LeBron to Golden State? Plus Trade Deadline Updates

As the trade deadline of February 8th looms ominously around the corner, talks between teams have intensified. We saw a huge deal between the Clippers and Pistons and not for the Clipper we thought. The Pelicans and Bulls also consummated a trade that actually works out pretty nicely for both sides. There was also a ton of drama with ESPN reporting (potentially creating a storyline) that LeBron James will listen to offers from the Golden State Warriors as he becomes a free-agent this year. We'll have to see if that report ever gets confirmed, but there is plenty of other content to occupy your time as you'll see below. Let's get into it!

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Trade Deadline Updates This Week:

We here at Swish Weekly want you to stay updated as the trade deadline of February 8th looms. Here are the trades that have been made official this week:

February 1: New Orleans Pelicans agree to trade Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, and a protected 2018 1st Round Pick to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Mirotic

January 29: LA Clippers agree to trade Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson, and Willie Reed to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and a 1st and 2nd round pick

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http://www.slamonline.com/nba/30-teams-play-2018-nba-las-vegas-summer-league/

All 30 Teams To Play In 2018 NBA Las Vegas Summer League - Slam Online - Alex Squadron

This is moreso a quick announcement than an in-depth piece of basketball content. With that being said, the Summer League will now feature a full 30 teams that will play a total of 82 games over 12 days. I'm personally quite excited due to the fact that with this change, there will be more minutes for young players to get their feet wet against NBA level competition.

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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22259303/kristaps-porzingis-uses-height-unlike-other-player-nba

Porzingis can shoot over anyone, and that might be a problem - ESPN - Micah Adams

Standing at 7'3, Kristaps Porzingis has the honor of sharing the title of "tallest NBA player" with newly acquired Clipper Boban Marjanovic. Unlike Marjanovic and really the rest of NBA players that have stood 7'3 or taller, Porzingis can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. It's unprecedented for someone of Porzingis' size to shoot at such a hefty clip. While conventional wisdom would suggest that Porzingis would have a staggering advantage over smaller players, the data doesn't necessarily confirm the hypothesis. You'll have to read the article to find out for sure though.

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https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1/31/16953396/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-trade-deadline

History is Repeating Itself in Cleveland - The Ringer - Danny Chau

Many of us old enough to remember 2010 remember where we were when LeBron James went on national television to make "The Decision" and take his talents to South Beach. While that was a different LeBron, and these are different times, the Cavaliers seem to be treading down the same path they were just eight years ago. There is less than a week before the trade deadline and if Cleveland does not make drastic changes, Cleveland could be staring down the barrel of another LeBron James departure.

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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22267502/scouting-devin-booker-star-potential-suns-nba

Devin Booker isn't an All-Star, but it's amazing he's already this close - ESPN - Mike Schmitz

Devin Booker has had an incredible year so far despite missing games earlier in the season with injury. When Booker came into the league, many thought he might be strictly a spot up shooter, but each year, Booker has become better and better at attacking off the dribble and getting his shot. This is just one of the many improvements Devin Booker has made in his three years with Phoenix, but you'll have to read the entire article to find out the others.

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http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/the-point/180123-pelinkas-preparation?ls=recent_news

Pelinka's New Job: When Preparation Meets Humanity - Lakers.com - Kevin Ding

Not all of the best content has to do with actual NBA players. In this case, the piece focuses on Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and his tough task of bringing the Lakers back to prominence in a league dominated by Cleveland and Golden State. Senior writer Kevin Ding weaves a tale of Pelinka's story from sports agent to Lakers GM and focuses primarily on Pelinka's empathy for the feelings of the human beings that bear the brunt of the consequences of his actions. Will Pelinka be able to bring the Lakers back to the top? We'll just have to wait and see, but if you ask Pelinka, it'll be through strategy and a heavy dose of teamwork.

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https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/2/1/16960502/lebron-james-golden-state-warriors-rumor

LeBron Isn't Going to Golden State, So Who Does This Rumor Help? - The Ringer - Paolo Uggetti

The NBA Twitterverse was sent ablaze Wednesday night thanks to a "report" by ESPN that the Golden State Warriors could potentially be involved in the LeBron sweepstakes this summer. While it's unlikely that LeBron would take his talents to the Bay Area to team up with his arch rivals, the report forced The Ringer's Paolo Uggetti to investiage why such a rumor would surface, especially at a time when the Cavaliers are struggling and the Warriors still look unbeatable (except by 30 to the Jazz...).

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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22272947/zach-lowe-milwaukee-bucks

Can these Bucks be great? They're running out of time to find out - ESPN - Zach Lowe

The Milwaukee Bucks are easily one of the most fascinating teams in the league today. Primarily because of the Greek-Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo and his other-worldly athleticism, but also because they have underachieved relative to where many fans and analysts pegged them to be this year. The firing of Jason Kidd has helped and the return of former number two overall pick Jabari Parker should spread the floor more, but it's hard to know whether this team, as it's currently constructed, will be able to battle the top dogs in the Eastern Conference.

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http://www.slamonline.com/uncategorized/all-star-contestants/

2018 NBA All-Star Weekend Contestants Announced - SlamOnline - Ian Pierno

We round out this week's edition of Swish Weekly with a short piece that basically just announces who will be participating in the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities. The Skills Competition, 3-Pt Contest, and Slam Dunk Contest all have talented individuals so I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of the better All-Star Weekends in recent memory.

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And there you have it folks, another edition of Swish Weekly is in the books. We hope you're enjoying them as much as we are and would love your feedback on what you like and what you think can be improved!

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