The New York Knicks’ bench hasn’t been strong to begin the 2024-25 season, but the organization recently completed a meaningful signing to help address that issue.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Knicks are bringing back an undervalued guard who was waived in October.
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“The New York Knicks have agreed to a deal with guard Landry Shamet,” Charania reported Sunday.
“Shamet had signed on with the Knicks in September but was waived after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a preseason game. He was considered a lock to make the regular season roster prior to the injury.”
“Now fully recovered, Shamet returns to the team. He played over the last week for the Knicks’ G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, averaging nearly 11 points per game.”
“Shamet has averaged 8.7 points in 22 minutes per game and has shot 38.4% from three over his six-year career.”
“New York coach Tom Thibodeau spoke highly of the guard multiple times throughout training camp, highlighting the ways he would fit in with the club.”
“In particular, Thibodeau said he valued Shamet’s prior experience playing with Mikal Bridges and Cameron Payne — who both joined the Knicks this summer.”
While Shamet may not be viewed as a home run acquisition for the Knicks, the former first-round pick is an experienced seventh-year pro who could help strengthen New York’s second unit.
Shamet has been an impactful contributor at each of his five NBA stops. The Wichita product has flaunted his ability to drill triples on the move or off the dribble and limit his turnovers when he enters ball games.
If the Wichita product continues to be a serviceable NBA contributor off the bench, he could complement Miles McBride and ensure there’s little to no drop-off when Thibodeau’s top assets aren’t on the hardwood.
With trading season finally underway, the Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of players to consider. They may not necessarily look for the best player available, but instead, for the best fit.
With KJ Martin’s contract and a few first-round draft picks to offer, they can acquire a legitimate starter. One possible option is Washington Wizards wing Kyle Kuzma.
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Marc Stein reported on The Stein Line that the Wizards are looking to trade Kuzma, who appears to be ready for a new situation.
“The rising belief leaguewide is that the Wizards are eager to find a trade partner for Kuzma at some point during the next six-plus weeks … and that Kuzma would want to depart this time with the 4-22 Wizards scarcely even trying to be competitive heading into the loaded 2025 NBA Draft,” Stein wrote.
That adds up after the Wizards’ poor start, which many anticipated would happen beforehand. Trading for Kuzma is doable, even if it would require plenty of matching salary, as he’s owed $23.5 million this season.
A deal between the Sixers and Wizards would likely take Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, and Adem Bona if the Sixers want to match salaries without compromising their wing depth.
Kuzma would bring championship experience to the Sixers Kuzma is at the peak of his career and has experience playing for a winner. He was vital to the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers title team. There are better shooters that the Sixers could target, but Kuzma can fill more holes even if he doesn’t provide the best floor-spacing as a player.
The Sixers may not be in desperate need of another scorer since they already have plenty. Still, Kuzma not only provides more scoring gravity but he has also proven himself as a good defender that can play within the offense on good teams in the past.
There aren’t many players on the trade market worth surrendering a first-round pick for, but Kuzma certainly is.
Times are changing in the NBA and Lakers superstar LeBron James is taking notice. He seems to be taking issue with it, too.
Ahead of the second-ever NBA Cup championship, the league announced an upheaval of the NBA All-Star Game as fans have come to know it. And while the new All-Star Game format has already received pushback from several stars, James used a question about the changes to voice his opinion on what he feels is an even bigger issue: 3-point volume.
Here’s what James said about the new All-Star Game format and his NSFW declaration about what he’s seeing on a nightly basis during his 22nd season in the league.
“Something had to change,” James said of the NBA All-Star Game. “I mean, it’s different in a sense. … It’s different, obviously, any time you make some type of change it’s going to be some buck back. … We gotta do something. Obviously, these last few years have not been a great All-Star Game, that Sunday night.”
Then, unprompted, James added to his response by saying: “It’s a bigger conversation. It’s not just the All-Star Game, it’s our game in general. Our game — there’s a lot of f—ing 3s being shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.”
LeBron James, when asked about changes to the NBA All-Star Game format, touched on more issues with the league: “Our game, there’s a lot of f—ing 3s being shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game” pic.twitter.com/weKJVSyXfB
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 19, 2024 The amount of 3-pointers attempted by teams during the 2024-25 NBA season has been a hot-button topic as of late. Commissioner Adam Silver recently told a group of reporters that “[we are having] many discussions about the style of basketball [being played],” in the NBA this season.
Silver added: “I would not reduce it to a so-called 3-point shooting issue. I think we look more holistically at the skill level on the floor, the diversity of offense, the fan reception to the game, all of the above.”
This season, the defending champion Celtics are attempting 51.1 3s per game — a figure well above the league average of 37.5 3-point attempts per game. In response to some of the recent talking points, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla pushed back to critiques by asking “Why in basketball is scoring up being an issue, as opposed to other sports?”
As a stark contrast to Mazzulla’s Celtics, James’ Lakers rank 27th in the league with 33.4 3-point attempts per game, a figure that also falls below the league average. It is an eye-opening number when considering LA is coached by an all-time 3-point shooting great in JJ Redick.
JJ Redick For perspective that may add context to James’ point: The league average during James’ rookie year was 14.9 3-point attempts per game and the league leader took 23.6 3s per game.
Fast forward 22 seasons and seven players attempt 10 or more 3s per game.
James has attempted at least five 3s per game in each of the last eight seasons but even his 3-point shooting has decreased as of late. After attempting 8.0 3s per game in 2021-22, James is taking 5.7 per game this year.
The 74th NBA All-Star Game is set to take place in San Francisco on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. And while the game is still a ways away, it’s never too early to look ahead to what to expect during the showcase.
This year’s All-Star Game will have a new format, with the 24 NBA All-Stars split into three teams of eight to compete in a mini-tournament with the winning team from the NBA’s Rising Stars Game. Different as the format is, the process of selecting All-Stars remains the same.
As in years past, NBA All-Star Game starters will be determined by the fans, a media panel and other NBA players. The fan vote accounts for 50 percent of voting while the media and NBA player vote accounts for the other 50 percent.
With All-Star voting underway, I’m putting my voting cap on in an attempt to forecast the 10 players most likely to receive recognition as starters in this year’s All-Star Game. As a reminder, All-Star lineups consist of two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference.
With that in mind, let’s get into the predictions.
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LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers 10232024 Western Conference All-Star starters prediction G: Luka Doncic, Mavericks G: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder F: Kevin Durant, Suns F: LeBron James, Lakers F: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets Look, it’s the same Western Conference starters from last year! Allow me to explain.
I’ll start with LeBron James, who may be the most controversial selection. James has had some struggles this season — particularly on the defensive end of the floor. And while he’ll soon turn 40 and has not necessarily played up to his standard, he’s averaging 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game. His seven triple-doubles this season are second behind only the next guy.
Nikola Jokic is probably the biggest no-brainer here. After resetting the bar of what to expect from him, he has somehow outdone himself again. Despite Denver’s flaws, Jokic is having a career year as a scorer and sits in the top two in scoring, rebounding and assists per game. He is the best basketball player in the world and an All-Star start should be the first of many accolades in 2025.
MORE: Where Jokic, Giannis, Tatum and more land in latest NBA MVP rankings
To stay in the frontcourt, Kevin Durant has been awesome this year and Phoenix’s near-flawless mark when he’s in the lineup is the proof. Durant may not be a fan of the new All-Star format, but expect him to be among players honored with “starter” recognition.
Last year we saw the changing of the guard with Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander representing the Western Conference backcourt of the future. It was tough to omit the host team’s Stephen Curry — Anthony Edwards is also right there — but Doncic continues to maintain a standard of excellence and Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the West’s best team.
MORE: How to vote for NBA All-Stars in 2025
Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo Eastern Conference All-Star starters prediction G: Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers G: Trae Young, Hawks F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks F: Jayson Tatum, Celtics F: Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks If you’re a fan of things shaking up, my Eastern Conference starters are for you.
In the backcourt, it’s a welcome back into the All-Star starting lineup for both Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young.
Mitchell’s last All-Star start came in 2023. His body of work this year is different, but it has been equally impressive. Mitchell’s nightly efforts helped fuel Cleveland’s historic start to the season and will play a large part in the team’s place atop the East standings. Elite team’s best players deserve the shine.
Young returns to the All-Star starting lineup after starts in 2020 and 2022. The court of public opinion is often torn on Young but his place as one of the game’s best playmakers cannot be denied — his league-leading assists figures serve as proof. It helps that Young’s flashy style is also tailor-made for an All-Star showcase.
MORE: How Trae Young fools NBA’s best defenders and even Hawks teammates
Now, onto the frontcourt. Welcome to the East, Karl-Anthony Towns!
Towns has never started in an All-Star Game and many were even surprised he was selected as a reserve in 2024. Save the surprise in 2025 because Towns has fit in perfectly in a new situation, scoring at will (efficiently, no less!) and dominating the boards at a league-leading level.
So long as he stays healthy, Jayson Tatum will have a spot in the lineup for years to come. He’s the best player on the league’s best team and his efforts are often overlooked because of it. He’s almost quietly averaging 28.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game for the defending champs.
Last but definitely not least is Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s Year 12 and he recently turned 30 but Antetokounmpo is clearly at the peak of his powers as he continues to improve in the margins. He may make MVP discussions interesting and he certainly hears the noise about no longer being the world’s best player.
After starting the season with a 12-3 record, it looked like the Warriors could be on the verge of a special season. They have since come crashing back to Earth, going 2-9 over their next 11 games.
A little bit of regression might have been expected, but how could a team that had the third-best percentage over the first month of the season suddenly transform into the third-worst in the league over the following month?
Steph breaks down adjustments during huge fourth quarter scoring spree vs Wolves
That dropoff isn’t simply the result of one thing. A number of issues are plaguing the Warriors, some more fixable than others.
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Three reasons the Warriors no longer look like contenders Golden State is worse on both sides of the ball The Warriors were top-10 in offense and defense during their hot start to the season. That is generally the mark of a team in championship contention.
That has completely flipped course over their slide, where they’ve dropped to the bottom 10 in both categories.
Injuries are part of the reason for the dropoff. De’Anthony Melton was a surprisingly important glue guy for them, and he’s now on the Nets after having season-ending ACL surgery and only playing in six games. Brandin Podziemski has been ineffective in that same role.
There are also some schematic issues at play, as pointed out by Warriors writer Joe Viray. The reasons are unknown, but the Warriors have started using less of the offensive mover-blocker principles assistant coach Terry Stotts brought at the start of the season.
MORE: What I learned going through two months of Kevin Durant’s tweets
Buddy Hield has cooled off Much of Golden State’s hot start was caused by the electric play of Buddy Hield, who averaged more points and shot better from 3 than Stephen Curry in October.
Hield has cooled considerably since then, which has been the story of his career.
— 𝓬 𝓱 𝓪 𝓼 𝓮 ✧ (@nflchxse) April 29, 2024 While Hield has still had a few monster games since his hot start, he’s averaging just 10.9 points per game since Nov. 8. That is a far cry from the 21.1 he averaged through the first eight games.
MORE: Stephen Curry finishes without a field goal for first time since 2018
Stephen Curry doesn’t look like the same player Hield isn’t the only player who has slumped. At the start of the season, Curry looked like his vintage self. Golden State’s offense still revolves around him even at the age of 36, and no defense could slow him down.
Curry started to miss time toward the end of November with tendinitis in both knees. He hasn’t been the same player since. It’s an injury he told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater “has the potential to be a nagging type thing if you don’t take care of it,” and that may be what is happening.
Curry’s shooting accuracy has gone way down during the Warriors’ skid. He hasn’t been playing poorly, but the team needed him to be an MVP-caliber player to sustain that hot start and he hasn’t been that.
That Curry is wearing down is understandable given how much he has to do on offense. The Warriors have tried to address that issue, trading for Dennis Schroder to relieve some of the offensive burden. It will take some time to see if that decision pays off.
MORE: Is Dennis Schroder the answer for slumping Warriors? How trade will help Stephen Curry despite delicate fit
If Schroder doesn’t inject life into this squad, the Warriors should know this isn’t just a blip on the radar. They need to make big changes to recapture what they had at the start of the season.
It starts with Curry, who needs way less on his plate to preserve those knees. Schroder is a good first step, but they need at least one more big scorer before the trade deadline.
Over 15 years ago, Kevin Durant logged into Twitter and sent his first tweet. From that point on, he was hooked. He fired off 39 tweets over the next 24 hours. Eleven days into his social media awakening, he declared that “Twitter is better than goin to da club.”
So much has changed over those past 15 years for all of us. Genuine interactions between players and fans on the platform now known as X are far less common. Most of the accounts that Durant interacted with have since been deleted, including the first one he ever replied to. Below his first tweet are several jibberish NFT replies, serving as evidence of what the site has devolved into.
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@itsmechaneliman yep finally….it seems like im very late though
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) April 28, 2009 Despite all of the drastic changes that have taken place to the platform, one thing has stayed the same: Durant is still on there, and he’s still tweeting like it’s 2009.
He hops into the replies of strangers. He checks the app enough to find tweets he’s not tagged in. And he’s an active part of what’s left of the NBA Twitter community. He’s sent more tweets (25,753) than he’s had shot attempts (20,911) since making an account on the site.
Why is Durant still holding strong on Twitter when so many are fleeing? I went through all of his tweets on X over the span of two months to try and find an answer.
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What I learned from two months of Kevin Durant tweets In the last two months, Durant has worn plenty of hats. He’s been a philosopher, a comedian, an uplifter and, most of all, an instigator.
“I be trollin 100% of the time, don’t take me serious please,” he warned in November.
Durant can be legitimately hilarious on X. He’s come up with lines that would never pass the PR filter of most players. (His peak came in 2011 when he sent his legendary “Scarlett johanneson I will drink ur bath water” and “Erykah badu thicker than a kindergarten pencil” tweets.)
While he’s toned it in town at age 36, he’s still quick with the comebacks. Take his response to a Nets fan account that rejoiced at how many draft picks the team got after eventually trading him.
U welcome
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 11, 2024 MORE: Projecting NBA All-Star Game starters for 2025, from LeBron to KD
Like many of us addicts, Durant likes to tweet first thing in the morning. Twenty of the 30 tweets that Durant sent over the past month came between 6 and 9 a.m. Phoenix time.
A handful of his tweets are messages of positivity. Several are promotional. By far, the majority of his tweets are meant to stir the pot.
Offer Durant praise, and he’ll probably ignore you. One fan asked why he rarely replied to compliments.
“Too much love will cripple u,” Durant warned.
You’re much more likely to receive a response from Durant if you tweet something dumb. His best dunks this season may have come off the court.
“Sometimes I wake up and look at @TheNBACentel comments just to truly see how many dummies come online thinking that they have high iq. Good morning,” Durant tweeted one early morning before Suns training camp.
Sometimes I wake up and look at @TheNBACentel comments just to truly see how many dummies come online thinking that they have high iq. Good morning
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 14, 2024 Long-time followers of Durant may have noticed that he’s shown renewed vigor with his tweets this season. His inspiration came from three-time Olympian Simone Biles, as he told The Athletic’s Sam Amick over the Summer Olympics.
“For her to continue to come out and showcase the brilliance every day, and also let people know that they sound crazy talking against her? To be able to do both is inspiring,” Durant told Amick. “So yeah, she’s inspired me to keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too.”
Simone Biles 080124 MORE: Where Jokic, Giannis, Durant and more land in latest NBA MVP rankings
Durant doesn’t take the app too seriously, but one thing did come up over and over again as I studied his tweets: It still genuinely bothers him when people make things up about him. (“U can’t keep lyin like this on the internet,” he responded to one fan.)
Legacy talk seems to be one of Durant’s biggest pet peeves. He has joked about the constant discourse on X, praising a media member’s legacy for emptying the dishwasher or deducting legacy points from a fan for drinking too much coffee. But he does have a desire to correct his record.
In his younger days, he relied on fake accounts to get some of his harshest truth bombs off. He admitted to still using burner accounts as recently as 2020.
Today, Durant seems to have fewer reservations about going after the haters on his main account. He has a special ire for the gamblers who point the finger at him for their losses.
“Stop blaming me for losing money because you have a gambling problem,” Durant tweeted at the start of the season.
“GO GET A JOB!!! For the love of god,” KD advised another losing bettor.
No, I tell u to stop complaining about this life that youve committed to. When u lose, there’s finger pointing. When u win, there’s gloating about how smart you are about seeing the future. No gratitude to the service workers like myself. I’m sick of it https://t.co/c3OUaOSQF5
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) November 17, 2024 Given all the hate Durant has to look at on the app, it may seem strange that he keeps using it. But he does get something out of it. He seems to enjoy getting fired up, as he told one user back in 2021.
“There’s No relax champ. No relax when I’m on Twitter. I’m on 10 until the second I close the app. You relax!!”
MORE: How to vote for NBA All-Stars in 2025
The NBA is a long season. Many of the great ones have found motivation by focusing on slights. Michael Jordan didn’t have the benefit of social media during his day. Instead, he made up stories of opponents trash-talking him to fire himself up. Durant simply needs to press a few buttons on his phone to get the same effect.
Durant also gets something else out of Twitter. After going through hundreds of his tweets, my best guess as to why he’s one of the few players who remain active is that while most athletes use the app these days as a valuable tool to brand themselves, he does the opposite. It’s one of the few public spaces where he can be his authentic self.
“Its why I still have twitter,” he’s tweeted. “They want me to act professional on the internet. No, I won’t lol.”
