Young finished with 22 points and 11 assists on the night, and he iced the game with a clutch shot down the stretch.
Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson was asked about Young’s gesture after the game, and Brunson’s reply was somewhat unexpected if you don’t know what kind of competitor and person Brunson is.
“We should win the game if we don’t want him to do that,” Brunson curtly replied to a question about Young’s dice roll.
Longtime analyst Mike Golic was impressed with Brunson’s answer, posting to X:
“refreshing. couldn’t agree more.”
In a professional sports sphere heavily influenced by social media and hot takes these days, Brunson’s answer was indeed a changeup. Rather than make excuses or antagonize Young, Brunson simply re-directed the question back to the basic elements of sport — winning and losing.
Brunson’s approach to the game is a huge reason why the Knicks have become contenders under his lead over the last year and a half.
The Warriors’ four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry struggled, finishing with 19 points and five assists.
In the aftermath of the loss, it became apparent that Golden State could heavily benefit from more offensive firepower from their reserve guards and size at the center position.
Brandin Podziemski’s 7.9 points on an atrocious 46.4% true shooting percentage has been a far cry from the potential development as a scorer that his front office envisioned prior to the season.
Pairing this issue with Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr’s proclivity to not give ample minutes to their promising young center Trayce Jackson-Davis creates several roadblocks to the team’s path to contention.
As a result of Podziemski’s efficiency issues and De’Anthony Melton missing the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, a drastic change could be made.
In the wake of these developments, the Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy may be tempted to pick up the phone and contact the Detroit Pistons to land budding star guard Jaden Ivey and rising dominant center Jalen Duren in an unprecedented trade.
In a potential deal that would remedy both their bench scoring and size issues, Golden State’s acquisition of Ivey and Duren could be instrumental to extending the championship window for Curry and Green.
In 25 appearances for Detroit, Ivey’s contributed a career-best 17.6 points with an improved 50.3% effective field goal percentage while Duren’s 8.9 points on 67.5% true shooting accuracy and 1.3 blocked shots positions the 21-year-old to become the Warriors’ center of the future.
Pairing the 22-year-old Ivey next to Curry in the backcourt would be extremely effective, as Ivey’s improved scoring also comes with a career-best 116 defensive rating.
As for the 6-foot-10 Duren, his athleticism for his position and pure strength make up for any height deficiencies.
To acquire the pair, Golden State would likely have to include Podziemski and Jackson-Davis in the deal along with another prospect like forward Moses Moody and draft compensation.
Between Cade Cunningham, Holland, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, the Pistons have an underrated young core, although it’s safe to say that they are still a star away from competing in the Eastern Conference. The conventional train of thought has them drafting a premier player in 2025 to complement Cunningham as a star player, although the Pistons could get busy before the trade deadline.
With Isaiah Stewart, Paul Reed, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris all rostered, the Pistons could make a deal for a star, and recent murmurings have them in the mix for Jimmy Butler.
“I do think adding someone like Butler, with a strong coach (Bickerstaff) in tow, could really help them ascend up the East,” wrote The Athletic’s Zach Harper on Friday. “Sometimes, we get too concerned with everybody being on the same timeline. I think it would be good for Cunningham, 23, to get a crash course in doing whatever it takes to extract wins out of tough moments.”
Hunter Patterson, who is the Pistons’ beat writer for the outlet, thinks adding a pick-and-roll threat around Cunningham makes more sense rather than chasing after Butler.
With legitimate contenders like the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns all showing some interest in Butler, a rebuilding, small-market team throwing their hat in the ring is very interesting.
The day before Thanksgiving, the current face of the Wolves franchise, Anthony Edwards, called his team soft as well, although they have since gone on a 4-1 run. However, during that stretch, newcomers Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have still struggled to fit in, shooting 42.6% from the floor and 30.4% from 3-point range, respectively.
In an effort to bring in someone who matches Edwards’ energy, the Wolves could target Butler on the trade market, sending Randle, DiVincenzo and Mike Conley to Miami for Butler, Alec Burks and Kevin Love, reuniting the Wolves with two former players.
Miami wouldn’t get any draft picks but would add three win-now players who could push the Heat into the postseason behind Bam Adebayo. The Wolves, meanwhile, go all-in on getting Edwards a real co-star who can be a locker room leader, and Love ending his career on a winning Wolves team would be incredibly poetic.
After the loss and in the wake of Stephen Curry’s subpar 19-point performance, it was clear to see that Golden State could have benefited from more reserve guard production.
The Warriors’ First-Team All-Rookie guard from a season ago Brandin Podziemski contributed just 8 points while connecting on 33.3% of his attempts from the floor, clearly not offering plenty of support for Curry.
Podziemski’s offensive struggles have been a storyline throughout the season, as his 7.9 points on 38.0% shooting from the field marks a major regression from his first season.
To remedy this situation, the Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy could very well be tempted to contact the Washington Wizards to inquire about a proven veteran guard that could be available for trade.
Washington’s 32-year-old Malcolm Brogdon looks to be a perfect candidate to be traded once again in his nine-year career prior to the deadline this season, and Golden State could be a perfect fit.
The 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2023 Sixth Man of the Year winner is currently boasting averages of 13.8 points and 4.3 rebounds with a 49.5% field goal percentage for the lowly 3-19 Wizards.
Though he’s only appeared in nine contests for Washington this season, Brogdon recently discussed his expected return in the next few games and his reputation as a mid-season trade target when he sat down with Monumental Sports Network’s Rachel Nichols during an episode of her Hometown interview series.
“It’s part of what you sign up for, I think, in the NBA,” Brogdon shared Tuesday. “Honestly what I’ve worked for is being so good that different teams want you.”
Brogdon’s composed nature and intelligence as a 6-foot-4 point guard have been invaluable commodities that he’s provided to competitive teams for the majority of his career, and bringing those qualities to Golden State could partially lead to the extension of Curry’s championship window.
In order to acquire Brogdon from the Wizards, Golden State would likely ship Podziemski and sufficient draft compensation out to help accelerate Washington’s rebuilding efforts.
While the pair of NBA 75th Anniversary Team members have been producing at a spectacular rate, the team as a collective has struggled on both ends of the floor.
Their No. 26 ranked 117.0 defensive rating specifically calls for a drastic change, and the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka may be tempted to remedy the issue by contacting the New Orleans Pelicans to inquire about their gifted perimeter defender.
The 26-year-old Herb Jones is already an All-Defensive First Team selection and fifth-place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year voting as he enters his fourth NBA season. Coming off of his incredible 2023-24 season, the Lakers have been named as the leading suitor to acquire Jones in recent reports.
“While Davis is an incredible defensive player…the nine-time NBA All-Star needs some help,” shared Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Hanna Wednesday.
“Fortunately, there is a player who would be a great addition to help the Lakers out on defense, and it looks like they’re a frontrunner to land him.”
“According to a report from Bovada (per NBACentral) the Lakers are one of the favorite NBA franchises to land forward Herb Jones in a potential trade.”
While he had been contributing to previous iterations of Pelicans teams that were somewhat competitive, the franchise currently resides at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 5-21 record through 26 games.
Jones has contributed 10.3 points and a career-high 1.8 steals to the injury-riddled Pelicans, and their wasted season has turned the defensive prodigy into a likely trade candidate.
The potential acquisition of Jones for Los Angeles would immediately help the team climb the defensive rating ladder towards the conclusion of the season, as the pairing of Jones on the perimeter and Davis protecting the paint would be an unstoppable defensive formula.
To acquire Jones, Los Angeles would likely ship out names like Gabe Vincent or D’Angelo Russell paired with a young prospect like Max Christie and first-round draft compensation.
