2025 NBA Season

[JariKriting]

Raptors surely got attracted with those first round picks that Pacers offered to them, like you mentioned, all the star players during that
season that they become champions are all gone,

It's about time for Siakam and the Raptors to decide and now is the best timing for them, what will be the outcome still unknown, only
time can tell if which side will be the benefactors of this trade.

toronto raptors are currently playing very badly. currently toronto raptors are only ranked 12th in the eastern conference still outside the playoff zone.
if currently want star players, it's not too late because to enter the playoff zone, you can only be ranked in the top 10.
But what indiana pacers want to release their star players. if and raptors must release players whose contract value or quality of players is equivalent.

[Jating]

Raptors surely got attracted with those first round picks that Pacers offered to them, like you mentioned, all the star players during that
season that they become champions are all gone,

It's about time for Siakam and the Raptors to decide and now is the best timing for them, what will be the outcome still unknown, only
time can tell if which side will be the benefactors of this trade.

toronto raptors are currently playing very badly. currently toronto raptors are only ranked 12th in the eastern conference still outside the playoff zone.
if currently want star players, it's not too late because to enter the playoff zone, you can only be ranked in the top 10.
But what indiana pacers want to release their star players. if and raptors must release players whose contract value or quality of players is equivalent.

Speaking of Raptors, they are in a very close game against the Bulls are their homecourt, current score is 105-106 Bulls. But Kobe White's three is being reviewed right now if there is a shot clock violation or he did get it on time.

As for the trade, it's obvious that they are done with their rebuilding phase as they have traded their last player from their championship team. Now, it's Barnes to lead the Raptors in their next couple of seasons and then some of their picks from the Siakam trade.

[danherbias07]

Winner: Toronto Raptors

Also, It’s a win in the big picture because the Raptors have picked and committed to a direction for the franchise, rebuilding around Scottie Barnes, something they needed to do.

Can this be because the coach of Raptors talk about Barnes being the face of the league? He talk about it during postgame interview on their loss to the LA Lakers where he was complaining about the foul called in the 4th quarter that he think obviously favor the Lakers.

So if Barnes is going to be the main star player of the Raptors, that's quite interesting because he isn't really score a lot, like this season he only averated 20PPG, without Siakam, can that improve?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnesc01.html

The face of the league, I doubt that. The face of the Toronto Raptors, yes that's possible. That's their goal for now. Surround Scottie Barnes with good players or maybe they could get lucky in the draft picks and acquire good players that will be paired with him. Sadly, this might take years for the Raptors to rebuild and it's not like chemistry can be rushed. Barnes, Schroder, Barrett, and Trent Jr, are strong players but they lack bench strength. They cannot play the entire game so they need actually to build back up players and maybe one more that would step up his game to climb the first five.
Bruce Brown is now a big help in defense but they badly need shooters too. Trent Jr. is the only one who could make it at a high percentage and one shooter cannot spread the floor.

About the player who was waived by the Raptors Christian Koloko. It's not just to open space but there's also a health issue lingering the big man.

Now, we know why. Koloko is dealing with career-threatening blood clots, according to Shams Charania.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-big-man-the-raptors-waived-to-complete-pascal-siakam-trade-has-career-threatening-blood-clots-per-report/

"The NBA informed teams today that Christian Koloko has been referred to the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel," Charania said. "That essentially means that he's unable to play or practice in the NBA until he's cleared. There's been no shortage of suitors, of teams interested in Koloko, calling his camp ever since he was waived yesterday by the Raptors to make space for that Pascal Siakam trade. I'm told that the reason he has this career-threatening issue is a blood clot situation, a source close to him told me."

No shortage of suitors. I am glad to hear that. Now, he just need to clear that health problem and I am sure he can come back once he is okay.

[Kelvinid]

Speaking of Raptors, they are in a very close game against the Bulls are their homecourt, current score is 105-106 Bulls. But Kobe White's three is being reviewed right now if there is a shot clock violation or he did get it on time.

Unfortunately they loss after an impressive performance against the Heat. Maybe because they are on a back to back game, and one thing is they don't have Siakam who is also a good offensive and defensive player. It was fun to watch though, it was a close one but the Bulls ended it strong and win.

As for the trade, it's obvious that they are done with their rebuilding phase as they have traded their last player from their championship team. Now, it's Barnes to lead the Raptors in their next couple of seasons and then some of their picks from the Siakam trade.

Not sure if this current line up is a playoff roster, but let's see. It's time for Barnes to shine now, he is leading the team so their performance this season matters a lot on him as a leader.

[Dave1]

Speaking of Raptors, they are in a very close game against the Bulls are their homecourt, current score is 105-106 Bulls. But Kobe White's three is being reviewed right now if there is a shot clock violation or he did get it on time.

Unfortunately they loss after an impressive performance against the Heat. Maybe because they are on a back to back game, and one thing is they don't have Siakam who is also a good offensive and defensive player. It was fun to watch though, it was a close one but the Bulls ended it strong and win.

As for the trade, it's obvious that they are done with their rebuilding phase as they have traded their last player from their championship team. Now, it's Barnes to lead the Raptors in their next couple of seasons and then some of their picks from the Siakam trade.

Not sure if this current line up is a playoff roster, but let's see. It's time for Barnes to shine now, he is leading the team so their performance this season matters a lot on him as a leader.

Yeah, it was a very tough lost for the Raptors here and I think Barnes is their new franchise player as he had the ball during the last minute but made some crucial mistakes though and then missing some free throws. Maybe it's just the beginning, missing Pascal Siakam, but I think they can adjust in the next couple of next. I do agree that they look tired in the last seconds of the game, there's no defense, specially when White go inside for a easy two to extend the lead to six. I didn't see any defense on that, no one even bother to raised their hands to contest Kobe White.

[Sanitough]

How about the Jazz losing to OKC, which snapped their winning streak?

I saw how good OKC is at making adjustments. Although they were able to lead by as much as 19 points early on, the Jazz came back to make it a close game. However, OKC continued to play hard, not allowing the Jazz to take the lead. In fact, they never led in the game.

OKC's good run started when SGA was sitting; it seems like their offense flows better without him in those minutes. The Jazz also made their own adjustments to trim their deficit to 3, but it seemed like OKC had answers for the Jazz offense. In the end, OKC broke their losing streak and beat a good team on the road.

[TravelMug]

Speaking of Raptors, they are in a very close game against the Bulls are their homecourt, current score is 105-106 Bulls. But Kobe White's three is being reviewed right now if there is a shot clock violation or he did get it on time.

Unfortunately they loss after an impressive performance against the Heat. Maybe because they are on a back to back game, and one thing is they don't have Siakam who is also a good offensive and defensive player. It was fun to watch though, it was a close one but the Bulls ended it strong and win.

As for the trade, it's obvious that they are done with their rebuilding phase as they have traded their last player from their championship team. Now, it's Barnes to lead the Raptors in their next couple of seasons and then some of their picks from the Siakam trade.

Not sure if this current line up is a playoff roster, but let's see. It's time for Barnes to shine now, he is leading the team so their performance this season matters a lot on him as a leader.

It's a complete team, they have IQ and RJ Barrett as well to help Barnes, but they still need to improved specially in their defense. They have a good experienced guard in Dennis, and he should be used and play more time. I also watch the game between the Knicks and the Wizards, perhaps the Knicks is also affected by the trade as they don't have IQ and RJ as the they can't separate from the Wizards. And it takes Randle to make those FT to really close out the show. They just give the Wizards some time to make the close or even almost force the game into OT if Poole hit that 3 and then play good defense in the last seconds or so. But a win is a win for them against the worst team in the NBA right now.

[stadus]

They have a good experienced guard in Dennis, and he should be used and play more time.

No question about his capability, he really is a good guard, his team won the FIBA world cup, right? However, even if Dennis is good, he can also be a liability if their opponnents will design a play to attack him since he is a small point guard, so Raptors also need to look at that, I see Dennis as Trae young who is a liability in the defensive end.

Raptors now ranked number 12, so I think every game is important for them to at least qualify for the play-in tournament. However, missing Siakam might be a big problem for them and it started to show their real capability as a team.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

They have a good experienced guard in Dennis, and he should be used and play more time.

No question about his capability, he really is a good guard, his team won the FIBA world cup, right? However, even if Dennis is good, he can also be a liability if their opponnents will design a play to attack him since he is a small point guard, so Raptors also need to look at that, I see Dennis as Trae young who is a liability in the defensive end.

Raptors now ranked number 12, so I think every game is important for them to at least qualify for the play-in tournament. However, missing Siakam might be a big problem for them and it started to show their real capability as a team.

Dennis is NOT a liability on defense.
His career defensive rating would give him the top spot of all points guards this season. Sure his DRTG this season it's a bit down because the team also sucks, but he is a very sticky defender. Undersized, yes. But still he is a solid defender and can hold his own on the court.

[Yaunfitda]

They have a good experienced guard in Dennis, and he should be used and play more time.

No question about his capability, he really is a good guard, his team won the FIBA world cup, right? However, even if Dennis is good, he can also be a liability if their opponnents will design a play to attack him since he is a small point guard, so Raptors also need to look at that, I see Dennis as Trae young who is a liability in the defensive end.

Raptors now ranked number 12, so I think every game is important for them to at least qualify for the play-in tournament. However, missing Siakam might be a big problem for them and it started to show their real capability as a team.

I haven't seen Dennis though being attack by the Knicks in that game, maybe I might have missed it. But he has the experienced already, playing with the Lakers and now with the Raptors, so I don't think he will be a liability, if yes, then he can offset it with his offense as he is known to be a streak shooter, specially in three.

I think they know it already, and they have made the move to let go of their number 1 offensive weapon in Siakal. So moving forward, they will have to deal with it. And others pointed out, Barnes is now their main offensive weapon. But still though, it's better if they will have a complete team just like when they won the NBA as everyone is really a perfect fit to their rotation and system.

[avp2306]

They have a good experienced guard in Dennis, and he should be used and play more time.

No question about his capability, he really is a good guard, his team won the FIBA world cup, right? However, even if Dennis is good, he can also be a liability if their opponnents will design a play to attack him since he is a small point guard, so Raptors also need to look at that, I see Dennis as Trae young who is a liability in the defensive end.

Raptors now ranked number 12, so I think every game is important for them to at least qualify for the play-in tournament. However, missing Siakam might be a big problem for them and it started to show their real capability as a team.

Trading Siakam will create a long term problem to them especially if they want to compete to get a slot on playoffs or even in play in. But if they don't have any aim for that since they want to rebuild their team then I guess taking any extra steps is not necessary anymore especially they only got role players in return. I know brown is really a good player but for sure he is not in the same level with Siakam which is good on defense but also can contribute on offensive ends.

Every game is really important for them but I guess they struggle more to compete especially there are more great team than them in the east.

[Finestream]

They have a good experienced guard in Dennis, and he should be used and play more time.

No question about his capability, he really is a good guard, his team won the FIBA world cup, right? However, even if Dennis is good, he can also be a liability if their opponnents will design a play to attack him since he is a small point guard, so Raptors also need to look at that, I see Dennis as Trae young who is a liability in the defensive end.

Raptors now ranked number 12, so I think every game is important for them to at least qualify for the play-in tournament. However, missing Siakam might be a big problem for them and it started to show their real capability as a team.

Trading Siakam will create a long term problem to them especially if they want to compete to get a slot on playoffs or even in play in. But if they don't have any aim for that since they want to rebuild their team then I guess taking any extra steps is not necessary anymore especially they only got role players in return. I know brown is really a good player but for sure he is not in the same level with Siakam which is good on defense but also can contribute on offensive ends.

Every game is really important for them but I guess they struggle more to compete especially there are more great team than them in the east.

Not really in the long term as they are getting good addition with that trade. Maybe their season will suffer but in the season to come they'll probably improve. Kindly read the full trade report, and tell me if you stick with your opinion that it will create a long term problem.

Raptors receive:

Bruce Brown (via Pacers)
Kira Lewis (via Pelicans)
Jordan Nwora (via Pacers)
Two 2024 first-round picks (via Pacers)
Conditional 2026 first-round pick (via Pacers)
Pacers receive:

Pascal Siakam (via Raptors)
Future second-round pick (via Pelicans)

https://www.nba.com/news/raptors-pacers-pascal-siakam-trade

[danherbias07]

How about the Jazz losing to OKC, which snapped their winning streak?

I saw how good OKC is at making adjustments. Although they were able to lead by as much as 19 points early on, the Jazz came back to make it a close game. However, OKC continued to play hard, not allowing the Jazz to take the lead. In fact, they never led in the game.

OKC's good run started when SGA was sitting; it seems like their offense flows better without him in those minutes. The Jazz also made their own adjustments to trim their deficit to 3, but it seemed like OKC had answers for the Jazz offense. In the end, OKC broke their losing streak and beat a good team on the road.

I watched that whole game and it was one heck of an entertaining game.
It's true that the Jazz didn't even have the chance to take the lead but damn, Sexton and Markkanen were so damn awesome that I cannot take my eyes off them at the final minutes of the game.
Jordan Clarkson also made a very crucial 3-pointer while I thought he will be silent the whole 4th quarter. This Jazz team is so fun to watch and although they lost today, they proved they are strong keeping the game close against the number 2 team in the West. They don't even need to watch the tape again looking for mistakes, they did right, it's just that some of them are not hot in outside shooting. Fontecchio shot a lot of threes but they won't sink in. 2/7.
They can win, they just need to be in good shape next time and maybe fortify their defense. I mean, the Thunder are almost always open in distance shots, the Jazz needs to be faster in recovering their defense if they are switching.

The Knicks game was also fun, the Wizards almost took the game from them. I am glad I took the +10.5 for the Wizards.  Brunson with 41 monster points. Whenever he is around, there's not much worry for the Knicks because they will always have an ace to score for them.

[yazher]

How about the Jazz losing to OKC, which snapped their winning streak?

I saw how good OKC is at making adjustments. Although they were able to lead by as much as 19 points early on, the Jazz came back to make it a close game. However, OKC continued to play hard, not allowing the Jazz to take the lead. In fact, they never led in the game.

They were young teams that could take their roles quickly when given instructions and one of the teams that will gonna probably play in the NBA playoffs this year. perhaps if they can only be consistent with this kind of play with the same star players these coming seasons, they will become the next Boston Celtics which will gonna be strong contenders and hard to beat at their home court. As for the Jazz, considering they were able to climb up to the number 9 spot despite their struggles in the early season, it could be that they will gonna stay at that spot unless they can improve their play when facing strong teams in their next games.

[mirakal]

How about the Jazz losing to OKC, which snapped their winning streak?

I saw how good OKC is at making adjustments. Although they were able to lead by as much as 19 points early on, the Jazz came back to make it a close game. However, OKC continued to play hard, not allowing the Jazz to take the lead. In fact, they never led in the game.

They were young teams that could take their roles quickly when given instructions and one of the teams that will gonna probably play in the NBA playoffs this year. perhaps if they can only be consistent with this kind of play with the same star players these coming seasons, they will become the next Boston Celtics which will gonna be strong contenders and hard to beat at their home court. As for the Jazz, considering they were able to climb up to the number 9 spot despite their struggles in the early season, it could be that they will gonna stay at that spot unless they can improve their play when facing strong teams in their next games.

They were able to beat strong teams before their winning streak was snapped. If we go back to their record, we can see they beat the Sixers, Bucks and Denver. Winning against the Denver which is a defending champion is already enough to conclude that they are a strong team, although young and lack of experience.  A lost of OKC should not be a factor to conclude that they have no chance in the playoffs, this team are playing good basketball, everyone in the team are ccontributing, so let's be optimistic with this team. 

[boyptc]

I missed the trade of Siakam to Indiana Pacers, was it a good decision for the Raptors? I don't know but this is what's permanent in the league, we're always going to see trades everywhere. And even for the franchise players, it's now possible that they get traded away based on the interest of the management.

We can just always think of the "IF" they've retained the champion roster that they've got. Well, it's just part of the history now and with the Nuggets in the future, I think that we might see the same thing.

For me the Raptors won this trade. Imagine getting three 1st-rounders for Pascal Siakam but I think Pascal Siakam will also do well in Indiana Pacers. I like the move for both teams. This is benefits for the Raptors in their rebuilding process.

Currently, Chris Boucher is the only player remaining from the 2019 Toronto Raptors championship roster. The championship team caliber has been gone for a long time for the Raptors since Kawhi left.

Yeah. There's still Chris Boucher on that winning roster but he's not the same as the other known players from his batch. Every first 1 rounder picks are good and having it three is an advantage but, it's always guaranteed that the first pick is the best pick at all.

We've just seen it on this batch but yeah, can't remove the fact that it is an advantage for the Raptors and all they have to do is to rebuild the team and have some chemistry again.

[carlisle1]

How about the Jazz losing to OKC, which snapped their winning streak?

I saw how good OKC is at making adjustments. Although they were able to lead by as much as 19 points early on, the Jazz came back to make it a close game. However, OKC continued to play hard, not allowing the Jazz to take the lead. In fact, they never led in the game.

They were young teams that could take their roles quickly when given instructions and one of the teams that will gonna probably play in the NBA playoffs this year. perhaps if they can only be consistent with this kind of play with the same star players these coming seasons, they will become the next Boston Celtics which will gonna be strong contenders and hard to beat at their home court. As for the Jazz, considering they were able to climb up to the number 9 spot despite their struggles in the early season, it could be that they will gonna stay at that spot unless they can improve their play when facing strong teams in their next games.

They were able to beat strong teams before their winning streak was snapped. If we go back to their record, we can see they beat the Sixers, Bucks and Denver. Winning against the Denver which is a defending champion is already enough to conclude that they are a strong team, although young and lack of experience.  A lost of OKC should not be a factor to conclude that they have no chance in the playoffs, this team are playing good basketball, everyone in the team are ccontributing, so let's be optimistic with this team. 

Indeed, beating both Bucks and sixers which is really hot in the east while the Denver as you mentioned the current title holder, those 3 teams
that they beats gives them a credit that they are really doing good.

They might be still a young squad but if they keep that confidence and keep that type of game that they are executing, the winning chance is better.

A lost is a lost and they just need to focus on their next game, try to win back and continue playing great.

[dwyane36]

They were able to beat strong teams before their winning streak was snapped. If we go back to their record, we can see they beat the Sixers, Bucks and Denver. Winning against the Denver which is a defending champion is already enough to conclude that they are a strong team, although young and lack of experience.  A lost of OKC should not be a factor to conclude that they have no chance in the playoffs, this team are playing good basketball, everyone in the team are ccontributing, so let's be optimistic with this team. 

The performances of teams like the Thunder and Timberwolves are impressive this regular season. Honestly, I'm still not used to seeing these two teams at the top of the standings.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that a good performance by any NBA team throughout the regular season doesn't guarantee that a team will succeed in the playoffs. A prime example of this is the Suns in the 21/22 season.

[ajanwalker]

Utah won 4 of the 5 matches it played at home, excluding the postponed Golden State match. In its last game, it lost 129-134 to Oklahoma at home. After the Lakers and Clippers, Oklahoma defeated Utah, which was in great form, in its last away match. Oklahoma's last away game will be against Minnesota on January 21, but I don't think it can beat Minnesota.
The Utah Jazz will now go on a 6-game road series.
If they really aim for the top positions, they need to get at least 3 wins out of these 6 matches as a team.
I really like the Utah Jazz as a team and I believe they can get at least 4 wins.

[Baofeng]

Poor D'Lo, his name keeps popping up for a trade between the Lakers and the Hawks,

And as per report, the trade might look like this,

Lakers get:
- Dejounte Murray

Hawks get:
- D’Angelo Russell
- Jalen Hood-Schifino
- 2029 1st round pick
- Additional Draft Comp

It's not yet final and official, but it looks like after playing good in the last couple of games for the Lakers, D'Lo is on the move again.