Armel Traore’s stint with the Lakers has officially ended—for now. The 22-year-old rookie played in just nine games for L.A., averaging 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 31.6%. Despite showing glimpses of potential, the Lakers decided to waive him on Friday, freeing up a two-way roster spot.

Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times reported the news, noting that if Traore clears waivers, the Lakers are interested in keeping him with their G League affiliate.

“The Lakers have signed G Jordan Goodwin to a two-way deal and waived F Armel Traore. Lakers like Traore and would have interest in keeping him in the building with their G-League team if he clears waivers. Lakers have need for G depth after Christie/Reddish/Knecht trades.”

It’s a logical move considering the Lakers’ recent roster changes. With Max Christie, Cam Reddish, and Dalton Knecht traded, the backcourt depth took a hit, making a two-way deal for Goodwin—an energetic defensive guard—a smart addition.

Traore’s Future Remains Unclear

Although his NBA minutes were limited, Traore performed well in the G League, averaging 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 51.3% shooting over eight games.

Standing 6-foot-9 with a developing perimeter game (34.4% from three), he remains an intriguing prospect—one that at least one draft analyst sees as worth a serious look. Rich Stayman of No Ceilings shared his thoughts on Traore’s potential:

“Someone with lottery intentions should swoop up Armel Traore. I liked him a lot last summer.”

That might be a bit of a stretch—Traore is still raw and unlikely to crack an NBA rotation anytime soon—but it highlights the potential he brings. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, the Lakers would be more than happy to keep him in South Bay for further development.

For now, his future remains uncertain. The Lakers prioritized backcourt depth over another developmental forward, which is simply the nature of the business.

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard reacts to Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis Lakers-Mavs trade

Kawhi Leonard’s Los Angeles Clippers made a few moves at the NBA trade deadline, but none as significant as their crosstown rivals, the Lakers, who landed Luka Dončić in exchange for Anthony Davis.

With Dončić now in Los Angeles, the Lakers are viewed as legitimate championship contenders despite parting ways with Davis and Max Christie.

Meanwhile, the Clippers reshaped their roster by trading away five players while bringing in four new additions. They sent Mo Bamba and P.J. Tucker to the Utah Jazz for Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills. In a separate deal, they moved Terance Mann and Bones Hyland to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a package for scoring guard Bogdan Bogdanović. Their final move saw Kevin Porter Jr. traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for MarJon Beauchamp.

Despite these changes, the spotlight has remained on the blockbuster swap between the Lakers and Mavericks, with Dončić’s move to Los Angeles sending shockwaves across the league. After a recent Clippers game, Kawhi Leonard shared his thoughts on the Lakers’ acquisition of Dončić.

“I think it’s surprising, like everybody else said,” Kawhi Leonard said. “But we have to see how they look. We haven’t been able to see them play with those teams yet, and so we’ll have to figure that out once we see Luka playing with the Lakers and AD playing with the Mavericks.”

Luka Dončić has yet to make his highly anticipated debut for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the superstar guard is expected to suit up for the first time on Monday night against the Utah Jazz.

Before the trade, Dončić was putting up stellar numbers for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in 22 appearances this season.

However, questions remain about how he will fit into the Lakers’ system, especially after the team’s attempt to acquire a premier center fell through. General Manager Rob Pelinka had discussions with Dončić about optimizing his playing style and subsequently made a move for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams.

That trade, however, was rescinded due to medical concerns involving Williams. As a result, Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish will remain with the Lakers, while Williams returns to Charlotte.

Jayson Tatum was clearly motivated by the presence of celebrities like Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Carmelo Anthony, and Stephon Marbury at Madison Square Garden on a snowy New York night.

With the eyes of the basketball world watching, the Celtics had another chance to showcase their championship credentials against a tough opponent.

This wasn’t just any game; it was in New York, not Cleveland, and Tatum was determined to bounce back from his lackluster showing against the Dallas Mavericks.

Right from the opening 48 seconds of the first quarter, Tatum set the tone. After receiving a pass from Derrick White and using a screen from Luke Kornet, he outmaneuvered Karl-Anthony Towns with a deceptive move, leaving Precious Achiuwa as the last defender.

Tatum then powerfully dunked the ball, marking the first points of the game and setting the stage for his exceptional performance.

Tatum’s 40-point game, especially his 18 in the third quarter, was a spectacle. He danced with the crowd’s energy, sinking three-pointers, exploiting the Knicks’ double teams to drive or pass to open teammates.

His ability to navigate and dismantle the defense tailored to stop him was impressive, and his teammates complemented his efforts beautifully.

This dominant 131-104 victory over the Knicks, even without key players like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, underscored the Celtics as the Eastern Conference’s top team and confirmed Tatum’s status as an elite player.

Despite recent signs of fatigue as the All-Star Break approached, Tatum shone brightly when it mattered most, suggesting that the Knicks’ strategy to contain him with Mikal Bridges might not be the game-changer they hoped for.

“Besides Boston, this is probably the best place to play,” Tatum said of New York. “They got, you know, all the celebrities. They also have an edge about them. They know basketball. They’re passionate. They chant, and they’re cheering the whole time. So, it’s a special place to play.

“We lost last game, and finding out [Porzingis] was out right before the game. We knew it was going to be a challenge. I saw Denzel Washington sitting courtside, so I was excited about that.”

Even though Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, was relatively quiet at the trade deadline with just one minor move, he expressed confidence in the team’s depth when everyone is performing well. The Celtics’ performance on Saturday was a testament to this, and it’s a promising sign that their consistency is becoming more reliable.

If Luke Kornet were a quarterback, his performance would equate to a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He went 7-for-7 from the field, blocked three shots, and grabbed 12 rebounds, just one shy of his career best. The Celtics have been hoping for Kornet to toughen up his game, showing a bit more edge like Nicky Santoro from “Casino” rather than his usual Mr. Rogers persona.

This might have been Kornet’s best game as a Celtic, signaling he can be trusted with significant playing time, especially in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis. With 29 games left in the season, the Celtics have a chance to address their deficiencies, help players who’ve been struggling to find their form, and build greater team confidence and unity.

“It was obviously a game that the guys wanted,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It should be that way but at the same time we have to do the same thing 36 hours or whatever it is from now (against Miami). It was a great environment and I thought the guys kind of relished in that and stuck together.”

One takeaway from this victory was that it left the Knicks just as perplexed as they were when the Celtics hit 29 three-pointers to rout them in the season opener.

The Knicks had made notable offseason acquisitions, including trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, and re-signing OG Anunoby, who was sidelined for Saturday’s game with a foot injury.

Despite having 3½ months to prepare since their last encounter and four days to rest, the Knicks demonstrated they still have a considerable gap to close if they aim to be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

“”We have a lot of work to do. As simple as that,” Towns said. “There’s no sugarcoating. There’s no moral wins. This is something we have to work on. We got to find a way to beat teams like tonight. That’s a team that is in the race. They want to be in the race as much as we do to win a championship but for them, it’s another one. A back-to-back. Like I said, championship teams are great teams, in my experience. They test your discipline and that’s something that we have to work on.”

With only two games remaining before the All-Star Break – against Miami and San Antonio – Saturday’s game demonstrated that the Celtics are nearing full strength as they head into this well-deserved respite. They’ve successfully navigated two recent challenges, including a standout performance at basketball’s iconic venue. It was heartening to see the Celtics exhibit their championship qualities under the spotlight.

The challenge now is to maintain that level of performance even when the stakes aren’t as high.

On Thursday, the Celtics added their first non-draft player to their title-winning team by signing free agent forward Torrey Craig.

Craig, an experienced NBA player, is set to add a fresh dynamic to the latter part of Boston’s bench, which previously consisted mainly of younger, less seasoned players. The 6-foot-5 forward announced on his Instagram story that he will don jersey number 12 for the Celtics.

What might the Celtics gain from this signing after the trade deadline? Here’s an examination of Craig’s background:

Experience

Torrey Craig, now 34, is entering his eighth season in the NBA, and Boston marks his sixth team, excluding his earlier stints in Australia and New Zealand. Since his NBA debut with Denver in 2017, he’s played in 441 games, starting 168, across teams including Milwaukee, Phoenix, Indiana, and Chicago.

Craig has substantial playoff experience, with 75 games under his belt, his most recent participation being with the Suns in 2023. He was also on the Phoenix team that made it to the NBA Finals in 2020-21. He was waived by the Bulls just this Monday.

This contrasts significantly with Boston’s other bench players — second-year pro Jordan Walsh, rookie Baylor Scheierman, two-way player Drew Peterson, and the recently traded Jaden Springer — who have yet to prove they’re ready for consistent NBA action. Craig should provide a dependable wing option behind stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Sam Hauser, particularly on nights when key players are out.

The Celtics have faced numerous games this season where not all their main rotation players (Tatum, Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, and Hauser) were available, having all nine together for fewer than a quarter of their 52 games.

Craig is expected to take on a role akin to what Oshae Brissett did last season (55 games, averaging 11.5 minutes per game), allowing younger players like Walsh, Scheierman, and Peterson to continue their development.

Defense

Torrey Craig is primarily recognized for his tenacious and adaptable defense. According to Cleaning The Glass, he’s been in the 93rd percentile or higher for shot-blocking percentage at his position in four out of his seven full NBA seasons. He’s also proven to be a capable rebounder on both offense and defense, ranking in the 71st percentile for defensive rebounds with Chicago last season and the 88th percentile for offensive rebounds.

Last season, opponents shot over 40% from three-point range when Craig was the closest defender, as per NBA player tracking data. However, this season, that figure dropped to 33.3%, although this is based on a limited nine-game sample size. In the 2022-23 and 2021-22 seasons, opponents shot 34.8% and 33.6% respectively with Craig defending.

Perimeter shooting

Torrey Craig isn’t known for filling up the stat sheet, with career averages of 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. His career 3-point shooting percentage of 35.5% is average, but he’s shown improvement in his long-range game in recent years while taking more shots from deep. In the 2022-23 season, he hit 39.5% of his threes (3.2 attempts per game), and last season, he shot 39.2% (2.9 attempts per game). This season, in his nine games with the Bulls, he was even more effective, making 42.9% of his three-point attempts (15-for-35).

In his last game before being waived, Craig had an impressive performance, going 5-for-7 from three-point range and scoring a season-high 18 points in an overtime victory against Charlotte. He also made 3 out of 5 three-pointers in a November 29 defeat to Boston.

Injury concerns

Torrey Craig’s last game with Chicago was over a month ago on December 30. He’s been out since then due to an ankle sprain, which the Celtics will assess during his physical examination before their Saturday game against the New York Knicks, as reported by Jared Weiss from The Athletic. This season, before his release, Craig only played in back-to-back games twice (though he was available but did not play in some of those games). He also had knee and foot problems last season.

Therefore, staying healthy will be crucial for Craig as he starts his journey with the Celtics. He will be the third-oldest player on the team, only younger than Al Horford (38) and Jrue Holiday (34).