Articles by Esfandiar Baraheni (36)
When you zig, we zag. That’s been the Toronto Raptors’ MO for the last four seasons at the trade deadline. When you assume they’ll sell off their players to the highest bidders, they instead use draft capital to acquire players (and their Bird Rights) in hopes of injecting talent onto their roster. They followed that […]
The Phoenix Suns are trading Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Cody Martin, Vasijile Micic and a 2026 second-round pick, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The Phoenix Suns are trading Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a […]
The Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards have agreed on a deal to send Jonas Valanciunas to the Kings in exchange for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Washington Wizards are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Sacramento Kings for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. — Shams […]
Just a couple weeks ago, you could feasibly convince yourself De’Aaron Fox would be the biggest name on the open market ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline. Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers quickly changed that this weekend — although, you may say Doncic was never on the open market and instead took a […]
There are many reasons to tune into Houston Rockets games this season. Perhaps you enjoy defense and want to see one of the best groups in the league make life hard for opposing offenses. Maybe you enjoy Alperen Şengün galloping to openings, Jalen Green bursting into the lane or Dillon Brooks getting under the skin […]
The margin for error is tiny when building a championship contender in the NBA. Losing one player can be enough to shut your window. The Denver Nuggets, over the last couple of seasons and since hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2023, have lost a few key rotation pieces making their margin for error tiny. […]
The Houston Rockets’ evolution into a defensive juggernaut is well-documented. In just two seasons, they’ve gone from the third-worst defense to third-best in the association. Thanks to the additions of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and head coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets are armed with some of the best perimeter dawgs there […]
It feels like it was just yesterday the Minnesota Timberwolves could smell their first NBA Finals berth. Off the heels of beating the defending champion Denver Nuggets in an exhilarating seven-game series, a defensive-minded Timberwolves team clawed their way to their first Western Conference Finals run in 20 years. Anthony Edwards was getting Michael Jordan […]
The Jimmy Butler era in Miami is coming to an end. While team president Pat Riley tried his best to douse the flames of any trade, Butler doubled down, revealing that he’s lost his joy and would rather play anywhere but South Beach. It’s over. And though the Heat can potentially wait it out […]
The NBA’s slate of Christmas Day games was a perfect 10. No notes, except please stop it with the viewership talk. All five games gave fans thrilling and compelling basketball from some of the league’s best and brightest. The only lump-of-coal-in-stockings moment was when Luka Doncic exited the Dallas Mavericks-Minnesota Timberwolves game with an apparent […]