NBA Expert Takes: Red-flag trade candidates and LeBron's weak All-Star case Stars are available for trade, and our team discusses which red flags would be easiest to ignore. Plus, high-scoring rookies, Luka Dončić trade retrospectives a

All new NBA roundtable with @btoporek.bsky.social, @hpbasketball.bsky.social, @hickoryhigh.bsky.social and @ecassels.bsky.social on which trade candidates make them most nervous, rookie scoring champions, Achilles' heels for East contenders and more.

Updated NBA Cup standings: Remaining schedule and predicting the finalists The Group Play stage of the 2025 NBA Cup is winding to a close, although plenty is still up for grabs this week.

Happy NBA Cup day to all who celebrate! We have a light slate tonight, but Wednesday and Friday will be big in determining which teams advance to the knockout round.

At @fansidednba.bsky.social, I went through the scenarios + predicted which teams will advance: fansided.com/nba/updated-...

LaMelo Ball may have just soft-launched a trade request, so @hickoryhigh.bsky.social put him in the craziest five-team deal he could cook up. #Nbasky

How Jalen Williams' absence is actually helping the Thunder early on The Thunder need J-Dub back to repeat as champions, but his early-season absence might only help them in the long run.

Speaking of which... at @fansidednba.bsky.social today, I wrote about two ways in which J-Dub's wrist injury is actually *helping* the Thunder.

Just what the rest of the league needed.
fansided.com/nba/jalen-wi...

This galaxy-brain 5-team trade could save AD, Trae Young, Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball More and more stars keep cropping up in trade rumors, and one wild deal could solve all their problems.

So many unhappy stars with trade rumors swirling. What if we could fix it all with one giant mega-trade?

2026 NBA Mock Draft: Hawks replace Trae Young at No. 1, Pacers reload We're roughly two weeks into the college basketball campaign, and it seems we are in for a historically dominant freshman class and an extremely fun season over

Latest NBA Mock Draft from @christopherkline.bsky.social is up, and fans of the Pacers and Hawks have to be feeling pretty darn good right now.

Everyone worried about the Thunder ruining the NBA can blame the other 29 teams The Thunder could dominate the NBA for a decade, and the rest of the league has no one to blame but themselves.

If you're worried about the Thunder ruining the NBA, @montaworldpeace.bsky.social says to start by blaming your local GM.

For @FanSided the latest trade rumors, including what I've heard around the league. Thoughts on AD, the Kings and more.

fansided.com/nba/nba-insi...

NBA Panic Meter: 6 teams whose palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy There's vomit on their jerseys already, mom's spaghetti.

Kawhi's got vomit on his jersey, mom's spaghetti.

The Dallas Mavericks aren't as screwed as they might seem Firing Nico Harrison will give the Mavericks the fresh start they desperately needed after the Luka trade.

The Mavericks have been a running punchline for most of the year, for obvious reasons.

But after firing Nico Harrison, they aren't as screwed as they might otherwise currently seem.

My latest at @fansidednba.bsky.social:
fansided.com/nba/dallas-m...

It's snowing but the NBA Ice Cold Report is still here, with top-tier cold-plunging analysis on the shooting struggles of Ja Morant and Ace Bailey.

These early 2026 NBA Draft risers demand your attention As the college basketball season gets underway, these prospects are soaring up 2026 NBA Draft behind unexpectedly strong play.

It's still early, but the 2026 NBA Draft class looks special — in large part due to these unexpected breakouts. @christopherkline.bsky.social breaks it all down in this week's Upside and Motor.

CHARTS! Data through Sunday morning.

NBA expert takes: MVP picks, Ja Morant trades scenarios, contenders that need a reset Plus, we consider apologizing to Nikola Vucevic and figure out why the Orland Magic offense still isn't working.

In today's NBA roundtable at The Whiteboard: @btoporek.bsky.social, @hickoryhigh.bsky.social, @ecassels.bsky.social and more share MVP picks, favorite Ja Morant trades scenarios and consider apologizing to Nikola Vucevic.

Jake LaRavia is giving the Lakers exactly what they wanted from Dalton Knecht Dalton Knecht's stock has tumbled, while Jake LaRavia has been a revelation, turning out to be a game-changing signing for the Lakers.

Turns out Jake LaRavia is actually the player the Lakers were hoping Dalton Knecht would be. #nba #lakers #nbasky

The Pelicans, Mavericks and the NBA's five biggest early-season disappointments Plenty of NBA teams and players are already crashing out, wiping away sky-high preseason expectations. And it could get worse before it gets better.

At @fansidednba.bsky.social, I wrote about the NBA's biggest early-season disappointments, including the Pelicans, Mavericks and whatever the hell is going on with Ja Morant in Memphis:
fansided.com/nba/pelicans...

The only thing colder than a November plunge in a Vermont river ... is the Celtics' backcourt.

#celtics #nba #paytonpritchard #derrickwhite

Follow @hickoryhigh.bsky.social for more frosty cold NBA takes.

Nylon Calculus: When can we trust a team’s stats? How many games does a team have to play before we can start to trust their stats as representative of skill and not random noise?

I like to boost this near the start of every season. Here's how long before you can start trusting a team's stats, per @knarsu3.bsky.social. Some noteworthy ones:

Offensive rating: 13 games
Defensive rating: 16 games
True shooting %: 12 games

It's still early.

fansided.com/2017/12/21/n...

Today on The Whiteboard, @hickoryhigh.bsky.social runs us through the biggest risers in this week's #NBA Power Rankings.

READ MORE: fansided.com/nba/nba-powe...

SUBSCRIBE: fansided.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

Austin Reaves, the Chicago Bulls and more NBA early-season shockers A pair of lottery teams going undefeated and two unexpected star turns highlight the NBA's biggest early-season surprises.

Just as we all expected, the Bulls and Sixers are the only undefeated teams left in the East.

At @fansidednba.bsky.social, I wrote about them and the other biggest early-season surprises in the NBA. (Hello, Kyshawn George!)
fansided.com/nba/austin-r...

Tyrese Maxey is leading the league in scoring and hotter than a roaring woodstove right now

Follow @hickoryhigh.bsky.social for more toasty #NBA takes

An illustration of a beleaguered Tom Thibodeau pulling a wagon with a tiny Ricky Rubio and Karl-Anthony Towns in it, eating snacks. Andrew Wiggins is climbing on Thibs' back and Zach LaVine tries to float away holding onto a bunch of balloons. Everyone is spraying silly string, Thibs has an ice cream cone stuck to his head and the words "Thibs eats farts" written on his forehead. This is an artist rendering and there is no evidence that Thibs does actually eat farts.

Remember when the Wolves were just a bunch of cute kids?

(ANT definitely would have fit in on this squad)

#tbt

Today, on The Whiteboard, our @fansided.bsky.social NBA team shared their picks for the next unlikely player to score 50 this season.

Read on for picks from @hpbasketball.bsky.social, @christopherkline.bsky.social and more

fansided.com/nba/nba-expe...

Sexy Alex Caruso and other NBA-themed Halloween costumes for the extremely online We've been hard at work trawling the non-evil parts of the internet looking for the best and most good NBA Halloween costumes. Here's what we found.

If you haven't figured out your Halloween costume yet, @montaworldpeace.bsky.social has you covered.

The only thing colder than a Vermont river in October ... is Trae Young's shooting!

2026 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0: Updated rankings with CBB around the corner A look at the top 60 prospects in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class with college hoops on the horizon.

College basketball is almost here and @christopherkline.bsky.social is updating his NBA Draft Big Board, helping identify all the prospects you need to follow.

Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness

The ninth annual 25-under-25 is here, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Profiles by @hickoryhigh.bsky.social, @christopherkline.bsky.social, @hpbasketball.bsky.social and more.

Check it all out here: fansided.com/nba/25-under...

Are we sure Bradley Beal should be locked into the Clippers' starting lineup? Given the options at their disposal, why are the Clippers rushing to anoint Beal as a starter?

Ty Lue confirmed Tuesday that Bradley Beal will be a starter for the Clippers this year.

At @fansidednba.bsky.social, I wrote about why I'm skeptical of that being his optimal role, especially given the other options the Clippers have at their disposal.
fansided.com/nba/bradley-...

Baron Davis rises to dunk over Andrei Kirilenko in the 2007 NBA Playoffs — the signature moment of the "We Believe Warriors" and their upset of the Utah Jazz. Davis is cocking the ball back and pressing his forearm right into Kirilenko's face, as the Russian forward futilely tries to keep him from slamming the ball home.

The only "warrior ethos" we care about ...