ESPN’s fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds for January 9th are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

Game Script: There are three games that opened with a total north of 237 points: Bulls-Celtics, Lakers-Nuggets and Magic-Kings. Games with such a total have gone under the projected number 61.1% of the time this season, so who does an underwhelming scoring night favor? So far, the Bulls, Nuggets and Magic hold the edge in their respective games in terms of ATS record when unders cash with Denver holding the biggest edge (they are 11-7 ATS when under tickets chase while the Lakers are just 5-11 ATS in those spots).

Bucks On Milwaukee: When the Knicks are a small underdog this season (three or fewer points), unders are 6-3, a similar cashing rate to when the Bucks are small favorites (6-4). That gives this game SGP potential when you consider that Milwaukee is 4-1-1 ATS in those six under instances. As far as the total goes, don’t let the recent run of Buck overs fool you … unders are 10-8 in their games with a sub-225-point total (8-13 otherwise).

Pelican Pickups: The Pelicans will be without both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson due to respective injuries for tonight’s matchup against the Wizards. The New Orleans front office has amassed unique depth at the wing, with the likes of Naji Marshall (93% available in ESPN leagues) capably stepping up when called on. Marshall has posted 47 points and six steals across his last two games and is just $5,500 on DraftKings. Jonas Valanciunas ($6,600) is also a key DFS play given reasonable pricing in a matchup that should see him approach 30 minutes of exposure.

Bank on Brogdon: The Celtics’ investment in more backcourt depth is paying off, as they can turn to Malcolm Brogdon to orchestrate offense when needed. With Marcus Smart listed as doubtful to play against the Bulls in Chicago tonight, Brogdon — a free agent in nearly a third of ESPN leagues — is positioned as a top DFS value and spot starter in redraft leagues.

Getting Ahead: In some competitive fantasy hoops formats it can pay off to be proactive. For instance, adding the Suns’ Duane Washington Jr. (99% available in ESPN leagues) ahead of Tuesday’s tilt with the Warriors. With Chris Paul unlikely to play and Cameron Payne still sidelined, Washington can build on his recent 25-point opus against the Cavaliers as Phoenix’s lone active point guard.

Target Thomas: The Lakers are warming up in the win column thanks in part to the play of Thomas Bryant, as he’s been able to hold down the paint while Anthony Davis recovers from a foot injury. Ahead of tonight’s matchup with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, Bryant is somehow still a free agent in two-thirds of leagues despite averaging nearly 22 points and 13 boards over the past week.

— Jim McCormick and Kyle Soppe

New Orleans Pelicans at Washington Wizards7 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington, Washington D.C.

Line: Wizards (-1)Money line: Wizards (-120), Pelicans (+100)Total: 227 pointsBPI Projected Total: 233.8 pointsBPI Win%: Wizards (56.6%)

Questionable: Larry Nance Jr.Ruled Out: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Bradley BealNote: BPI numbers factored in players who are ruled out but assumes questionable players will play

Best bet: Kyle Kuzma over 22.5 points. With Bradley Beal already ruled out for Monday’s game against the Pelicans due to a hamstring injury, Kuzma will play a major role for the Wizards. This season, New Orleans allows the fifth most points per game to small forwards. This season, Kuzma is averaging 21.4 points per game, a career high. — Moody

Best bet: Jonas Valanciunas over 26.5 points + rebounds. Due to Zion Williamson’s hamstring injury, Valanciunas should continue to play a more important role for the Pelicans. Over the last four games, he’s averaged 16.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. This season, the Wizards have given up the second most points per game to centers. — Moody

Best bet: CJ McCollum over 24.5 points. McCollum isn’t on the injury report after sitting Saturday’s game, likely for rest purposes on the second half of a back-to-back. With Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram still out, McCollum should again be the focal point of the Pelicans’ offense. Including the game Zion left injured, McCollum has scored 28, 28 and 26 points in his last three games as that focal point, and overall has averaged 26.3 PPG in his last 12 games while going over 24.5 points in eight of the 12. –– Snellings

Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics7:30 p.m ET, TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Line: Celtics (-8.5)Money line: Celtics (-355), Bulls (+278)Total: 237.5 pointsBPI Projected Total: 237.6 pointsBPI Win%: Celtics (80.2%)

Questionable: Alex Caruso, Marcus SmartRuled Out: Tony Bradley, Javonte GreenNote: BPI numbers factored in players who are ruled out but assumes questionable players will play

Best bet: Jayson Tatum over 44.5 points + assists + rebounds. This season, forwards have been very successful against the Bulls. In three games against Chicago this season, Tatum averaged 30.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. This season, the Bulls rank 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions and allow the fourth-highest effective field goal percentage to opponents. — Moody

Best bet: Over 241.0. Both the Lakers and Nuggets have been subpar defensively all season long. However, offensively it’s been different for both teams. In five of their last seven games, the Lakers have scored 120 or more points. Five of the Nuggets’ last six games have exceeded that total. It is also likely that this will be a high-scoring game as the Lakers are second in pace in the league. — Moody

Best bet: Zach LaVine over 23.5 points. After a shaky start to the season as he continued to recover from knee surgery, LaVine has settled in at his usual level for more than a month now. In his last 18 games, LaVine has averaged 25.7 PPG while scoring more than 20 points in 14 of those games. He’s been particularly hot of late, averaging 29 points in his last four while scoring 36 or more in his last two outings. — Snellings

Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks7:30 p.m. ET, Madison Square Garden, New York

Line: Bucks (-1)Money line: Bucks (-120), Knicks (+100)Total: 221 pointsBPI Projected Total: 236.1 pointsBPI Win%: Knicks (61.6%)

Ruled Out: Khris Middleton, Serge Ibaka, RJ BarrettNote: BPI numbers factored in players who are ruled out but assumes questionable players will play

Fantasy streamer: Immanuel Quickley (rostered in 19.4% of ESPN leagues) is once again on the streaming radar with RJ Barrett considered doubtful for Monday’s game. Six consecutive games have seen Quickley score 25 or more fantasy points, including two with 50 or more. -Eric Moody

Best bet: Over 221.0. In the Bucks’ last seven games, the over has cashed five times. Eight of the last ten games for the Knicks have ended with the over cashing. Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s lowest-scoring game of the season coincided with the Bucks’ 29-point home loss to the Hornets on Friday. As they look to bounce back, the Bucks will likely be aggressive in this game. — Moody

Best bet: Giannis Antetokounmpo over 32.5 points. Giannis is coming off one of the worst games of his career on Friday, a nine-point/four-rebound performance with zero assists and three turnovers in 22 minutes of a home blowout against the Hornets. He seemed to be worn down in that game. Giannis had been carrying a huge load, even for him, with both Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday missing time in these last few weeks. He had averaged 39.1 PPG in the eight games before Friday and has now had three days rest since that debacle. Monday is a good bounce-back opportunity against a Knicks squad that he dropped 37 points against the last time he saw them just over a month ago. — Snellings

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies8 p.m. ET, FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee

Line: Grizzlies (11)Money line: Grizzlies (-600), Spurs (+430)Total: 238 pointsBPI Projected Total: 240.9 pointsBPI Win%: Grizzlies (82.2%)

Questionable: Keldon Johnson, Jakob PoeltlRuled Out: Devin VassellNote: BPI numbers factored in players who are ruled out but assumes questionable players will play

Fantasy streamer: Romeo Langford (available in 99.3% of leagues) has moved back into the starting lineup with Devin Vassell out. In the two games since, he’s averaged 14.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 30.0 MPG. In fact, in his last five starts where he’s played at least 28 minutes, Langford has scored double digits in all five games while averaging 16.4 PPG. — Snellings

Best bet: Tyus Jones (rostered in 9.7% of ESPN leagues) is once again on the streaming radar if Ja Morant is ruled out for Monday’s game due to a thigh injury. This season, Jones averages 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per 40 minutes. He should have success against a Spurs team that ranks 30th in points allowed per 100 possessions. — Moody

Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets9 p.m. ET, Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado

Line: Nuggets (-10)Money line: Nuggets (-440), Lakers (+335)Total: 241.5 pointsBPI Projected Total: 245 pointsBPI Win%: Nuggets (81.4%)

Questionable: Russell Westbrook, Troy Brown Jr., LeBron JamesRuled out: Jeff GreenNote: BPI numbers factored in players who are ruled out but assumes questionable players will play

Best bet: Jamal Murray over 23.5 points + assists. Over the last three games, Murray has averaged only 19 PA, but he is well-positioned to have more success against a Lakers team on Monday that has allowed some very good performances to opposing point guards. Los Angeles ranks 23rd in points allowed per 100 possessions. In three games against the Lakers this season, Murray has averaged 19.0 points and 5.7 assists. — Moody

Best bet: Lakers +9.5. The Lakers have won five straight games and are quietly creeping up the standings in their division. The Nuggets are as hot as any team in the West, having won eight of their last 10, but the last time these teams faced off the Lakers won by 18 points. I can agree with the Nuggets being favored to win, but with the way the Lakers are playing right now I’d take them with almost 10 points against pretty much anyone in the West. — Snellings

Orlando Magic at Sacramento Kings10 p.m. ET, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California

Line: Kings (-6.5)Money line: Kings (-240), Magic (+196)Total: 237 pointsBPI Projected Total: 242.1 pointsBPI Win%: Kings (74.2%)

Ruled Out: Bol BolNote: BPI numbers factored in players who are ruled out but assumes questionable players will play

Fantasy streamer: Markelle Fultz (available in 65.2% of leagues) Fultz has become one of the best defensive guards in the league, and it adds an element to his all-around game that makes him a starter in most fantasy formats. In his last 12 games, Fultz has averaged 12.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, 5.3 RPG and 2.4 SPG. In his last outing, on Saturday, he turned in a 4×5 game with 16 points, 7 assists, 6 steals and 5 rebounds in 31 minutes. — Snellings

Best bet: Magic +5.5. With how the Kings have played lately, it’s difficult to see Sacramento defeating the Magic by more than 5.5 points. The Kings are 1-4 in their last five games against the spread. In their last four road games against teams with winning records at home, the Magic are 4-0 against the spread. — Moody

Best bet: De’Aaron Fox over 32.5 points + assists. Over the last 12 games, Fox has averaged 27.7 points and 6.9 assists. The Magic ranks 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions. Fox scored 37 points and amassed three assists against Orlando back on November 5th, 2022. — Moody

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The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Calgary Flames on Sunday night. After coming off a very fun 2-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Friday, there were some good vibes surrounding the team. Patrick Kane is still missing with his injury but is expected to be back when they play next.

One player who has stepped up in the place of Patrick Kane is Lukas Reichel. After having his best game in the NHL with nothing to show for it against the Coyotes on Friday, he had an even better game against a much stronger opponent.

He started things off with his first career NHL goal just a few minutes into the game. He did what goal-scorers do and went to the front of the net. When you have hands as good as he does, you’ll score some goals if you go to that area of the ice regularly.

He wasn’t done there though. With the Blackhawks up 2-1 going into the second period, Reichel and his line made some noise just :35 seconds into the middle frame.

Coming down the wing, he got one of the best goalies in the world Jacob Markstrom to freeze up which left Philipp Kurashev with a wide-open net. Reichel found him with the backdoor pass and the Hawks went up 3-1.

Lukas Reichel put the team on his back in their Sunday night victory.

Now, the Hawks are a horrible defensive team but Alex Stalock kept him in it with his incredible goaltending (he has been the team’s best player this year). The Flames came all the way back and got it tied at three before the end of the second period.

In overtime, Reichel decided that he wasn’t done making awesome plays. He made a great play to find Max Domi in front of the net who didn’t miss scoring the game-winning goal. Domi’s 12th of the season was his second overtime winner this season.

With his play this weekend, Reichel earned himself a longer stay with the NHL club which is amazing. He didn’t look like someone who didn’t belong in his previous NHL action but he wasn’t producing any points. Now, he might have turned a bit of a corner.

Don’t expect him to have three points a night because nobody really does that but he seems like a kid that might end up working out long-term. Wouldn’t he look good playing with Connor Bedard? Hopefully, the Hawks are smart with his development as they move along here.

They are done playing now until Thursday which should be a nice little rest for them. They will host the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche who are very injured and looking to get back in the thick of the postseason race. This should be a great test for Reichel and the guys.

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The Chicago Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon. They were never really in it enough against the NFC North Champion Vikings for anyone to actually think they had a chance. By the end of the game, the result was becoming obvious.

The Vikings seemed to be content with taking out some players as the game went along and the Bears started to do the same thing. Getting as high of a draft pick as possible was always important to them and losing secured them the second overall pick at the worst.

Well, they got their wish as the Vikings ended each team’s regular season with a big victory on the road at Soldier Field. The Bears had the second overall pick locked down unless the Houston Texans could pull off a miracle in their game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Luckily enough, a big play at the end of that game got the Houston Texans within one point. Instead of sending the game to overtime with an extra point attempt, they went for two points. Luckily for the Bears, they did it and jumped the Bears on the draft board.

The Chicago Bears got some big-time help from Lovie Smith one final time.

For the first time since 1947, the Chicago Bears have the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. This is actually a very exciting piece of news as Chicago will hold a lot of cards with this pick. They could either trade it or make a selection. Either way, big things are coming for them.

Former head coach of the Chicago Bears Lovie Smith was the head coach of the Houston Texans in this game. He made all of the decisions in the final game that led to his team winning and handing over the first overall pick to his favorite team. Lovie helped Chicago out one last time.

You might remember that the Bears fired Lovie Smith all of those years ago after a winning season. Since then, literally nothing has gone right for the Bears and that includes any coaches to come along since (we will see about Matt Eberflus).

Unforutanately, the Houston Texans couldn’t even wait until Black Monday to fire Lovie Smith. They fired him on Sunday night just a handful of hours after their game ended. The players and coaching staff had to be happy with the final win of the year but the team clearly wasn’t.

There might have been some more things that went into this decision to fire him but it is hard to believe that the organization is happy with the fact that they no longer have the first overall pick. With that in mind, Lovie did the Bears one last solid on his way out.

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Margot McMahon says her father called himself an innocent bystander, but if this exhibition of graphite and watercolor pictures is any guide, I’d call him an engaged, active witness. Comprising some 40 pieces that portray protests, court scenes, political gatherings, as well as portraits and cityscapes with historic significance, the work dates from the 1940s to the early 2000s. If there’s a through line, it is a palpable sense of being there. 

Franklin McMahon was a POW in the waning months of World War II, and his daughter believes that experience shaped his worldview. The earliest pieces show the gates of Auschwitz, the Berlin Wall under construction, and a decimated building in Hiroshima. Subsequent pictures depict the Emmett Till trial, Martin Luther King Jr. on Madison Street in Chicago, Shirley Chisholm giving a campaign speech, protestors against Nixon, and street demonstrations against the Iraq War. These subjects and dozens of others are always from the perspective of the man in the crowd rather than the hero on stage. McMahon would park himself on the sidewalk and draw what he saw before his eyes as it happened. Then he would take the large sheets of paper home to his studio and add watercolor. Some pieces still bear his handwritten notes on what color to use and where.

Scarred by war, McMahon devoted his entire working life—he passed away in 2012—to championing righteous causes with his pencils and brushes. Talking about the country’s recent history, Margot laments that the lessons her father worked so hard to impart through his art weren’t heeded. He reminds us that an artist’s greatest responsibility is to bear witness.

“Resist!: A Visual History of Protest”Through 2/12: Wed-Sun noon-4 PM, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W. Chicago, uima-chicago.org, admission donation-based

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Margot McMahon says her father called himself an innocent bystander, but if this exhibition of graphite and watercolor pictures is any guide, I’d call him an engaged, active witness. Comprising some 40 pieces that portray protests, court scenes, political gatherings, as well as portraits and cityscapes with historic significance, the work dates from the 1940s to the early 2000s. If there’s a through line, it is a palpable sense of being there. 

Franklin McMahon was a POW in the waning months of World War II, and his daughter believes that experience shaped his worldview. The earliest pieces show the gates of Auschwitz, the Berlin Wall under construction, and a decimated building in Hiroshima. Subsequent pictures depict the Emmett Till trial, Martin Luther King Jr. on Madison Street in Chicago, Shirley Chisholm giving a campaign speech, protestors against Nixon, and street demonstrations against the Iraq War. These subjects and dozens of others are always from the perspective of the man in the crowd rather than the hero on stage. McMahon would park himself on the sidewalk and draw what he saw before his eyes as it happened. Then he would take the large sheets of paper home to his studio and add watercolor. Some pieces still bear his handwritten notes on what color to use and where.

Scarred by war, McMahon devoted his entire working life—he passed away in 2012—to championing righteous causes with his pencils and brushes. Talking about the country’s recent history, Margot laments that the lessons her father worked so hard to impart through his art weren’t heeded. He reminds us that an artist’s greatest responsibility is to bear witness.

“Resist!: A Visual History of Protest”Through 2/12: Wed-Sun noon-4 PM, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W. Chicago, uima-chicago.org, admission donation-based

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After a dismal start to their season, one filled with conflicts and controversy, the Chicago Bulls have found their footing. From an 11-18 start, the Bulls find themselves at 19-21 and firmly in playoff contention.

Their schedule going forward does them a lot of favors as well – the Bulls have one of the easiest schedules the rest of the way. So, with LaVine supposedly back to 100% and the team back in sync, could the Chicago Bulls continue to climb the standings by the All-Star break?

So far all indications are that the Bulls appear on their way to doing just that, which begs the question: How will the Bulls’ performance in January impact their plans at the trade deadline?

If the Chicago Bulls continue to win, AKME may continue to preach continuity at the trade deadline.

The interesting thing about the Chicago Bulls is that if they win, AKME could convince themselves that they are last year’s Boston Celtics who also turned it around at about this point last season and made the finals. As a result, the Bulls’ management could just choose to let this season ride out and deal with the fallout at the end.

However, what complicates the continuity plan is their upcoming free agency decisions. Currently, Nikola Vucevic is slated to be a UFA, Coby White an RFA, Ayo Dosunmu an RFA, and Derrick Jones Jr and Andre Drummond with Player Options.

Even if most think that the Bulls were fleeced in the Nikola Vucevic trade, it doesn’t deny the fact that he’s been a pretty productive player for the Bulls. This season he’s averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds with 38% shooting from 3 and 85% shooting from the stripe.

Even though he’s not an “All-Star”, he has had an All-Star impact on the Bulls as his versatility all over the floor has given the Bulls a safety blanket to work through when either (or sometimes both) of their star wings can’t seem to get it going.

At 32 years old, the prospect of a max contract extension is surely off the table, but that doesn’t mean he won’t demand a lucrative deal. In my opinion, Nikola Vucevic projects to finish out his career in an Al Horford/Jonas Valanciunas type of role. A high basketball IQ big man with the ability to hit open jumpers, rebound, and play unselfish.

Horford is on an expensive contract (~27M AAV) – one that has not aged well but is likely what Vucevic will look to receive this offseason. However, the Bulls probably value him closer to what Valanciunas makes (~15M). If there is mutual interest in an extension between Vucevic and the Bulls, a compromise of around 18-20M AAV over 5 years is what AKME may need to fork over.

Then there’s Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu who both need contract extensions and could sign offer sheets with other teams for the Bulls to match. With both guards only 22 years old and showing improvement each year, they could be more valuable on the FA market than anticipated thereby adding yet another wrinkle to the Bulls’ continuity plans.

Lastly, the Chicago Bulls have to consider a potential DeMar DeRozan extension. A Nikola Vucevic extension is very telling in this case because it makes almost no sense for them to extend one of them without extending the other.

If the Bulls intend to let both leave, then they should start dealing now. Otherwise, extending both seems imminent, and DeMar’s All-NBA appearance more than puts him in range for a max extension, if not supermax.

All in all, for what many like to call a dumpster fire of a situation, the Chicago Bulls have a number of talented assets worthy of contract extensions. For AKME to continue along the continuity path they’ve been preaching, the checkbooks will have to open this summer and with ownership unwilling to go into the luxury tax, difficult decisions will have to be made.

This is what makes this upcoming trade deadline so intriguing. The Bulls seemed to have turned the corner, yet also have to make huge financial commitments this summer to keep this team together. There’s still a pressing need for 3-point shooting, but more importantly, the Bulls need cash flexibility.

This brings me to the final conclusion:

The Chicago Bulls could consider a Lonzo Ball trade at the deadline.

For all the things the Bulls have said about continuity, they have a 20 million dollar contract on the books that has played the least minutes of anyone of this core group. It’s been unclear for a while how he’s progressing, if at all, off of a second surgery and if the Bulls stay competitive with him on the sideline, it may cause issues in the locker room by simply slotting him back into his old role.

Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Goran Dragic, and Alex Caruso have done a more than respectable job holding down the point guard rotation and combined make barely 2 million more than Lonzo has this season.

After all, regardless of Lonzo’s elite 3 point shooting, the best ability is availability, and thus far the Lonzo contract has provided the prospect of three-point shooting more than actual three-point shooting itself.

Lonzo Ball, as he’s only 25, is still an incredibly valuable player himself. One, that if he were healthy, would be untouchable in a trade given his size, defensive acumen, passing, and shooting ability. However, if the Bulls are serious about embracing continuity, then moving one of their most expensive pieces who has contributed least to the Bulls’ continuity has to be on the table.

In fact, to properly embrace continuity while also making sure they don’t hit the luxury tax, moving Lonzo Ball almost feels like a necessity as unfortunate as it sounds for someone who had such a promising start to his Bulls career.

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THE TORONTO RAPTORS are a rarity in the modern NBA: a franchise with options.

Plenty of teams have sold off their draft picks to chase contention immediately. Plenty more have moved their stars to pursue futures built around young talent and the NBA draft.

But Toronto is stuck somewhere in between.

The Raptors control all of their first-round picks moving forward. They are considered leaguewide to be an elite organization at every level of management — from ownership (Larry Tanenbaum) to front office (team president Masai Ujiri Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster) to coach (Nick Nurse).

They have a roster featuring an All-NBA forward (Pascal Siakam), an All-Star guard (Fred VanVleet), arguably the NBA’s best 3-and-D wing (O.G. Anunoby) and the reigning Rookie of the Year (Scottie Barnes).

And yet, Toronto (17-23) finds itself sitting six games under .500 and having lost 14 of its last 20 games heading into Tuesday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.

“They are a talented team,” an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN, “and yet it just hasn’t worked.”

2 Related

The nature of today’s NBA leads to teams cycling through rebuilds after four or five years at the top of the sport. That is the result the salary cap, age curves and the draft are designed to produce.

The Raptors have defied the odds in a way few other teams can — they’ve won an Eastern Conference-best 466 games since the start of the 2013-14 season and have reached the playoffs eight out of nine seasons.

But they are finally showing signs of wear.

Not having cap space since the summer of 2015, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, has prevented the Raptors from adding a significant player via free agency. While Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka were all key in Toronto’s 2019 NBA championship run — the first in franchise history — all three leaving with the Raptors receiving nothing in return sapped the team’s depth.

And, after Toronto had one of the great player development runs in recent memory, landing Norman Powell, Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby all after the 23rd pick in the draft between 2015 and 2017, it’s been unable to recreate that draft magic since.

Combined with a shooting slump that has lasted over a month, Toronto has been put in a position where the rest of the NBA is waiting to see which direction the franchise will take with its underperforming roster.

With exactly one month until the Feb. 9 deadline, what’s happening north of the border has become a massive trade season storyline.

“Their guys are better than whoever else might be available,” an East executive told ESPN. “They’ll have plenty of interest if they’re out there.”

TORONTO ENTERED THIS season projected to finish as a top-six team in the East. The formula was simple: Siakam, VanVleet, Anunoby and Barnes needed to play at a high level to keep up with the heightened competition in the top half of the conference.

And while the Raptors have problem areas — a lack of depth and shooting and defensive woes that have plagued Toronto all season — the heart of the Raptors’ issues are the regressions of both Barnes and VanVleet.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes has yet to build off the success of his debut season. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP

After gliding through a rookie season that saw the 6-foot-8 forward outduel Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley for the league’s top rookie honor and showing off a versatile skill set that teams covet in today’s NBA, Barnes has failed to live up to that standard in his sophomore campaign.

“I would say [I’m] still developing,” Barnes told ESPN when asked to assess his second season. “Still trying to find the right places, still working, just finding different ways on how I can impact the game.”

His stats have flatlined or regressed, and he’s been cajoled at times to be more assertive on the court. Consider during last week’s losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks, when Barnes didn’t make a single shot through the first three quarters of either game.

Offensively, Barnes is scoring fewer points (15.3 to 14.9), shooting fewer free throws (2.9 to 2.7) and shooting a lower percentage from the field (49.2 to 44.8). Defensively, per Second Spectrum’s tracking data, opposing players are shooting 49.9% when he is the closest defender this season, compared to 46.5% last season.

Wednesday

Bucks-Hawks, 7:30 p.m.Suns-Nuggets, 10 p.m.

Friday

Warriors-Spurs, 7:30 p.m.Nuggets-Clippers, 10 p.m.

*All times Eastern

“He’s going to have a long career, so this is good for him to struggle a little bit,” VanVleet told ESPN. “We would wish that there wasn’t so much weight on every performance for him, but we do need him to play good in order for us to have success, which is how a team is built. That’s unfortunate in terms of his development, but it’s good for him. … It’s going to make him better, and it’s good for him to go through these struggles.”

“He was pretty much a golden child all last year and then nobody said any bad things about him, and so [he can] get it out the way now,” VanVleet added with a smile. “Let people talk about him, and he’ll be able to bounce back and push through that.”

VanVleet is in the midst of his own share of struggles. Since Kyle Lowry went to Miami prior to last season, VanVleet has assumed his mentor’s role as the heart and soul of the Raptors. He’s the team’s leader, constantly playing through injuries and doing whatever he can to help win games.

VanVleet has also been the face of the team’s shooting slump. Toronto is 29th in the NBA in 3-point percentage since the team’s slide began with a blowout loss in New Orleans on Nov. 30. Up to that point, VanVleet was shooting 37.8% — right in line with his career average of 37.5%.

Since then, he’s shooting 29.2% from beyond the arc on nearly nine attempts per game.

“There’s going to be nights where you make some, and nights where you don’t,” VanVleet said. “But overall, this season has not been a great shooting year for us.”

That’s especially been true over the last month. Per Second Spectrum’s tracking data, Toronto has generated the 11th best looks from 3-point range by quantified shot probability (qsP) since Nov. 30. But over that same stretch, the Raptors are dead last in quantified shot-making (qsM), which is the difference between a team’s effective field goal percentage and its qsP, over that same period, hitting 6.2% below what they are expected to on 3-pointers.

For a team that struggles in a variety of metrics in half-court offense, combining that with open looks is a recipe for disaster, which is why Toronto has ranked 22nd in offensive rating over that span.

Even after a couple of improved performances over the last week, the Raptors sit 18th in the league in defense rating since Nov. 30, in large part because of porous transition defense.

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Through Nov. 29, Toronto ranked second in transition defense, per Cleaning The Glass. Since then? The Raptors have been 25th — a fatal flaw for a roster already lacking in traditional size, thanks to Toronto’s preference to build out a team full of long-limbed, interchangeable wings instead.

“I think the shots not going in are affecting our transition defense, and it’s affecting our energy and fight a little bit,” Nurse told ESPN.

Add it all up, and a franchise that has grown accustomed to winning has been left wondering what direction it is headed.

THE ARRIVAL OF the play-in tournament has altered the NBA trade landscape.

With 10 teams from each conference now guaranteed, at minimum, the chance to win two games and make the playoffs, it’s both given more teams the opportunity to wait for standings to shake out and has decreased the pool of selling teams.

So while scouts and executives pointed at teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards joining Toronto as potential active teams ahead of next month’s trade deadline, there’s less urgency for middling teams to make moves.

“It makes team less inclined to throw in the towel,” another East executive told ESPN.

That is certainly how the Raptors view things, as they’ve insisted they’ll take until the end of the month, at least, to decide where they are headed.

And, as they evaluate their situation, a few factors will play into the choice they ultimately make.

Fred VanVleet high-fives teammates OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam at Madison Square Garden. All three stars could become major NBA trade deadline targets. Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

One is the presence of Victor Wembanyama atop this year’s draft boards. The 7-foot-4 French phenom is one of the best prospects in a generation, and Toronto currently sits tied for sixth in the draft lottery standings and just two games ahead of the Orlando Magic in fifth. When combined with the flattened lottery odds, it puts Toronto in a potentially prime position to lean into chasing lottery luck this spring.

Then there’s the pending unrestricted free agency of both VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. Before the season, sources said Toronto offered VanVleet the full amount it could in an extension off his current contract: four years and $114 million, per ESPN’s Marks.

VanVleet told reporters after Toronto’s win Sunday that both sides agreed to wait, in part because VanVleet has the ability to sign the extension anytime between now and June 30 if he turns down his player option for next season.

But one thing is clear: VanVleet believes he’s worth more than what Toronto can currently give him.

“Without going too far into it … [I’m] just trying to put myself in a good position business-wise, and not take an extension on a deal that was made three or four years ago,” VanVleet told ESPN.

“I felt like I’ve outplayed that contract thus far. So just trying to get myself in a position to put the cards in their hands. They got to make a decision from an organization standpoint.

“I love being here. I love being a Raptor. I got a great relationship with Masai and Bobby, so I’m confident that we could find [a deal]. It’s a great partnership that we have, so going forward, I’m not going to make it easy on them and they’re not going to make it on me either, and that’s the way it’s going.”

All eyes are on 7-foot-4 French prospect Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 projected top pick. We’ll have complete coverage leading up to the June 22 draft on ESPN.

o Teams contending for Wembanyama o Givony’s mock draft: Victor still on topo Stock watch: Wemby’s developmento Can Wemby end Team USA’s dynasty?

Trent, meanwhile, can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Two years ago, when faced with a similar situation when Powell was headed to free agency, Toronto flipped him to Portland for Trent, who was going to be a restricted free agent.

The Raptors could choose to go a similar direction with both guards, either getting draft picks or controllable players moving forward. Or, conversely, could hang onto them and have the ability to retain them using their Bird rights this summer.

And virtually every team is watching to see if either Anunoby, a dream addition for any contending team as one of the NBA’s best wing defenders who is a career 37% 3-point shooter, or Siakam, who has evolved into a complete star forward and could be in line for a supermax extension this summer if he earns another All-NBA selection, become available.

“What does Toronto want to do?” a Western Conference scout said. “Do they want to stockpile assets? Do they want to just rearrange what they have?”

The rest of the NBA is waiting to find out, too.

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