NBA News: Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The NBA doesn’t dominate the news quite like the NFL does, but there are always plenty of stories that are circulating in the media every single day. It has been a weekend of returns in the NBA as players are starting to make their way back to the floor. 

We haven’t reached the trade deadline yet in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean that teams aren’t already looking to make moves. Here are some of the biggest NBA news stories from around the league on Tuesday, January 24. 

Lakers Making Moves

The Los Angeles Lakers are not in a position to wait until the trade deadline to make a move as they are struggling to keep pace in the playoff race. Los Angeles needs some help on the offensive side of the floor and they were able to find a willing trade partner in the Washington Wizards. 

The Washington Wizards are sending Rui Hachimura to Los Angeles in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second picks. Washington is in a position where they need to plan for the future, and the Lakers are hoping to make another run with LeBron James still in his prime. 

Hachimura has not been happy in Washington as he was not given a contract extension on his rookie deal. It has been rumored for weeks that Hachimura was going to be on the move, and the Lakers were always a team with a ton of interest. 

Nunn was scoring over 10.5 points per game for the Lakers in the month of January, but the team was ready to move on from his inconsistent play.

Isaac Makes His Return

The Orlando Magic are a team that is full of young stars, and they just got one player back after a very long absence. Forward Jonathan Isaac made his long return to the NBA on Monday night in what was an emotional night for all involved. 

This was the first game appearance for Isaac in more than 900 days, and the large crowd in Orlando showed him appreciation when he took the floor. Isaac has been out of action since August 2, 2020, after tearing his ACL during a game in the bubble. 

It has been a long road back for Isaac during the rehab process, and setbacks have kept him out of the lineup as well. He scored 10 points in his season debut on Monday night and should start to see more playing time moving forward.

Bucks Get Back Two Stars

The Milwaukee Bucks were another NBA team that saw some key players return to the floor on Monday night, and it led to a blowout win. Milwaukee saw both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton make their return on Monday night, and that duo hadn’t been on the floor together since early December. 

Those two All-Stars helped the Bucks pick up a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons, and Antetokounmpo and Middleton played a huge part in the win. Milwaukee poured in 49 points in the first quarter of the win over the Pistons, which nearly set an NBA record.

Be sure to check out all our Daily NBA Picks!

All Media on this page by Associated Press.