Timberwolves will reportedly trade Jimmy Butler to Sixers

Philadelphia Inquirer: The 76ers got their third star. The team will acquire All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second-round pick.

More from the Inquirer: Butler can opt out of the final year — 2019-20 — of his contract next summer to become a free agent. He and the Sixers expect to reach a deal on a long-term contract then, according to ESPN. That makes sense, because the Sixers will have his Bird rights once the trade goes through. The Sixers can offer him a five-year, $190 million max contract next summer. Teams that don’t have his rights would be able to offer Butler only a four-year, $141 million max contract in free agency.

PhillyNews.com: If you were to design the ideal player to star alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there are a lot of ways in which he would differ from Jimmy Butler. From his volume-dependent point production to his mediocre three-point shot to his habit of clashing with younger players, the 29-year-old star is hardly the perfect fit for a Sixers team that has less than a year to put the finishing touches on the core it will rely upon for the next half decade. But the one overriding takeaway from the organization’s decision to acquire the disgruntled veteran from the Timberwolves, while parting ways with two beloved starters is this: Not only does Butler makes the Sixers better right now, in the midst of a sputtering 8-5 start, but he has the potential to make them a whole lot better come April, by which time the Sixers will need to have experienced a radical transformation to compete in an Eastern Conference playoff field that includes powerhouses in Boston and Toronto and an upstart Bucks squad in Milwaukee.

Jayson Tatum facing tougher defense this season

The Celtics are a modest 7-5 so far this season and look like they have a way to go in their quest to become an NBA Finals contender. It’s early in the season so there’s no reason to panic. One key young Celtics that certainly should improve as the season progresses is Jayson Tatum, who through 12 games played is shooting just 40.3% FG. Here’s the Boston Herald reporting:

Jayson Tatum facing tougher defense this season

Asked about the way opponents are guarding him differently this season, Jayson Tatum is understated but direct.

“They’re not giving me as much space this year,” the Celtics forward said this week.

Intensified attention was a given for Tatum after having quite possibly the best year by a Celtics rookie since Paul Pierce.

Pierce fought his way through by becoming one of the best in the NBA at scoring through contact. Tatum, who admits he’s getting bounced around a bit, is learning how to adjust to more physical play now.

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Wizards keep struggling, fall to 2-9

The Wizards lost to the Magic 117-108 on Friday and are now 2-9 for the season, which is the second-worst record in the Eastern conference, ahead only of the 1-10 Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwight Howard made his Wizards debut on November 2, but the team has lost three of the four games he’s played in. It’s tough to say what the short-term answer is. Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting:

The Washington Wizards are far from tapping out on the young season even though Friday’s 117-108 loss to the Magic dropped their record to a shocking 2-9. When it comes to talking about all that’s wrong during this rough start to the season, they’ve run out of explanations.

Sure, there are general responses about sticking together despite the trying times, and playing with the intensity displayed during a second-half rally that cut a 25-point deficit to one with 2:30 remaining. The mistakes on both ends of the court remain. If the players knew an obvious fix, they would execute or at least explain. The situation is beyond that for a team last league-wide in points allowed and tied with the Phoenix Suns for the NBA’s second-worst record.

“It’s the definition of insanity, I guess,” Bradley Beal said postgame when asked what can be said about consistent defensive lapses. “Just have to do it. Just have to get it done. There’s nothing else to say, nothing else to even talk about. Just go get the damn job done, and do whatever it takes to get it done, win games. That’s what we’re going to do.”

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Knicks reveal City Edition uniform design

The New York Knicks today unveiled their City Edition alternate jersey, which features the New York City Skyline as the central design element and a symbol of the diverse cultures united across New York City.

The Knicks will debut these uniforms on Sunday, November 11 when the team takes on the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden and will continue to wear the jerseys at various theme nights throughout the 2018-19 season.

According to the team, “the City Edition design was inspired by what it means to be a New Yorker and utilizes one of the City’s most iconic and defining attributes – its skyline—as a representation of the many cultures that make up New York and their shared ambitions and dreams. To unveil the uniforms to the team, six Junior Knicks members were invited to the Knicks practice facility where they read letters describing how the Knicks inspire them as New Yorkers.”

Another 20-rebound game for Hassan Whiteside

The Miami Heat are just 5-6 this season, which is the 9th best record in the Eastern conference through Friday’s games. But on a positive note, lately they’ve enjoyed some monster rebounding outputs from Hassan Whiteside. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting:

Josh Richardson was incredulous, but not necessarily surprised to hear the actual numbers to go along with Hassan Whiteside’s performance in the Miami Heat’s 110-102 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday. For the second straight game, Whiteside pulled in 20 rebounds and hearing this number once again caused Richardson’s eyes to widen and seek confirmation from no one in particular.

“He had 20 rebounds again?” Richardson said in the Heat’s locker room after the game Friday. “He’s locked in right now. He’s bringing a lot of good things to the table.”

Even before this four-game homestand began Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs in Miami, Whiteside sat behind only Detroit Pistons post player Andre Drummond on the NBA leaderboards for rebounds per game and the center’s first two games back at AmericanAirlines Arena have caused his numbers to balloon. For the first time in his career, Whiteside recorded 20 rebounds in back-to-back games, lifting his average per game to 15.7 entering a Saturday home game against the Washington Wizards, up from 14.6 per game when the homestand began. Early on, he’s on pace to break his own single-season franchise record of 14.1 rebounds per game, set during the 2016-17 season.

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