The Jazz’s season ended Thursday, as Bojan Bogdanovic’s clanked three as time expired in Game 6 allowed the Mavericks to clinch their first-round series.

In this era of an insatiable appetite for player movement, it can sometimes feel as if people are trying to will trades into existence before letting events occur as they should.

Can people really be sure the best path forward is to break up the band? Or is it too much fun playing with the trade machine and Photoshopping Mitchell into various jerseys? I don’t mean to be flippant.

Only two years ago, the Suns were a team more likely to be the butt of a joke than title contender.

And while guys like Booker or Stephen Curry may not be in the DPOY conversation, they have worked hard enough on that end of the floor to not crater their teams at the end of games.

The Phoenix center was a controversial pick until he fine-tuned all the little parts of his offensive game to become someone who can take advantage of teams in the postseason.

Does that make him a little more movable? Could Jordan Clarkson—who, to be fair, brought it in Round 1—possibly be moved for a defense-first wing? Bogdanovic, who has been an instrumental part of this team’s success, is also on an expiring deal and could be a legitimate chip to bring back an impact player.

Maybe the hardest thing for a team to do is to go from very good to great.

While his flaws were exposed against Dallas, he’s a 25-year-old who—while having room to improve—is a perennial All-NBA candidate who helped keep the team afloat after the departure of Gordon Hayward.

Does Utah really want to go down a route like the Thunder? Is it that much better to collect lottery tickets and throw years of competing away when you already have two accomplished players on the team? That plan is based entirely on luck.

All I know is if Bojan Bogdanovic hit that wide-open three—a shot he hit 40.7% of the time during the regular season—the conversation following Game 6 would have been how Utah bounced back from a crushing defeat and showed incredible resolve in forcing a Game 7.

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The only player to make more baskets without a miss in a game: Wilt Chamberlain, who did it three times, topping out at 18-of-18 in a 76ers win vs.

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As expected, the Raptors weren’t looking to go down without a fight at first.

Although the Raptors outscored the 76ers in the second quarter, Philly still had a one-point lead going into the half.

As he knocked down four of his six shots, with three of his attempts coming from beyond the arc, Maxey collected 15 of the Sixers’ 37 third-quarter points.

While no lead is safe in the NBA Playoffs, the Sixers did all they could to secure their spot out in front.

Meanwhile, Maxey and Harden thrived and combined for 47 points on the offensive end as the Sixers cruised past Toronto and put the Raptors away for good.

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Murray is the heart and soul of this Denver Nuggets team and while Nikola Jokic is the leader, the former Kentucky Wildcat gives them a sense of direction.

Signing Michael Porter Jr. to a five-year, $172 million extension last offseason was a very risky move for the Nuggets’ front-office to make and so far, this risk has not turned into a reward for them.

Many within the Denver Nuggets organization are optimistic that the young forward will be ready for the start of training camp in preparation for the 2022-23 season, but Porter Jr.

Talent-wise, Michael Porter Jr. has proven that he can be an All-Star-like talent on the wing, but the question of whether or not he can stay healthy will loom large for the rest of his career.

Breaking the news of Andre Drummond signing with the Lakers in 2021, as well as other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Brett Siegel joined FastBreak on Fan Nation in April 2022 after previously covering the NBA for NBA Analysis Network and working with Louisville Basketball, aiding in daily operations, scouting and recruiting.

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Training camp, preseason, and the start of the regular season came and went with Simmons staying off the floor for the Sixers.

Eventually, the Brooklyn Nets realized that James Harden didn’t want to be on their roster anymore.

Earlier this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Simmons remains committed to the Brooklyn Nets.

It seems Simmons and the Nets will continue to work together for the time being.

“I spoke with a trusted source from a non-playoff team that was previously attracted to Simmons who told me they’re out on him.

But even if Brooklyn wanted to cut the cord already, it seems they would have trouble finding a deal worth making as the dreadful Simmons saga has gone on too long.

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Kyle Boone of CBS Sports recently released a mock draft the 2022 class, which gives insight into where some of the top players in the upcoming rookie class could land.

Nick has spent the last four seasons covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and has grown quickly in the media since starting.

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Between initially not being a part of the team then being limited to part-time status, it was challenging for Brooklyn to build team chemistry ahead of the playoffs.

“I don’t really plan on going anywhere.

The Mavericks will have their focus on retaining Jalen Brunson in free agency as opposed to playing the star chasing game.

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Without a third star on the floor for their entire playoff run, the Nets relied heavily on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to carry to load themselves.

While Game 4 in Brooklyn this past Monday night was close, the Celtics managed to close out the first-round series with a sweep.

After acquiring the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat drew a first-round matchup against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

They didn’t have the juice to make a similar run this year.

Last weekend, the Sixers could’ve become the first team to advance to the second round as they had a significant 3-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors.

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The Golden State Warriors should have gotten the ball back with 40 seconds left to try and get the lead again.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for the Warriors, but even so, they’re still up 3-1 against the Denver Nuggets.

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