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ESPN Senior Writer- ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010
- Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years
- Author of two books
Four years ago this week, on the unusual late November draft night in COVID-impacted 2020, brand new Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey traded Al Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder in what was mostly a salary dump. A number of players were involved, but the prime asset was the 2025 top-six protected first-round pick sent to OKC.
As the NBA moves through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, that outstanding draft pick has led a growing conversation within the league: Six weeks into the 2024-25 season, there are a couple of teams performing worse than expected. And there are a couple of teams performing better than expected. The shadow over all of it is a deep draft coming next summer, which teams believe could contain several potential franchise players. Excitement over the draft started showing in trades made last summer, and it has unquestionably affected behavior throughout the current season.
We'll tackle how these "surprise" teams address their situations, dive into players and coaches' relationship with the referees after some recent high-profile incidents and look at what's behind a few stars' decisions to change agents.
Jump to a section:
Draft pick drama in Philly and Chicago
Major decisions for Nets and Pelicans
Why some stars are switching agents
How does the NBA feel about its refs?