Basketball Insiders This injury hit something close to my heart. I normally write my articles in a neutral tone, but as a longtime Mavericks’ fan, this is a tad different. Coming out of a rare road win in Minnesota, the Mavs may have taken a bigger loss. After a made layup in the fourth quarter, Mavericks’ guard J.J. Barea landed awkwardly and stayed down. Barea required help to the locker room and later that night, the news was broken that he indeed tore his achilles tendon.

WSH receives: G Markelle Fultz, SF Wilson Chandler, PG Landry Shamet; 2019, 2023 First Round Picks PHI receives: SG Bradley Beal This makes sense for both sides. Philadelphia gets Bradley Beal, while Washington gets two first-round picks, two young prospects, and a veteran on an expiring contract. There is a ton of concern around Fultz, but the second-year man out of Washington is still extremely young. Adding a promising guard like Shamet and a quality role player like Chand

USA TODAY Washington Wizards’ point guard John Wall will undergo season-ending surgery to his left heel next week. The surgery will address a Haglund’s deformity and hopefully rid Wall of his nagging heel pain. Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, WI will be performing the surgery. According to coach Scott Brooks, Wall has been dealing with left heel pain for the past couple of seasons. The initial timeline to return to basketball activities is 6-8 months. John Wall has already

Photo courtesy of The Champaign Room Ayo Dosunmu, a five-star recruit hailing from Chicago, is ready to be the hometown hero for the University of Illinois. A two-time state champion at Morgan Park High School and member of the gold-medal winning U18 USA Basketball team, Dosunmu uses his quickness to dominate both sides of the floor. Dosunmu will fuel a high-octane offense led by coach Brad Underwood as the Fighting Illini look to compete for a NCAA Tournament appearance for

Photo Courtesy: Star Tribune *The NBA offseason is cooling down, but the takes at OTG aren't. This month, we are hitting you with the Hot Take Marathon. Check back every day for a spicy NBA take!* My spicy take for the 2019 NBA season is that the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves will miss the playoffs and subsequently lose a star during the 2019 offseason. Portland will trade one of their backcourt stars, while Jimmy Butler will bail on Minnesota and leave th