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Peso63 Online GAME, Uppsala (2026)

08/06/2024

After a 10-day layoff, the NBA Finals have finally arrived, and the Boston Celtics wasted no time putting the Dallas Mavericks on notice. Racking up a commanding 29-point lead in the first half, the Celtics withstood a run from the Mavericks in the third quarter to coast to a commanding 18-point win and take a 1-0 lead in their return to the Finals, 107-89.

Jaylen Brown was the best player on the court for the Celtics tonight. He led the team in scoring with 22 points despite conservative shot volume (7-of-12 shooting), and he put in serious work defensively, snagging three steals and swatting three shots. Kristaps Porzingis made a triumphant return to the lineup, scoring 20 points in just 21 minutes in his first game action since the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, while Jayson Tatum had a quiet scoring night (16 points) and struggled with turnovers (five), but otherwise recorded a customary 11 rebounds and five assists.

Predictably, Luka Doncic led the Mavericks in scoring with 30 points. The Celtics clamped down on his playmaking opportunities, however, holding him to an unprecedented one assist on the night. Kyrie Irving was completely absent, scoring just 12 points and shooting 6-of-18 from the field, and no other Maverick besides P.J. Washington (14 points) made much of a mark.

The game began evenly enough, with the Mavs thriving in the midrange while the Celtics opened the game relatively cold, missing a number of threes despite relatively loose coverage from Dallas. They remained within just a couple possessions of one another through a free-flowing first five minutes of play.

Then the unicorn entered the fray.

Porzingis made his return to the Boston lineup midway through the first quarter, and put himself on the scoreboard soon after. Going to work on the left elbow, he drew a foul in his first minutes of action — the first foul of a relatively referee-light first quarter — and converted on both freebies, before knocking down a midrange jumper from the same spot on the next possession. For a player who clearly wasn’t at full conditioning after injury, it was a ludicrous start — he was the game’s leading scorer in the opening quarter with 11 points, and tacked on two early blocks for good measure. The Celtics lead was 17 after the first quarter, 37-20.

Porzingis hit the bench to open the second quarter, but the Celtics churned forward. They targeted Doncic, setting up multiple opportunities for Brown to attack him one-on-one and force the 25-year-old to apply himself defensively. The strategy resulted in one of the game’s signature plays — a ferocious dunk after a blow-by against Doncic.

Porzingis checked back in after a brief rest, and Boston once again found another gear. With the 7-foot-3 center cooking and the entire lineup finding success from three-point range — every Celtic to take the court connected on a three except Payton Pritchard — the lead continued to swell. They crossed the 20-point threshold and even doubled the Mavericks up at one point, and walked into the halftime break with a 21-point edge, 63-42.

The Celtics came out cold as play resumed in the second half. Their offense stagnated, allowing the Mavericks to claw their way back into the game with a modest 12-5 run across the opening minutes of the quarter. Doncic found his rhythm, building to a game-high 27 points after three quarters, and the Boston lead slipped down to just eight points after he connected on a pull-up three pointer with just under five minutes remaining in the frame.

After a timeout from Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics righted the ship. Porzingis cracked 20 points on a thundering dunk and Brown pulled off an impactful stretch, drawing a pair of fouls on Dallas’ standout rookie Dereck Lively II (giving him five) before emphatically swatting shot attempts from Irving and Derrick Jones Jr. late in the quarter. Tatum, Horford and Brown connected on threes in the closing minutes of the third, and the Mavericks ultimately gained just one point on the Boston lead for the quarter, with the Celtics leading 86-66 entering the fourth.

Tasked with carrying their lead through to the finish line, the Celtics answered the bell. The Mavericks made no meaningful inroads towards a comeback in the fourth quarter, with the Celtics forging ahead by 25 points with just under five minutes to play. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd pulled his starters early, and the teams looked forward to Game 2 as the clock ticked down in regulation.

Next up, the Celtics will strive to get one win closer to the Larry O’Brien trophy, hosting the Mavericks for Game 2 at TD Garden this Sunday at 8 PM EST on ABC.

The Celtics are three wins from a title after their 18-point win in Game 1 of the Finals

08/06/2024

And it all comes down to this. The Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. It has been 13 years since the Mavericks won their only title in 2011. It has been 16 years since the Celtics won their 18th championship. This is the first time in NBA history that Boston and Dallas have played each other in the NBA Finals.

This is the Mavericks third trip to the Finals as a franchise. The first two times in the Finals, they faced the Miami Heat. In 2006, the Mavericks lost to a Wade and Shaquille O’Neal-led Heat squad in six games in the Finals. In 2011, when they won the title, they defeated the Heat’s “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in their first season as a super team.

The Celtics have won the Finals 17 times and have lost in the Finals an additional 5 times. This is the 2nd time in 3 seasons that the Celtics have made it to the Finals. In 2022, the Celtics lost in 6 games to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The next most recent appearance was in 2010 when an injury to Kendrick Perkins and some questionable referee shenanigans resulted in a loss in 7 games.

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The Finals this year don’t lack for interesting story lines. It has been 5 years since Kyrie Irving played for the Celtics, but negative feelings toward him are still very strong among Celtics fans. After leaving Boston for Brooklyn, his Nets beat the Celtics in 5 games in the 20-21 first round. After the game, he made a big show of stomping on Lucky’s head on the logo. Since that time, he has lost 10 straight games against Boston.

We also have Kristaps Porzingis playing against his former team as well. Porzingis played for the Mavericks and with Luka Doncic for 2 and 1/2 years. It didn’t work out with the Mavs losing in the first round of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. He was traded to the Wizards mid-season amid rumors of discord between Luka and Porzingis. After a year and a half in Washington, Porzingis was traded to the Celtics, where it has worked out quite well.

Porzingis has been sidelined since straining his calf in Game 4 of the first round series against the Heat. The Celtics went 9-1 without him in the next 2 rounds of the playoffs, but they are very happy to have him ready to return for this game. Porzingis has been removed from the injury list and now, the Celtics should have everyone available.

For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic is listed as probable due to a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness. Doncic has been a regular on the injury report all postseason but hasn’t missed a game. Since he has just had a week off to rest and heal, I’m expecting him to be ready to play without restriction. Olivier-Maxence Prosper is listed as questionable due to an ankle injury and will be a game time decision.

Jrue Holiday vs Luka Doncic
Doncic is averaging 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 35 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 47.3% from the field and 29.4% from beyone the arc. He is very tough to defend as he can shoot from pretty much anywhere on the court. If the Celtics can slow him down, it would go a long way toward getting a win.

Derrick White vs Kyrie Irving
Irving is averaging 22.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 48.5% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, he finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 41.9% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. Although Irving has been talking about maturing and being over his grudge against the Celtics, he will do his best to beat his former team and the Celtics need to do their best to keep him from doing so.

Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs PJ Washington
Washington was a big addition to the Mavs at the trade deadline. He is averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 43.2% from the field and 36.3% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 16 points, 4 rebounds, 0.5 assist, 1 block and 1 steal. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off of the boards. With a 7’3” wingspan, Washington will likely be tasked with defending Jayson Tatum.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the number one key to winning games, especially in the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Mavs are averaging 107.9 points per game (6th) while the Celtics average 111.4 points per game (2nd). The Mavs are 7th with a defensive rating of 111.1 while the Celtics are 3rd with a defensive rating of 108.7. When the Celtics struggle on offense, they have to be able to stop the other team from scoring. The Celtics need to play tough, lock down defense for the entire game. The Mavericks have players who can put up a lot of points in a hurry if the Celtics don’t play tough team defense. Defense is likely going to be what wins this series.

Rebound - Second to defense, rebounding is the key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards. When they work hard on the boards, it usually follows through to the rest of the game as well. The Celtics are averaging 43.7 rebounds per game (3rd) while the Mavs are averaging 43.1 rebounds per game (4th). The Mavs are 4th with 13.4 2nd chance points per game while the Celtics are 9th with 12.1 2nd chance points per game. The Celtics need to put out extra effort on the boards to keep the Mavs from getting extra possessions and second chance points and to give the same to themselves.

3 Point Shooting - Both of these teams shoot a lot of 3 pointers. The Celtics are 1st in the playoffs with 16.5 three pointers made, while the Mavs are 3rd with 14.6 three pointers made. The Celtics are 1st with 42.5 threes attempted while the Mavs are 2nd with 39.5 threes attempted. 47.1% of the Celtics shots are 3’s while 44.1% of the Mavs shots are 3’s. Only 4 teams in history have reached the Finals while averaging at least 14.3 threes made per game. If the 3’s aren’t falling, the Celtics need to go to the hoop and not shoot themselves out of the game. On the other hand, the Celtics need to work hard to limit the Mavs 3 pointers.

Maximum Effort for 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to play hard from the opening tip to the final buzzer. They have to play hard on offense and especially on defense with no let up. The Mavericks are the toughest team that they have faced in the playoffs and nothing less than full effort from every player every minute they are in will do. The Celtics need to be aggressive in defending, going to the basket and in rebounding. The two games the Celtics lost in these playoffs were mostly due to a lack of effort, especially on defense. They can’t let the Mavs play harder than them if they want to win this game.

Bench Play - The Celtics need their players off the bench to play well in this series. In the regular season, the Celtics reserves were 26th in the league, averaging 29.3 points per game. The Mavericks bench players were 11th in the league, averaging 35.8 points per game. Dallas’ bench players also averaged more rebounds, assists and steals per game than the Celtics reserves. While coaches usually shorten their rotation for the playoffs, the starters still need to get some rest and they will need the reserves to hold their own while they are in.

X-Factors
Home Court Advantage - The Celtics worked hard all season to obtain home court advantage for the entire playoffs. However, they haven’t used that to their advantage in the playoffs. Their only 2 losses so far in the playoffs were at home while they are undefeated on the road so far. The Garden crowd will be loud and the Celtics need to use that as motivation to play their best for their fans and win their games at home.

Experience - Seven of the Celtics players have at least 5 games of Finals experience, including 4 of the starters plus Al Horford. Combined, the Celtics have 44 games of Finals experience. The Mavericks, on the other hand, have a total of just 23 games of Finals experience. Kyrie Irving has 13 of those 23 games with the rest of the team having just 10 games. This is the 2nd time in just 3 years that Tatum, Brown and Horford have been to the Finals. The Celtics need to use their experience and also to use the Mavericks’ lack of Finals experience to their advantage.

Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently and teams need to adjust to how the game is being called. Will they call the game tight or will they let them play? The Celtics can’t let the officiating take away their focus and they have to adjust to the way the refs are calling it. In these playoffs, we have seen several games lost on bad calls at the end of games. The Celtics need to play hard and build a lead and not allow the refs to take the game away on a bad call at the end.

Official Report
Crew Chief - Zach Zarba
Zarba has a home win/loss record of 43-33. He calls 50% of fouls on the road team and 50% on the home team. The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Zarba, including the Game 3 win over Cleveland and Game 4 win over Indiana. The Mavericks are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Zarba, including Game 5 win over the Clippers, Game 4 loss to OKC, and Game 2 win over Minnesota by 1 points. Zarba was the crew chief in Game 1 of Knicks/Pacers where they made a crucial bad call that pretty much cost the Pacers the game.

Referee - Josh Tiven
Tiven has a home win/loss record of 45-31 this season. He calls 52% of fouls against the road team and 48% against the home team. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Tiven including Game 1 win over Miami and a 1/22 win over the Mavericks in the regular season. Dallas is 5-5 in their last 10 games with Tiven including Game 2 win over Minnesota and a 1 point win over OKC in Game 6. Lakers fans called for Tiven to be investigated for missing an obvious foul call against the Mavericks that cost the Lakers the game.

Umpire - Courtney Kirkland
Kirkland has a home win/loss record of 30-34 this season. In the playoffs, he calls 47% of fouls on the road team and 53% on the home team. The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Kirkland on the crew, including Game 4 at Miami in Round 1, Game 3 against Cleveland, and Game 3 against Indiana. Dallas is 7-3 in their last 10 with Kirkland, including Game 5 win over OKC. 2 years ago during the ECF between Boston and Miami, Kirkland was the replay official in Secaucus who said Max Strus was out of bounds on a key 3 in Game 7. He was not bad in the previous games in these playoffs.

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The Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (Finally!!)

07/06/2024

The 2024 NBA Finals are finally upon us. Within the next two weeks, either the Dallas Mavericks or Boston Celtics will be crowned as NBA champions, and the Golden State Warriors will officially be a full two years removed from their most recent title run.

I’ll be honest with you: I don’t want either of these teams to win! It’s been clear for a while that the Warriors. weren’t going to win another championship this year, but I held out hope that we’d get a winner I could have rooted for. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Indiana Pacers? Sign me up for that one. But Mavs vs. Celtics?

Yikes.

So I’m calling on you for help, Dub Nation. Who are you rooting for?

The Warriors have recent history with both teams. The beat the Celtics in six games back in June of 2022 to win the fourth championship in their dynastic run ... and they beat the Mavs in five games in the Western Conference Finals to get there. They have plenty of history with Mavs star point guard Kyrie Irving, including three consecutive years facing him in the NBA Finals; arguably the most painful moment in Warriors history came at the hands — quite literally — of Irving.

Both teams feature majestic stars that are dazzling to watch — Irving and Luka Dončić for the Mavs, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for the Celtics. Each team has fun and easy-to-root-for role players, particularly Boston’s Jrue Holiday. And yet, both squads have their fair share of annoying personalities and players that irk you, in addition to coaches with problematic histories.

The Celtics have been touted as the heir apparent to the NBA throne for a while, and they’ve acted as such. Seeing them hoist a trophy would be exceptionally annoying. Then again, having the path to a title go through a young Western Conference team is certainly not something that any Warriors fan wants to see.

There are no right answers here. Someone has to win. Who ya got?

Mavericks or Celtics?

07/06/2024

There aren’t a plethora of roster-based options for the Phoenix Suns this offseason. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve begun an article by saying that. Why? Because it’s reality. sigh

The Suns have what many won’t want. Example? The contract of 24-year-old wing Nassir Little. I’ve been vocal throughout the season on how I believe it is one of the worst contracts the Suns possess. Now that we are looking to see what it is worth on the open market, you can understand why.

You’ve certainly heard an expression I use quite frequently, especially regarding player production and the value of their contract: “price for value paid”. It’s important to me, at least as a fan. Does what a player is being compensated for equate to the performance occurring on the court? It was one of the issues I had with Deandre Ayton and why I believe the Nurkic trade was a success.

Is this an issue I have with Little? His contract is a total of $21.6 million. But over the next three years. It’s not the worst number out there. The length of the contract, however, is a killer. Three years. It might not seem like a long time, but in the world of NBA trade leverage, it’s Jason Vorhees.

Who would be willing not only absorb the length of the contract but also the lack of production? Nassir is an upside play and has been his entire career. In his first season with the Suns, in which he was paid $6.25 million, he averaged 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds. He shot 30% from three-point range. Price, but not value paid. I know it’s a bad baseline, but essentially he was paid $41,118.42 per point (he scored a total of 152). Devin Booker was paid $19,563.39 and Kevin Durant was paid $23,449.52.

Little brought energy — which was needed on an unmotivated team — yet lacked consistency. He was oft injured, which has been an issue that has plagued him his entire career. He played in 45 games this season, which is about average for him. After playing in 23 of the Suns' first 30 games, an injury occurred, and he never truly rebounded. He averaged just 1.5 points in 4.5 minutes in his final 22 games, which was 589 games for Phoenix.

Upside, yes. Production, no. He is a player who isn’t great at any one thing. He’s barely good.

So how do you sell that to another team? When you begin to look around and see what options exist, the landscape becomes barren rather quickly. The only thing brave enough to cross the terrain is a one-armed Furisoa.

We discussed a couple of possibilities on the most recent episode of the Suns JAM Session Podcast. But none of them were truly plausible.

Why? Because unless you’re attaching a pick — which I don’t think you should do — there is no incentive for an opposing team to bite. No team is going to want to take on his contract. Because of the lack of price for value paid. Because of the length of the deal.

Perhaps the addition of the G League team will assist with the development of Nassir Little. Perhaps we’ll have a $6.7 million-a-year player dominating the Valley Suns. Perhaps he’ll grow into a productive rotational piece, not for the postseason, but to help Phoenix navigate the regular season. I’m not setting the bar crazy high here.

Next offseason, if the Suns do not move off of his contract this summer, might see more of a market for Little. The price will go up, but the length will drop. This could be appealing to those looking to dump their three-year deal guy...which would put the Suns right back in the same conundrum.

If he played up to the $21.6 million he’s owed over the next three next years, it wouldn’t be an issue.

06/06/2024

In today’s Dub Hub:
Draymond Green wants to see the Indiana Fever invest in an “enforcer” after a hard foul this past weekend on rookie star, Caitlin Clark.
Bleacher Report proposes a three-team deal that would send Jimmy Butler to the Warriors.
Chicago Bulls’ asking price for Zach Levine has “dropped significantly”, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson.
Draymond Green, known for his fiery demeanor on the court, recently suggested that the WNBA’s Indiana Fever should invest in an enforcer to protect their rookie sensation, Caitlin Clark. Green, who takes pride in his own role as the Golden State Warriors’ enforcer, highlighted the need for a player who can stand up for Clark after a controversial foul drew significant attention.

While Clark’s emergence has drastically boosted WNBA viewership, some have argued it has also made her a target for increased physicality from opponents. The Warriors, particularly Stephen Curry, are well-acquainted with the challenges of heightened scrutiny and the resultant physical play. Green’s perspective, shaped by years of experience in the NBA, suggests that the Fever could benefit from a similar protective presence to help their young star navigate the rigors of professional basketball.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, June 3rd:

3-Team Trade to Land Jimmy Butler with Golden State Warriors | Bleacher Report
Warriors Receive: Jimmy Butler, Cole Anthony and Caleb Houstan

Warriors Lose: Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, a 2025 first-round pick from Golden State, a 2027 first-round pick from Golden State and a 2029 first-round pick from Golden State

This may not reopen Golden State’s title window for long, but it would open it pretty wide.

Durability is a concern, but Butler was arguably a top 5-10 player in 2022-23 and a borderline top-20 player this season. His cutting, playmaking and passing would be a nightmare to cover with Curry and Thompson flanking him. He and Green could form the basis of a potentially nightmarish defense.

If he were to play to the peak of his powers in 2024-25 (accounting for the natural decline that comes with age, of course), he’d be the second-best teammate Curry’s ever had (behind Kevin Durant, of course).

Andrew Wiggins Talks Olympics, Canada Basketball, Vince Carter & More | Sportsnet

Timberwolves’ offseason questions: Ownership fight, Tim Connelly and a looming bill | The Athletic
Edwards was surrounded by a tight-knit team, one with such strong chemistry that it decided as a group that no player would appear on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” postgame show after their victory in Game 4 in Dallas, team sources told The Athletic. The decision was a sign of support for Gobert and Towns, who were the subject of derisive and seemingly personal criticism from panelist and Golden State forward Draymond Green.

Steph Curry joins legendary civil rights lawyer Dr. Clarence B. Jones for the ceremonial first pitch

NBA News:
Bulls mailbag: Assessing Zach LaVine’s trade market, potential draft targets | NBC Sports Chicago
Do the Bulls see an off-season LaVine trade as something that HAS to happen? Or will they be content with him on the roster if a trade market for him doesn’t materialize? Also, if he’s on the team at the start of the season, do you think there’s any potential for distraction/unrest? It seems like everyone was professional last year and I’m wondering if that can last if he’s truly unhappy. --- Steve P.

Content may be the wrong word, and I do get the sense both sides are motivated to make something work this offseason. I don’t think the Bulls will take an awful deal if little materializes, but I do get the sense they’re open to more possibilities than before. More to the point: I’ve reported before what their asking price was---All-Star level talent, first-round picks or both---and my sense is that it has dropped significantly.

As I’ve said from the beginning regarding this situation: This is like a relationship that has run its course. And you’re right: Both sides have remained very professional to this point, and I expect that to continue. But the desire from both sides to make a change has grown.

Celtics-Mavericks: 24 key stats ahead of 2024 NBA Finals | NBA
2. The Celtics have outscored their opponents by 9.9 points per game from 3-point range, by 4.1 points in the restricted area, and by 6.1 points per game on free throws. Those are all the best differentials in the playoffs.

3. Luka Doncic has averaged 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists. If he maintained those numbers, he’d be just the third different player to average at least 28, eight and eight in at least 15 playoff games, joining LeBron James (2015, 2018) and Nikola Jokic (2023).

Kings extend head coach Mike Brown through the 2026-27 season
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Remembering how ‘22 Wiggins had Jayson Tatum locked up
I recently wrote an article talking about the impact Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins had on the defensive end against Luka Doncic in the 2022 Western Conference Finals that ultimately propelled the Dubs to the NBA Finals. A big part of the reason I wrote that was because when I saw how Doncic absolutely cooked the West in this playoff run, I realized that what Wiggins and Golden State’s defense did to slow him down two years ago is probably going to go down with what how well the Bad Boys Pistons kept Michael Jordan’s scoring prowess from getting the Bulls over the top for years.

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, June 3rd.

06/06/2024

I recently wrote an article talking about the impact Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins had on the defensive end against Luka Doncic in the 2022 Western Conference Finals that ultimately propelled the Dubs to the NBA Finals. A big part of the reason I wrote that was because when I saw how Doncic absolutely cooked the West in this playoff run, I realized that what Wiggins and Golden State’s defense did to slow him down two years ago is probably going to go down with what how well the Bad Boys Pistons kept Michael Jordan’s scoring prowess from getting the Bulls over the top for years.

But I’d be remiss to not mention how Wiggins efforts on the defensive end that playoff run slowed down another All-NBA talent who is in the NBA Finals this year: Jayson Tatum. TO THE FOOTAGE AND TWEETS!

So even if Wiggins may be on the trade block this offseason, let’s never forget how he made life a living hell for Doncic and Tatum, the two best players in the 2024 NBA Finals.

HE PUT LUKA AND JT INTO SOLITARY CONFINEMENT ON WIGGINS ISLAND!

05/06/2024

The Phoenix Suns are looking to pick up the pieces from a shattered 2023-24 season and put their best foot forward. They are limited in their options relative to roster construction, and much of the changes that will be needed need to occur from within. Attitude. Effort. Accountability.

Still, you need players to take the court, preferably ones with talent. Royce O’Neale, who came to Phoenix via trade this past February, is one of those players.

O’Neale is entering unrestricted free agency this summer after posting 8.1 points in 30 games played with Phoenix. He is expected to be a hot commodity as he brings a three-and-D mentality to whoever he decides to sign with.

Per Brian Windhorst on the Hoops Collective Podcast, that will be the Phoenix Suns.

“They’re going to re-sign Royce O’Neale,” Windhorst said. “That’s going to get done.”

The readdition of O’Neale would ensure a solid core around the Suns’ Big Three, which includes Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic. That would give Phoenix six stable players around which to build the rest of their roster.

If they can sign O’Neale, the team will allow themselves more options moving forward. Seeing as they have his Bird rights, they can sign him while going over the salary cap. He would not only be a player who can contribute, but a chess piece to move at a later date if and when it is needed.

Decisions still need to occur as to who the team believes they should target in the 2024 NBA Draft, as well as free agency. Plenty needs to occur for this team to become a viable contender. This next month should be quite interesting.

Stay tuned to Bright Side as we cover it all...and try to keep our sanity along the way.

Royce was a solid trade deadline addition to a team that needs some grit.

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