Reports: Mavericks' Courtney Lee out after ‘freak accident' calf injury

The NBA could have decreased activity at the trade deadline this year both because of a more restrictive collective bargaining agreement, but also because there are fewer bad contracts teams are interested in unloading.

“I think we’re going to see at the trade deadline there’s going to be less action because there’s fewer bad contracts because teams are a little bit smarter and I just think the intelligence into the game and the way teams are operated and the gameplay is taking some of the stuff fans kind of like at least some of the older school fans,” said Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective Podcast.

The Chicago Bulls are one team with players on contracts such as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic they would like to part with as they rebuild. LaVine’s five-year, $215 million contract with the Bulls during the 2022 offseason has become a warning for teams thinking they can re-sign their very good but not quite superstar level players to retain the asset and trade at a later date if it doesn’t work.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in a similar situation with Brandon Ingram’s extension talks as his trade market is believed to be limited in anticipation of needing to pay him a significant new deal.

Mikal Bridges and Austin Reaves are first-time teammates on Team USA for this summer’s FIBA World Cup. The Brooklyn Nets star is counting himself as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers emerging star. Bridges also said people need to start thinking of Reaves in a different light.

“This ain’t no underdog s*** no more,” Bridges said of Reaves. “He’s here.”

Bridges went on to compliment Reaves’ game, including his ability to draw free throws.

“I’ve been a fan. … I think the biggest thing about him I like is that he knows how to draw a foul,” Bridges said of Reaves foul-drawing ability. “He knows how to create fouls and get to the free-throw line and that’s like a skill. He’s not just getting there. There’s a skill to that and it’s very underrated. People don’t really understand it but the ones that do, they know how tough it is to guard. That s***’s an art.”