NBA News Today: President Biden welcomes Golden State Warriors to White House, Giannis Antetokounmpo misses 4th straight game, and more
The Golden State Warriors took a trip to the White House on Tuesday to celebrate their 2022 NBA championship.
In other news, Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his fourth straight game on Tuesday night due to a lingering knee injury. However, the latest injury update from the team should be encouraging for Bucks fans.
On that note, here is the latest news from around the NBA as of Jan. 18, 2023.
President Biden welcomes Golden State Warriors to the White House
The Golden State Warriors celebrated their 2022 NBA title with President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday. This comes after the Warriors previously opted not to visit the White House to celebrate their titles that were won when Donald Trump was president.
"The Golden State Warriors are always welcome in this White House," Biden said.
Biden then added that the Warriors:
"Reflect America" through their "constant motion, with individual freedom and personality that comes together as one team, a team that plays with joy, with drive to be their best."
The 2022 NBA title marked the Warriors’ fourth title in eight years. However, it may have been their most difficult as they defied the odds to get back to the NBA Finals after missing out on the playoffs the previous two seasons.
"The last couple of years were pretty tough," Biden said. "Critics wondered if this team was gone for good as a championship team," Biden continued.
Vice President Kamala Harris, a Warriors fan from California, also spoke during the NBA team’s visit.
"As a very proud daughter of Oakland, California, it gives me immense personal pride as the vice president of the United States to say, Dub Nation is in the house," Harris said.
Steph Curry and the Warriors then gifted Biden and Harris their own customized Warriors jerseys. Harris’ jersey featured No. 1 to represent her being the Warriors’ biggest fan. Meanwhile, Biden’s featured No. 46 to represent him being the 46th president.
Curry joked that he hopes to see Biden’s jersey:
"On the wall of the Oval Office... Hopefully we can come back and check if it's up there," Curry added.
Also read: Draymond Green confident about visiting the White House again next year as NBA champion
Giannis Antetokounmpo injury update after Bucks star misses fourth straight game
Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his fourth straight game due to knee soreness on Tuesday night as the Bucks defeated Toronto 130-122. However, the injury isn’t expected to keep Antetokounmpo sidelined for too long.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer recently said that the Bucks "expect him to be ready to go soon.” Budenholzer then explained that Antetokounmpo’s injury is likely due to all the wear and tear he’s faced over the last few seasons.
"We continue to think it's the stuff that he and us have dealt with — for me it's each year that I've been here," Budenholzer said.
"We don't think it's anything more than that. Him being healthy, taking care of him is always our priority, we're probably always going to err on the side of caution because we know how important he is to us," Budenholzer continued.
Following their win over Toronto, Milwaukee are now 6-4 without Antetokounmpo this season and 23-12 with him. This gives them an overall record of 29-16, good for second in the Eastern Conference. They have maintained this elite record despite Antetokounmpo’s co-star Khris Middleton having only played in seven games due to a knee injury of his own.
The Bucks’ next game will be on Saturday against Cleveland. It remains to be seen if Antetokounmpo will be back by then.
NBA Rumors: Jazz most engaged with Hawks on John Collins trade
Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins has been involved in many trade rumors over the past few seasons. With the Hawks in the middle of a disappointing season (22-22 and ninth in the Eastern Conference), Collins has once again been made available.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Utah Jazz have been the most active in trade talks with Atlanta involving Collins.
“The Utah Jazz have been the most engaged team recently on a potential Collins trade,” Charania said.
Spurs' Jakob Poeltl garnering significant interest New Inside Pass on @TheAthletic:
🏀 Spurs' Jakob Poeltl garnering significant interest
🏀 The team currently most active on potential deal for Hawks' John Collins
🏀 Updates on Raptors' Fred VanVleet, Jazz's Mike Conley Jr.
Much more: theathletic.com/4098049/2023/0…
Charania named sharpshooter Malik Beasley and defensive forward Jarred Vanderbilt as potential players that the Jazz could offer Atlanta.
"The Jazz have two pieces in Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt that could interest the Hawks,” Charania said.
However, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the Hawks are targeting a big who can shoot in return for Collins. Atlanta ranks 24th in the NBA for team 3-point percentage at 34.0%.
“The Hawks are willing to move forward John Collins for a shooting big, which is what Collins is,” Zillgitt said.
Collins, aged 25, is averaging 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game on 50.1% shooting. He is under contract until the end of 2025 with a player option for the 2025-2026 season, with his contract totaling a guaranteed $102 million. So whichever team makes a move for Collins will likely be making a long-term investment in the young forward.
Also read: John Collins opens up on constantly being involved in trade rumors: "You saw it with Kevin Durant, right? He’s begging for trade"
NBA Rumors: Suns interested in Fred VanVleet
The Phoenix Suns have been struggling big time lately, having gone 2-12 over their last 14 games. This has them sitting at just 21-24 and 12th in the Western Conference.
The main reason for their struggles has been injuries, especially in the backcourt. Suns stars Chris Paul and Devin Booker have played in just 26 and 29 of the team’s 45 games respectively. This has Phoenix looking for reinforcements in the backcourt.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, one player Phoenix is targeting is Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet.
"The Suns and Magic have emerged as potential free-agent suitors for All-Star guard Fred VanVleet, league sources say,” Charania said.
VanVleet spoke recently about his pending free-agency status in the offseason and how he remains focused on the Raptors:
"I’m completely focused on his team. My loyalty is to this team and to this franchise and trying to get us back to the level that we’re accustomed to around here,’” Charania added.
VanVleet, aged 28, is averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.9 3-pointers per game. However, he has struggled with efficiency, shooting just 38.4% and 33.4% from deep.
The Raptors are also sitting at just 20-25 and 11th in the Eastern Conference. As a result, there has been speculation that they could trade their veterans in favor of a rebuild.
VanVleet is making $21.3 million this season with a $22.8 million player option for next season. He is widely expected to decline that option to sign a long-term contract, making him a slightly risky trade target. However, the Suns appear to be in desperation mode, so a VanVleet trade could make sense for Phoenix.
NBA scout sees Pacers as best trade destination for Kyle Kuzma
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is having a career year, averaging 21.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 45.7% shooting. However, the Wizards are still struggling, sitting at 18-26 and 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Kuzma is making $13 million this season with a $13 million player option for next season. However, he is widely expected to decline that option to sign a long-term deal, leading many to speculate that Washington could trade him.
According to one anonymous NBA scout who spoke with NBA Analysis Network, the best trade destination for Kuzma is the Indiana Pacers.
“Tyrese Haliburton is obviously a great passer, and the best way to get the most out of (Kuzma’s) talent is to surround him with threats that can score in various ways,” the scout said.
“Kyle Kuzma would thrive attacking closeouts and getting open looks from Haliburton’s passes. It helps to have a big wing that can get to the rim when the defense scrambles in the half-court. A big difference for the Pacers would be that Kuzma can create his own looks when things are stagnant. They don’t get that with Jalen Smith.
“When you think about the Pacers having Myles Turner to protect the rim and space the floor, the fit with Kuzma would be very intriguing. There’s a lot to like about what they’d look like after a trade,” the scout continued.
The Pacers (23-22 and eight in the NBA's Eastern Conference) have been one of the NBA’s most surprising teams this season. The Pacers already have their future backcourt in young stars Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Meanwhile, they still have Myles Turner. So, perhaps Kuzma, aged 27, could be the missing piece at forward that could take Indiana’s young core to the next level.