winter, and NBC got them all.

It’s unclear how the exact roles will break down here, though it’s easy enough to imagine a studio show with the trio like what Fox Sports has with Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. Kershaw, who retired from MLB last year but still plans to pitch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, is reportedly expected to work a limited schedule.

Votto last played in MLB in 2023 and has long been known as one of the game’s most thoughtful players. Rizzo last played in 2024 and officially retired last September, ending a career that saw him play several years in two big markets and help end the Chicago Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought.

NBC’s lengthy tenure as an MLB broadcast partner ended in 2000 when Fox took over the league’s biggest games, but the network struck a deal last year that will see it pay nearly $200 million per year for “Sunday Night Baseball,” formerly of ESPN, and a “Sunday Leadoff” package, as well as a slate of games on July 5.

The Peacock streaming platform will be the exclusive home of many of those games, as its broadcast schedule lays out. Peacock also streamed those “Sunday Leadoff” games in 2022 and 2023.

NBC, already the home of the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” and the Olympics, has been betting more on sports than ever before lately, between this MLB deal, a recent reunion with the NBA that ran a similar playbook and its 10-figure agreement with the Big Ten that began in 2023.

NBC will have some well-known names in its studio when it returns to covering Major League Baseball this year.

The network is finalizing deals with Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo to join its broadcasts for 2026 and beyond, according to Front Office Sports.

Collectively, the group brings playing experience that includes a combined 49 years in MLB with 20 All-Star nods, 6 Gold Gloves, 3 Cy Young Awards, 2 MVPs, 2 Roberto Clemente Awards and 4 World Series titles. All three were reportedly sought-after names in the broadcast world this winter, and NBC got them all.

It’s unclear how the exact roles will break down here, though it’s easy enough to imagine a studio show with the trio like what Fox Sports has with Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. Kershaw, who retired from MLB last year but still plans to pitch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, is reportedly expected to work a limited schedule.

Votto last played in MLB in 2023 and has long been known as one of the game’s most thoughtful players. Rizzo last played in 2024 and officially retired last September, ending a career that saw him play several years in two big markets and help end the Chicago Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought.

NBC’s lengthy tenure as an MLB broadcast partner ended in 2000 when Fox took over the league’s biggest games, but the network struck a deal last year that will see it pay nearly $200 million per year for “Sunday Night Baseball,” formerly of ESPN, and a “Sunday Leadoff” package, as well as a slate of games on July 5.

The Peacock streaming platform will be the exclusive home of many of those games, as its broadcast schedule lays out. Peacock also streamed those “Sunday Leadoff” games in 2022 and 2023.

NBC, already the home of the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” and the Olympics, has been betting more on sports than ever before lately, between this MLB deal, a recent reunion with the NBA that ran a similar playbook and its 10-figure agreement with the Big Ten that began in 2023.

February is the month when Major League Baseball teams begin to gather at their Spring Training facilities. The San Diego Padres look like a postseason contender on paper, but the front office must settle the first base debate before the opening of full squad workouts in Peoria.

Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller has assembled a talented but incomplete roster that has several holes to fill before Opening Day.

Let’s dissect a couple of options at the first base position:

Castellanos: A proven run-producer

The first name on the Friars’ wishlist could be Nick Castellanos, as the Philadelphia Phillies have been looking to move him off the roster all winter. The decision is primarily due to his declining defensive skills in the outfield and constant bickering with Phillies manager Rob Thomson last season. It is time for a change for both sides. 

Castellanos is a proven run producer, having driven in 100 runs three times in his 13-year major league career. The right-handed slugger has an aggressive, free-swinging approach at the plate. Castellanos focuses on hitting the ball to the gaps for extra-base hits. It can lead to a high strikeout rate (22.3%) and a low on-base percentage (.321). But you cannot argue with his production, as he has hit 399 doubles and 250 home runs heading into the upcoming season.

A recent video surfaced on several social media websites of Castellanos taking grounders at first base, so he seems open to a position change. The sticking point in a potential trade is that Castellanos is owed $20 million in the final year of his contract. If a deal occurs, the Phillies would need to absorb some of this season’s salary. 

Stay tuned.

A reunion with Luis Arraez

If you are looking for an elite contact hitter, then look no further than Luis Arraez. A reunion with him is not out of the realm of possibility. It is hard to imagine a player who won three consecutive batting titles (2022 to 2024) is having trouble securing a contract for the upcoming season.

Preller has been reluctant to sign Arraez because of his stature (5-10), which limits his ability to play first base effectively. Arraez has a tough time catching or putting a glove on an errant high throw. Often, the ball travels down the right field line, as the batter finds himself in scoring position without the pitch leaving the infield. 

You could see an agreement on a one-year deal that benefits both sides. It allows Arraez to re-establish his value before heading back on the free agent market next winter. The Padres gain a fan favorite who can make a significant contribution on a cost-effective deal.

Unfortunately, most major league teams are willing to take a risk on power hitters with defensive limitations rather than top-of-the-order hitters who have a skillset not built to drive in runs.

The Friar Faithful have grown tired of the “wait and see” approach to filling the holes on the roster. It is time for Preller to sign or trade for a first baseman, or we are in for a long summer.

Hopefully, a resolution comes fast.

Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg will return to the lineup Thursday night to face the Charlotte Hornets. 

Flagg will return against a familiar face on the opposing side, with former Duke Blue Devil teammate Kon Knueppel (18.6 ppg on 42.1% 3-point shooting) starring for the Hornets. The former college teammates currently lead all rookies in scoring. The Mavs held out Flagg from Wednesday’s 118-105 loss to Minnesota due to an ankle injury.

The Mavs will also honor former No. 1 overall pick Mark Aguirre with a jersey retirement ceremony during halftime. Aguirre spent the first 7.5 seasons of his 13-year NBA career in Dallas and was a three-time All-Star for the Mavs. 

Flagg has been nothing short of stellar in his rookie campaign, leading all rookies in scoring at 18.8 points per game, while grabbing 6.4 rebounds and dishing out 4.1 assists. He’s appeared in 43 of Dallas’s 47 games thus far and started each one. His game has translated nicely in his first few months as a pro, and it looks like the Mavs have found their franchise player to build around for the future. 

Despite Flagg’s contributions this season, it’s still been a rough one for Mavs fans. Veteran big man Anthony Davis hasn’t been able to stay on the court due to injury, leaving him open to swirling trade rumors, and point guard Kyrie Irving still has not returned from an ACL injury he suffered last March. 

In the team’s first full season without Luka Dončić, the Mavs are 19-28 as we approach the All-Star break and are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference. They are 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final play-in spot in the west. 

Dallas and Charlotte tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. 

The White Sox continue shuffling the deck, officially punching Seranthony Domínguez’s two-year, $20 million ticket to the South Side. Domínguez pockets a cool $1 million just for signing, plus a mutual option dangling for 2028. Domínguez, 31, brings a legit late-inning arm to a bullpen that’s been running on fumes, with a career strikeout rate north of 27% and plenty of high-leverage experience.

To clear roster space, Chicago released Bryan Ramos, designating him for assignment. Once viewed as a future infield fixture, Ramos never got his feet under him in the bigs. His exit is just the latest sign that the front office is churning the 40-man roster ahead of camp.

And because Spring Training is nothing without a crowd, they also tossed non-roster invites to 22 hopefuls for major league camp. The Sox announced that seven of those are free agents signed to minor-league contracts: righthander Tyson Miller, lefthander Ryan Borucki, infielders Oliver Dunn, Tim Elko and LaMonte Wade Jr., and outfielders Dustin Harris and Jarred Kelenic.

Elko’s bat brings the thunder, knocking 26 bombs for Charlotte last year, but he looked lost in three big-league call-ups. Wade is a defensive Swiss Army knife who bounced between the Giants and Angels in 2025. Borucki and Miller? Veteran arms that add experienced depth to a pitching staff that will be closely monitored early in camp.

The club also invited 15 additional players from the farm to big league camp, including a pile of righties in Mason Adams, Adisyn Coffey, Tyler Davis, Zach Franklin and Ben Peoples, as well as a handful of southpaws with Shane Murphy, Noah Schultz, Tyler Schweitzer and Hagen Smith. Behind the dish is Michael Turner, while infielders Sam Antonacci, William Bergolla Jr. and Jacob Gonzalez will handle the dirt. Outfielders Dru Baker and Braden Montgomery round out the list.

Schultz and Smith sit at the top of the pitching list, racking up over 180 strikeouts between Double- and Triple-A last year. Montgomery keeps climbing, stacking on-base numbers at every stop. All three prospects Montgomery (No. 36), Schultz (No. 49), Smith (No. 72) landed on MLB.com’s Top 100 for 2026. The Sox aren’t just filling out the roster with cannon fodder. There’s real competition in this mix.

Pitchers and catchers get the ball rolling on February 10, with the full squad piling in five days later on February 15. The first game is against the Chicago Cubs on February 20.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be reevaluated in four to six weeks after aggravating the right hamstring strain that previously sidelined him this season, the team announced Thursday.

Gordon, 30, suffered the latest setback last Friday in the second quarter of a 102-100 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

While the 12th-year forward didn’t return for the second half, he was optimistic his hamstring wasn’t as injured as it was in November when he began a 19-game absence, Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters. That said, as ESPN reported at the time, Adelman noted the Nuggets would have to wait for further testing to know exactly what kind of recovery Gordon was looking at.

It turns out he’s staring at the same timeline as last time.

Gordon is averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game this season, and he’s shooting 40% or better from 3 for the second season in a row.

Unfortunately, hamstring issues have been getting in the way.

Gordon was playing on the second night of a back-to-back when he aggravated the injury. He had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals before exiting the contest.

The day before, he played 33 minutes in a win over the Washington Wizards.

Denver, which is third place in the Western Conference with a 31-16 record, is now down two of its top three scorers.

The Nuggets are still missing three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, who suffered a hyperextended left knee on Dec. 29. That said, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday the Nuggets intend to re-evaluate Jokić’s injury in “about a week.”

We had a couple of outlets drop their farm system rankings today, so I thought it’d be a good time to see how our readers are feeling about the state of the farm.

Keith Law at The Athletic ranks them 25th, noting that they’ve traded away a lot in win now moves recently and are about to go through a second draft in a row with no second round pick because they’ve signed free agents who had refused qualifying offers.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel is more optimistic, putting them 16th. He’s high on JoJo Parker and Johnny King, and seems extremely high on Sam Shaw, putting him 151st on his extended top prospect list.

Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. I think this is clearly a below average system. That’s especially true if you mentally exclude Trey Yesavage, who’s still technically eligible but is really a major leaguer now. It’s not a bad system at all, though. Parker, Nimmala and King are all top 100 types or close, and the recent success in pitching development gives some hope that the depth will be better than it has recently. They have some role players likely to help in 2026, and some exciting young guys in the lower levels.

What do you think about the state of the farm? Let us know in the comments.