Suns fire Vogel, target Budenholzer as next coach

The New York Knicks announced today that the team has signed guard Duane Washington Jr. to a contract.

Washington averaged 7.9 points, 2.0 assists and 1.2 rebounds over 12.7 minutes in 31 games (three starts) last season with the Phoenix Suns. He recorded four 20-point performances during the 2022-23 season, including career highs of 26 points and seven assists in a win at Memphis on Dec. 27.

The Utah Jazz have been as active as any team ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. One team that Jazz continue to circle back to with trade talks is the Los Angeles Lakers.

Utah and Los Angeles have discussed many iterations of trades, most of which involve the Jazz sending rotation players like Mike Conley and Malik Beasley to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook and the Lakers 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. If such a deal were to happen, it’s expected Westbrook would accept a buyout vs reporting to Utah.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge said the Jazz are looking to get better, but won’t panic based on recent results. Building sustained success is the goal.

“We’ll try to be careful, but we’re trying to get better as fast as we can — without being panicked, without rushing,” Ainge said. “We’re in control, and we feel like we’ve got to be smart about the decisions that we make.”