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NBA trade deadline: How Giannis’ injury affects Bucks, Knicks, Warriors, Heat, and more

NBA trade deadline: How Giannis’ injury affects Bucks, Knicks, Warriors, Heat, and more

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is hurt again, this time with the Feb. 5 NBA NBA trade deadline in sight. Antetokounmpo said he thinks doctors will tell him something popped in his calf during the Bucks’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, and it will likely keep him out for 4-6 weeks, putting him on the med through the trade deadline.

The Bucks are 18-26 at the time of this injury, and would miss the play-in tournament in the East if the season ended today. Milwaukee has been at the center of trade deadline conversation to this point for two main reasons:

  1. The Giannis trade rumors are unavoidable at this point, with ESPN insider Brian Windhorst saying everyone in the league expects a divorce between the two sides eventually.
  2. The Bucks have been determined to be buyers at the trade deadline with their limited asset pool to try to give Giannis one last chance to win in Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo told The Athletic he would never ask for a trade out of Milwaukee, but all he really has to do is turn down the Bucks’ contract extension this summer. If that happens, Giannis will be on an expiring deal, and it would be prudent for Milwaukee to get something in return for him while it still can.

This is an incredibly poorly timed injury for both Giannis and the Bucks. Here’s all the ways it could impact the NBA trade deadline.

Giannis likely won’t get traded at the deadline

I didn’t think Giannis was going to get traded at the deadline anyway, but this probably kills any chance of it. He should be set to return in late Feb. or early March ahead of the playoffs, but the team that acquires him won’t want to rush him back from injury. Giannis is also such a distinct player that it would be difficult for a contender to center their schemes around him on the fly, especially when he’s not 100 percent physically. It feels like this injury kills any chance that he’s traded in season.

The Bucks need to tank instead of buy the deadline

Bucks rumors have centered around Ja Morant and Zach LaVine so far, but they should forget that noise. Milwaukee is actually in position to enter the lottery with pretty good odds of landing a top pick this year: Atlanta controls swap rights on the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s pick, and meaning the Bucks get the least favorable of the two. With the Pelicans looking like a bottom-two team in the league, it’s possible both picks could jump way up in the lottery and deliver Milwaukee the type of young talent they so desperately need. The highest Milwaukee can draft this year is No. 2, but that would be a great pick in a class as loaded as this one. Milwaukee needs both New Orleans’ pick and their pick to jump up. If the season ended today, the Pelicans would be No. 2 in the lottery odds and the Bucks would be No. 8. I’m guessing Milwaukee gets past by Charlotte at minimum in the East standings with Giannis out. The Bucks’ position is about to be even more favorable after Giannis’ injury.

The Heat will keep their powder dry

The Heat are poised to be one of the biggest suitors for Giannis whenever Milwaukee finally decides to listen to offers for him. Miami would probably like to buy at the deadline as it currently sits at 23-22 with the No. 8 seed in the East, but it’s hard to imagine putting a future first-round pick on the table for a player like Morant with the Antetokounmpo situation lingering. The Heat might make a small move, but they still need their best assets to package in a Giannis offer this summer. I’m guessing it’s a quiet deadline for Miami.

The Knicks should finish the season with Karl-Anthony Towns

The Knicks’ post-NBA Cup spiral has started some Karl-Anthony Towns trade rumors, and it makes sense given how desperate New York is to maximize their championship chances this season. We know the Knicks are also Giannis’ personal favorite destination if he does get traded, and Towns feels like important matching salary in any deal. With Antetokounmpo less likely to be on the move at the deadline now, it would be shocking to see the Knicks trade Towns in-season. New York’s best move is trying to win the East with this team this year, and if they fail, reassess how they can land Giannis in the summer ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Warriors can’t wait on Giannis

Golden State reportedly wants to land both Giannis and LeBron James this summer. Good luck with that. The Warriors don’t have many seasons left with Stephen Curry still playing at a top-10 level, and they can’t waste this year by sitting idly at the trade deadline hoping to land Giannis in the summer. Jimmy Butler’s ACL injury is a devastating blow for Golden State, and it’s likely there’s no move on the table that will actually elevate them into one of the four best teams in the West. I still think the Warriors should be active and do everything they can to give Curry a shot this year. Does that mean a trade for Michael Porter Jr.? Domantas Sabonis and Keon Ellis? Sam Hauser? Feel free to throw this one in the my face if the Warriors really do land Giannis this summer, but I don’t think it’s happening, so it’s better to give Steph a shot while they still can.

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Deadspin | Knicks finish sweep of Cavs, make first NBA Finals since 1999 May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots while defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the third quarter during game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images CLEVELAND — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals with a 130-93 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night. The Knicks, who will play in the championship series for the first time since 1999, extended their franchise playoff-record winning streak to 11 games — matching the third-longest run in a single postseason in league history. OG Anunoby had 17 points and Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench on 4-for-4 3-point shooting for New York, which built a 29-point lead in the second quarter and went up 123-78 in the fourth. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points apiece, and Josh Hart added six points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Donovan Mitchell logged 31 points and Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland, which reached the East finals for the first time since 2018. James Harden had 12 points and five turnovers while missing all six of his 3-point tries. The Knicks’ Mike Brown is off to the NBA Finals for the second time as a head coach, having led the Cavaliers to their first East crown in 2007. The 37-point defeat was the Cavaliers’ largest ever in a playoff home game. New York dominated the rebounding battle 60-33 with backup center Mitchell Robinson grabbing 10 boards in 18 minutes. New York delivered the knockout blow early with a 20-0 run over a span of 5:52 from late in the first quarter into the second. A dunk by Towns punctuated the surge, making the score 50-26. The Knicks eventually built a 61-32 lead on Shamet’s third 3-pointer of the half. Mitchell scored 10 points and Mobley had seven in the first six minutes, putting the Cavaliers up 17-14. A 9-0 run then put New York on top for good. Robinson entered for New York and made an impact with six points and four rebounds, sparking a 24-9 run to end the quarter. Cleveland backup point guard Dennis Schroder was a late scratch with an illness. Among the Knicks’ celebrity fans seated courtside were comedian Tracy Morgan, filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Timothee Chalamet. –Brian Dulik, Field Level Media #Deadspin #Knicks #finish #sweep #Cavs #NBA #FinalsMay 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots while defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the third quarter during game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

CLEVELAND — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals with a 130-93 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night.

The Knicks, who will play in the championship series for the first time since 1999, extended their franchise playoff-record winning streak to 11 games — matching the third-longest run in a single postseason in league history.

OG Anunoby had 17 points and Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench on 4-for-4 3-point shooting for New York, which built a 29-point lead in the second quarter and went up 123-78 in the fourth. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points apiece, and Josh Hart added six points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Donovan Mitchell logged 31 points and Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland, which reached the East finals for the first time since 2018. James Harden had 12 points and five turnovers while missing all six of his 3-point tries.

The Knicks’ Mike Brown is off to the NBA Finals for the second time as a head coach, having led the Cavaliers to their first East crown in 2007.

The 37-point defeat was the Cavaliers’ largest ever in a playoff home game.


New York dominated the rebounding battle 60-33 with backup center Mitchell Robinson grabbing 10 boards in 18 minutes.

New York delivered the knockout blow early with a 20-0 run over a span of 5:52 from late in the first quarter into the second. A dunk by Towns punctuated the surge, making the score 50-26.

The Knicks eventually built a 61-32 lead on Shamet’s third 3-pointer of the half.

Mitchell scored 10 points and Mobley had seven in the first six minutes, putting the Cavaliers up 17-14. A 9-0 run then put New York on top for good. Robinson entered for New York and made an impact with six points and four rebounds, sparking a 24-9 run to end the quarter.

Cleveland backup point guard Dennis Schroder was a late scratch with an illness.

Among the Knicks’ celebrity fans seated courtside were comedian Tracy Morgan, filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Timothee Chalamet.

–Brian Dulik, Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Knicks #finish #sweep #Cavs #NBA #Finals">Deadspin | Knicks finish sweep of Cavs, make first NBA Finals since 1999 May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots while defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the third quarter during game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images CLEVELAND — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals with a 130-93 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night. The Knicks, who will play in the championship series for the first time since 1999, extended their franchise playoff-record winning streak to 11 games — matching the third-longest run in a single postseason in league history. OG Anunoby had 17 points and Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench on 4-for-4 3-point shooting for New York, which built a 29-point lead in the second quarter and went up 123-78 in the fourth. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points apiece, and Josh Hart added six points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Donovan Mitchell logged 31 points and Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland, which reached the East finals for the first time since 2018. James Harden had 12 points and five turnovers while missing all six of his 3-point tries. The Knicks’ Mike Brown is off to the NBA Finals for the second time as a head coach, having led the Cavaliers to their first East crown in 2007. The 37-point defeat was the Cavaliers’ largest ever in a playoff home game. New York dominated the rebounding battle 60-33 with backup center Mitchell Robinson grabbing 10 boards in 18 minutes. New York delivered the knockout blow early with a 20-0 run over a span of 5:52 from late in the first quarter into the second. A dunk by Towns punctuated the surge, making the score 50-26. The Knicks eventually built a 61-32 lead on Shamet’s third 3-pointer of the half. Mitchell scored 10 points and Mobley had seven in the first six minutes, putting the Cavaliers up 17-14. A 9-0 run then put New York on top for good. Robinson entered for New York and made an impact with six points and four rebounds, sparking a 24-9 run to end the quarter. Cleveland backup point guard Dennis Schroder was a late scratch with an illness. Among the Knicks’ celebrity fans seated courtside were comedian Tracy Morgan, filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Timothee Chalamet. –Brian Dulik, Field Level Media #Deadspin #Knicks #finish #sweep #Cavs #NBA #Finals

Carla Leite called for the iso.

Dribbling out the clock, the 5’9 guard shooed away her teammates with confidence. The only thing standing between the 22-year-old and the Barclays Center basket?

Stewart is an elite defender — one of the WNBA’s most consistent. She’s also 6’4. But that didn’t matter. Leite, a 17.3% career three-point shooter in the WNBA, pulled up for three.

Leite smiled, knowing she had just iced the game. Thanks to her big triple, the Portland Fire led the New York Liberty by 6 points with 14.4 seconds to spare. Liberty guard Marine Johannes responded with a three-pointer of her own, but the game was out of reach.

The pull-up three was Leite’s second consecutive clutch basket in the final seconds of Monday night’s 81-74 Fire win over the Liberty. Twenty-five seconds earlier, Leite drove to the basket to give the Fire a 5-point lead with 40 seconds to play.

And, Monday wasn’t the first time she took over in the clutch, either.

Two weeks earlier, when the Fire pulled out the franchise’s first-ever win, Leite also stepped up down the stretch against the Liberty. She drove to the basket with 27.1 seconds to play, tying up the game against New York. A Sarah Ashlee Barker game-winner ended up securing that May 12th win.

Leite is having a strong all-around season. On Monday, she scored a team-high 18 points on 8-14 shooting; the Fire outscored the Liberty by 8 points in her 22 minutes on the floor.

Leite’s points, rebounds, and assists per game have all more than doubled; she averaged 7.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, and has seen those numbers rise to 15 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game this season. Her efficiency has also risen; she averaged 38.7% in her rookie campaign and is shooting 5% better this year in Portland.

The Fire are 3-2 in the five games the sophomore guard has played.

Leite is far from the only reason why the Fire, one of two 2026 expansion teams, have begun the season 4-3. Bridget Carleton, the No. 1 overall pick in the expansion draft, is averaging 16.5 points per game, 10 more than she averaged last year as a role player on the Minnesota Lynx. Emily Engslter, Megan Gustafson, Nyadiew Puoch, and Luisa Geiselsoder have all been key contributors.

And, Ashlee Barker, who is averaging 10.3 points off the bench, has also been a monster in the clutch. In addition to her game-winner earlier in the month, Barker completed an and-one driving layup in the final minute of a crunch-time victory over the Connecticut Sun. In Monday’s win over the Liberty, she hit a go-ahead corner three to give the Fire a one-point edge with just under four minutes to spare. The Fire never trailed again.

But, Leite — left unprotected by the Golden State Valkyries after her rookie season — has been the primary scoring option in the clutch.

And, on Monday, she did it again.

#WNBA #clutchtime #superstar">The WNBA has a new clutch-time superstar Carla Leite called for the iso.Dribbling out the clock, the 5’9 guard shooed away her teammates with confidence. The only thing standing between the 22-year-old and the Barclays Center basket?Stewart is an elite defender — one of the WNBA’s most consistent. She’s also 6’4. But that didn’t matter. Leite, a 17.3% career three-point shooter in the WNBA, pulled up for three.Leite smiled, knowing she had just iced the game. Thanks to her big triple, the Portland Fire led the New York Liberty by 6 points with 14.4 seconds to spare. Liberty guard Marine Johannes responded with a three-pointer of her own, but the game was out of reach.The pull-up three was Leite’s second consecutive clutch basket in the final seconds of Monday night’s 81-74 Fire win over the Liberty. Twenty-five seconds earlier, Leite drove to the basket to give the Fire a 5-point lead with 40 seconds to play.And, Monday wasn’t the first time she took over in the clutch, either.Two weeks earlier, when the Fire pulled out the franchise’s first-ever win, Leite also stepped up down the stretch against the Liberty. She drove to the basket with 27.1 seconds to play, tying up the game against New York. A Sarah Ashlee Barker game-winner ended up securing that May 12th win.Leite is having a strong all-around season. On Monday, she scored a team-high 18 points on 8-14 shooting; the Fire outscored the Liberty by 8 points in her 22 minutes on the floor.Leite’s points, rebounds, and assists per game have all more than doubled; she averaged 7.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, and has seen those numbers rise to 15 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game this season. Her efficiency has also risen; she averaged 38.7% in her rookie campaign and is shooting 5% better this year in Portland.The Fire are 3-2 in the five games the sophomore guard has played.Leite is far from the only reason why the Fire, one of two 2026 expansion teams, have begun the season 4-3. Bridget Carleton, the No. 1 overall pick in the expansion draft, is averaging 16.5 points per game, 10 more than she averaged last year as a role player on the Minnesota Lynx. Emily Engslter, Megan Gustafson, Nyadiew Puoch, and Luisa Geiselsoder have all been key contributors.And, Ashlee Barker, who is averaging 10.3 points off the bench, has also been a monster in the clutch. In addition to her game-winner earlier in the month, Barker completed an and-one driving layup in the final minute of a crunch-time victory over the Connecticut Sun. In Monday’s win over the Liberty, she hit a go-ahead corner three to give the Fire a one-point edge with just under four minutes to spare. The Fire never trailed again.But, Leite — left unprotected by the Golden State Valkyries after her rookie season — has been the primary scoring option in the clutch.And, on Monday, she did it again. #WNBA #clutchtime #superstar

Colombia on Monday announced its 26-member squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez making the cut for the tournament.

Bayern Munich forward Luis Diaz will headline Nestor Lorenzo’s side as it vies to clinch its first World Cup title. Defender Jhon Duran, who plays for Saudi side Al Nassr, was among the notable absentees.

Colombia did not qualify for the World Cup Finals in 2022 and was knocked out in the Round of 16 by England on penalties in 2018. It’s best finish came in the 2014 edition when it reached the quarterfinals and lost to Brazil.

In 2026, it has been pitted in Group K where it will face title contender Portugal, Uzbekistan, and DR Congo.

COLOMBIA FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FULL SQUAD

Goalkeepers: C. Vargas, A. Montero, D. Ospina

Defenders: D. Sánchez, J. Lucumí, Y. Mina, W. Ditta, D. Muñoz, S. Arias, J. Mojica, D. Machado

Midfielders: J. Lerma, J. Portilla, R. Ríos, K. Castaño, G. Puerta, J. Arias, J. Carrascal, J. F. Quintero, J. Rodríguez

Forwards: L. Díaz, J. Campaz, A. Gómez, L. Suárez, J. Córdoba, J. Hernández

Published on May 25, 2026

#Colombia #announces #squad #FIFA #World #Cup #Full #list #players #confirmed">Colombia announces squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 — Full list of players confirmed Colombia on Monday announced its 26-member squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez making the cut for the tournament.Bayern Munich forward Luis Diaz will headline Nestor Lorenzo’s side as it vies to clinch its first World Cup title. Defender Jhon Duran, who plays for Saudi side Al Nassr, was among the notable absentees.Colombia did not qualify for the World Cup Finals in 2022 and was knocked out in the Round of 16 by England on penalties in 2018. It’s best finish came in the 2014 edition when it reached the quarterfinals and lost to Brazil.In 2026, it has been pitted in Group K where it will face title contender Portugal, Uzbekistan, and DR Congo. COLOMBIA FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FULL SQUAD Goalkeepers: C. Vargas, A. Montero, D. Ospina Defenders: D. Sánchez, J. Lucumí, Y. Mina, W. Ditta, D. Muñoz, S. Arias, J. Mojica, D. Machado Midfielders: J. Lerma, J. Portilla, R. Ríos, K. Castaño, G. Puerta, J. Arias, J. Carrascal, J. F. Quintero, J. Rodríguez Forwards: L. Díaz, J. Campaz, A. Gómez, L. Suárez, J. Córdoba, J. Hernández Published on May 25, 2026 #Colombia #announces #squad #FIFA #World #Cup #Full #list #players #confirmed

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