NEWSLETTER
It’s hard to believe we have less than three weeks remaining in the NBA’s regular season, and we should be in for some real drama down the stretch.
The Knicks have plenty to play for in their remaining 11 games in terms of positioning, and they look like they’ll get some reinforcements. We got an injury update on Hawks star Trae Young, as well. Caitlin Clark picked up a Big offer from a legend. Let’s cover it all!
NBA Notes
Caitlin Clark Picks Up Big3 Offer
Iowa Hawkeyes star (and possibly the greatest college basketball player of all time) Caitlin Clark has a whole bunch of fans around the basketball world. And one of her biggest fans is an important one. Legendary rapper and Big3 co-founder Ice Cube confirmed that the three-on-three league has a $5 million offer out to Clark to join the league after her college career wraps up.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship,” Ice Cube wrote on X. “But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.
The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year. Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes.”
Big3 co-founder Ice Cube
Clark is a virtual lock to be the first overall pick of the Indiana Fever in this offseason’s WNBA Draft. It’s unknown yet if she would be able to play in both the Big3 and the WNBA. Several WNBA players do play overseas during the offseason, but there are prioritization rules in the WNBA collective bargaining agreement. Clark was unavailable for comment when ESPN reached out, and a WNBA players union spokesperson also said they weren’t aware of the offer just yet.
It’s probably a long shot that Caitlin Clark would be able to play in both the Big3 and the WNBA, but wouldn’t it be cool if she could? First off, $5 million would be a huge payday. Clark has made some very good money thanks to NIL, but WNBA rookie salaries for lottery draft picks in 2024 are $76,535 and climb to $97,582 by their fourth season.
Secondly, wouldn’t it be fun to see Clark compete alongside some former basketball legends? Clark can shoot the three with the best of them, and her unlimited range would be a blast to watch with the Big3’s four-point line.
Still, the WNBA will likely be – and should be – first and foremost for Clark once she wraps up her Iowa career. Not only will this pit her against some of the best competition in the world, but it will also give her a chance to bring even more fans to the league. The WNBA has never quite seen someone enter the league with as big of a following as Clark.
Knicks Expecting Reinforcements
The Knicks are already one of the NBA’s top teams defensively. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Tom Thibodeau’s defense might be getting even better.
New York is expecting center Mitchell Robinson to be active and in the lineup against Toronto on Wednesday night. Robinson last played in early December, when he suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. After missing 50 games, he’ll be back just in time to ramp up for the NBA Playoffs.
Robinson is one of the better defensive centers in the NBA when healthy. He’s also one of the game’s best offensive rebounds. Before getting injured, Robinson averaged 6.2 PPG and a career-high 10.3 RPG. Both of those things should prove massively important come playoff time. With Robinson back in the fold – and OG Anunoby and Julius Randle both hopeful to return either for the postseason or sometime during it – New York all of a sudden looks like a very tough out in the Eastern Conference.
Anunoby hasn’t played since re-aggravating his elbow on March 16, but he did participate in the team shootaround on Tuesday. Julius Randle has been dealing with a shoulder injury for the last few months and still has yet to be cleared for contact. While Anunoby should be back in time for the postseason, Randle’s return is a little more clouded in terms of a timeline.
Trae Young Injury Update
NBA All-Star guard Trae Young is preparing to take the next step in the rehab process for his injured finger. Young had a one-month checkup on his finger following the February 27th surgery to repair a torn ligament. While the Hawks star is surely progressing in his injury recovery, he’s still without a timeline for return.
Next up for the 25-year-old guard in his rehab will be small finger motion exercises, according to the team.
While the report might seem like nothing, it’s an important bit of news for the Bulls. Chicago is currently just 1.5 games ahead of Atlanta for the 9th spot in the East. We’re almost certainly headed for a Bulls and Hawks Play-In matchup, but the home-court advantage is still very much up in the air with 10 games remaining in the regular season. If the Hawks can catch the Bulls for that 9th spot, the 9v10 Play-In game will then be held in Atlanta.
Young was having a really nice season for the Hawks, averaging a double-double before getting hurt. Atlanta, however, has held their own just fine without their starting point guard. They’re 8-7 without Trae and fresh off a 30-point comeback win over the league-best Boston Celtics.
