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The Los Angeles Clippers, when it was announced that Kawhi Leonard would be out for the foreseeable future, were written off in the crowded Western Conference. While they haven’t been world-beaters, James Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac have kept the Clippers afloat, leading them to a 14-11 record and the sixth seed in the West.

Once Leonard comes back (and it looks like he’s getting closer), the Clippers are expected to continue their unlikely surge and enter the upper echelon of the conference. However, Leonard has proven to be unreliable and delicate during his tenure with the Clippers, and owner Steve Balmer, who is desperate to win, might want to bring a marquee star to his franchise.

With murmurings that LeBron James could be made available, the chances that he gets sent to the crosstown rival Clippers is unlikely, but if the Los Angeles Lakers can get a solid return, they might be interested in swapping the face of their franchise.

The Clippers could offer Leonard and a 2031 first-round pick swap to the Lakers for LeBron and Bronny James, who are expected to be a package deal.

When healthy, Leonard is the better player on both ends of the floor at this point in James’ career, but health is a factor, especially in the midst of a playoff run. By the spring, James will be 40 years old but has proven to be more reliable than Leonard. A starting five of Harden, Kris Dunn, James, Powell and Zubac would be dangerous, and the Clippers would be able to keep Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. on the bench as depth pieces.

The Lakers, meanwhile, get the printer defender they’ve been looking for, and if he’s healthy, Leonard would immediately create the best defensive duo in the NBA with Davis, and Los Angeles could flip draft picks and D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract for a facilitator to help orchestrate the offense.

Pritchard is arguably the leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate right now, which is a huge surprise to most people outside of Boston’s locker room. Pritchard is averaging 16.5 points per game off the bench this season, leading many people to sing his praises.

One of those people is former Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons, who also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks during his career.

Per a new report from ClutchPoints’ Malik Brown, Parsons was extremely complimentary of Pritchard this past week.

“In the Celtics’ last game against the Detroit Pistons, Pritchard came off the bench and finished with a game-high 27 points while dishing out ten assists, Brown said. “He’s been big to the team’s success, and on the Run it Back show, Chandler Parsons gave the guard his flowers.”

“He’s so valuable to this team,” Parsons said, per Brown. “I’ve always loved Payton Pritchard, and then when Jrue Holiday came on the show and said he’s the hardest player to guard in 1-on-1s, I was like, ‘Oh s—, this kid is for real.’”

“He’s averaging 17-3-3, he’s a bonafide starter that’s mastered his role off the bench. He takes nine threes a game, and he’s shooting 44% from the three. Payton Pritchard’s got the best true shooting percentage outside of Steph Curry…the dude’s making history. I never thought he’d be this good; he just keeps getting better and better, and he’s an absolute hooper.”

Pritchard is in year one of a four-year, $30 million deal, a contract that seems like a bargain already.

This season, the Lakers have relied heavily on their title-winning superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to carry the offensive load.

Even with two NBA 75th Anniversary Team members on the roster and Davis specifically scoring 27.5 points on a 61.0% true shooting percentage, the Lakers’ offensive unit has floundered.

Los Angeles’ 112.1 points ranks as the No. 17 highest team scoring figure in the NBA, but they’ve been forced to stand firmly behind their middle-of-the-pack offense due to their atrocious No. 26 ranked 117.0 defensive rating.

For this reason, Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka could be tempted to pick up the phone to inquire about trading for a former All-Star and NBA champion from the Indiana Pacers to fully lean into their hopeful identity as a lethal offense.

With Los Angeles needing to establish themselves in a historically tough conference, acquiring Pascal Siakam from Indiana makes perfect sense.

The 30-year-old forward is currently the driving force behind one of the NBA’s best offensive systems in Indiana.

Siakam is contributing 19.7 points and 6.6 rebounds on a career-best 41.1% shooting clip from three-point range for a Pacers team that’s been losing steam since their Eastern Conference Finals appearance last postseason.

Indiana’s putrid 10-15 record through 25 games this season could be a sign that the franchise could sell the two-time All-Star Siakam and head in a different direction.

Siakam’s arrival in Indiana via trade during the 2023-24 season made one of the NBA’s greatest offenses at the time even deadlier, and his career-high 61.8% true shooting percentage this season could exponentially boost the Lakers’ scoring effectiveness.

With a Siakam acquisition, Los Angeles could compete for a title as one of the best offensive teams in the league that also happens to possess a five-time All-Defensive Team selection in Davis.

To land Siakam who cannot be dealt until Dec. 15, Los Angeles would have to unload sizable contracts, young prospects and plenty of draft capital.

This would include a combination of Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell or Gabe Vincent along with prospects Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie, Maxwell Lewis and first-round draft compensation.

That’s why Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes Orlando should go after Zach LaVine. On Friday, Bailey proposed a deal for LaVine that would send Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, Jett Howard, and a 2025 second-rounder to the Bulls.

“Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of those 2024 free agents who can be moved after December 15,” Bailey said.

“And while his defense and leadership have been important ingredients in the Orlando Magic’s strong start, the team is 23rd in the league in offense, with KCP averaging 8.2 points and Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both out for the next several weeks.”

“Zach LaVine could give the Magic the kind of scoring punch they need (with or without the star forwards), and their abundance of rookie and otherwise affordable contracts makes them a suitor that can probably justify taking on his deal (which has a player option for $49 million in 2026-27).”

“Whenever Banchero and Wagner are back, the 29-year-old can recede into a lesser role, while still helping the Magic pump up their three-point volume and giving those forwards a more reliable scorer to kick out to.”

“For the should-be-rebuilding Chicago Bulls, this is decent value for a player who’s been a mainstay in the trade rumor mill for at least a year.”

“If the Bulls were going to get a first-round pick for LaVine, they probably already would have gotten it. He’s a good player averaging 22.1 points and shooting 43.2 percent from deep this season, but his contract and sometimes shaky defense have scared off suitors.”

“This deal gives Chicago a second-round pick, a young wing with plenty of time to develop in Jett Howard and two tradeable contracts (KCP’s deal has a $21.6 million player option in 2026-27, while Cole Anthony’s has a $13.1 million team option the same season).”

Should the Magic pursue this sort of deal for LaVine, or should they follow the lead of the rest of the NBA and steer clear of LaVine’s contract?

Fans of the Timberwolves and Mavericks will be in for a real treat this Christmas, when their squads meet for a Western Conference Finals rematch in Dallas. Tickets have already been flying for this Luka Doncic-Anthony Edwards duel, the second game of the holiday quintuple-header.

The Mavs are right back in the thick of the playoff chase in the West, sitting well within the top four through mid-December. The Wolves have endured a bumpier road, but they’ve started to catch fire since Thanksgiving.

Will Dallas clean the Timberwolves’ clock like it did in last spring’s gentleman’s sweep of the WCF? Or, will Minnesota exact revenge of Luka, Kyrie Irving and company and mount the road upset?

Interested in catching this one live on Christmas afternoon? Here’s how to secure the best and most affordable tickets to Timberwolves-Mavericks in Dallas.

BUY NOW: Get tickets to Wolves-Mavs in Dallas on StubHub

Timberwolves at Mavs tickets for Christmas 2024
Game: Wolves at Mavs
Date/time: Dec. 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT)
Venue: American Airlines Center
City: Dallas, TX
Tickets: StubHub
Tickets for the Christmas Day NBA game between the Wolves and Mavs are available now on StubHub. The website has listed tickets to this game as a “high demand” event, meaning that tickets have been selling fast.

As of Dec. 13, the cheapest price range for Wolves-Mavs Christmas seats is $66-$86 per ticket. You may want to act fast, though, as the prices could go up between now and Christmas week.

“Bronny had the best game of his young professional career, tallying a career-high 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal,” Phelps said.

“With only three games of NBA action on Thursday due to the NBA Cup, the league decided to make a post celebrating Bronny’s big night, which included a highlight reel.”

“Bronny James dropped an NBA G League career-high 30 PTS tonight!” the NBA wrote on X.”

“However, this choice by the NBA didn’t sit well with some fans, calling the league out for posting about a G League performance. Despite it reaching 500,000 views and Bronny being one of the more popular names, given he is the son of LeBron James, fans took to social media to leave their complaints about the post.”

“The amount of attention he gets is disrespectful to players that are actually good,” one fan wrote.”

“NBA Account posting g-league Highlight lmao,” added another. “LeBron really has a lot of pull.”

“They should highlight more g league players if they’re gonna do this,” said a third. “Props to bronny for sure but he shouldn’t be the only one getting attention for his play in the g league.”

“I ain’t never seen a G league player get this much media coverage,” commented a third. “Might as well start covering players from LA Fitness or the YMCA.”

“LMAOOO this is so lameeeee,” chimed in a fifth.”

“This why the viewership is down… don’t nobody wanna hear about what Bronny doing in the G League, it’s too many young hoopers in the league that needs some attention,” posted a sixth.”

Do you agree with the backlash Bronny’s coverage received online?