Trae Young

Hawks star Trae Young and coach Nate McMillan are clashing, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

That's bad news for McMillan, whose job security was already at least somewhat questioned. Coaches rarely keep their job when not getting along with the star player.

It also raises concerns about Young, who feuded with previous coach Lloyd Pierce until Atlanta fired him. Young is an extremely talented player. But there are some worrying indicators about his ability to lead and fit into the team dynamic.

The details behind the latest squabble – one Charania and Amick describe as emblematic – are a bit confusing (to me, at least). But this is how I read it:

Young wanted to: Receive treatment during shootaround Friday then decide later in the day whether or not to play that night.

McMillan wanted Young to: Participate in shootaround Friday, receive treatment during walkthrough then play that night.

Because Young wouldn't participate in shootaround, McMillan presented an ultimatum: Play off the bench or don't even come to the arena. Young chose not to come to the arena.

Damningly, Young wanted to play, according to Charania.

Both sides seem wrong. If Young were healthy enough to play, he should have played. But McMillan shouldn't have been so insistent on Young participating in shootaround. If getting treatment during that time were what Young needed to be ready to play in the game, that's what he should have done. Shootarounds aren't that important. Games are.

Of course, the real issue is bigger than this single incident. If Young and McMillan don't develop a better relationship, the Hawks will probably fire McMillan – and hope Young develops a more-mature approach.

Stephen Curry

Sports Illustrated published video last night of Stephen Curry making five straight 90-foot heaves. However, it was fake, the Warriors told Janie McCauley of the Associated Press.

I don't blame anyone for being duped. The footage is masterfully edited, and, if anyone could shoot like that, it's Curry.

We could debate the journalistic ethics of Sports Illustrated. Sidd Finch is a classic. This remains one of my favorite Dunc'd On episodes. But Dec. 4 is not April 1.

Bradley Beal

Asked on "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas" why he re-signed with the Wizards, Bradley Beal said he appreciated the level of influence he has within the organization, was enticed by playing a full season with Kristaps Porzingis, believed Kyle Kuzma could do more with more opportunity and appreciated the young core (Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert). Beal also added:

"The business side of it, there were no teams in the market, just free agency-wise. I'm just being frank. There was nowhere else for me to go where I can go win. There were teams that strategically wasn't what I wanted. Realistically, I won't say my hand was forced, but this was my best decision, best option on the table at the time."

I'm surprised Beal said this. It demeans both him and the Wizards.

But I also wonder whether this frames the situation more harshly than it actually was. Beal gave nearly every indication he planned to return to Washington. I suspect, if he hinted more about leaving, some good teams would've done more to position themselves to add him.

This will reignite criticism of the Wizards giving Beal not only a five-year max contract, but also a player option and no-trade clause. Why grant those perks when Beal had no reasonable alternatives?

But I wonder which came first. Maybe Beal indicated no desire to leave Washington, and preemptively dissuaded other potential suitors, because the Wizards agreed to offer a player option and no-trade clause. It would've been scandalous for Washington to pledge that offer, let Beal's market dry up then offer less.

Of course, there's still plenty of room to criticize the Wizards' offer. I'm just not sure this quote provides another reason.

Myles Turner

Myles Turner trade rumors abound. Fueled by Turner himself. But the Pacers are surprisingly 12-11 and might not be willing to sell.

The Pacers not only have $27,806,167 in cap room, they're $15,440,667 below the salary floor.

How should Indiana use that money?

John Hollinger of The Athletic raises the possibility of renegotiating-and-extending Myles Turner's contract.

The Pacers could use $19,086,500 of their cap space to raise Turner's salary from $18 million to his max $37,096,500. In exchange, Turner would sign an extension worth about $19 million less than he'd take otherwise.

Really, the discount could be even larger, because Turner would be getting more money sooner. He wouldn't have to risk waiting until free agency after the season, and he'd have the money to invest for himself.

For the Pacers, it's a chance to use money burning a hole in their pocket this season and save in future years, when they might have a better use for it.

If Turner has his salary renegotiated to the max this season, he could sign a four-year extension worth between $78,347,808 and a projected $180 million. Safe to say there's an acceptable number somewhere in that range. The trick is finding it.

For those interested in the mechanics: A team with sufficient cap space can renegotiate a player's salary upward up to his max when the player previously signed a four-year deal at least three years prior. An extension signed in conjunction with a renegotiation must have a starting salary of at least 60% of the renegotiated salary. From there, standard raise/decrease rules apply – 8% of the starting salary up or down each season.

If they renegotiate-and-extend Turner's contract, the Pacers can't trade him. So, Indiana must negotiate on multiple fronts – with other teams on how much they'd offer for Turner and with Turner on how much money he'd demand.

The trade deadline is Feb. 9. The renegotiation deadline is Feb. 28.

Anthony Davis

In his excellent analysis of Anthony Davis at center, John Hollinger of Athletic makes a great point: At center, Davis doesn't have to provide space for his teammates by stretching to the perimeter. Obviously, Davis gets the benefit of extra space at center. But his relative weakness spreading the floor as a power forward hasn't gotten enough consideration. 

Anyway, Hollinger really gets into the details of Davis at center and what it means for the Lakers. (You write a giant piece with a lot of great analysis, you get two links in the Duncs.)

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have internally discussed trading their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks with Russell Westbrook to the Bulls for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.

Which is interesting, but not necessarily significant. Probably ought to discuss it externally with Chicago, too.

Maybe the Bulls should take a step back to get those high-upside distant picks (depending on protection, of course). Maybe the Bulls would. But they've shown a disinclination toward rebuilding. Teams are generally reluctant to admit failure in their plans, and Chicago's clear plan has been to win now with Zach Lavine, DeRozan and Vucevic.

For the Lakers, DeRozan and Vucevic would add major talent. But DeRozan's defensive and 3-point-shooting shortcomings make him an unideal fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Unlike Westbrook, DeRozan might just be good enough overall to overcome the fit issues, though. And as John Hollinger noted above, Davis is thriving at center. Adding Vucevic at center – sliding Davis to power forward and LeBron to small forward – creates complications.

Bam Adebayo

Couper Moorhead of the Heat lauds Bam Adebayo's isolation offense. The Heat have previously needed Adebayo to score far more aggressively. Already having proven he's capable, Adebayo is now showing he's willing. It's an important step.

Haywood Highsmith

You write a giant piece with a lot of great analysis, you get two links in the Duncs, Part II: Couper Moorhead of the Heat raves about Haywood Highsmith's defense. The best indicator of Highsmith's value: Even as Miami gets healthier, he's sticking in the rotation.

Traveling

You obviously aren't just imagining the NBA's crackdown on ball-handling violations. ESPN's Tim Bontemps' thorough article on the subject included a couple eye-popping stats from Kevin Pelton:

Referees called double the travels per game in November than October.

Referees called zero carries in October then 44 in November – one more than all of last season.

Jerry Jones

Asked about LeBron James' comments, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on 105.3 The Fan:

"First of all, you have to hear me say how much I think of LeBron. And I don’t know of anybody that I respect more. I don’t know of anybody that has taken every opportunity he’s had and maximized it."

Jones continued on, vaguely praising LeBron. Which, I'm not sure what else Jones was supposed to say. More than say anything himself about Jones, LeBron mostly just scolded the media for not asking him about Jones.

Between this quote and The Washington Post article (which I, again, strongly recommend reading over just seeing the photo and making assumptions), one thing is clear: Jones can handle being criticized. That's healthy. He doesn't need to escalate a feud with LeBron out of ego. Jones allows for dissent.

And, ideally, reflects on thoughtful criticism (Lebron's remarks don't qualify) to become a better person. But at least not taking a personal shot at LeBron in return is a good start.

-Dan Feldman